Local News

The Oregon State Police detained a motorist for causing a crash with another vehicle on Interstate 5 near Merlin and then fleeing the scene. According to OSP, troopers and emergency crews responded to the incident in the northbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 62 on Monday. Troopers said both drivers called 9-1-1 and stated the other was at fault. They said the difference was the 47-year-old female driver stayed at the scene while the 49-year-old male driver did not. He was driving a blue Toyota RAV-4 that OSP tracked down a short time later. Following the investigation, the at-fault driver was issued a citation and a charge of Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage was referred to the Josephine County District Attorney's Office.

 

To provide for public safety and protect natural resources, the Oregon Department of Forestry, Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service have restricted campfire use on all lands located within the boundaries of the Wild and Scenic Rogue River. The wild section flows from Grave Creek to Watson Creek. The closure order went into effect on Monday and runs until November 30th, unless rescinded sooner. Additional fire restrictions may be put in place as fire season progresses. The order prohibits the building, maintaining, attending or use of fire. Campfires are permitted only within a raised fire pan or similar device that will contain the fire and its residue free of natural vegetation below the high-water mark from Marial downstream to Watson Creek. All ashes are to be carried out. When using commercially-produced pressurized liquid gas stoves, cooking areas are to be naturally free of vegetation. Each group is required to have a shovel and bucket with them. Smoking is prohibited except while aboard a watercraft on a waterway or on sand and gravel bars between the river and the high-water mark that are naturally free of flammable vegetation. All fireworks or any other pyrotechnic devices are banned.

 

The Oregon Department of Forestry is raising the fire danger level in Josephine and Jackson counties on Thursday. Starting at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow, the local fire danger will be "moderate" which means additional fire restrictions on ODF-protected lands in the Southwest District. The Industrial Fire Precaution Level will remain at "1." With the new restrictions, all open fires will be prohibited including campfires, charcoal fires, cooking fires and warming fires except in designated campsites. During moderate fire danger, the use of chainsaws, the mowing of dead or dried grass with power-driven machinery, and the cutting, grinding and welding of metal is prohibited between the hours of 1 and 8 p.m.. Chainsaw users during open hours must have a shovel and a fire extinguisher with them, and a fire watch is required for one hour after each chainsaw use. Motorized vehicles -- including motorcycles and ATVs -- will be allowed only on improved roads free of flammable vegetation. Public use restrictions currently in effect -- such as no outdoor debris burning -- will remain in effect. For more information on fire season public restrictions, call the Southwest District unit office in Grants Pass at (541)-474-3152 or in Medford at (541)-664-3328. Fire season information is also available online at "swofire.com."

 

The proposed sale of the Pipe Fork timber property near Williams has been five years in the making -- and it will take more time to finish after two of the three members of the Josephine County Board of Commissioners voted against it on Tuesday. Commissioners John West and Herman Baertschiger voted against the $2.32 million purchase and sale agreement from The Conservation Fund and Williams Community Forest Project for the property on the Pipe Fork Creek drainage. The money is earmarked for the Josephine County Forestry Department. While Commissioner Dan DeYoung supported the sale and made a motion to approve it, the two other Board members would not second his motion because they had concerns on whether the Bureau of Land Management would guarantee public use of the parcel. Both expressed a desire to speak to a BLM representative before signing off on the Pipe Fork sale. In other business, the Board unanimously approved the Supplemental Budget for the current fiscal year. Finance Director Sandy Novak testified that adjustments to the spending plan that ends June 30th represent unexpected needs since adoption of the last supplemental budget. It was the third supplemental budget of the year.

 

Hidden Valley High School is excited to announce that its Life Skills Food Pantry has been awarded two significant grants. The grants include $10,000 from AllCare Health's Josephine County Community Advisory Council, and $4,000 from Safeway-Albertsons Foundation's Nourishing Neighbors Program and O Organics. The funds will be utilized to purchase food, insulated bags, coolers to keep frozen and refrigerated items fresh during deliveries and additional supplies to expand their summer food box program. Life Skills Pantry Manager Dennis DeCasas and his dedicated team are committed to providing weekly food boxes filled with healthy, well-rounded items to support local families in need. DeCasas said these generous grants will support the purchase of essential supplies for the program, which serves students and families through the Three Rivers School District who face food insecurity. To learn more about the program and/or contribute, please contact DeCasas at (541)-660-0498.

 

The proposed sale of the Pipe Fork timber property near Williams has been five years in the making -- and it will take more time to finish after two of the three members of the Josephine County Board of Commissioners voted against it this morning. Commissioners John West and Herman Baertschiger voted against the $2.32 million purchase and sale agreement from The Conservation Fund and Williams Community Forest Project for the property on the Pipe Fork Creek drainage. While Commissioner Dan DeYoung supported the sale and made a motion to approve it, the two other Board members would not second his motion because they had concerns on whether the Bureau of Land Management would guarantee public use of the parcel. Both expressed a desire to speak to a BLM representative before signing off on the Pipe Fork sale. In other business, the Board unanimously approved the Supplemental Budget for the current fiscal year. Finance Director Sandy Novak testified that adjustments to the spending plan that ends June 30th represent unexpected needs since adoption of the last supplemental budget. It was the third supplemental budget of the year. As part of the Consent Calendar, the Commissioners appointed Brett Hopper to a four-year term on the Grants Pass Airport Advisory Board.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a Grants Pass woman yesterday for allegedly hitting her mother and leaving her young child unattended in a bath tub. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested the 27-year-old woman for the incident in the 3100-block of Cloverlawn Drive on Monday at 2:45 p.m.. Deputies said they received a call from the woman's aunt who reported that her niece hit her mother, leaving the mother with a black eye, cuts and bruises. The caller also advised her niece left a one-year-old baby unattended in a bath tub of water while she took a shower. The female subject locked the bathroom door. Upon arrival, deputies found the 77-year-old mother had locked herself inside a Toyota Tacoma pickup while the female subject was inside her trailer on the rural property. Evidence showed the mother may have been hit, but she refused medical attention. All involved parties were interviewed and the suspect was arrested. According to the report, the small child was temporarily left alone in about four inches of water. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Attempted 4th-Degree Assault and 2nd-Degree Child Neglect. She was being held without bail. The Oregon Department of Human Services was notified about the incident.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a woman for getting physical with her boyfriend last night at a residence located in the southeast part of the city. The Police Department reports officers arrested a 38-year-old female subject at a home on Cloverlawn Drive on Monday at 8:48 p.m.. Officers said both the suspect and male victim called 9-1-1 simultaneously, with the woman screaming that she was hit by the man and the man advising that he was in need of medical attention. They said an investigation determined that the man had received minor injuries in the altercation. He refused medical treatment. According to the report, the victim told police he was working to get a restraining order against the suspect. After the woman was determined to be the primary aggressor, she was placed into custody. She was transported to the Josephine County Jail where she suffered a medical incident which required her to be taken to Three Rivers Medical Center. The female suspect was evaluated at the hospital and then cleared for incarceration on a charge of Attempted 4th-Degree Domestic Assault. She was held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on three outstanding warrants during a Monday patrol check at a city park. According to the Police Department, officers contacted the 64-year-old male subject at Morrison Centennial Park at 3:30 p.m. yesterday. Police said they placed the man into custody on three Grants Pass warrants for four counts of Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. While taking inventory of the arrestee's personal property, officers located a pipe with methamphetamine residue. It was seized for destruction. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants plus related probation violations. He was being held on a no-bail detainer. The man's two tents, bicycle and personal items were logged into evidence for safekeeping. His camp chair was thrown away and a shopping cart at the campsite was taken back to the downtown Safeway.