YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1937
Illinois Valley News
Wednesday, June 13, 2018, 1 Section, Volume LXXXI No. 23
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Published weekly for the residents of the Illinois Valley
Yes, I did it!
Bees, bats and
butterflies get
ready for annual
Pollinator Parade
Iris Chinook
URI Contributing Writer
(Photo by Dan Mancuso, Illinois Valley News)
Dane Alveraz looks at his diploma with a mix of amazement and pride Thursday, June 7 at the IVHS
football field for the 2018 graduation ceremony. Alverez was one of 57 students who graduated.
RCC gives girls the tools to succeed in STEM
Samantha Watson
IVN Contributing Writer
Only 12 percent of engineers and 22 percent
of computer professionals are women and the
percentage of women in science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM) careers has not
improved since 2001. Rogue Community College
(RCC) believes that they can help improve these
percentages in the future and that every girl deserves
to have the right tools to pursue all the opportunities
available in STEM fields. That’s why they’ve teamed
up with the Rogue Valley Boys & Girls Club to
bring the Verizon Foundation’s Verizon Innovative
Learning program to girls in Southern Oregon.
The program is a dynamic, three-week summer
camp for middle school girls in Josephine County,
where they’ll learn design thinking principles, 3D
printing, augmented and virtual reality, coding, and
social entrepreneurship. Following the summer,
the students will participate in monthly Saturday
sessions throughout the academic year where they
will develop a technology solution for a community
problem that aligns with the United Nations’
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Focus
areas of the SDGs include poverty reduction, quality
education, good health and well-being, climate
action, peace and justice or gender equality.
The camp is tuition-free, and classes are held
Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. Aug. 13 – 30 as well as one Saturday a month
throughout the school year. Thanks to Boys &
Girls Club, all participants will be provided free
breakfast, lunch and dinner and have access to
free transportation to the college if they need it.
Participating students will also receive a tablet for
the duration of the program to complete program-
related work.
To sign your middle school girl up for this
intensive learning experience or to learn more about
the program hosted at RCC, contact the Rogue Valley
Boys & Girls Club at 541-479-5258.
For more information about the STEM
program on a national level, visit www.nacce.com/
STEM4Girls. To learn more about Verizon Innovative
Learning, visit VerizonInnovativeLearning.com.
Wine, warmth and wonderful
music at Deer Creek Vineyards
Tristan Stocker
IVN Contributing Writer
As things heat up in the Illinois
Valley this summer, Deer Creek
Vineyards in Selma is poised to
present the public with another annual
round of riveting summer concerts
spanning from July to September
featuring food trucks, local vendors,
beer, wine and jams.
The first concert will bring
Frankie Hernandez of Ashland,
Oregon and Awake Now Records
back to Selma, which is set to take
place Sunday, July 1. Hernandez and
his band, The Frankie Hernandez
Band, have been serenading Southern
Oregon with their signature blend of
rock, soul, funk and reggae for many
years and have become somewhat of
a household name in the Valley.
Then two weeks down the road,
Dusty Jones & Company - a local
band - is slated to take the stage
Sunday, July 15.
Next is Buckle Rash, another
band from Ashland, OR that describes
their sound as “Outlaw Country and
Southern Rock with an unexpected
Punk twist.” Buckle Rash has toured
up and down the west coast while
also maintaining a heavy presence in
southern Oregon, playing venues such
as the Oregon Country Fair, Jefferson
State Hemp Expo, and the Oregon
Brewers Festival. Buckle Rash will be
performing at Deer Creek Vineyards
Friday, July 29.
The fourth band booked to play
at the vineyard is Fortune’s Folly,
an alternative rock band based in
Eugene, Oregon. Voted “Best Band
in Eugene” by the Eugene Weekly’s
readers’ poll 2017, Fortune’s Folly’s
sound has been likened to “The
love-child of red-hot Chili Peppers
and No Doubt,” according to Dutch
Guy Indie Music. Fortune’s Folly’s
concert date is set at Sunday, Aug. 12.
Longtime local favorite Bob
Luna and the Lunatics will be playing
Sunday, Aug. 26 followed by The
Reverberays - a surf rock band out of
Rogue River - who will wrap up the
series of shows Sunday, Sept. 9.
Deer Creek Vineyards has been
established in the Illinois Valley since
1988. John and Katherine Bryan, its
current owners, acquired the business
in 2010 and have been bringing
quality, handcrafted wines to the
public ever since.
SEE DEER ON A-9
See what’s crawling around in Christy’s head this week. Crawlies with Cri on A-12
The importance of pollinators such as honey, mason and
bumble bees in addition to wasps, flies, bats and butterflies, has
been in the news a lot these days. That’s because they’re so vital
to our agriculture and the health of our ecosystems. The need to
protect them now and into the future is critical and that means
getting children involved. The sponsors of the event - Alpaca/
Hemp Company, River Stars and the Illinois Valley Community
Development Organization, think a parade is just the thing.
The third annual Cave Junction Kids’ Pollinator Parade,
being held Wednesday, June 20, kicks-off from the Illinois Valley
Library, located at 209 West Palmer Street in Cave Junction. The
event opens with a “pollinator costume party” at 5 p.m. “We’re
celebrating National Pollinator Week here in the Illinois Valley
to remind ourselves that the I.V. is a special place. There are still
pollinators here that have died out elsewhere,” said Christine
Gardiner, one of the original organizers of the parade, along with
Jill Talise of Coyote Rising Puppets.
The fact that there are so many different pollinators means
that there are scads of possible costumes for you and your family
to dress up in. All are invited to join in the fun by bringing their
own costume pieces and ideas. Stumped for a costume idea?
Dive into the donated box of costume pieces provided by parade
organizers for inspiration. Once you and the little ones are
dressed as your favorite bee, bug or butterfly it’s time to join the
parade at 5:30 p.m.
SEE BEES ON A-9
VA has services
for mental health
CJ Schatza
URI Contributing Writer
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently
published a “Guide to Mental Health Services For Veterans
and Families” that provides information on a variety of
resources available to improve mental health or treat
psychological disorders. The following article conglomerates
these resources and provides information and contact info
as originally found in the VA’s comprehensive guide. If you
are a veteran suffering from a mental illness of any kind or
severity, exploring the following options could exponentially
improve your quality of life.
•Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI)-
541-830-7555:
For behavioral treatment of mild depression, anxiety,
insomnia, coping with medical illness, coping with chronic
pain and tobacco cessation. The PCHMI team works with
Primary Care Providers for follow-up of Behavioral Health
Medications prescriptions.
•Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program
(BHIP)- 541-830-7440:
For Veterans with moderate to severe mental illness
including depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder,
schizophrenia and co-occurring mental health and
substance-use disorders. Each Veteran is assigned to an
interdisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse
practitioners, psychologists, social workers, care managers
and peer supports. Services include medication management,
individual and group therapy, and case management.
•Substance Use Disorders Treatment- 541-830-7555:
The Substance Use Disorders Treatment Program uses
a Harm Reduction approach to meet Veterans “where they
are” in the Recovery process. Treatment is individualized
and focuses on the Veteran’s individual goals. The program
offers individual and group therapies. Medication Assisted
Treatment(MAT) with Buprenorphine or Naltrexone for
Opioid Use Disorders is encouraged. Naloxone kits for
overdose prevention are available for Veterans and families.
•Homeless Programs and Social Work Services- 541-
826-2111 ext. 3435:
Social Work Services offers therapeutic case
management and a variety of resources for Veterans.
Homeless Programs include Health Care for Homeless
Veterans (HCHV), outreach and engagement; Grants Per
Diem, transitional housing services; and HUD-VASH,
permanent supportive housing services. Veterans Justice
Outreach (VJO) is available for Veterans reintegrating from
the criminal justice system. Other outpatient SW services
are available through Transition Case Management (TCM)
for OEF/OIF post-9/11 era Veterans and Primary Care social
work for pre-9/11 Veterans.
•Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Program-
541-830-7555:
SEE HELP ON A-9