Pacific Power Foundation Awards $56,000 to Southern Oregon Organizations

The Pacific Power Foundation is proud to support 13 Southern Oregon organizations working to protect the environment and strengthen their communities. Funding will help provide hands-on outdoor education for students, expand volunteer initiatives and support career training programs that create opportunities for the community. Out of the 13 recipients, both the Central Point Little League and the Parks and Recreation Foundation received $2,000. The City of Shady Cove received $2,000, while $5,000 went to Habitat for Humanity Rogue Valley in Medford. Other recipients included The Illinois Valley Fire Resiliency Oversight Group, The Oregon Center for Creative Learning in Medford, and the Josephine County Foundation in Murphy, the latter of which received $8,000. These funds were awarded through the Pacific Power Foundation’s Community Enhancement and Environmental Respect grant cycle. Organizations interested in applying for the Foundation’s next grant cycle, Safety and Wellness, may apply by December 15th. ...Read more

IFPL Decreasing to Level 1, Moderate Fire Danger Remains

Continued cooler conditions have prompted a decrease in the Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) across Jackson and Josephine counties. At 12:01 a.m. this morning, September 28, 2026, the IFPL on lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest Oregon District decreased from Level 2 to Level 1. The public fire danger level will remain “moderate”. This change affects 1.8 million acres of state, private, county, city and Bureau of Land Management forestlands in Jackson and Josephine counties. The primary change with this decrease applies to industrial operations. Public fire prevention restrictions are not changing with this decrease. Moderate fire danger restrictions remain in effect, including restrictions on the use of power-driven equipment, grinding, cutting of metal and other spark-emitting equipment between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. daily. Outdoor debris burning also remains prohibited. ...Read more

Grants Pass Students Make Significant Gains on State Assessments

Grants Pass School District 7 students made significant gains in both English Language Arts (ELA) and math on the 2025-26 Oregon Statewide Assessment System (OSAS) tests, with growth across the district and particularly strong gains in grades 3, 5 and 7. According to a statement, districtwide, ELA proficiency increased 4.3 percentage points, from 46.6% in 2024-25 to 50.9% in 2025-26. Math proficiency increased 4.2 percentage points, from 31.9% in 2024-25 to 36.1% in 2025-26. Across Oregon, proficiency increased by 0.8 percentage points in ELA and 1.4 percentage points in math. Statewide, 43.8% of students were proficient in ELA, and 32.9% were proficient in math. Grants Pass students outperformed the statewide proficiency rate. The district was 8.9 percentage points above the state in third-grade ELA, 10.0 points above in fifth-grade ELA, and 8.1 points above in seventh-grade ELA. In math, Grants Pass was 8.0 points above the state in third grade, 5.1 points above in fifth grade, and 10.8 points above in seventh grade. ...Read more