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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2018)
Page A-2 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, April 18, 2018 I woke up Saturday feeling a little blue; I have had some depressing things on my mind like the mentally ill homeless in our town and the news about the county commissioners fighting for marijuana growing bans which has me picturing the town I love becoming like a ghost town. Then, when I drove into town and pulled into the Illinois Valley News parking lot to grab my notebook, my mood darkened further because there was a big pile of trash left near the front door of the office. I was short on time so I grumbled and decided to pick up the mess later after I was done taking photos at the I.V. Golf Club. I made it to the I.V. Golf Club and immediately my spirits lifted. The parking lot was so full of cars that people had to park on the dirt lot next door. I have never seen so many cars at the golf club. Community members showed up big time to support the golf course for the membership drive/free golf tournament. I was surprised to see so many people there with their children to participate in this event and to welcome golf pro Rex Denham back to the club house. I ended up having so much fun - taking some great photos, meeting longtime Valley residents, talking to Rex Denham and eating Kathy Kennedy’s delicious carrot cake. I left the golf course feeling hope; hopeful that this community cares and still wants to be involved in activities. Next, I went to Lorna Byrne Middle School to take photos of the latest RiverStars performance called “Red Gold.” I walked into the theater room and was blown away. More than 200 people were in the room, standing room only, to support our Valley youth. And then I really got a surprise, the show was amazing! Her life in the Valley of Riches by Laura Mancuso, editor As a former school teacher I have seen many plays, skits, dances, concerts, talent shows, etc. but I have never seen such a special performance. It was nonstop entertainment with music, dancing, acting, humor, colorful costumes with a meaningful story. Kudos to all the RiverStars Performing Arts staff performers and parents. Our Valley is lucky to have such talent and dedication to the arts. I left the school feeling excited and happy that so many people care and are involved with the Valley’s youth. Finally, I made it back to the Illinois Valley News office and got one last surprise; someone had cleaned up the trash for me. Remember, the I.V. is a caring community and your local newspaper cares about your opinion. We do publish your opinion in the “Letters to the editor” section, even if your opinion differs from ours, unless the contents are libelous or scurrilous. Enjoy this week’s paper! Letters to the editor Illinois Valley News welcomes letters to the editor. Please e-mail them to laura@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 letters. 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.) Fight Roundup not weed The petty tyranny of the county commissioners in Josephine County is in your face. In their personal war on marijuana they are now trying to ban marijuana use and possession on all county lands. Declaring it’s to protect the children. Meanwhile Josephine County maintains a mandate to spray Roundup herbicidal poison on all county roads and lands. Roundup herbicidal poison has nationwide lawsuits against it for causing many types of cancer and heart problems. So why do the county commissioners not ban the spraying of Roundup poison to protect all citizens and children? Mark Wichers Cave Junction Mental Health Issue, But Not The Way You Think I was appalled at Rick Santorum’s comments on CNN’s “State of the Union,” March 25, regarding March For Our Lives. He shifted the responsibility for the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High to the young people who have taken a principled, outspoken stance by criticizing their courage, saying they should not look to others to make a change; that they should go learn CPR! There is a deeper issue here than blatant insensitivity. Rick Santorum is only one politician who appears to have sold his soul to the National Rifle Association (NRA), and the NRA is only one entity who has greedily bought our so-called leadership, preserving at any cost their money and privilege. To have sensitivity to victims of such violence would require empathy, and to have empathy would mean to question the legitimacy of a system that values violence over lives; profits over people. Santorum is a symbol of the collective of beneficiaries of this system. When he blames young people, he defends violence and, researchers know, violence connects to shame. Selling one’s soul is dishonorable at best; Santorum’s comments are a refusal to feel the shame and effects of his own collusion. Mass killings in America are a national mental health issue, but not just in the way we normally think. Those who protect the existence of massacres by refusing to act need help and healing too. Michelle Le Comte Selma Kudos to “Red Gold” Wow! I went to see the Red Gold dance/theatre show tonight. This was one of the finest youth theater productions I’ve ever seen. Catch it April 20 at the Cave Junction Farmers’ Market at Jubilee Park. You can read a synopsis of it on IllinoisValleyWeb.org. A brief quote: Told through dance and theatre, this magical tale follows the Vincent family’s quest to grow a garden in a world that has been devastated and overcome with concrete and pollution; a polluted broken community of scarcity, (perhaps like life after a Cascadian Subduction Level 9 Earthquake). No food, no fuel, choking pollution, having to relearn how to grow food, how to work with beneficial insects, and ultimately how to rebuild hope and joy. Some say when we give youth a voice, we light a fight that can’t be put out. These youth evoke the pain of broken community, the desperation of loss, the will to fight back and work for renewal and the jubilation and celebration of community learning to live in harmony again. From the talented teen lead dancers, to the beautifully costumed butterflies and bees to the adorable bad-bugs played by little children, to the wise grandmother, the show was funny, musically rhythmic, well-choreographed, touching and upbeat. The leadership work of Gina Angelique and Lindsey Gillette clearly shows in this fine performance. I went home with a spring in my step and a song in my heart. What a blessing to have this kind of fine work happening in our community. Don’t miss it! Jerry Allen Selma More kudos to “Red Gold” One of the most thrilling theatrical productions that I have ever witnessed took place on Friday the 13th at Lorna Byrd Middle School. The cast, made up primarily of students of various ages, were a cohesive group of dancers and actors, moving seamlessly from one musical number or set of dialogue into another. I am not sure just how large the cast was, but it was huge! Yet the stage never seemed crowded. Some of the most innovative choreography I have ever witnessed was on display. Some of the kids were downright acrobatic! Every single player appeared to really enjoy and feel the moves they were going through, rather than seeming like they were just moving by rote. Many times, we the audience, could not contain our thrilling glee, applauding and cheering even in the middle of so many skillfully rendered musical numbers. And the costumes! How in the world did costumer designer Alisa Ocean design, produce and outfit such a large cast, with almost all cast members having more than one costume change. What an achievement! Major kudos to the three Arts Educators, Choreographers and Directors, Gina Angelique, Lindsey Gillette and Kari Kvittem! What an amazing collective achievement! And I should note that the whole production was written by Gina Angelique. I have to give a shout out to the two lead performers, Isadora Millay and Elijah Ocean. These two are born performers. Both are not just hard working and talented, they are gifted. Another lead standout was Taylor Hammers - who opens the show with a brief narration and remains a presence throughout as Queen Eisenia. This is high class theatrical entertainment worthy of being staged in a large city. I was utterly amazed at the immense fountains of local talent that were gathered, honed and made to blossom. We should all be very aware and proud that so much talent and dedication to the Arts thrives here in our little valley. Congratulations to the entire cast and crew! And a huge THANK YOU! Alan Laurie Takilma I llINoIs V alley F uNeral D Irectors www.since1928Hull.com 541-592-4110 Save the date April 18 IVHS track varsity invitational at Hid- den Valley High School at 4 p.m. IVHS JV baseball game at Lakeview High School at 4:30 p.m. April 20 IVHS varsity track invitational at South Medford High School at 3:30 p.m. IVHS girls’ softball game at home vs. Ashland High School at 4:30 p.m. April 21 IVHS boys’ varsity game at St. Mary’s High School at noon. IVHS boys’ varsity game at St. Mary’s High School at 2 p.m. April 21 The Rogue Valley Rose Society will have a parking lot/plant sale on Saturday, April 21, 2018 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Dutch Bros. headquarters parking lot, located at 4th and G. Street (across from Grower’s Market). We will be selling roses and other plants household items, tools, books and more. For More Information, call Barbara 541-955-8629 April 21, 22 May 5 and 6 The Coast Guard Auxiliary has just two more GPS and NAUTICAL CHART classes scheduled for this year on the weekends of April 21 -22 and May 5 – 6. Saturday you will learn to read, use and plot courses on nautical charts with lati- tude and longitude with the tools provided for your use. Sunday you can use our GPS units Illinois Valley News Published weekly by I.V. News LLC Daniel J. Mancuso, Publisher focusing on how the systems work, the dif- ferent functions while navi-gating between screens and actually creating way-point and routes that you can follow outside. The course offered by the Coast Guard Auxiliary at the Southwestern Community College Curry Campus at Brookings is from 12:30 to 4:30. April 21-22 and May 5–6. Space is limited so please reserve your spot. 208-863-8386, 541-469-8757, 805-350-0642 Continuing *Evergreen Elementary school is look- ing for SMART (Start Making A Reader To- day) volunteers. The program will run Tues- days through Thursdays and volunteers are asked to come to Evergreen around 11:30 a.m. and will be out at 12:45 p.m. To learn more about the SMART program you can call 541-734-5628 or visit the website at www. getSMARToregon.org. May 5 Join us for a Fiesta Luncheon Celebra- tion on Saturday, May 5 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Bridgeview Community Church at 5181 Holland Loop Road, Cave Junction, Oregon. We’ll serve Mexican food and have a silent auction to raise proceeds to benefit the Pregnancy Center of the Illinois Valley. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 dol- lars for children. Please call us at 541-592- 6058 for details and to purchase tickets. May 6 3 RIVERS CHORALE presents “To Carnegie Hall and Back”, the music of Ola Gjeilo for chorus, piano and string orches- tra on Sunday May 6, at 3 p.m. at Bethany Presbyterian Church in Grants Pass. Tick- ets are $15 and available at Oregon Books and at the door. The Chorale is directed by Kate Campbell and Janet O’Donovan is the pianist. The concert will also be presented on Saturday May 5, 3 p.m. at Immanuel United Methodist Church in Cave Junction with a more limited orchestra. Admission to the Saturday event will be by donation. Visit www.3riverschorale.org for more information or phone 541-592-2981. 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 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. *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 – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. *Illinois Valley Democrats meet the 2nd Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the I.V. Family Coalition, 535 E. River St. in Cave Junction. Join with like- minded people for camaraderie and to plan actions in support of the Democratic agenda. Call Anita 541-592-3073 to confirm meeting days. Check us out on FB! *The Sheriff’s Office Substation in Cave Junction is now open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays 10 to 2. Volunteers are still needed to staff additional days. Ap- plications are available at the substation or 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 organization dedicated to effective- ly addressing heretofore-unchecked property crime in our city and neighborhoods. The primary mission of CJ Patrol is to prevent, interrupt, report and decrease property crime in the city of Cave Junction. Call 541-592- 9665 or visit cjpatrol.org. *Committee Meeting STATE OF JEF- FERSON Josephine County 1st Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m. Black Forest Res- taurant, Grants Pass and 3rd Thursday of each month at 6 p.m., Wild River Pizza in Cave Junction. *Public Health Clinic- Location: I.V. Family Coalition, 535, E. River St., CJ, 1st Thursday of every Month services offered STI Testing/Treatment, Women’s Health Ex- ams (Annuals/Problem Visits), Birth Control (All Methods Available), Pregnancy Testing, Pre-pregnancy counseling. 3rd Thursday of every Month: STI testing/treatment, birth control counseling (methods limited), Preg- nancy Testing, Immunizations. Call 541- 474-5329 for an appointment, and make sure to tell the receptionist to schedule you in CJ. Walk-ins welcome! Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. 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 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.
