Board of Commissioners Races Narrowed to 4 and Voters Defeat Primary Election Measures

The race to replace two departing members of the Josephine County Board of Commissioners appears to have been narrowed from eight down to four candidates after the second run of ballots in the May Primary Election. For Position #2 on the Board, Chris Barnett had a substantial lead with 44.74% of the ballots with Colene Martin in second place with 24.66%. For Position #3 on the Board, Pat Fahey was the leader with 39.65% of the vote while Ron Smith was second with 25.86%. Meanwhile, Josephine County voters sent all three ballot measures down to defeat. Measure 17-116 to replace the County Charter was losing 66.64% to 33.36%. Measure 17-117 to fund the Animal Shelter and Animal Control was losing 59.41% to 40.59%. Measure 17-118 to authorize a bond for Three Rivers School District building improvements was also losing by a 68.07% to 31.93% tally. For Senate District 2, it was Republican Noah Robinson defeating Christine Goodwin by a count of 60.04% to 31.93%. For State Representative District 3, Democrat Mark Seligman was defeating Dustin Watkins by a tally of 60.12% to 37.56%. Josephine County Clerk Rhiannon Henkels reported that more than 10,000 ballots were hand-delivered over the past two days and her staff was extremely busy. As of 11 o'clock last night, the local turnout was 39.42%. Elections staff will continue counting ballots and the next returns are expected by 5 p.m. today. ...Read more

Sheriff's Office Announces Rogue River Closures for Annual Boatnik Festival in GP

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office has announced Rogue River closures related to the Boatnik Festival in Grants Pass this coming holiday weekend. During the Boatnik races, the Rogue River will be closed in designated areas and during designated times. All spectators will remain off the water until the races are over and they must remain 50 feet from the waterway at all times. On Friday, the Rogue will be closed between 6 and 10:15 p.m. from Baker Park to Caveman Bridge. On Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 10:15 p.m., the river will be closed between Baker Park and Caveman Bridge. On Monday, the Rogue will be closed from 9 a.m. to noon from Baker Park to Caveman Bridge for the Memorial Day ceremony, and from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. from Baker Park to Robertson Bridge for the Tom Rice Memorial Whitewater Hydroplane Race. Movement on the water during closure times is restricted to law enforcement, rescue personnel and authorized race officials. For safety purposes, private boats are not allowed to assist with crash or rescue operations. ...Read more

Evergreen Federal Bank & City of Grants Pass Present "BearFest 2024" This Summer

It's that time of year again in Grants Pass. The Boatnik Festival begins tomorrow and the bears are coming out to play. Evergreen Federal Bank and the City of Grants Pass present BearFest 2024, celebrating 21 years of displaying those beautiful bruins on the streets of River City. A total of 56 bears will be on display in Grants Pass through Labor Day. In the downtown area, you'll find perennial favorites such as "Huckle Beary," "Post Office Bear," "Barry Potter" and "Carmen Bearanda." At the north end of town, watch for "Butter Cup," "Teddy" and "Sister City Bear." At the south end of town, look for "Mama Bear," "One Bear Band" and Rockabilly Bear." BearFest was inspired by former Evergreen Federal Bank President Brady Adams, who enlisted the help of talented local artists to create bears to line the streets of Grants Pass each summer. Evergreen Federal Bank is celebrating 90 years of serving Southern Oregon. ...Read more