Local News

The United States Marshals Service led Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force located and arrested a man wanted for nine local felony child sex abuse charges in White City Monday. The suspect, Jose Francisco Gonzalez-Castaneda, 40, of Medford, had nine felony warrants for sexual abuse charges. He is lodged in the Jackson County Jail. Federal authorities added additional charges after Gonzalez-Castaneda was lodged. The arrest came when U.S. Marshals, along with Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Central Point Police Department detectives located Gonzalez-Castaneda at a White City shopping center in the 7500 block of Highway 62. The task force arrested him without incident. The charges stemmed from a years-long investigation by JCSO Special Victims Unit detectives.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man at Resting Site 7 on both a charge and warrants for Methamphetamine Possession Monday.

Officers contacted Mark South at the 712 NE 7th Street site around 11:18 a.m. He was known to be wanted on two Police Department warrants for Unlawful Possession of Meth and Failure to Appear for a Drug Charge, so he was taken into custody.

During his arrest, South was found to be in possession of a container with a white residue inside. His warrants were faxed to the Josephine County Jail, where he was subsequently transported to by officers.

South was lodged on his two warrants and an additional charge of Meth Possession.

 

Josephine County Sheriff's deputies lodged two suspects on misdemeanor warrants Monday.

The first suspect, Michele Anderson, was taken into custody at the Josephine County Jail, 1901 NE F Street for a warrant charging her with Possession of Methamphetamine.

The warrant was received at 12:47 p.m. and faxed to the jail at 1:12 p.m. She was already lodged for an Oregon Parole Board warrant following a Sunday morning traffic stop.

Another misdemeanor warrant from the Josephine County Sheriff's Office was faxed to the jail at 10:54 p.m. for Kateena Forster. She was charged with Making a False Report, and remains in custody as of 11:24 p.m. Monday.

 

The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) has approved rate adjustments for PacifiCorp residential customers that take effect April 1st.

According to the Oregon Public Utility Commission, the changes reflect the outcome of PacifiCorp’s annual power cost adjustment resolved through an agreement among PUC staff, PacifiCorp, and consumer advocates.

They also incorporate several additional filings that either increase or decrease customer rates, with the net effect being an overall increase. The combined effect of the power cost adjustment and other routine filings is expected to increase the typical residential customer’s monthly bill by about $5.64 or 4.1%. Actual impacts will vary based on individual energy usage.

Residential rate changes were delayed until April 1st under the FAIR Act, which prevents residential rate increases during the winter heating season to help reduce customer cost impacts.

The overall change reflects updated actual costs for fuel, purchased power, wholesale market sales, and other power cost expenses for 2024 compared with the forecasted costs for that year. Several routine accounting and tax-related updates also contributed to the final outcome, with some filings resulting in a small rate decrease for customers and others resulting in modest increases.

In addition, the adjustment incorporates the cost of two wind farms, which serve to displace more expensive power, as well as updated funding levels to support the Energy Trust of Oregon’s energy-efficiency programs.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners agreed to move forward with having a Solid Waste Code Enforcement officer position be filled.

During a meeting in the BCC Conference room, a discussion was held with the goal of reestablishing solid waste code enforcement. An officer position was unable to be funded previously, and while no specific certifications are needed for the position, certain abatements would need to be contracted out for hazardous waste.

The board approved an application for a grant from the Solid Waste Agency without objection. It was then determined that once a job description is finalized for the position, staff will move forward with a PR to work on filling the position.

The Commissioners will reconvene at 1:30 p.m. today for their County Administration Workshop where they will cover both Department and Board Business.

 

Oregon State Police troopers apprehended a woman following a traffic stop for an out-of-state warrant Monday.

The suspect, Kimberly Roberts, was pulled over at milepost 62 southbound on Interstate 5 around 8:07 p.m. Troopers had observed the white Ford and conducted the traffic stop for violations. Upon contacting Roberts, she was found to have a warrant out for her arrest.

Her charges included Possession of Fentanyl, and Tampering with Physical Evidence. Troopers took Roberts into custody and transported her to the Josephine County Jail.

Jail logs show Roberts was lodged for the two charges as a fugitive from another state. The Ford and a dog in the vehicle were turned over to a friend of Roberts.

 

Wednesday's Weekly Business Session is scheduled to cover the procedure for setting fees and property actions.

The Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing in the matter of the procedure for setting fees charged by the Planning Department. Other actions on the agenda include consideration of an order for the transfer of county property to Cave Junction, and a 210 Tacoma property line adjustment.

After considering a resolution for the supplemental budget for Fiscal Year 2025-26 and public comment, the board will approve the consent calendar, then adjourn the meeting.

The Weekly Business Session will begin Wednesday at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium. The public may attend in person or stream the meeting at www.josephinecounty.gov/livestream.

 

OUR Community Forestry (OURCF), a nonprofit based in Talent, is partnering with Grants Pass to plant 150 large, climate-resilient, locally grown shade trees in low-canopy neighborhoods.

According to the City website, the project is funded by a Community Green Infrastructure grant from the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development.

Grants Pass has held the Tree City USA designation for 38 consecutive years and was named Oregon Tree City of the Year in 2020. But, according to American Forests, low-income communities have on average 26% less canopy than wealthier neighborhoods and are nearly 6 degrees hotter as a result.

The project covers the full arc of tree establishment from site identification and community engagement through planting, irrigation, and multi-year care. Six local interns will gain hands-on urban forestry experience through Project Youth Plus's Career Build program, working alongside OURCF's certified arborists.

Public plantings are scheduled for this fall. Trees will be sourced from Plant Oregon, a Rogue Valley nursery growing native and climate-resilient stock locally since the 1970s, keeping investment in the local economy.

 

City Council further discussed Beacon Hill Park during Monday's workshop, deciding to complete the land partition of the west parcel.

The cost of the partition came to about $9,800 with an additional $3 to $4,000 in fees for real estate agent commission, deed preparation, transaction fees, and expected closing fees. Cost implications for park development were expected to be $2 to $3 million.

A motion to proceed with neighborhood and community outreach, pursue park site plan phasing, and include grant funding passed unanimously.

City staff then needed a go or stop process in sending a delegation to Washington D.C. to represent the city and discuss the brick grant. Council moved for lobbyist Greg Lemhouse, Public Works Director Jason Canady, and Mayor Clint Scherf to represent Grants Pass in D.C. 6-1, with Councilor Indra Nicholas dissenting.

City Council appointed Nicholas as the Small Business Task Force Liaison. During a special meeting following the workshop, the council approved both readings of an ordinance terminating a city utility easement on private property at 1700 Kellenbeck Avenue, and a motion to approve the Consent Calendar.