Local News

Grants Pass Fire & Rescue joined Rural Metro Fire Department this week for a flammable liquids and gas exercise provided by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. This training simulates an off-gassing of tanks that have caught fire. The V-technique is done to protect responders and the surrounding area to safely turn off the tank. While training, a missing child report came in from the Fred Meyer area. Grants Pass crews were able to locate the child with the assistance of Fred Meyer employees and the Grants Pass Police Department. Even when training, fire officials said the community comes first!

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to formally file an appeal against the statewide wildfire hazard map. The 3-0 vote by the Board followed a presentation by County Legal Counsel Wally Hicks. Hicks said a large number of signatures have been gathered from citizens who are also filing appeals and they will be attached to the Josephine County appeal. He said the wildfire hazard map came from what he called "a flawed process," citing nine specific areas. He said the county's appeal will be sent out as soon as possible. In other business, the Board held a public hearing and then approved setting a new fee schedule for the Fairgrounds pertaining to the former OSU Extension Service Office building located off Ringuette Street. Recreation Director Tamra Martin testified the building -- which has two separate wings separated by a commercial kitchen -- is now available for use by the public. The fee schedule calls for renting the full auditorium or separate wings at different rates for Monday-Thursday and Friday-Sunday for both public and private events. Hourly rates will pertain to community education and youth education clubs. The Commissioners also voted to approve a letter of support for a proposed historical monument for the Waldo Mining District, which was established in 1851.

 

The Grants Pass City Council on Wednesday night reversed course and voted to appoint Stephanie Nutall as the new City Attorney. Led by former Councilor Dwayne Yunker who opposed Nutall's appointment in early January, the newly-seated panel denied her appointment. But last night, they voted 5-3 to appoint the former The City Council approved the second reading of an ordinance that added new public noticing requirements for certain land use applications. For all Type 3 and Type 4 applications, developers must increase the mailing radius of public notices from 100 feet to 200 feet, have on-site postings that include public hearing meeting information and hold a neighborhood meeting for all new residential developments of 50 or more dwelling units. The Council also approved a resolution awarding funds for the Spring 2025 Cycle of the Sustainable Tourism Grant Program to seven applicants. Grants of $5,000 were awarded to Operation Rambo, Southern Oregon Innovation Hub and the Southern Oregon Horse Racing Association. Grants of $2,500 were awarded to Rogue Valley Classic Cruisers, Blaze-N Monkeys LLC, Grants Pass Museum of Art and the Grants Pass Active Club.

 

Grants Pass would like to receive comments and suggestions from community members on what they believe are the most important priorities for the City to accomplish. Strategic planning helps the Grants Pass City Council determine its priorities, organize, make big decisions and realize dreams. City Manager Aaron Cubic said the act of merely setting a goal brings about positive change for many people. When setting goals, he said we are creating an exciting challenge for ourselves. The strategic planning process does this by identifying the most important things to accomplish for the community, establishing organizational responsibility and reasonable time frames for achieving them, and allocating the resources necessary for programs and projects to implement them. Citizens are asked to take a brief survey to help the City understand what is important to the community. The survey can be found at "bit.ly/4krcxKo." The survey will close at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 14th.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously this morning to formally file an appeal against the statewide wildfire hazard map. The 3-0 vote by the Board followed a presentation by County Legal Counsel Wally Hicks before which he declared a conflict of interest because he owns property that has been designated a high hazard within the wildland-urban interface. Hicks said a large number of signatures have been gathered from citizens who are also filing appeals and they will be attached to the Josephine County appeal. He said the wildfire hazard map came from what he called "a flawed process," citing nine specific areas. He said the county's appeal will be sent out as soon as possible. In other business, the Board held a public hearing and then approved setting a new fee schedule for the Fairgrounds pertaining the former OSU Extension Service Office building located off Ringuette Street. Recreation Director Tamra Martin testified the building -- which has two separate wings separated by a commercial kitchen -- is now available for use by the public. The fee schedule calls for renting the full auditorium or separate wings at different rates for Monday-Thursday and Friday-Sunday for both public and private events. Hourly rates will pertain to community education and youth education clubs. The Commissioners also voted to approve a letter of support for a proposed historical monument for the Waldo Mining District, which was established in 1851.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a Williams man for threatening his wife during a violent disturbance at the couple's rural home yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested the 74-year-old male subject at a residence in the 300-block of Kincaid Road on Tuesday at 2:48 p.m.. Deputies said a woman called 9-1-1 to report that her husband was "out of control." She said he was "manic" while throwing things and yelling at her, which was not common behavior for him. She added that this was his first such episode in several years. She was not hurt despite broken glass all over their house. According to the report, the woman asked deputies to be cautious as she was not sure how her husband would react to their arrival. When advised that deputies were on the way, she thanked dispatchers. Upon arrival, deputies placed the husband into custody without further incident. He was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for charges of Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Menacing. He was being held without bail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office incarcerated a Cave Junction woman for becoming violent with her family members early yesterday. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a domestic disturbance at a home in the 500-block of North Old Stage Road on Tuesday around 3 a.m.. Deputies said a female caller reported that 33-year-old Meghan Melissa Gomez had hit her and assaulted her mother. Dispatchers could hear a woman yelling in the background and the caller advised that she was afraid, adding that the front door of the house had been broken off by the suspect. Upon arrival, deputies detained Gomez and found the rest of the family had locked themselves in a bedroom in order to stay away from her. Gomez was placed into custody and transported to the Josephine County Jail where she was booked for Domestic Strangulation. She was being held without bail. Jail records show Gomez was arrested for Felony Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Menacing in October 2024, but the District Attorney's Office declined to prosecute.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a well-known offender for violating his probation by possessing drugs in the north part of the city early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to a trespassing complaint at a business in the 1800-block of NE 7th Street on Tuesday at 9:50 a.m.. Police said the business owner reported several people on their property hiding behind buildings and digging through the dumpster. The caller wanted them removed from the premises. Officers arrived on scene and contacted 38-year-old Jordan Ellis Haas who was trying to conceal a small smoking device and tin foil. A consent search located a glass pipe which field-tested positive for both methamphetamine and fentanyl. The pipe was seized for destruction and the suspect's corrections officer was contacted. Haas was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Meth and Fentanyl Possession plus the resulting Probation Violation related to previous arrests for Failure to Report as a Sex Offender, Escape and Criminal Trespass. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a Cave Junction man on an outstanding warrant following a trespassing complaint in the downtown area. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies contacted 51-year-old Robert David Smith near the Illinois Valley Thrift Store on South Redwood Highway around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. Deputies said they located Smith at the north end of the building and they were familiar with him from previous law enforcement contacts. They learned that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Theft. Smith was transported to Grants Pass and lodged in jail on the warrant. He was also trespassed from the IV Thrift Store for one year.