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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 2017)
Page A-2 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, September 13, 2017 Life in the Valley of Riches By DAN MANCUSO, Publisher Last week’s rain gave us a light reprieve from the smoke and tensions have lowered for now. According to Terry Krasko, Chetco Bar Fire public information officer, the rain gave crews a chance to reopen the existing Biscuit fire lines, “Now we can meet the wildfire with fire on our own terms,” Krasko said. We also have a few other fires that are nipping at us. To the east we have the Miller Complex in the Applegate that is near the headwater of Sucker Creek. The Cedar Fire and the rest of the Eclipse Complex is just over the line in California. I was not here during the Biscuit, but I often hear tales about it. Everyone always seems to be thinking about the next big one. The shortcomings of the U.S. Forest Service’s failure to extinguish the fires early enough like they did in the days of the smokejumpers are a familiar theme. Yet, the agency did initially send in a rappel team that had to be evacuated for safety reasons, and they did send aircraft in. The terrain is very difficult. How may of you have ever hiked deep into the Kalmiopsis where the cliffs are often near vertical? One experienced local back-countryman said, “Fire crews in there would be on a suicide mission.” My understanding is that the fire is burning in the old Biscuit Fire scar from 2002, and the fire is unlikely to behave like it did in the mature forest during the Biscuit Fire and the Brookings side this time around. But … because the fire lines are the same ones as the Biscuit, expect the fire to reach the same places it did 15 years ago. What does this mean? Yes, the fire is likely to get close but don’t panic. Yes, it’s going to get smoky again, but still, don’t panic. The residents of the Illinois Valley are a hardy sort; you have lived through the Silver, Biscuit and other less notorious fires. You live in a beautiful valley that has three things you can count on: rain, fire and strong people. I repeat, yes it’s going to get smoky again, and yes, the fire will probably reach the Biscuit fire lines, but hey, let’s not panic. Thank you for picking up this week’s paper, enjoy! ~ djm Letters to the editor Illinois Valley News welcomes let- ters to the editor. Please e-mail them to dan@illinois-valley-news.com. POLICY ON LETTERS: ‘Illinois Valley News’ encourages letters to the editor provided they are legible and not libelous or scurrilous. All letters must be signed, including name, address and telephone number. The latter need not be published, but will be used to verify authenticity. The “News” reserves the right to edit let- ters. Letters are used at the discretion of the publisher. *** (Editor’s Note: Views and commen- tary, including statements made as fact are strictly those of the letter writers.) Reader say relax Things have gotten completely out of hand with the fire rumors. I have heard of the bomb the Forest Service can drop in the middle of the fire to suck out all the oxygen that will put out the fire to the evacua- tions that are supposedly going into effect in one hour. There seems to be an awful lot of people who are “in the know” running off at the mouth. They scare old people who watch too much TV News and the little kids listening in grocery store lines. I know of people who have actually moved their horses out of the Valley and others who have spent hours packing up their houses. Enough!! Anyone with a computer can go to INCIWeb, type in Oregon, pick the fire they want to know about, and they will know what the firefighters themselves are being briefed on at 6 a.m., every morning, in every fire camp in Oregon. They will know what roads are closed, how big the fire is, where it’s headed and what is being done about it. Not everyone went to the fire meeting and don’t even know what level one evacua- tions mean. It is time for everyone to stop spreading what they hear and getting the real info for themselves. Thanks, Debbie Messerli Cave Junction I.V. Senior Center against the wall while I.V. Airport benefits This letter is regarding several articles published in the August 30, 2017 edition of the I.V. News. The first article of interest was found tucked away on page A12 discussing several million dollars of FAA grant money coming down the pipe to im- prove the runway at the I.V. airport. The second article was the front page story concerning the recent purchase of the county building by the senior center and talk of how the money would benefit our community. The article on page A12, para- graph 3 states “... Josephine County could not produce the hundreds of thousands of dollars necessary to match the (FAA) grants mandatory 10 percent...” However, during the 2016 calendar year, our cash strapped county nearing the prover- bial fiscal cliff that would do away with all county sheriff funding, found over $300,000 in its coffers to fund the purchase of a brand new manufactured home to house 1 air- port maintenance employee and fam- ily on site, as well as the purchase of 2 private hangars at the I.V. airport to support 1 airport tenant’s private business endeavors. Even with ten- ant lease payments, this investment by the county will end up as a net loss for the next 10-15 years as the Airports department is paying back the funding with interest. Also, now the county will no longer receive income from the ground lease of the two hangars nor will it benefit from collecting property taxes on said hangars. In the same article on A12 paragraph 6, regarding the Siskiyou Smokejumper Base Museum being a historic district recognized by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and the need for the Air- ports Department to follow rules set forth by SHPO, please let it be clear that the project delay is no fault of the Museum but rather an oversight by the writer and administrator of the FAA grant and the engineering firm contracted to draft the airport layout and improvement plans. Had the Airports Manager chosen to be a team player rather than just trying to run with the ball to score the touch down, perhaps the parking tarmac replacement could have taken place in the same timely manner as the runway lighting project, and these safety hazards would be mitigated. As for the promise of the Se- nior Center County Building pur- chase money being used to support infrastructure in the valley, lets get real. The industrial park is far from being shovel ready. It already has a fire suppression reservoir in place that does not hold water. Further- more, there is inadequate ground water at the industrial park site to keep a properly functioning reservoir full and support the business growth that would be necessary to create the economic boon that people envision the development would bring. As for the internet and communications services indicated as a priority to the commissioners, who will benefit from that? Most likely the same folks who oversold their services in the first place. Or perhaps it will ex- tend internet service to the industrial park at the airport and not benefit the general populous at all. We will see. As for now, I am sure the commis- sioners are in their smoke free, air conditioned offices hard at work for the people of the Illinois Valley. Sunrise Ocean Cave Junction To the Junction Inn Loyal Customers: As the Junction Inn Restaurant transitions to new management and a new restaurant and lounge, I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such loyal customers to me and to the business. You have all created a community here at the Junction Inn restaurant that cannot be replaced. The new owners of the restau- rant will be a long-term lease and we hope that they enjoy the success and the community that you all brought to the restaurant. I will let the new owners know how important you are to this community, the city and to the business. I believe that they will be as welcoming to you, as you were to me when we purchased the business many years ago. Thank you for all your support and for all your thoughts and prayers these last few years. With love and prayer, Erlinda Felizardo Santa Clara, California I LLINOIS V ALLEY F UNERAL D IRECTORS WWW.SINCE1928HULL.COM 541-592-4110 Save the date Sept. 13 AWANA starts Sept. 13 for children PK – Sixth grade at Com- munity Bible Church, 113 S. Caves Ave. CJ, Wednesdays at 6:15 – 8 p.m. Registration will be the 13th so come a little bit early! Children must be registered by their parents or legal guardians. There will be stories, music, games and often light snacks. AWANA will meet ev- ery Wednesday night unless there is no school. This is a church spon- sored program regardless of their religious affiliation. At the same time there will be a free parenting class for all parents, grandparents & guardians. Sept. 14 IVHS girls’ varsity soccer game at home vs. Coquille at 4 p.m. IVHS girls’ JV volleyball at home vs. Lakeview at 5 p.m. IVHS girls’ varsity volleyball at home vs. Lakeview at 6:15 p.m. Sept. 14 Join the Pickett West Timber Sale Auction Protest, Thursday, Sept. 14th, 8-10 a.m. at the BLM Grants Pass Office, 2164 NE Spald- ing Ave. Carpool leaving Selma from Ray’s Market at 7:30 a.m. Sept. 15 game at home vs. Myrtle Point at 7 p.m. Sept. 16 IVHS boys’ varsity soccer game vs. Cascade Christian at US Cellular Field at noon. IVHS girls’ varsity soccer game at home vs. Cascade Chris- tian at 1 p.m. Sept. 16 & 17 A Freakin’ Fabulous Fall Fer- mentation Festival Sept. 16 (10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 17 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Learn how to make your own naturally fermented foods, bever- ages and fertilizers during this fun weekend at Frog Farm! Resister for one day or the whole weekend, and attend up to a dozen classes, dis- cussions and tastings. This event is a FUNdraiser to support Spiral Liv- ing Center’s programs and projects promoting community sustainabil- ity. Find the schedule on our Face- book Page, https://www.facebook. com/spiralcenter website at www. spiralLiving.org or call 541-592- 3642 for more information. Acorn Cracking Party Sunday, Sept. 17 from 9 a.m. – noon at the Frog Farm in Takilma. Illinois Valley News Published weekly by W.H. Alltheway, LLC Daniel J. Mancuso, Publisher POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to P.O. Box 1370, Cave Junction, OR 97523 Illinois Valley News is published at 221 S. Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction, OR 97523 Telephone (541) 592-2541 Since 1937 periodicals postage paid at Cave Junction, OR 97523 P.O. Box 1370 USPS 258-820 Last Day for judging the Guild’s Up-cycle Contest will be Friday, Sept. 22 at the last CJ Farm- ers’ Market at Jubilee Park Sept. 30 10th annual Acorn Festival, Saturday, Sept. 30 at the Selma Community Center on Hwy. 199 in Selma, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. This FREE outdoor/indoor event includes: *Hands-on workshops on acorns and their processing, *Acorn cook- ing basket demonstration, *Historic photos of traditional acorn process- ing, *IRVAC free nature crafts table for all ages, * Fun and educational activities all day long and *Scare- crow contest with $100 prize. Ka- ruk Elder speaks, all are welcome rain or shine. Brought to you by the Cultural & Ecological Enhancement Network (CEEN). For more infor- mation contact Suzanne Vautier 541-291-8860. I.V. Garden Club plant sale, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. True Value Hardware parking lot. Continuing Sept. 17 IVHS boys’ varsity football Sept. 22 *Illinois Valley Community Watch Meeting every Monday from 5 - 6 p.m. at Wild River Pizza, 249 Redwood Hwy. – Cave Junction. A Public Safety Outreach Campaign SUBSCRIPTION RATES One year in Josephine County - $35 One year in Jackson and Douglas counties - $36 One year in all other Oregon counties and out-of-state - $43.00 Illinois Valley News does not refund subscriptions. Remainder of subscription will be donated to the charity of your choice. effort with all I.V. Neighborhood Watch Groups – representatives, including businesses and churches, and support for anyone wishing to start a neighborhood watch. In- cludes a 2-way hand held radio pro- gram briefing from 4:20 - 4:50 p.m. Contact Guenter - 541-415-1929 / ivwatch541@gmail.com. or visit cjpatrol.org. *The I.V. Senior Thrift Store: Join the crew and make new friends. You don’t need to be a senior citizen to volunteer at the store. Call us at 541-592-6630. Open Monday – Sat- urday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. *Come join the Cave Junction Lions Club at River Valley Restaur- rant, at 6 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month. We are a co-ed club and are always looking for community minded people that are dedicated, hard working, wheth- er physically limited or not and most of all, like to have fun. We host the Classic Car Show in late June and Turkey Bingo in early November. So if you like to have fun and like to help make great things happen, provide glasses, hearing aids, scholarships and sup- port for our community and so much more. Come by and see what we do or give us a call, 541-592-9243 Nina Horsley, president. *Volunteers are needed in the Cave Junction Substation to provide support service hours to the public. Applications are available at the Merlin Substation, 100 Acorn Street, Merlin, 541-474-5135, and on-line at http://www.co.josephine.or.us/ Files/Volunteer%20Application. Mar%202014.pdf. *Cave Junction Patrol, LLC is looking for volunteers. CJ Patrol is a private citizen volunteer orgnaniza- tion dedicated to effectively address- ing heretofore-unchecked property crime in our city and neighborhoods. The primary mission of CJ Patrol is to prevent, interrupt, report and de- crease property crime in the city of Cave Junction. Call 541-592-9665 News - Dan Mancuso dan@illinois-valley-news.com Editor -Laura Mancuso laura@illinois-valley-news.com Classified Ads -Laura Mancuso laura@illinois-valley-news.com Circulation - Laura Mancuso laura@illinois-valley-news.com Advertising / Composition - Dan Mancuso dan@illinois-valley-news.com Mailroom - Millie Watkins *Committee Meeting STATE OF JEFFERSON Josephine Coun- ty 1st Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m. Black Forest Restaurant, Grants Pass and 3rd Thursday of each month at 6 p.m., Wild River Pizza in Cave Junction. *Second and fourth Mondays of the month, 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 222 W. List- er Street, Cave Junction, Oregon, the Common Council of the City of Cave Junction will meet in a regular session. DEADLINES: News, Classified and Display Ads, Announcement and Letters 4 P.M. FRIDAYS POLICY ON LETTERS: ‘Illinois Valley News’ encour- ages letters to the editor pro- vided they are legible and not libelous or scurrilous. All let- ters must be signed, including name, address and telephone number. The latter need not be published, but will be used to verify authenticity. The ‘News’ reserves the right to edit letters. Letters are used at the discre- tion of the publisher.
