YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1937
Illinois Valley News
Wednesday, August 23, 2017, 1 Section, Volume LXXX No. 22
Published weekly for the residents of the Illinois Valley
Cedar Fire puffs its chest
(Photo by Laura Mancuso, Illinois Valley News)
Wednesday, Aug. 16 the Cedar Fire in Siskiyou County, a part of the Eclipse Complex, burning
southwest of Tanner Lake, could be seen from Caves Highway.
2 more resign
from IVFD board
Jason McMillen
IVN Contributing Writer
At the Aug. 17 Illinois
Valley Fire District (IVFD) Board
of Director’s meeting both Ron
Humphfres, the board president
who’s been surrounded by
controversy over the last several
months, and Joe Feldhaus, who was
sworn in as a director last month,
both resigned from their positions,
effective immediately. Humphfres
didn’t attend the meeting and, as
such, Joe Feldhaus read his letter of
resignation aloud. Because there was
only two members left on the board
there was no quorum and, therefore,
they could not legally conduct any
business during the meeting.
“It with great regret that I
am resigning from the board of
directors…” Humpfres wrote, “It’s
sad to learn that someone lied to get
what they want or abuse their power
of authority to get people to believe
them. I’ve served this Valley for
25 years and always put it first and
will continue to… If this is the way
you want this organization to be—I
want no part of it… goodbye and
good luck with this path you have
chosen to follow.” After reading
Humphfres’ letter, Feldhaus said
in his parting speech that he was
“heartbroken” by the president’s
resignation and that he can’t support
two of the candidates that want to fill
the now vacant positions. He added
that he doesn’t know the third and
presumably inferred that he could
neither vouch nor vote for them
either.
Humphfres’ exit from the
board followed a certain degree
of public outcry along with a civil
lawsuit which was threatened in
writing by Dan Mancuso, publisher
of the Illinois Valley News, Aug 16
should he fail to resign. The potential
lawsuit would have involved
Humphfres’ illegal polling other
members of the board via the phone
as well as potentially instigating a
non-public quorum. The latter of
the two violations was caught on
video after the July 13 meeting’s
$1.00
adjournment while the polling
accusation, regarding his claim
that the board collectively decided
that he should not comment upon
the situation to the Illinois Valley
News, was freely admitted to in an
interview yet was never debated or
voted upon in a public setting.
Fire Chief Dennis Hoke’s
attorney also delivered a letter to
Humphfres demanding that he stop
harassing Hoke with disciplinary
action as well as to stop illegally
polling members of the board
regarding said disciplinary action.
Robert Schmidt, a replacement
initially suggested by Humphfres
to fill Bob Butler’s position after
he resigned in “disgust,” refused
to apply for the position in a letter
to the IllinoisValley News Aug.
2 unless Humphfres resigned.
Butler, in a letter published Aug.
16 in the Illinois Valley News, also
demanded that Humphfres tender
his resignation during the Aug. 17
meeting.
SEE BOARD ON A-12
“Nobody’s expecting perfection out of any
of us but there’s a process to fix those mistakes
when they’re made and we need to do that. As
a board, we owe that to the district and to the
tax payers…”
Carol Dickson, IVFD board member
Lions Club Grand Marshals have something in common
Read about it on A-5
Valley mourns
the loss of
Denny Hare
Lynden Owen Hare, 78, died Aug. 7, 2017 at his home
that he shared with his wife, Evie Hare, in Cave Junction. When
Lynden was born, his older sister couldn’t pronounce his name
and called him Denny. Everyone who knew and loved him
called him Denny Hare ever since.
Denny was born Aug. 11, 1938, in Fraser, Michigan as
the second of five children and the only brother. He spent his
early childhood in Ohio and Michigan and his formative years
in Los Angeles. He graduated from St. Helena High School in
California’s beautiful Nappa Valley. In 1958, his parents Helene
and Edward Hare bought the Oxbow Ranch on Caves Hwy. and
he moved there soon after. He lived on the Ranch, off and on,
until the day of his passing.
In 1962 he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was
stationed in Spain for the three years he served. As a radio relay
technician, he reached the rank of Private (E-1). After leaving
the military in 1965, he returned to the Illinois Valley where
he lived a free-wheelin’ bachelor life until he met the woman
who would become the love of his life, Evie - a city girl from
Whittier, California.
In May 1977 they officially started a life together that
would last 40 plus years. Together Evie and Denny raised
three children on the Oxbow Ranch: David Bayless of Seattle,
Washington (a son from Evie’s previous marriage); Simon Hare
of Grants Pass; and Maria (Hare) Rose of Los Altos, California.
The family jokes that Maria became the favorite child when she
provided three beautiful grandsons - William (9), Benjamin (7),
and James (4).
Denny worked in the Valley as a logger, weathervane
maker, stone mason and jack-of-all-trades. In the 1980s and
early 1990s, he was a member of the Bridgeview Community
Church where he often lent his singing voice and guitar
playing. Never shy, he could also be found at BBQs, festivals,
campfires, funerals, weddings and open mic nights at the
Pizza Deli telling stories and singing. Many family and friends
will always remember his renditions of “Ghost Riders in the
Sky,” “Little Brown Shack Out Back,” “Country Roads,” and
“Annie’s Song.”
SEE HARE ON A-3
Lynden “Denny” Owen Hare
NEW!!! Three
Rivers School
District online
enrollment
No more of those big
enrollment packets to
fill out at each school.
You will now enroll your
students via the Parent Vue
icon on the district website at
www.threerivers.k12.or.us.
Please sign-up for
Parent Vue if you have not
already done so. Click on the
blue Parent/Student VUE Icon
and follow the directions.
For those of you who do not
have computers at home, the
Illinois Valley High School
(IVHS) office can assist from
Aug. 21 through Sept. 1.
Computers will be available
in the school office for you to
use. Aug. 24, the IVHS office
will remain open until 7 p.m.
to assist you with enrollment.
Lorna Byrne Middle
School will be open to assist
you during the same dates as
IVHS.
Evergreen Elementary
will be open from 8 a.m. to 3
p.m. on the following dates:
Aug. 21 through Sept. 1.
Evergreen will stay open until
7 p.m. Aug. 30.