ODF Southwest Oregon District to Declare Fire Season Friday, May 15th
The Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest Oregon District will officially declare the start of fire season on Friday, May 15, at 12:01 a.m. According to ODF, the fire danger level will be “Low” (green) and the Industrial Fire Precaution Level will be '1'. Lands affected by this declaration include 1.8 million acres of state, private, county, city, and Bureau of Land Management forestlands in Jackson and Josephine counties. Snowpack across the state and local landscape is minimal, and drought conditions across both counties are contributing to dry vegetation and an increased risk for fires to start and spread earlier in the year. Fire risk and behavior will naturally increase as conditions continue to trend toward warmer summer-like weather. For more information about the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Fire Season regulations, call the Grants Pass ODF unit at 541-474-3152, or the Medford Unit at 541-664-3328. ...Read more

GP Police, Oregon DOJ Serve Search Warrant, Lodge Man for 26 Sex Crimes

A man wanted on a warrant for 26 sex crimes was apprehended by Grants Pass Police Thursday. Officers assisted the Oregon Department of Justice in executing a search warrant at a home in the 200 block of SW J Street. The residence was cleared, and Jory Garibay was detained at 11:17 a.m. He was wanted on a Douglas County Sheriff's Office warrant for four counts of Using a Child in Display of Sexually Explicit Conduct, 18 counts of First Degree Encouraging Child Sex Abuse, and four counts of Luring a Minor. Garibay was taken into custody and lodged in the Josephine County Jail. ...Read more

ODOT Warns Public of Ongoing Oregon DMV Scams

The Oregon Department of Transportation is warning the public of ongoing Oregon DMV scams. According to ODOT, this nationwide scam, which began as a toll phishing scam, has been targeting drivers in several states for nearly two years. Oregon DMV will never send you notices, warnings or payment requests by text or email. These fake messages often come from international phone numbers or non-government email addresses. They can cite fake administrative codes, and threaten to suspend vehicle registration or driving privileges. Scammers will demand payment by a certain date, and provide a link to URLs that may contain the agency name but with added letters or dashes. Past scam messages often included obvious spelling and grammar mistakes. While those are still a red flag, many of today’s criminals are using artificial intelligence to generate realistic, professional-sounding messages. ...Read more