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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 2020)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, Oct, 21, 2020 MAYOR ... Continued from A-3 “The next step is to get together a group,” Martell said. “We need to get our businesses together and get on the same page. We’re so poised to really make a leap forward.” In Deschutes County, the town of Sisters used the Main Street organization to help it remake its downtown, build curb appeal and encourage passing motorists on U.S. 20 to stop. Similarly, the Redwood Highway passes through Cave Junction, between Grants Pass and the coast. “We have so much traffic that goes through here,” Martell said. “Sisters was just a place you drove through. It’s completely transformed.” Funding assistance might come from $155,000 that Josephine County agreed to commit earlier this year from the sale of the “County Building” in Cave Junction. That money is earmarked to benefit downtown with improvements such as lighting, security or visual enhancements. It also might be used to leverage other investments, Martell said. She said ongoing improvements at Jubilee Park, including the addition of a ballfield, grant-funded splash pad and upgraded playground and pavilion, also could help attract visitors. She predicted that work would be done by the end of next year. She also said a dog park was a possibility. As for some of his other goals, Hall said he would try to encourage investment in the city by offering tax breaks to developers, creating an urban renewal district and pursuing downtown beautification. He also said he would end the city’s sale of bulk water supplies, and said he would find savings to pay for the resulting loss of $215,000 in annual income that the sales bring in. “When I get a chance to dig around [in the city budget], we are going to find efficiencies,” he said. Martell faulted Hall for never attending a city budget committee meeting. In reply to Hall’s call for a forensic audit of the budget, Martell said the city already is audited annually. One of Hall’s biggest gripes was the city’s purchase this year of the former Illinois Valley Golf Club, a move that allowed the city to continue releasing treated wastewater into a pond on the 60-acre property. The purchase cost $620,000; the property is valued by the county assessor at $1.1 million. Hall called the move “a fiasco” impacting ratepayers. The city is pursuing a grant to pay for the purchase. The need to buy the land was prompted by the bankruptcy of the former golf course owners, which forced the city to buy the property or find an alternative place to discharge the effluent. Under an agreement, it had been releasing effluent there for decades. The former owner of the property, the Illinois Valley Golf Association, was formerly headed by Gill. Martell said a feasibility study found the purchase to be the least costly alternative open to the city. At one point during the forum, Page A-5 Hall got confrontational when moderator Dan Mancuso provided property value and tax information for the golf course property. “Are you debating us?” Hall asked him. “Are you running for mayor?” “Just stating some facts,” Mancuso replied. “There were some things stated that were inaccurate.” Mancuso’s detailed questioning caught both Hall and Martell flat- footed a couple of times, including once when they couldn’t list how much property tax revenue the city took in annually and once when they couldn’t name the mayor of Grants Pass. “I can’t pull it out of my brain,” Martell said, unable to name her counterpart to the north. “I have no idea.” Hall also said he had no idea. “And if you want to play these little multiple choice-type questions, I don’t see how this is helping the viewers learn more about us,” Hall said. Mancuso countered that it helped viewers decide which candidate had the facts, including facts about city revenue and political allies. “If we’re going to be partners with Grants Pass, if we’re going to look at Grants Pass as the ideal shining city on the hill that we should emulate, we should at least know who their leadership is,” Mancuso said. In his voters’ pamphlet statement, Hall said he’d revise Cave Junction’s city charter “along the lines of Grants Pass — they got it right!” The Grants Pass charter defines roles of its council-manager form of government. It has eight council members and a nonvoting mayor, except in certain circumstances. In Cave Junction, the mayor gets a vote. Speaking of the voters’ pamphlet, which is mailed to all homes in the county, Martell said she missed a deadline to submit a statement for inclusion. “I won’t ever make that mistake again,” she said. ——— Reach reporter Shaun Hallat 541-474-3726 or shall@ thedailycourier.com. Commissioners express opposition to COVID measures CJ Schatza IVN copy editor The Board of Josephine County Commissioners convened at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 14 at the Anne G. Basker Auditorium in Grants Pass for a weekly business session. Administrative actions kicked the meeting off, starting with an intergovernmental agreement with the city of Grants Pass for the 2017 and 2019 Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program award. “Essentially this is a grant that the city of Grants Pass has applied for for several years,” Commissioner Lily Morgan said. “They are not allowed by the grant protocols to receive the money directly without it going in partnership with the county.” The GP Department of Public Safety will be using the funds to purchase radio equipment. One grant was for $14,000, and the other was for $18,000. Next up was an order authorizing the sale of county real property. Helene Lulich, the county’s real property manager, said, “These properties were originally set to be auctioned on March 18 and because of coronavirus, that auction was put on hold.” A Sunny Valley Loop property suffered a fire back in March, so the minimum bid price was reduced. The auction is slated for Dec. 2, on which sealed bids will be opened by the sheriff, and the winners will be publicly recorded. During requests and comments from citizens, several individuals questioned the effectiveness and safety of wearing masks which goes against the vast majority of reputable public health officials. Daily COVID-19 case counts have risen to levels not seen since the height of July, and experts are warning that the next few months may be the darkest days of the entire pandemic so far. It is still highly recommended by scientists to wear a mask while in public. Among the commissioners, there was no substantial pushback against the questionable statements made by the anti-maskers. “What I can tell you is it’s not our rules,” Morgan said. “At the local level, we have advocated every day since this has started for it to be quick and succinct and opening up again; opening up for our businesses... all I can say is we continue to advocate.” Commissioner Dan DeYoung led by saying, “Well, if this whole thing’s political it’ll be over in about three weeks,” referencing a conspiracy theory that coronavirus is a hoax perpetrated by Democrats to damage President Trump’s reelection prospects. He also theorized that “COVID went through Josephine County well before it had a tricky name,” and said he thinks he’s already had the virus and didn’t realize it. “The governor did a very un- American thing,” Board Chairman Darin Fowler said. “I think all of this government action that is telling everybody what to do is getting free press coverage and coverage for their mistakes by the media. Because the media is not on board to opening up America. They’re on board for thwarting our present president and anything he says. That’s very frustrating.” On the board’s consent calendar; there was an order to form the Josephine County Transient Lodging Tax Committee. Fowler said that 51% of voters were in favor of the tax on temporary lodging facilities when it was posed as an advisory question. The new committee will advise the board on whether or not the tax should be put on next May’s ballot for the voters to weigh in on. Go to the county’s official YouTube channel to watch this weekly business session in its entirety. You can submit comments to the board at bcc@ josephinecounty.gov. Today in History : by The Associated Press Today is Wednesday, Oct. 21, the 295th day of 2020. There are 71 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Oct. 21, 1879, Thomas Edison perfected a workable electric light at his laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J. On this date: In 1797, the U.S. Navy frigate Constitution, also known as “Old Ironsides,” was christened in Boston’s harbor. In 1892, school- children across the U.S. observed Columbus Day (according to the Grego- rian date) by reciting, for the first time, the original version of “The Pledge of Allegiance,” written by Francis Bellamy for The Youth’s Companion. In 1941, superheroine Wonder Woman made her debut in All-Star Comics issue No. 8, published by All-American Comics, Inc. of New York. In 1944, during World War II, U.S. troops captured the German city of Aachen (AH’-kuhn). In 1945, women in France were allowed to vote in parliamentary elections for the first time. In 1960, Democrat John F. Kennedy and Re- publican Richard M. Nixon clashed in their fourth and final presidential debate in New York. In 1966, 144 people, 116 of them children, were killed when a coal waste landslide engulfed a school and some 20 houses in Ab- erfan, Wales. In 1967, the Israeli destroyer INS Eilat (ay- LAHT’) was sunk by Egyp- tian missile boats near Port Said (sah-EED’); 47 Israeli crew members were lost. Tens of thousands of Viet- nam War protesters began two days of demonstrations in Washington, D.C. In 1971, President Richard Nixon nominated Lewis F. Powell and Wil- liam H. Rehnquist to the U.S. Supreme Court. (Both nominees were confirmed.) In 2001, Washington, D.C., postal worker Thomas L. Morris Jr. died from inhaling anthrax as officials began testing thousands of postal employees. In 2012, former senator and 1972 Demo- cratic presidential candidate George McGovern, 90, died in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 2014, North Ko- rea abruptly freed Jeffrey Fowle, an American, nearly six months after he was ar- rested for leaving a Bible in a nightclub. Former Wash- ington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee, 93, died in Washington. Ten years ago: Eight current and former officials pleaded not guilty to looting millions of dollars from California’s modest blue- collar city of Bell. (Seven defendants ended up being convicted, and received sen- tences ranging from home confinement to 12 years in prison.) French police used tear gas and water cannons against rampaging youth in Lyon while the French gov- ernment showed its muscle in parliament, short-circuit- ing tense Senate debate on a bill raising the retirement age from 60 to 62. Five years ago: Vice President Joe Biden an- nounced he would not be a candidate in the 2016 White House campaign, solidifying Hillary Rod- ham Clinton’s status as the Democratic front-runner. Actor-comedian Marty Ingels, 79, died in Los Angeles. The New York Mets finished an NL playoff sweep of the Chicago Cubs to advance to the World Series as the Mets brushed aside the Cubs 8-3. The Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 7-1 to close to 3-2 in the best-of-seven AL Championship Series. One year ago: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won a second term in Canada’s national elections; his Liberal party took the most seats in Parliament, but fell short of a majority. Zion Williamson, the NBA’s top overall draft pick, underwent knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus; he would be sidelined for three months and miss the start of the season with the New Or- leans Pelicans. The nation’s three biggest drug distribu- tors and a major drugmaker agreed to a $260 million settlement related to the toll from opioids in two Ohio counties; the settlement averted the first federal trial over the opioid crisis. Today’s Birthdays: Actor Joyce Randolph is 96. Rock singer Manfred Mann is 80. Musician Steve Cropper (Booker T. & the MG’s) is 79. Singer Elvin Bishop is 78. TV’s Judge Judy Sheindlin is 78. Ac- tor Everett McGill is 75. Musician Lee Loughnane (LAHK’-nayn) (Chicago) is 74. Actor Dick Christie is 72. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is 71. Actor LaTanya Richard- son Jackson is 71. Musi- cian Charlotte Caffey (The Go-Go’s) is 67. Movie director Catherine Hard- wicke is 65. Singer Julian Cope is 63. Rock musician Steve Lukather (Toto) is 63. Actor Ken Watanabe (wah-tah-NAH’-bee) is 61. Actor Melora Walters is 60. Rock musician Che (chay) Colovita Lemon is 50. Rock singer-musician Nick Oliveri (Mondo Generator) is 49. Christian rock musi- cian Charlie Lowell (Jars of Clay) is 47. Actor Jeremy Miller is 44. Country singer Mat- thew Ramsey (Old Do- minion) is 43. Actor Will Estes is 42. Actor Michael McMillian is 42. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian (kahr-DASH’-ee-uhn) West is 40. Actor Matt Dallas is 38. Actor Charlotte Sul- livan is 37. Actor Aaron Tveit (tuh-VAYT’) is 37. Actor Glenn Powell is 32. Country singer Kane Brown is 27. JASON HAYWARD JUDGE for EXPERIENCE COUNTS SENIOR HOURS AT THE LIBRARY Seniors ages 55+ are invited to browse and check out library materials during special Senior Grab & Go hours on Thursdays from 1–4 pm. Visit josephinelibrary.org for more services during COVID. Jason has 17 years of solid attorney experience in Josephine County. He has experience in BOTH criminal and civil law. YARD SIGNS ARE AVAILABLE AT 717 NW 5TH ST., GRANTS PASS WEEKDAYS 9 AM TO 5 PM. COME ON BY. ~ Paid for by the Friends of Jason Hayward ~ 541-592-4778 | josephinelibrary.org FIND US ON FACEBOOK AT JASON HAYWARD FOR JUDGE FRIENDSOFJASONHAY WARD.COM
