Local News

Police officers arrested a local felon for violating his post-prison supervision at the Grants Pass Skate Park late last week. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a report of suspicious activity at the skate park facility on Friday afternoon. Police said a concerned citizen called 9-1-1 to report a male subject dressed in blue was acting "strange" around children at the park. Officers arrived on scene and determined that 44-year-old Nicholas John Knox Knowles was causing public alarm, so they placed him into custody and contacted his corrections officer. Knowles was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Parole Violation and he was being held on a no-bail detainer. Jail records show Knowles has been arrested six times for violating terms of his parole since December of last year.

 

A driver and three occupants escaped serious injury in a weekend rollover crash near Cave Junction. On Saturday at 12:25 p.m, the Illinois Valley Fire District, American Medical Response and Josephine County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the single-vehicle wreck near milepost 2 of Reeves Creek Road. Arriving units found that the three occupants had exited the overturned vehicle. One of them sustained minor injuries and was transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center for evaluation. No one else was hurt. IVFD officials said the driver made arrangements for removal and towing the vehicle from the crash scene. The Sheriff's Office was conducting an investigation into the cause of the crash.

 

The Grants Pass City Council will tackle an interesting agenda at its bi-weekly workshop session today. The City Council will open the meeting by considering a funding request from organizers of the annual Christmas parade. Next up is continuing discussion over the two designated campgrounds on NE 7th Street and SE J Street. These "resting places" are considered temporary and must be replaced with some type of long-term facility within the next year. Following a review of the agenda for Wednesday night's regular meeting, the panel will address a joint motion made by the Collaborative Economic Development and Tourism Advisory committees as well as a motion by the Committee on Public Art. Today's workshop begins at 11:45 a.m. in the City Council Chambers at Grants Pass City Hall, 101 NW A Street.

 

Grants Pass city parks staff has been focusing on enhancing park cleanliness by removing graffiti, debris and abandoned trash along with completing fall tasks like mulching, leaf removal and trapping moles to protect turf areas. Staff members also repaired a broken curb and mitigated trip hazards along the sidewalk near Westholm Park playground by replacing damaged sections and reinforcing them with rebar. Workers added 120 yards of ADA-compliant wood fiber to several playgrounds, improving their safety and accessibility while ensuring the play areas provide a shock-absorbent surface that meets current safety standards and allows smooth movement of wheelchairs and other assistive devices.

 

A recall election aimed at removing John West from the Josephine County Board of Commissioners has been scheduled for December 17th. The Josephine County Clerk's Office on Friday confirmed that 6,476 signatures on a petition to recall Commissioner John West had been verified. A total of 7,538 signatures were submitted and 6,445 were necessary to force the recall vote. By Oregon Statute, West has five days to step down or provide justification for his actions that allegedly led to the recall petition. Reached by the Daily Courier late Friday, West said he has no intention of resigning. He added that he wants the voters to decide whether he should stay in office, not the petitioners. Josephine County Clerk Rhiannon Henkels has set the date for the recall election to be December 17th. She estimated the election will cost the county around $60,000. Chief Petitioner Lily Morgan -- a former Commissioner who currently serves as the City Manager for Gold Hill -- said the signature verification marks a crucial step forward in their mission to ensure accountability and transparency in local government. She said it validates the "overwhelming" support from community members who have voiced their concerns over Commissioner West's behavior, which she called "cruel and corrupt."

 

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters kept the heat on criminal offenders and off local structures as cool, wet fall weather set in. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 585 calls for service along with 244 officer-initiated calls last week, which resulted in 53 arrests, 19 citations, 48 warnings and seven highly-intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers conducted a total of 66 traffic stops in the city and they made 20 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services. For the second straight week, there was no report available for the GP Community Response Team. Grants Pass firefighters responded to a total of 94 calls last week including 42 for emergency medical service, one reported fire, 19 lift assists, three rescue situations, seven assists to other agencies and seven false alarms. Firefighters also performed 11 business inspections, led two public education-prevention programs and assisted the public four times. The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center fielded well over 1,000 emergency calls.

 

The City of Grants Pass website looks different. City officials said they reviewed several hundred websites from municipalities around the country and worked with their website host CivicPlus to incorporate the best elements they saw and eliminate those they found annoying. The new design is more pleasing to look at and easier to navigate, but everything works the same as it did before. The slideshow displays beautiful photos of Grants Pass and can be used periodically to highlight important information. The graphic links reflect the features used most often when people visit the site, based on analytics from the past several years. The Newsflash icons have been expanded to allow more information in the headline. The calendar now has tabs for various types of meetings and events, and it allows users to scroll to the following months. The drop-down menus use icons and colors to make it easier to see which menu option is being chosen. Please take time to visit the new and improved "grantspassoregon.gov." You'll be happy you did.

 

Grants Pass Police located a missing woman and then arrested her on a local felony warrant and for drug possession in a strange incident at a local motel late last night. The Police Department reports officers responded to the incident involving 65-year-old Shelley Irene West at the Sunset Inn on NW 6th Street on Thursday at 11 p.m.. Police said West called 9-1-1 and requested an ambulance because she was dying from what she called "criminal sabotage." She called back immediately and stated that she no longer needed an ambulance. Officers arrived on scene, contacted West and learned that she had been reported as a missing person by the Medford Police Department. They also discovered that she was wanted on a Jackson County felony warrant for failing to appear in court for Attempt to Elude Police. She refused to leave her room and said she was "not going back to jail." She was placed into custody and found to be in possession of a container containing methamphetamine. It was seized for destruction. West was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the outstanding warrant and a new charge of Meth Possession. She was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a local corrections client on a statewide felony warrant yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers were informed that 42-year-old Charles Jason Howard was at the Josephine County Community Corrections Office on Thursday around 1:45 p.m.. Police said a corrections officer notified them that Howard was wanted on an Oregon Department of Corrections warrant for Parole Violation stemming from convictions for Felony 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief and Probation Violation related to that criminal offense. Howard reportedly was unaware that he was about to be arrested. Howard was placed into custody without incident and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.