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.
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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.