Local News

The Oregon State Police arrested a Grants Pass man for impaired driving after a weekend traffic stop in the southeast part of the city. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Subaru Forester driven by a 29-year-old male subject near the corner of SE Grandview Avenue and Gaffney Way early Sunday morning. Troopers said they stopped the vehicle for speeding and the driver displayed signs of impairment. They said he performed poorly in field sobriety test and was taken to Three Rivers Medical Center where a search warrant for a legal blood draw was granted. Based on the results of the blood draw, the suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. His vehicle was impounded.

 

The Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB) will hold a work session and accept public comment regarding boat operations on the Upper Rogue River tomorrow. The OSMB work session is scheduled for Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. at the Rogue Community College Riverside Campus in Medford. At its July 2024 meeting, the Marine Board asked staff to convene a public meeting so they could consider boat operations on the Rogue from the former location of the Gold Ray Dam to Lost Creek Reservoir. The public is invited to share their perspectives specific to boating operations -- both motorized and non-motorized -- for the Upper Rogue River. The meeting format will begin with invited presentations and testimony, followed by an open public comment period. It will end after the last speaker or by 4 p.m., whichever comes first. Written public comments will be accepted by October 16th at 5 p.m.. They can be e-mailed to "jennifercooper@boat.oregon.gov."

 

The Grants Pass City Council received staff updates on Urban Renewal Agency Projects, the future Owl Plaza and American Rescue Plan Act Allocations during its workshop session on Monday. Some informal decisions were made as well. City Economic Development Director Dana Pearce presented a five-year strategy to implement Urban Renewal Agency (URA) projects based on the approximately $2 million in taxes the agency receives each year. City Finance Director JC Rowley said the top three identified URA projects are the Owl Plaza, the Midland-Washington property recently purchased from Asante and Caveman Pool. The City Council plans to hold a public forum prior to adopting the five-year implementation strategy. Community Development Director Brad Clark presented an update on the Owl Plaza which he said will be the first project of the URA. He said the combination parking lot and downtown plaza will feature a new sidewalk, new shade sail, five benches, two bicycle racks, 10 trees and 30 bollards due to the curb-less perimeter. Clark said final engineering is complete and the cost of the Owl Plaza will be $1,672,486. He said a "buy-a-brick" fundraising campaign will begin this month and a request for proposals will go out in November, with hopes the project can begin by next summer.

 

US Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have announced a total of nearly $13.4 million was awarded to four projects in Oregon that will boost the conservation and restoration of essential aquatic ecosystems and habitat. This federal funding from the US Department of the Interior includes efforts to upgrade fish passages, restore endangered species' habitats and reconnect floodplain wetlands. A large portion of the investment will specifically go toward two projects to support the recovery and restoration of the Klamath River following the removal of the four lower Klamath dams -- the largest dam removal in United States history. The federal funding comes from the Bureau of Reclamation's WaterSMART Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program, which was made possible by the landmark Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The funding includes $923,240 for the Freshwater Trust to complete the design and engineering of a project to restore high-functioning, resilient aquatic habitat along a 2.5-mile high-priority reach of Bear Creek along the Greenway Trail near the City of Phoenix.

 

As daylight hours get shorter this time of year, Valley of the Rogue State Park staff would like to remind visitors that the seasonal hours for the day-use area are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., starting today. The hours will continue to change throughout the season. Posted signs will reflect changes as they occur at the park, which is located at milepost 45B of Interstate 5 near the City of Rogue River. Park staff will close and lock the gates at the park's entrance at 7 p.m. and reopen them at 8 a.m.. The park is no longer a rest area with 24-hour access as of last fall. Overnight parking is prohibited in the day-use area and restrooms will not be available when the day-use area is closed. There is no space in the day-use area for semi-trucks to turn around when the gates are closed. The day-use area includes two restrooms, a fenced area for dogs off leash, access to the Rogue River Greenway Trail, a boat launch for the Rogue River, picnic tables, an Applegate Trail interpretive kiosk and wood-carving displays.

 

A multi-vehicle crash on Rogue River Highway late last week sent several people to the hospital with a variety of injuries. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the three-vehicle collision near milepost 4 of Highway 99 on Friday at 1:56 p.m.. Troopers did not disclose the details of the accident, but identified the involved vehicles as a Honda Accord driven by a 73-year-old man, a Toyota Camry driven by a 24-year-old woman and a Ford Transit Connect van driven by a 30-year-old man. According to OSP, multiple people were transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center and two of the vehicles were towed into Grants Pass. It was unclear in the report whether any citations were issued as a result of the post-crash investigation.

 

With some difficulty, Grants Pass Police arrested a man who disrupted a youth dance in the downtown area. The Police Department reports officers responded to a disturbance at the former Grants Pass Vitality Center at the corner of SW 4th and K streets on Saturday at 6:54 p.m.. Police said they contacted 34-year-old Jonathan Robert Davis after he had been reported to be yelling and cursing at a group at the dance. They said the subject displayed numerous indicators of impairment from a narcotic stimulant and used active resistance to prevent being placed into custody. After taking Davis to the ground, he continued to resist so officers deployed a Taser to subdue and handcuff him. He was taken to Three Rivers Medical Center for evaluation before he was released by doctors. Davis was subsequently lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Resisting Arrest and he was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a felon for extremely bad behavior in the downtown area over the weekend. According to the Police Department, officers responded to reports of two male transients urinating outside the Portland Loo near the corner of SW 5th and H streets on Saturday around 9:45 a.m.. Police said they contacted a 29-year-old man they identified as "Jake Robert Thompson" and he became irate by yelling nonsensical statements. They said he appeared to be under the influence of a narcotic stimulant. According to the report, Thompson had urinated and defecated on himself. Some employees at a downtown marijuana dispensary said they saw the subject causing public alarm by stopping traffic and throwing feces from his pants. Thompson was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and the resulting Felony Parole Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Grants Pass woman for lying about her identity during a weekend traffic stop in the Redwood area. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Hyundai Accent driven by a 27-year-old woman from Hoquiam, Washington, near the corner of Redwood Avenue and McDonald Lane on Saturday at 3:13 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the car for speeding and noticed that one of the passengers -- later identified as 26-year-old SteveyAnn Marie Gullotto -- was not wearing a seat belt. They said she gave them a false name due to having an active warrant. Gullotto was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Furnishing False Information to Police. She was being held without bail. The contents of the warrant were not disclosed.