Local News

Firefighters have been responding to several fires along the lower portion of the Rogue River following thunderstorms on Tuesday night. Resources are engaged on at least 10 small fires in Josephine County, with the majority located on BLM public lands on both sides of the river northwest of Rand and Galice. The fires range in size from 1/100th of an acre to one acre. Officials said these fires have likely remained small due to rain that came with the weather system as well as aggressive initial attacks by firefighters from the Oregon Department of Forestry. Aircraft has been key on these incidents as all fires are in remote areas with difficult terrain. Crews are hiking in as far as two miles to reach fires on steep, dangerous ground. The current list of fires includes the Crooks Creek Fire east of Selma, Horseshoe Bend Fire north of Horseshoe Bend Campground, Howard Creek Fire northwest of Rand, East Fork Big Windy Fire near Windy Creek, Big Windy Creek Fire north of East Fork Big Windy Fire, Trout Creek Fire north of Trout Creek, Long Gulch Fire southwest of Trout Creek, Missouri Creek Fire north of Bear Camp Road, Hewett Creek Fire south of BLM Road 32-10-36 and Montgomery Creek Fire southwest of Rainie Falls. Firefighters and aircraft continue to monitor the area for additional lightning-sparked fires. BLM and ODF are bracing for chances of additional thunderstorms that are predicted for this coming weekend.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for attacking his girlfriend in front of their young child at a southeast city residence this week. The Police Department reports officers arrested the 26-year-old male subject for the incident at a home on Watson Drive on Wednesday night. Police said the subject and his girlfriend got into a physical argument at their residence. After the man disengaged from the victim, he grabbed their 9-month-old baby who was crying after witnessing the incident. The woman screamed that she was going to call police and her boyfriend fled the scene with their baby. According to the report, the man's Dodge Ram pickup had no child car seat. Officers contacted the suspect by phone and he agreed to meet them at the Parkway Fire Station. He denied choking his girlfriend twice and claimed she punched him. The evidence suggested otherwise and he was placed into custody. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for suspicion of two counts of Felony Domestic Strangulation and he was being held without bail. The baby was returned unharmed to the mother.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested an Illinois Valley man on a local warrant this week during a traffic stop on Redwood Highway near Grants Pass. OSP reports troopers pulled over a black BMW 650 sedan driven by the 37-year-old male subject near milepost 3 of US Highway 199 on Wednesday night. Troopers said they stopped the car for observed traffic violations and discovered that the driver was wanted on an arrest warrant for Unlawful Manufacture of a Marijuana Item and Unlawful Possession of Marijuana. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail and was being held in lieu of posting $50,000 bail. He was also warned for the traffic violations. The BMW was turned over to his passenger, a 31-year-old Cave Junction woman.

 

Dry fuels and dangerous weather patterns forecasted for Jackson and Josephine counties have prompted the Oregon Department of Forestry to increase the fire prevention measures on industrial operations. As a result, Industrial Fire Precaution Level 3 for logging sites and commercial operations will go into effect on Friday at 12:01 a.m.. For the general public, extreme fire restrictions remain in effect and unchanged. Under IFPL 3, several industrial activities are prohibited between the hours of 1 and 8 p.m.. This includes power saws at loading sites; loading or hauling of any product or material; blasting; welding, cutting or grinding of metal; and any other spark-emitting operation not specifically mentioned. In addition, some activities are permitted to operate overnight between the hours of 8 p.m. and 1 p.m. where mechanized equipment capable of constructing fire line is immediately available to quickly reach and attack a fire start. This includes ground-based operations, power saws, rotary head saw feller-bunchers with a continuous firewatch, non-rotary head saw feller-bunchers and tethered logging. IFPL 3 is considered a restricted shutdown and some activities are not permitted at any time. For more information about ODF's fire season public and industrial restrictions, visit their website at "swofire.com."

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday proclaimed July 21st-27th as "Probation, Parole and Community Supervision Week" as the only action item on the agenda -- but the real action occurred during public comments. The official proclamation was read by Commissioner Herman Baertschiger and it was presented to Josephine County Community Corrections Director Scott Hyde. During Requests and Comments from Citizens, former Commissioner Dan DeYoung read his official resignation letter and made no mention of allegations of sexual harassment as a reason for stepping down after 7-1/2 years on the Board. Instead, DeYoung stated that he has been isolated on the Board of Commissioners for the past 18 months as a series of 2-1 votes left him on the losing side of many important decisions. He said he could not "in good conscience" continue to collect a paycheck to finish his tenure when he is unable to provide effective leadership to the community he loves. He added that many of the decisions made since January 2023 have hurt citizens and led to an all-time low in the morale of county workers.

 

The Grants Pass City Council adopted the 2024-25 Year 5 Annual Action Plan as specified in the Community Development Block Grant program. The adopted plan must be submitted to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development no later than August 15th. Funding allocation for this 5th program year is $381,398. The funding includes weather/rehab programs supporting seniors and others who are unable to afford repairs to their homes. Agencies receiving funds include St. Vincent DePaul mobile kitchen, the Maslow Project, the Boys & Girls Club and several others. Councilors also approved an appeal of the city's sign code allowing the movement of the sign for A-1 Mini Storage at 1867 Redwood Avenue. The sign is larger than the sign code allows, but it was installed prior to the code. The City Council approved an ordinance annexing property at 2020, 2222, and 2224 Allen Creek Road. A second ordinance amended the zoning for 1988, 2020, 2222 and 2224 Allen Creek Road, rearranging existing zones for moderate high-density and high-density development.

 

Josephine Community Library is hosting the Museum of Natural and Cultural History at the Grants Pass branch for an all-ages event to learn more about the wonders of Oregon's coast and underwater environments. The program is scheduled for this Saturday, July 20th, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the library located at 200 NW C Street in Grants Pass. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and learn from local marine educators, participate in various hands-on activities and gain a deeper appreciation for the underwater world. "Journey Under the Sea" is part of the 2024 Summer Reading Program sponsored by Evergreen Federal Bank, Josephine Community Library Foundation and the State Library of Oregon. This event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. A library card is not needed to participate. For more information about the Summer Reading Program, library programs and other services, visit "josephinelibrary.org," e-mail "info@josephinelibrary.org" or call (541)-476-0571.

 

The City Council adopted the 2024-25-year five Annual Action Plan as specified in the Community Development Block Grant citizen participation plan. The adopted plan must be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development no later than August 15th. Funding allocations for this 5th program year is $381,398. The funding includes weather/rehab programs supporting seniors and other who are unable to afford repairs to their homes. Other agencies receiving funds include St.; Vincent DePaul mobile kitchen, the Maslow Project, the Boys and Girls Club and several others. Councilors approved an appeal of the city’s sign code allowing the movement of the sign for A-1 Mini Storage at 1867 Redwood Avenue. The sign is larger than the sign code but was installed prior to the code. The Council approved an ordinance annexing property at 2020, 2222, and 2224 Allen Creek road. Then a 2nd ordinance amended the zoning for 1988, 2020, 2222, and 2224 Allen Creek Road basically rearranging existing zones for moderate high density and high density. Then a motion was approved adjusting property lines of the afore mentioned properties All properties are owned by Harbeck Residential Properties, L.L.C. in anticipation of developing the properties as single family dwellings, townhouses and multifamily housing. An additional ordinance was approved vacating a portion of Shannon Lane public right-of-way, reducing the right-of-way from 60 feet to 30 feet to accommodate a future expansion for future industrial uses. The Development code was amended deleting the sentence “No Individual shall hold the same office for more than two consecutive years.” The amended affects only the Historical Building and Sites Commission.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners this morning proclaimed July 21st-27th as "Probation, Parole and Community Supervision Week" as the only action item on the agenda -- but the real action occurred during public comments. The official proclamation was read by Commissioner Herman Baertschiger and it was presented to Josephine County Community Corrections Director Scott Hyde. During Requests and Comments from Citizens, former Commissioner Dan DeYoung read his official resignation letter and made no mention of allegations of sexual harassment as a reason for stepping down after 7-1/2 years on the Board. Instead, DeYoung stated that he has been isolated on the Board of Commissioners for the past 18 months as a series of 2-1 votes left him on the losing side of many important decisions. He said he could not "in good conscience" continue to collect a paycheck to finish his tenure when he is unable to provide effective leadership to the community he loves. He added that many of the decisions made since January 2023 have hurt citizens and led to an all-time low in the morale of county workers. In other public comments, several Williams residents pleaded with the remaining Board members to sign off on the Pipe Fork property sale before the August 15th deadline. Most of them said the sale is important to water quality in Williams. Colleen Padilla, CEO of Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc. (SOREDI), provided an update on the organization's work in Josephine County.