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Monday Rabbit's win streak continues By JONEL ALECCIA It seems that Jimmy Finigan's lucky rabbit's foot came with the rest of the bunny attached. Less than three months after joining a 4-H club, using the first rabbit he's ever shown, the 13-year-old Shady Cove boy has been walking away a winner. On Sunday, he walked away with the best of show rabbit trophy at the annual 4-H and Future Farmers of America Spring Show. On Saturday, Finigan and his dwarf Netherland rabbit, Cleo, both seemed a little nervous as they awaited the judge's ruling. "I try to tell myself it's just a rabbit show," Finigan said, stroking Cleo's stubby brown ears. "I know there will be a million more." Nerves were the order of the day among Finigan and the 300 other exhibitors of lambs and rabbits at the show that attracted some 1,700 spectators over the weekend. "I did good!" Finigan whispered when Cleo was named best in her variety, relaxing a little from the tense attention he paid to judge Roger Hassenpflug of Medford. Other youngsters may be used to the rigors of the program that organizers say teaches kids about livestock - and life. But it was all new to Finigan, who was thrust into the fast lane of 4-H when Cleo was named Best in Show out of 200 rabbits at a fair in Klamath Falls recently. "I didn't think she'd do that well," said Finigan. That's where luck came in. He got the rabbit as a gift from Marie Manoguerra, who often helps members of the Hop to it Rabbit Gems 4-H club get started. Manoguerra wanted him to have a nice bunny to begin with. "But I didn't know it was THAT good," she said, laughing. Janette Gallo, club leader, says it's relatively rare to find a rabbit with attributes like Cleo's. "Jimmy just happened to pick a really nice rabbit," she said. Finigan has been offered as much as $125 for Cleo in a market where most bunnies go for $10. But he says he doesn't want to sell. "She's mine," said Finigan, who has four rabbits - with another five expected any minute, the result of a frisky buck who bounded through a hole in his cage. "I'm hoping I'll get some really nice babies to go to nationals in Portland," he said. To the unschooled eye, most of the rabbits perched atop the judging tables looked like any other bunnies, but Finigan rejected that notion. "She has a really nice head, a good body type and her color is nice," he said, with the air of a doting parent. Hassenpflug had to agree, even if he thought Cleo's ears were a little thin. Cleo's success has helped Finigan quickly become attached to his 17-member 4-H group - and to the rabbits he raises. He said he has learned a lot about responsiblity, not to mention animal care, in the past few months. He'd like to expand his 4-H efforts. "I have a friend who has 600 rabbits," he said. "That sounds neat." Clearly, the boy will need lots of luck. Monday's News Index, Mail Tribune Home Page SODA director Courson retires A longtime activist in the war against drugs is stepping down from her post. Janet Courson, executive director of Southern Oregon Drug Awareness (SODA), said she plans to retire so she can travel and spend more time with her family, including two new grandchildren. But that doesn't mean she is giving up the fight against drugs. "I'm going to stop working so hard," she said Sunday. "It doesn't mean that I'm not still going to volunteer and that my heart isn't with the cause." Courson, 59, a Medford native, has been with SODA since its inception in 1981 as a nonprofit organization aimed at preventing substance abuse. She became executive director about eight years ago. "I've had a long wonderful tenure with SODA and I'm very proud of all the accomplishments of the organization and will be an ardent supporter," she said. "I just won't be working so many hours." SODA's activities include the Red Ribbon campaign to fight drug abuse, "Here's Looking at You 2000" school curriculum, parent education and promoting drug-free workplaces. Keeping substance abuse in the public eye has been a key role for SODA, Courson said. She's also proud of the volunteer organization's longevity. "We serve a real niche here," she said. Courson said she will retire when SODA's board of directors finds a replacement executive director. A search has begun but it won't be easy to replace Courson, said board member Karen Foster. "She's got an awful lot of knowledge and is very passionate, committed to the cause of primary prevention ... to stop it (substance abuse) before it starts," Foster said. "She never wavers, she definitely gets her teeth into something and you can't shake her loose." Courson said she's proud of the national attention SODA's received, including one of the 1,000 Points of Light awards from former President George Bush. She plans to continue to work on the national level. "I'm not closing the door and putting everything away," she said. "I'll just be active maybe in a little different capacity. The need does not go away," she added. "In fact I think it's greater than ever." Monday's News Index, Mail Tribune Home Page Man, 46, missing in river rafting accident HAPPY CAMP, Calif. - Searchers looked all weekend for a man missing after a rafting accident Friday on the Klamath River, about 12 miles south of Happy Camp. Gregory Lee Tripp, 46, of Hoopa, was reported missing. One of the men he was rafting with, Joe Frank Harrison, 41, of Happy Camp told Siskiyou County sheriff's deputies that he, Tripp and two other men started out in a rubber raft from Happy Camp. One of the men got out at Rattlesnake Creek and another got out at Clear Creek. Harrison and Tripp continued to float down the river. After Harrison got out, he looked back for Tripp and saw that he was struggling in the water in the middle of the river. Harrison told deputies he got back into the raft to help Tripp, but the raft overturned. When he came up from under the water, Tripp had disappeared. Tripp was fully clothed with heavy boots, deputies said. He wasn't wearing a life jacket. Monday's News Index, Mail Tribune Home Page Sunday Eagle Point center encourages kids to go to college By JONEL ALECCIA EAGLE POINT ­ When Rich Buractaon dons a cap and gown to march across the Eagle Point High School football field next Saturday, he'll graduate with a half-million dollars in possibilities stretching before him. That's the amount ­ $535,000 to be exact ­ in scholarships and grants that colleges and universities across the country offered to the quiet, dark-haired son of Filipino immigrants. Of course, the EPHS valedictorian ­ the kid with the 4.0 grade-point-average and the two-page resume of scholastic and athletic honors ­ can accept only the offer of the school he'll attend. So, come September, he'll head to the University of Portland with 90 percent of his expenses ­ an estimated $18,000 annually for four years ­ paid by the Ford Family Foundation. But the fact that Buractaon, 17, had the chance to turn down hefty scholarships from the likes of Vanderbilt, Tulane and Catholic universities is one sign of success for staff at the EPHS Eagle Center. Aimed at inspiring students with the desire to go to college and finding them the means to get there, the center received more than $1.1 million in scholarships and grants this year, about double the funds from the previous year. But the real success lies not only in scholarship offers, but also in a shift in students' attitude toward education in the longtime timber-based community, said Mike Bowles, one of the center's organizers. Students whose parents never considered college are now making plans to attend, he said. "The center started three years ago and prior to that, only 25 to 30 percent of our students went on to college," he says. "Last fall, we did a phone survey and the figure went up to 55 percent. And my feeling is this year it could be 60 to 65 percent." Compared with other Rogue Valley high schools, those figures aren't unusual. Phoenix High School sends about 40 percent of students to four-year colleges, Medford's two high schools send about half their students, and at Ashland High School, the figure is just over 60 percent. Other schools also offer students information about college application, placement and scholarships. But EPHS is alone in devoting the equivalent of two full-time teachers, plus a classified employee, to college endeavors. Tim Rouhier, a teacher and academic adviser, said the school didn't have a choice. "It used to be that a student could step out the door of Eagle Point High School and make good money," he says, referring to family-wage timber jobs. "It's not the same anymore." Trouble was, students weren't getting enough information or finding the incentive to make the transition to careers based on college plans. And many parents didn't know how to help. "They value education, but they can't tell their kids what to expect," Bowles said. That's where the center fits in. Staffed with four teachers who work half-time as advisers, it features resources detailing every aspect of higher education, from vocational schools to four-year universities. About 100 students a day this year have received help with everything from basic applications to navigating the maze of financial forms, Rouhier said. At any time, a dozen kids might be gathered around the table or perched in front of computers, contemplating paths to their futures. The information is out there, says Joyce Winkler, a consultant whose business, Educational Connections, matches students with funds. But the Eagle Center helps students find it. In Buractaon's case, for instance, the Ford Scholar post that will pay for his education was tucked inside an inches-thick packet of material. "If I was just on my own, I wouldn't have gotten it," says Buractaon, who plans to pursue a dual major in engineering and a pre-medical program in biochemistry, in hopes of eventually becoming a laser surgeon. Advisers and Winkler directed him to the right sources, helped him present his information in the right way ­ and celebrated when the scholarships started rolling in. Without that financial help, Buractaon isn't sure he could have gone to college, despite his family's support. His father, Rodolfo, works at Willamette Egg Farms in Eagle Point. His mother, Sophia, earned a bachelor of science degree and was a teacher in the Philippines. The center can't take all the credit for opportunities afforded to Buractaon and other students. District administrators willing to devote staff salary and school space made continuing education a priority. "It's a vision," Bowles said. "We felt like we needed to do something." Sunday's News Index, Mail Tribune Home Page Governor set to pick Jackson County work camp and prison site By VICKI GUARINO If the governor follows what has become his custom in selecting prison sites around Oregon, a cattle ranch on the outskirts of Medford will become home to 400 minimum-security inmates. Sometime in the next few days, Gov. John Kitzhaber is expected to decide where in Jackson County the state Corrections Department should build a $25 million minimum-security work camp. The site must be suitable for the eventual construction of a 1,600-bed, medium-security prison in addition to the work camp. Together, the institutions would cover about 75 acres, with the rest of the 320 acres serving as a buffer. A panel appointed by Kitzhaber to recommend sites already as picked the Harold Looney ranch north of Medford, dubbed Stimpson Gulch. And Kitzhaber already has said that in other prison-siting decisions he has followed his siting panel's advice. He should do so in Jackson County as well, say consultants and Corrections Department officials who have reviewed some half-dozen Jackson County parcels as part of an unprecedented prison-construction effort begun last year to keep up with the demands of stiff sentencing laws passed by voters. Construction of the Jackson County work camp would be completed in 2005. The project would include four dormitory buildings and a warehouse-style work center behind a wire security fence. Many inmates would leave daily for projects in the community. The state has not yet designed the work camp, so specific details about its appearance are not available. The Stimpson Gulch site has emerged as the top choice as much for what it has as for what it doesn't have. What Stimpson Gulch has, as its name implies, is a natural buffer in the surrounding hillsides. Hills along Foothill Road block the site from the west and south. What Stimpson Gulch doesn't have is the uncertainty of federal wetlands regulations and limitations, which could make planned construction impossible. In its deliberations three weeks ago, the siting panel agreed that the Stimpson site's isolation would be nearly ideal for the work camp. That was also the conclusion of Corrections Department facilities administrator Lisa Strader and site evaluator Leland Smith, a private consultant in Bend who was hired by the state to review potential prison and work camp sites. "Personally, Stimpson Gulch was my favorite," Smith says. "It's tucked away in a valley buffered on three sides by hills." "Stimpson Gulch is about the only site in the entire state that is screened as well as it is," says Strader. Neighbors, however, have objected that it's not screened well enough to preserve the country atmosphere. Two other sites also in contention, both west of White City, lacked any natural buffer, state evaluators have concluded. But worse than that deficiency, they say, were the wetlands constraints. The state Legislature has given the governor authority to bypass state land-use restrictions in selecting prison and work camp sites, but the state law grants no relief from federal regulations governing development of identified wetland areas such as those found on both the Roseburg Resources-owned parcel along Kirtland Road and the Medford-owned Whetstone Industrial Park parcel. The federal permit process, Smith and some state officials warn, could kill state construct plans at either site. Whetstone, the one site that found favor in the community, had even more problems. A dump dating back to Camp White activities during World War II has yet to be fully evaluated, according to state reports, and poses unknown problems for any developer. On top of those problems, prison planners said, high-voltage power lines, a creek and flood plain encroached on too much of the remaining Whetstone land. The uncertainties at Whetstone already have doomed at least one private development. Smith said Kikkoman, the soy sauce maker, backed out of buying the site for a factory because the company couldn't get a clear picture of the scope of the environmental problems, or ways to solve them. But the state's concerns about Whetstone baffle those who have been promoting the site. Clear-cut plans to resolve the problems have been found, insists Dry Creek Road resident Peggy Foy. Foy, along with Diane Davidson, spent months marshalling community support for Whetstone and obtaining research on the very issues that now seem to be the site's undoing. "We had the definitive expert testify that where they were putting the prison was not wetlands," says Foy. As for the dump, under the worst possible scenario imaginable, she says, cleanup cost would amount to $1.3 million. With the land offered for free by the city of Medford, total site preparation costs would amount to less than $4 million. That's a bargain compared with costs of developing Stimpson Gulch: $10.3 million, according to the pro-Whetstone group. Kershaw Road would have to be extended to become the work camp's main entrance, and water and sewer lines extended. Plus, the state would have to buy Stimpson Gulch, valued at $655,000 on tax rolls. State estimates, however, close the cost gap between the two parcels. Acquisition and site work at Stimpson Gulch are projected at $6.8 million to $9.1 million. Costs would be $4 million to $5.8 million at Whetstone, if wetlands could be accommodated. Stimpson Gulch has other flaws, critics say. For instance, some have pointed out that the closest "neighbor" to the work camp would be the shooting range at the Jackson County Sports Park ­ a use that struck some site opponents as hazardous and utterly incompatible. Corrections Department officials, however, didn't share the concern. One prison chief told a Jackson County audience several weeks ago that the presence of target shooters could be easily accommodated in security plans. Jackson County Sheriff Bob Kennedy agreed. "I just don't think it's any big deal," Kennedy says. "I don't see any big conflict with the sports park." There will be escapes, certainly, he said, but they'll be "minimal." And fleeing inmates would be more likely to want to get away from the institution than to confront someone for a gun. The Department of Transportation has estimated the cost of building the Kershaw Road extension at $6 million. Also, says local ODOT manager Monte Grove, Stimpson Gulch, unlike either White City site, will add to the traffic on an already overburdened Highway 62-Interstate 5 corridor. "It's a major development," says Grove,"but it will have a minor impact in the overall scheme. It's not going to make or break the corridor because the corridor is already broke." Land-use issues are being raised by the Jackson County Citizens' League and others concerned about the preservation of agricultural land like the Looney Ranch. League member Porter Lombard is among a contingent of officials and private citizens who have urged the governor to put aside the state recommendations and pick Whetstone. Beyond that lobbying effort, Lombard sees little opportunity for preserving Stimpson Gulch. "I think that's probably the best chance we have," Lombard says, "because it doesn't sound like our chances on an appeal are very good. Thousand Friends (the land-use group that would handle any league appeal) is discouraging us from going that route." Any appeal of the governor's decision must be filed directly with the state Supreme Court within 21 days. Foy agrees that the lobby effort may be the best chance for Whetstone. She says that the siting authority did not give the site sufficient consideration. "We feel that the siting authority had their minds made up before because they just completely ignored what we had to say," Foy says. "We're still hopeful that the governor will hear." Whetstone's problems can ­ and should ­ be solved by the state. After all, she says, a penal institution shouldn't take up prime real estate. "Why not take problem land and make use of it?" Foy wonders, adding sarcastically, "Because it makes too much sense, I guess." Sunday's News Index, Mail Tribune Home Page Endangered Species Act looking a little less endangered By MARK WIGFIELD WASHINGTON ­ The law that protects plant and animal species from extinction survived a key test vote before Congress left town for its Memorial Day recess last week. Faced with a choice between a bill that environmentalists feared would gut the 24-year-old law and a more moderate reform proposal, Congress chose moderation. That choice leaves the controversial Endangered Species Act looking a little less endangered itself when Congress returns this week. But the politics involved also casts doubt on whether Congress can make changes in the law that could make it more effective in protecting animal and plant life. The Endangered Species Act has had a major impact on Southern Oregon. It was the listing of the northern spotted owl as a threatened species ­ and the owl's need for large, undisturbed tracts of old-growth forests for nesting ­ that resulted in a 90 percent reduction in logging on public lands in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, the region is home to two other endangered species, the bald eagle and the peregrine falcon. The law established a procedure for identifying and listing endangered species. Federal agencies must ensure that their actions don't jeopardize any species listed. And even private property owners are affected, facing sanctions if their actions, such as building, farming or logging, adversely affect a species on the list. Nationwide, the Endangered Species Act is credited by its supporters with helping to protect hundreds of rare plant and animal species from possible extinction. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, of all the species listed as endangered through 1993, fewer than 1 percent have become extinct. But critics say the 1973 law has not met its goals. Moreover, they charge it has infringed on property rights, stymied development and forced the elimination of thousands of jobs. The Clinton administration has been changing policies to reduce the law's impact on private landowners. Some House Republicans want to go further and free private landowners from most of its restrictions, or ensure that they are compensated if they lose development rights to their land. The May 7 vote was over a much more narrow issue. It was tied to this year's flooding in California, and brought many of the state's lawmakers to the House floor. Essentially, the vote was over the extent to which repairs and maintenance to flood control projects should be waived from review under the Endangered Species Act. Blanket exemptions for any and all flood projects nationwide were offered by Reps. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., and Wally Herger, R-Calif., both of whom have been outspoken critics of the Endangered Species Act from the property rights perspective. Herger argued that environmental red tape stalled the repair of a flood control levee in his district that failed, costing three lives. But a much narrower measure, introduced by Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y. won by a 30-vote margin, signaling Congress' unease with making major changes in the law. While Boehlert agreed with Herger that changes were needed, Herger went too far, Boehlert said. "It was a wake-up call to the extreme anti-environmental crowd to get real," says David Wilcove, a senior ecologist with the Environmental Defense Fund. "It says come to the table with constructive ideas." But Ike Sugg, a land use policy analyst at the free-enterprise oriented Competitive Enterprise Institute, thinks the vote was only a temporary lull in interest for changing the bill to shift the balance toward property rights. "I think the momentum for reforming the law will increase as long as it stays on the books," he says. "People love the environment, and want to save endangered species. But most people reject taking the use of private land without compensation." Environmentalists aren't necessarily happy with the status quo either. The Environmental Defense Fund's Wilcove say that only 10 percent of the species on the list are actually improving. And the law ``is all stick and no carrot. It doesn't do anything that would reward or encourage landowners to protect species. Until we do, we're not going to be able to push the percentage of the species that are improving to a higher number." For example, while both the peregrine falcon and the bald eagle are recovering, the spotted owl continues to decline. Unfortunately, the debate further polarized the two sides of the issue and may make compromise more difficult, says Rep. Tom Campbell, R-Calif. Positioning himself as a conciliator, Campbell won approval of an amendment to Herger's bill that he claims would have made it almost identical to the moderate measure that passed. But neither side, in search of a clear victory, recognized Campbell's point. "The argument I got from the environmental community is that this is the test vote," Campbell said. "We are going to see our strength." Indeed, the League of Conservation Voters, which ranks lawmakers on their environmental records, warned House members that the group is strongly considering using the vote in its year-end ratings. The bill, they said, was "clearly unnecessary" and would substantially decrease the act's effectiveness. Given the bitterness of this month's debate, Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif., wonders whether Congress can reach consensus on any changes. "The question is, how do you fix it without threatening it?" Farr says. "Because any movement from Washington will be considered symbolic, it's a rocky road." It will be easier for politicians to simply do nothing. And politically, "the American public supports that," Farr contends. Sunday's News Index, Mail Tribune Home Page Saturday Sun shines on Cantrall-Buckley Volunteers' efforts keep county park alive By MARK FREEMAN APPLEGATE ­ When Jeanette Stobie used to drive into nearby Cantrall-Buckley County Park, she dutifully put her $3 entry fee in the box at the entrance. But the dutifulness has given way to glee now that park control has shifted from Jackson County ­ which closed the park last summer for lack of funds ­ to a coalition of volunteers determined to keep Cantrall-Buckley open and vibrant. "I've always put my envelope in there, but it's more fun now to make the payment because you're supporting your own venture, your own community," said Stobie, a local painter. "It's like self-responsibility," she said. "It's our part in keeping a park going that we all can use, instead of expecting someone else, i.e. the government, to do it." It's that Applegate spirit, backed up by a lot of hard work, that has both sides of this novel county-community venture optimistic that Cantrall-Buckley Park will thrive under this unprecedented partnership. A month after it reopened, visitors are starting to trickle back to the 88-acre park along the Applegate River. Once limited to weekend use, the park is now open daily through September, with everything from camping and fishing to horseshoe tossing and swimming available. Repairs to flood damage are under way, and volunteers have helped create a smooth transition since the park reopened May 1. "The biggest problem we've had so far," Park Manager Randy Amos said, "is having three women sunbathers a few weeks ago keep their clothes on." But it will take more like a year of the same before county and community officials are willing to say the approach will definitely keep the park alive. "It depends upon a lot of volunteerism, and volunteerism depends upon a certain level of enthusiasm," county Parks Director Paul Korbulic said. "That (enthusiasm) comes and goes. So far, they're successful in getting plenty of it from the community." Applegate volunteers have already logged more than 1,000 hours of service. And they say that's just the start. "The community is committed to this for the long term, not as a short fix," said Terry Black, a Rogue River National Forest community-assistance officer who is part of the nonprofit coalition managing the park. That's all good news to park users like Sharon Johnson, who takes her two young boys to Cantrall-Buckley for midday picnics and water play between the wooded Applegate hills and high summer skies. "I love it," Johnson said. "It's so close, convenient and pretty, too. We were all pretty disappointed when it was closed." County officials were equally disappointed July 1 when they closed Cantrall-Buckley and Agate parks. The action came after voters turned down a new countywide tax base meant to replace dwindling timber receipts and other county revenue. But Applegate citizens stepped forward and helped forge what Korbulic believes is the first county-community partnership to operate a park. Volunteers manage the park under a new nonprofit organization called the Applegate Valley Community Center. Jackson County still owns the park land and provides major maintenance and repairs with some $25,000 per year from state recreational vehicle license fees. The community center hopes to raise at least $38,000 to pay for daily park operations through user fees, special-event reservations and foundation grants. A board of directors representing civic groups and agencies manages the community center and the park. The park has one full-time and one part-time employee. The operating agreement was signed in March. Weekend use has increased each week, but weekday use has remained somewhat light, Amos said. Many people, he said, remain unaware that the park has reopened. Korbulic is anxious to see use increase. "That's really the measure of how things are going," he said. Korbulic said he believes few places other than the Applegate Valley could generate and sustain the enthusiasm to make such a partnership work. "I think the community groups that stepped in are going above and beyond the norm of getting involved in your community." Saturday's News Index, Mail Tribune Home Page Good deed makes life tougher Saving life worth cost, woman says By PAUL FATTIG Darlene Renish doesn't consider herself a heroine, just someone who was there when help was needed. But that help ­ giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation to someone who overdosed on drugs ­ has cost the laid-off mill worker a portion of her livelihood. Because of powerful hepatitis B immunoglobulin shots taken to prevent her from being infected, Renish, 42, of Medford, cannot for the next year sell her plasma to supplement her unemployment benefits. "If I knew I was going to lose $150 a month for my plasma, I still would have done it," the single mother said. "Nothing would have stopped me from helping him. "But things are more difficult now," she added. "I needed that $15 or $20 I got each time I gave plasma." For nearly three years, she has been selling plasma twice a week to the NABI Biomedical Center in Medford, earning roughly $150 a month. Not now. Anyone who has received hepatitis B immunoglobulin shots cannot provide plasma for a year, explained center spokeswoman Julie Lasota, an emergency medical technician. While plasma taken at the center is cleaned of impurities, hepatitis B cannot be removed from the plasma, she said. Those who have close contact with someone infected with hepatitis B run a risk of being infected, Lasota observed. "You can get hepatitis B from saliva and other bodily fluids," she said, noting it is one of several diseases that can be transmitted through saliva. Renish applauds the center's strict policy to prevent contaminated plasma from entering the system. "I just wish I had a mouthpiece when it happened," she said. About 10:20 p.m. on May 16, a neighbor yelled her name. Renish, who has had some first-aid training, ran to a nearby house, where she found a young man on the floor. "His lips were almost black ­ he wasn't breathing at all," she said. "He looked dead." Nearby lay a needle. With another man's help, she began administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. "I was in such a panic, I lifted his neck, put my hand on his forehead but did not plug his nose," she said. Realizing her mistake, she began plugging his nose. "He was gurgling ­ it wasn't breathing, just an air tunnel noise at first," she said. "It was just awful. That scared me. "If I stopped, he would breathe, then stop breathing," she added. "We had to keep doing it." Meanwhile, someone at the residence called 911. Medford police officers and fire department paramedics arrived. "When I heard one paramedic call to another paramedic to bring a mouthpiece in, that's when a bell rang in my head," she said. The paramedics got the patient breathing on his own, then whisked him to the hospital. Before leaving, a paramedic recommended she go to a medical facility to receive the hepatitis B prevention shots because the patient was an intravenous drug user. A few hours later, she received hepatitis B immunoglobulin shots. Renish was an edgerman earning $12.87 an hour at the former Medite Corp. mill in White City until she was laid off last December. She plans to take advantage of a grant to begin high-technology studies at Rogue Community College in Grants Pass next month. "Things are pretty tough right now," she said, noting she received a $386.70 bill Friday for the shots. "But I would do it over again," she said, adding, "We're talking about a human life." Yet the experience has caused her to make at least one small change. "I'm going to get a mouthpiece," she said. "You never know when you might need one." Saturday's News Index, Mail Tribune Home Page Million-penny drive comes up heads Students collect $10,000 for school extras By JONEL ALECCIA ROGUE RIVER ­ Talk about a chunk of change. It took a flatbed truck and the Oregon National Guard Friday to haul away the results of a two-year penny drive at Evans Valley Elementary School, where students sent more than a million pennies ­ some $10,000 in all ­ to the bank. Loaded into cloth bags, the 7,000 pounds of pennies will be tucked away in an account at Valley of the Rogue Bank, to be used for reading programs, technology equipment and other extras, said Denise Fields, school secretary. "We did this as a fun thing to do, as a learning experience and because there are always items we're needing that we have no budget to cover," she said. The great copper collection began on Feb. 12 ­ President Lincoln's birthday ­ in 1995, with teacher Lynn Nelson's first-graders. It quickly spread from personal piggy banks to the whole school and then to the community, eventually involving donations from far and wide, Fields said. "Businesses all around the area have had penny jars, they've had collection boxes in the bank," she said. "Students have had relatives contribute from out of state. Sometimes they send pennies and sometimes they send checks to buy pennies. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends of the family: Everyone has gotten involved." The collection fervor grew more intense as the school approached the million-penny goal, said Fields, noting that pennies were still jingling in Friday morning. "The drive will continue, only in a more relaxed mode," she said. "We'll keep the container here at school for the stray penny that comes through." But the 290 students who chanted "Pen-NY, Pen-NY, Pen-NY" as the flatbed approached Friday won't soon forget the value of spare change. "I don't think there's a kid in this school who walks past a penny in a parking lot now," she said. "They always stop and pick it up." Saturday's News Index, Mail Tribune Home Page Owner of beaten dog Miracle gets 10 days, $200 fine A dog owner arrested when police found his pet nearly dead from abuse was sentenced to 10 days in jail Friday and fined $200. Steven Kendrick, 46, of 1222 W. 10th St., Medford, also was sentenced to two years on probation by Jackson County District Court Judge Mark Schiveley. During that period, the judge ordered, Kendrick may not own a dog. Schiveley found Kendrick guilty of animal abandonment, a misdemeanor, involving a mixed-breed retriever dubbed Miracle for its survival abilities. According to a witness, Miracle was stabbed, choked, nearly drowned in an irrigation ditch and left for dead in late February. The witness rescued the dog and Jackson County sheriff's deputies arrested Kendrick and the man accused of beating the animal, Ronald Edward Hussey, 25. Hussey is scheduled to be tried July 10 on a charge of animal abuse, also a misdemeanor. Kendrick said he had been having problems with the dog breaking through his fence and biting people, so he was taking the animal to the woods to dump it when the beating occurred. The dog, which Kendrick called Scooter, jumped from the pickup and was hanging from its leash. The dog bit Hussey when Hussey tried to help Kendrick get the dog back into the truck. According to deputies, Hussey retaliated by attacking the dog. The dog spent several weeks recovering in a veterinary hospital. It was adopted by a Medford woman in late April. Saturday's News Index, Mail Tribune Home Page Since You Asked ... Preserving Whetstone property might pay off If the city of Medford is so anxious to give away the Whetstone property, and if it is not accepted as a prison site, why doesn't the city give it over to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife as an addition to the Denman wildlife refuge? Or the city could give it to the Nature Conservancy so that the old dump site will not be disturbed and the land might be able to heal itself, if possible. ­ Anne W., Central Point Maybe you're on to something, Anne. Medford is actively encouraging development at its Whetstone Industrial Park in White City, but it hasn't been easy. Although PCB contamination has been cleaned up and some big industrial projects are in the works, an old Camp White dump site on part of the land makes development there problematic. Also, the area is full of "vernal pools," small wetlands pockets that are home to rare plants. If the city can't give that particular piece of Whetstone to the state for a prison, the Medford City Council will have to figure out what to do with it, says Mayor Jerry Lausmann. "Before we can do anything with the property, we have to resolve the environmental problems," he says. "Failing to do that, the suggestion (of preserving it) might be a good one." What state restrictions are there on residential development in wetlands areas? Is the city of Medford prevented from destroying wildlife habitat ­ specifically at the end of Roberts Road in east Medford? ­ Pat W., Medford Residential or commercial development in a wetlands area requires permits from both the Division of State Lands and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Federal and state law requires that if a development fills in or removes wetlands, the developer has to replace the wetlands either on the property, next to it, or at least in the same watershed, says Bob Brown, Southern Oregon resource coordinator for the Division of State Lands. Medford Senior Planner Mark Gallagher says the city's only obligation is to send a one-page report to the state when a proposed development includes wetlands. He says owners of the property at the end of Roberts Road haven't submitted any development plans for the parcel. The city won't do anything with the land until the owners file a development proposal, Gallagher says. About a year ago, those sections of the ORS (Oregon Revised Statutes) that allowed the "right turn permitted without stopping" signs ­ often seen at stop signs ­ were changed so that this practice is no longer legal. As in the other 49 states, a stop sign now means exactly that here, too. However, with only one exception that I have noted, I have yet to see any of the old signs removed. When are the various authorities in charge of these things going to remove the no-longer-valid signs? ­ Ed G., Medford The short answer: When they feel like it. Ralph Browning, a Medford traffic engineer, says the Oregon Department of Transportation did send out a memo in 1995 requesting that such signs be removed. But in March 1996, the Oregon Traffic Control Device Committee rescinded that decision with the following stipulations: Local governments discourage the placement of any new "right turn permitted without stopping" signs; and phase out those already in place "as possible." The city did remove a few of the signs; one, for example, was at South Oakdale and Holmes avenues. However, the signs are efficient at keeping traffic moving ­ and with no apparent problems ­ at high-volume intersections such as Hillcrest Road and Jackson Street, Browning says. Unless the state changes its mind again, don't look for those signs to go away anytime soon. Ditto for Jackson County, says county traffic engineer Eric Niemeyer. From Fern Valley Road to Payne Road, or South Stage Road to Sunset Drive, where there's heavy right-turn traffic, the signs can increase the peak capacity of an intersection. By the way, they are a permitted sign in the Federal Highway Administration's "Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices," so Oregon's not the only state that has them. A couple of years ago the phone company required everyone in Oregon to dial the area code for nonlocal calls within the state. We were told that this was to prepare for the introduction of a new area code. Now that the new area code is in place, why is it still necessary to dial the area code within our own area? Apart from being inconvenient, this probably results in a lot of mis-dialed numbers because of the extra digits. ­ Peter F., Gold Hill Folks at U S West tell us that their switching network needs the area code when you dial those nonlocal, "short-distance" calls. The area code serves as the first part of your telephone "address" for the computer-driven switches that route phone traffic beyond your local prefix (855 in Gold Hill). The three-digit prefix is the second line in your telephone address. The last four digits in your phone number are your "personal identification number" for your home phone. (Send your questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by fax to (541) 776-4376; or by e-mail to: [email protected] Please include your name and phone number for verification only. Saturday's News Index, Mail Tribune Home Page Friday Coffee lovers won't mind if prices heat up By KATHY MORGAN The local coffee community is abuzz this morning, but it's not from caffeine intake. A cup of coffee costs a nickel more today at Starbucks Corp., the largest retailer of roasted and specialty coffees in the United States, with three retail outlets in Medford and Ashland. Espresso is up a dime. Starbucks' local competitors say they, too, either already have raised their prices or will before long. "The wholesale price of coffee beans has gone up," says Tina Borba, manager of The Beanery in Ashland. "We raised our prices 10 cents a cup about a month ago. Starbucks has nothing to do with it." "Most of our customers understand why we've had to increase prices," she says. "They've read about it in the paper or seen in on the news. It's no big deal." Lee Exley, owner of Koffee Klatsch in Central Point, says she is well aware of the increased cost of wholesale beans. "My customers have told me how Starbucks is raising its prices," she says. "They are concerned. I don't want to increase my prices. So far I haven't had to, but who knows?" Salvatore Mellelo, proprieter of Mellelo Coffee Roasters of Medford, says the increase in coffee prices hasn't affected his customers either, yet. "In the next couple of weeks we may have to raise prices a nickel to a dime," he says. Mellelo says wholesale prices went up about three months ago. "So far we haven't raised prices at all in the retail end, but that's coming." But he says he's not worried about losing customers. "I believe it's still one of the best values in terms of a beverage," he says. "I would gladly pay it." Coffee drinkers, for the most part, agree. "I'll keep buying it," says Michael Hough, an Ashland Starbucks' patron. "Coffee is a whole experience. You hang out, read the paper. It's a social thing. A nickel here, a dime there. It doesn't matter." Johnny Burrell, a regular ­ and an employee ­ at The Beanery, says most customers haven't complained about the higher prices. "Sometimes the college kids think it's a bit much, but they can stay home and drink MJB." But some customers are losing their cool. "I'm not going to stop drinking coffee," says Becky Nelson, a patron at the North Medford Starbucks, "but I may cut down." Nelson drinks between four and five cups of coffee a day. "You do the math," she says. "That's ten cents extra a pop, times five multiplied by 365. You're talking lots of dollars." "I think it's ridiculous," Ben Houton of Eagle Point says as he sips a cup of the black stuff. "Don't tell me Starbucks isn't making a profit. Some bean counter at corporate headquarters probably decided they needed a wider margin of profit." Others don't seem to care about the profit margin. "I'm hooked," Samantha Eileson of Medford says. "Give me air to breathe, coffee to drink and love ­ in that order. Sal (Mellelo) can raise the prices as much as he needs to." Friday's News Index, Mail Tribune Home Page Peterson gets top award from SOU By ALBERTO ENRIQUEZ ASHLAND ­ Former state Rep. Nancy Peterson will receive Southern Oregon University's highest honor, the President's medal, in two weeks during graduation ceremonies. "I'm pleased, surprised and delighted," Peterson said Thursday at her Ashland home. "I feel like they must be thinking about the work I did when I was in the Legislature four years ago." A vocal champion of education during her four-term political career, Peterson nevertheless had to search her memory to consider what led to the award. "It's a nice thing, but you do things about things you believe in, and that which matters to you," she said. "I certainly didn't get any awards from the (National Rifle Association). I don't think they'd be eager to give me one, and you don't do it with the thought of getting awards." In 1985, during her first session, she was involved in early legislative discussions to promote university status for Southern Oregon State College. "It happened this year," Peterson said. "It just goes to show that if you plant a seed sometimes it will grow. So I'm pretty excited to be getting this from Southern Oregon University." Peterson's legislative career was interrupted for two months during the '93 session while she underwent treatment for cervical cancer. More recently, she has battled a resurgence of that cancer, but she declined to talk Thursday about that struggle, preferring to focus on the commitments that still matter most to her: education and the environment. "Don't we want to leave the generation to come in better shape than we are?" she asked. "Don't we want to leave our environment in better shape?" Peterson also recalled work her work, beginning in the '89 legislative session on the Ways and Means education subcommittee, to improve state faculty salaries. "In '93 ... there were only three other states where salaries were as low as here," Peterson said. "There are professors who won't come here because the salaries are so low." Peterson praised the "quality people" who had stayed on at SOU despite difficult times. "We can't give up," she said. "You've just got to keep trying." A self-described liberal, Peterson said her commitment to education sprang from parents ­ her father a chef, her mother a store clerk ­ neither of whom were college-educated, but whose interest in books and ideas always made college seem possible. "For so many people who don't get a chance in life, it's because they didn't have a chance for a good education," she said. "There are kids in Oregon today who can't go to college because it costs too much ... but anytime you educate a person, it's good for society as a whole." Given the state of education, Peterson said it was time to change a 1979 law that sends taxpayers so-called "kicker" refunds of $10 to $200 when income tax revenues exceed projections. "You can fritter $50 away on eating out ­ but you put all those $50 together and you can do so much more," she said. Peterson's ties to SOU predate her political career. She taught there briefly in the '70s after obtaining a master's degree in English from Montana State University in Bozeman. Large class sizes and low wages soon led her to pursue other ambitions. The experience not only prepared her for politics, it also provided