Local News

Eagle Point Police Arrested Boy for Graffiti-Tagging City Parks & Covered Bridge
The Eagle Point Police Department has arrested a 12-year-old boy for felony vandalism after he graffiti-tagged two city parks and an historic covered bridge. Last Saturday, an EPD officer responded to a report of graffiti at Mattie Brown Park. The officers investigated and located numerous locations of recent graffiti on trash cans, benches, walls and restrooms. On Monday, more locations were discovered involving the same type of graffiti on tables and the clock at Centennial Park. Further investigation determined there was also graffiti on signs and inside the historic Antelope Creek Covered Bridge. EPD Chief Jim Hamilton said officers began investigating the graffiti incidents while Eagle Point Public Works started removing the tags. Due to the amount of damage, he said some tables had to be removed from Centennial Park and the park was temporarily closed to public use. Hamilton said officers reviewed video surveillance around the area and the suspect was identified as a 12-year-old boy. He said the juvenile was located and charged with 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief. The young suspect was cited and released, and the case was referred to the Jackson County Juvenile Department.
Posted on 3/9/24 6:28AM by Sam Marsh
 

GP Police Incarcerated Woman for Multiple Crimes after Downtown DUII Crash
Grants Pass Police jailed a woman for multiple crimes this week after she crashed into another vehicle in the downtown area and fled the scene on foot. The Police Department reports officers arrested 29-year-old Theresa Lakota Collins on Thursday night about 30 minutes after she caused a collision at the intersection of SW 6th and M streets. Police said Collins was driving a Toyota Camry when she rear-ended a Volvo driven by another female motorist that was stopped at a red light. They said the woman initially stopped and provided her name, her fiance's name and address before she fled on foot down M Street. No one was injured. Following an investigation, police located Collins at a residence in the 1400-block of Florence Lane. She was determined to be driving with a suspended license and she displayed signs of impairment by alcohol. A search warrant was obtained and she was taken to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw. Theresa Collins was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Felony Driving While Suspended, Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage and the resulting Felony Parole Violation. She was being held without bail and her fiance was advised of the location of his car.
Posted on 3/9/24 6:27AM by Sam Marsh
 

GP Police Nabbed Theft Suspect after Responding to Assist Employees at Bar
Grants Pass Police arrested a man for his alleged role in a theft investigation early yesterday after responding to assist workers at a Williams Highway watering hole. The Police Department reports officers were summoned to the 238 Bar in the 1600-block of Williams Highway on Friday at about 3:25 a.m.. Police said two female employees of the bar called for help after they were scared to leave the business with three suspicious males loitering outside. The callers said the men appeared to be under the influence of drugs and at least one of them tried to enter the bar after it closed. Officers arrived on scene and contacted the men including 39-year-old Dustin Cody Linn. They discovered that Linn was wanted for probable cause for theft related to a recent investigation, so they placed him into custody. He was lodged without bail at the Josephine County Jail.
Posted on 3/9/24 6:25AM by Sam Marsh
 

GP Police Snared Man for Trying to Steal Suspenders from Grange Co-op Store
Grants Pass Police arrested a man for trying to steal a clothing item from Grange Co-op this week. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a shoplifting call at the store on West Schutzwohl Lane near Redwood Highway on Thursday morning. Police said 42-year-old Robert Steven Clair selected some suspenders valued at $30 and concealed them in the pocket of the hoodie he was wearing. They said he selected other items he paid for, but went past all points of sale without paying for the suspenders and was detained by loss prevention. Store workers said Clair was combative and they were on the floor fighting with him, but the charges did not reflect a struggle. Clair was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 3rd-Degree Theft. He was also trespassed from Grange Co-op.
Posted on 3/9/24 6:23AM by Sam Marsh
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Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center Fielded 1,125 Calls Over Past Week
Grants Pass emergency dispatchers received more than 1,100 calls over the past week. According to the Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications "Week in Review" post on Facebook, the local dispatch center fielded a total of 1,125 calls between February 29th and March 6th. As usual, the Grants Pass Police Department received the bulk of the calls with 820. The local law enforcement agency was followed by American Medical Response with 294 calls and Grants Pass Fire & Rescue with 108 calls. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office has its own emergency dispatch center. Rural Metro Fire Department received 53 calls in the past week while the Illinois Valley Fire District received 44, the Williams Rural Fire Protection District got 10, the Wolf Creek Rural Fire Protection District received six and Oregon Department of Forestry got four. Meanwhile, dispatchers at the Grants Pass center also received more than 440 non-emergency calls and they made 599 outbound calls.
Posted on 3/9/24 6:22AM by Sam Marsh
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Remember to Change Clocks & Check Smoke Alarms for Daylight Saving Time
Authorities are reminding residents that it's nearly time to "spring" forward to Daylight Saving Time. Daylight Saving Time officially begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, but most people will want to move their clocks ahead one hour before they go to bed tonight. Fire officials say this is a good time to test your smoke alarms and change their replaceable batteries, if necessary. Properly functioning smoke alarms save lives. Remember to change your clocks and check your smoke alarms tonight so you can "spring" forward safely.
Posted on 3/9/24 6:19AM by Sam Marsh
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Park Service Announces New Concessionaire to Replace Aramark at Crater Lake National
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The Oregonian is reporting that a new company is looking to run operations in Crater Lake National Park. Park officials announced this week that ExplorUS, a Kansas-based hospitality company, intends to take over the concessions contract at Crater Lake, which is currently held by Crater Lake Hospitality, a subsidiary of Philadelphia-based Aramark. Aramark faces a litany of serious accusations around its management of the park since 2018, including unsafe housing conditions, environmental hazards and public health code violations. In February, the National Park Service announced its intention to terminate the contract, which was set to end in 2030. Now, it appears that Aramark plans to transfer its contract to ExplorUS, instead of the National Park Service awarding a new, temporary contract to a company of its choosing. ExplorUS said in a news release that the company has signed a "definitive letter of intent" to take over the contract from Aramark's subsidiary, but offered no other information about the deal. CEO Frank Pikus said the company is "committed to working with the National Park Service to enhance and protect the visitor experience." Scott Clemans, a regional spokesperson for the National Park Service, indicated the arrangement would spell the end of Aramark's tenure at the Oregon landmark.
Posted on 3/9/24 6:15AM by Sam Marsh
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Pacific Aviation NW Receives $500K Grant from FAA to Expand Flight and Drone Instruction
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Pacific Aviation Northwest, Inc., has been awarded a $500,000 grant to expand its flight/drone instruction in both the Grants Pass and Medford locations. The Federal Aviation Administration Aircraft Pilots Workforce Development grant will allow Pacific Aviation Northwest to support the education of future pilots and the development of the pilot workforce by preparing high school students to fill the industry's demand for pilots and unmanned aircraft systems operators. With this grant, PANW will be able to provide students with the most up-to-date technology while they obtain their private pilot license and up to their commercial multi-engine license. Students' learning will be improved with the addition of flight simulators to provide practical, real-world experience beyond the confines of an actual aircraft. New electronic devices will allow students to incorporate state-of-the-art technology into their learning. Cutting-edge avionic equipment upgrades in trainer aircraft will give students hands-on experience. Pacific Aviation Northwest was founded in 2004 by David and Bradley Traeger. It's the Grants Pass Airport's Fixed Base Operator.
Posted on 3/9/24 6:10AM by Sam Marsh
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Local Companies Make Good Showing in "Top 100 Best Places to Work in Oregon" Awards
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When the "Top 100 Best Companies in Oregon" awards were announced this week by Oregon Business, the south part of the state made quite a showing. In the "Top 100 Best Places to Work," 15 local companies made the list and nearly all of them are members of Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc, (SOREDI). Adroit Construction, Rogue Credit Union and Purelight Power were listed among the state's large companies. Star Body Works, KDP, Avista, Work Sharp, Metal Masters and S & B James Construction were listed among the state's medium companies. RHT Energy, Jackson County Physical Therapy, ZCS Engineering, WBCP, Rentec Direct and Tekmanagement were listed among the state's small companies. The list is drawn from survey results that measure employee opinion on 20 workplace practices. Employees rate their satisfaction with their company, which makes up 71% of the scoring.
Posted on 3/9/24 6:06AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Jailed Woman for Multiple Crimes after Downtown DUII Crash
Grants Pass jailed a woman for multiple crimes last night after she crashed into another vehicle in the downtown area and fled the scene on foot. The Police Department reports officers arrested 29-year-old Theresa Lakota Collins on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. for the incident that occurred at the intersection of SW 6th and M streets about 30 minutes earlier. Police said Collins was driving a Toyota Camry when she rear-ended a Volvo driven by another female motorist that was stopped at a red light. They said the woman initially stopped and provided her name, her fiance's name and address before she fled on foot down M Street. No one was injured. Following an investigation, police located Collins at a residence in the 1400-block of Florence Lane. She was determined to driving with a suspended license and she displayed signs of impairment by alcohol. A search warrant was obtained and she was taken to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw. Theresa Collins was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Felony Driving While Suspended, Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage and the resulting Felony Parole Violation. She was being held without bail and her fiance was advised of the location of his car.
Posted on 3/8/24 11:30AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Arrested Man for Stealing Large Package of Meat from Safeway
Grants Pass Police arrested a man yesterday for stealing a large package of meat from a downtown supermarket. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to a theft complaint at Safeway on SE 7th Street on Thursday around 11:25 a.m.. Police said an investigation determined that 25-year-old Terrance Anthony Adair grabbed a large package of meat worth about $88 from the store and ran away from the business. The suspect was last seen heading westbound on the railroad tracks. Officers eventually tracked down Adair at Baker Park and found him to be in possession of the stolen meat. He was placed into custody and lodged in jail for 3rd-Degree Theft. He was also trespassed from the downtown Safeway.
Posted on 3/8/24 11:29AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Snared Man for Trying to Steal Suspenders from Grange Co-op
Grants Pass Police arrested a man for trying to steal a clothing item from Grange Co-op yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a shoplifting call at the store on West Schutzwohl Lane near Redwood Highway at 10:10 a.m. Thursday. Police said 42-year-old Robert Steven Clair selected some suspenders valued at $30 and concealed them in the pocket of the hoodie he was wearing. They said he selected other items he paid for, but went past all points of sale without paying for the suspenders and was detained by loss prevention. Store workers said Clair was combative and they were on the floor fighting with him, but the charges did not reflect a struggle. Clair was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 3rd-Degree Theft. He was also trespassed from Grange Co-op.
Posted on 3/8/24 11:28AM by Sam Marsh
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