Recall Election to Remove Commissioner John West from Office Set for December 17th
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." ...Read more

GP Police and Firefighters Kept Heat On Criminal Offenders and Off Local Structures

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. ...Read more

City of Grants Pass Upgrades Website with Better Features and Easier Navigation

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. ...Read more