Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 2018)
YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1937 Illinois Valley News Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 1 Section, Volume LXXXI No. 42 $1.00 Published weekly for the residents of the Illinois Valley IVHS readies students for the real world B & Tree Tina Casey Jones IVN Contributing Writer Preparing students for the “real world” was the subject of a meeting held Tuesday, Oct. 16 at the Illinois Valley High School (IVHS), which highlighted the need to provide a path for the Student Success program. Developing this process included the organizers Gene Merrill, IVHS career coordinator; Joshua Shannon, Rogue resource coordinator for high-risk youth (out of school); and Caleb LaPlante, president of Take Flight Oregon. Together they are working to connect Oregon’s youth with current and future industry partners to create a new wave of aviation and aerospace opportunity. Carl Wilson, House Representative of District 3, who is also part of a joint committee on student success, was also in attendance. Representative Wilson stated that he has been really impressed with what areas here in southern Oregon have done with Measure 98 funds (the Oregon funding for dropout prevention and College Readiness Initiative). Other participants were Chairwoman Kate Dwyer of Three Rivers School District; Daniella Bivens, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math); Kenny Houck, I.V. Community Development Organization (IVCDO) and Illinois Valley Airport Authority (IVAA) board member; Michelle Binker, chief of staff to Carl Wilson and I.V. resident; Jason Mackey, IVCDO member; CJ Councilor Jean Ann Miles and the I.V. Chamber of Commerce President Dave Garcia who is also an area developer for affordable housing. The presentation was two-part, the first part covering the steps that have been taken by the educational representatives, primarily mentorship as well as internship. Merrill emphasized, “Until you have community involvement, you won’t have a working internship program.” He also highlighted, step-by-step, what has been done regarding the mentorship and internship program for local youth. Merrill stated that the Ford Family Foundation (which provided some of the funding for this program) had said we have a very unique program. In addition, Wilson asked about the challenges we have faced in the program and was advised that current challenges include transportation of youth in the program and community buy-in. The plan has a 2019 rollout, with the goal that every student can participate, and with community participation, this internship/mentorship program can be used statewide. “We just have to ensure the right key people are in place to implement the program,” stated Mackey. Secondly, the group traveled to the I.V. Airport and received an update from LaPlant and Houck regarding the status of current development and the plan to create an industrial airpark, with the goal of not only providing space for additional aircraft, but also supporting businesses. In addition, the plan for Student Success ties into the development by providing the Southern Oregon Air Academy, which introduces students to the fields of aviation and aerospace through their summer camp program. The I.V. Airport currently has 12 lots available, with power, water and sewer already on-site. Thanks to exemptions received, the development is opened up to broaden use of the spaces (business development included). I.V. Fire Chief Dennis Hoke, an Illinois Valley Airport Authority (IVAA) board member is working toward replacing the current water containment system for fire suppression. According to Houck and LaPlante, the Federal Aviation Administration has significant funds available for safety-related projects, and other matching or revolving loan funds are available for development use. “With the right partnership,” stated LaPlante, “we can build it and they will come.” (Photo by Dan Mancuso, Illinois Valley News) IVHS Principal Tanner Smith (left) and Congressman Carl Wilson chat during an April 18 tour of IVHS. (Photo courtesy of Michael Garnier, for the Illinois Valley News) A new treehouse is under construction with a garden view. The Illinois Valley has a new type of bed & breakfast popping up. The legalization of marijuana has added boutique tourism opportunities. Jubilee Park is changing for the better Iris Chinook IVN Contributing Writer You may have noticed some activity and changes at Jubilee Park recently. After experiencing so many reports of vandalism in the park, this time all the news is good! The home of the Illinois Valley’s Little League team is getting a facelift. This revamp will make the ball field suitable for the newly adopted “Challenger League Program” which provides a safe and accessible venue for families with disabilities to volunteer, watch or get out on the field and play ball. Many upgrades, rearrangements and additions, prompted by general health and safety issues and the need to provide increased wheelchair access, are going into the new ball field with donations from local businesses and the proceeds from the Duck Derby. “The bill for the fencing alone is around $30,000, which we have, and we still need $110,000 to complete the total project.” said Roger Brandt, board president of the I.V. Community Development Organization, pointing out that the new lights will provide downward directed, professional ballfield lighting that should increase visibility in the outfield and make it easier on the eyes for the neighborhood. The new metal poles for the lights are a significant upgrade providing poles that will not rot and that come with a free 25-year maintenance package. The light poles were replaced using a donation from Pacific Power. Brandt added, “We asked the mom’s that attend practice games what they’d like to see and they provided us with a great suggestion to make room for a walking path around the field to provide an opportunity to exercise instead of sitting in the bleachers during practices.” The next opportunity to support the ballfield renovations will be Saturday, Nov. 17. You can come to the Selma Center located at 18248 Redwood Hwy at 4 p.m. for a spaghetti feed and the opportunity to win cash prizes in a Corn Hole Tournament. The spaghetti feed is $10, tournament is $20 and you can get both for $25. All proceeds go to the Little League park upgrade. Cash prizes are $200, $125 and $75 for first, second and third place. Sign up for the tournament begins at 5 p.m. and tournament starts at 5:30 p.m. You can go to www.highway199.org and click on “baseball project” to see an image of the finished field. (Photo by Dan Mancuso, Illinois Valley News) Travis Robbins loads power poles for removal from Jubilee Park. Pacific Power removed the old light poles Friday, Sept. 28. ‘Stop the Bleed’ kits will be in every classroom By Laura Mancuso IVN Editor “Stop the Bleed” kits were once just a vision of Illinois Valley Fire District (IVFD) Chief Dennis Hoke, but now with the help of the community, all schools in the Illinois Valley will have these life- saving kits. Stop the Bleed kits are comprised of materials such as bandages, gauze, tourniquets and chest breathing valves to help victims of shooter events. “Sadly, active shooter events in the United States are on the rise. According to the FBI, from 2000-2016, there were 250 active shooter events with 2,217 killed or wounded. In 2016-2017, there were 50 events with 221 killed and 772 injures. The FBI study says this alarming number will continue to rise. I think it is important to note that 24 percent of the active shooter events occur in educational facilities,” stated Chief Hoke in a presentation at the Illinois Valley High School Friday, Oct. 19. After Chief Hoke met with Three Rivers School District Superintendent Dave Valenzuela, Illinois Valley school principals and Siskiyou Community Health Center’s (SCHC) Chief Executive Officer Richard Booth about this national initiative, he received “overwhelming support of the idea of placing a Stop the Bleed kit in every classroom.” With funding from SCHC, 120 kits will be dispersed to every public and private school in the I.V. Along with the kits, Deputy Chief Jeff Gavlik will be providing the training to all teachers. Hoke was very thankful to all “the staff and volunteers of IVFD for helping with this project and providing the training and assistance with mounting the kits.” Gavlik’s training will consist of learning how to apply a tourniquet, plus wound packing and applying direct pressure to a wound. Valenzuela and Booth, both present at the presentation, emphasized that the initiative was important because “we needed to apply these resources to an area like the Illinois Valley where resources were scarce.” “No child, parent, teacher or first responder should ever have to experience a mass causality event. In the recent Las Vegas shooting, more lives would have been lost if it were not for the number of off-duty first responders and trained citizens who performed effective bleeding control,” said Hoke. “It is our hope we never have to use them (Stop the Bleed kits). However, our community will be better prepared to handle a traumatic event should it occur in one of our schools.”