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Hometown security kicks into gear in preparation for rallies, or worse By Sean Wolfe and Jennifer Nitson Ashland Daily Tidings Heightened terror alerts and fears of the ripple effects of peace rallies are forcing hometown security measures to step up. At the Rogue Valley Medford International Airport, a spokesperson said vehicle checks were ramping up, owing to the increased terror alert level and the nation's shift to a war footing. "Right now we are at alert orange, and whatever directives we get from the Department of Homeland Security - these are the directives we implement," noted Kim Stearns, the airport's public information officer. "We may restart the vehicle search. That would be the most visible thing to the traveling person. Any other security measures would not be discussed publicly." Locally, the Ashland Chamber of Commerce circulated a leaflet Wednesday warning business owners about a noon rally planned by peace demonstrators today. It's the first such leaflet circulated this year to businesses about the potential effects of peace rallies, according to Ashland Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sandra Slattery. "Anything that we perceive that has, or could have, an impact on the business sector is something we share with business owners. It's just from a business perspective so they know they have enough staff, and so they know that traffic may be impeded to their business. It's not at all meant to be alarmist" Slattery said. The information came to the chamber from police sources, and was circulated to the downtown retail core. According to Ashland Police Sgt. Bob Smith, police attention is more focused on rallies that may be held this weekend. "We have no plans of increasing our staffing levels. If something comes down the road, like (Tuesday) we placed some officers on call just in case (for the rally at Garfield Park). But that rally was very peaceful. The protesters moved from Garfield Park to downtown and back. We felt they did it the right way. We only received one complaint, but the officer said he didn't see any problems. We feel appreciative that the march went peacefully," Smith said. Slattery said she remained concerned that the war in Iraq could impede tourist turnout, should the effort drag on. "Certainly the fire last year was not a positive addition to our amenities. And for many reasons, we'd like to see a quick end to this war, not the least of which is our economy, and our economy locally. We don't want to be in a place of people being afraid to travel, or seeing $3 per gallon gas prices," Slattery said. Jane Almquist, owner of the coffee shop Evo's, said the effect of the alert did not promote community values. "I don't feel afraid of my own community � We should be asking our city leaders to be very careful and try to use some wisdom in this situation and not incite fear between neighbors," Almquist said. Bill Gilliam of Mountain Supply on the Plaza said he didn't anticipate problems stemming from peace rallies, but sounded a cautionary note. "It certainly is nice to be informed of upcoming events, but I've got to think from what has gone on in the past that nothing negative will come from it. It certainly disrupts business for the time they're there � I don't think this town is a violent-type town. If they're demonstrating for peace, creating violence is not going to further the cause very well," Gilliam said. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -