Local News

GP Police Apprehended Man Wanted for Committing Domestic Violence in Bend
Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted for allegedly committing domestic violence in Central Oregon. The Police Department reports officers arrested 47-year-old Brett Christopher Zacha in the 1,000-block of NW Hawthorne Avenue on Monday evening. Police said the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office requested assistance in locating Zacha who was wanted on a felony warrant for Domestic Strangulation, Domestic 4th-Degree Assault and Domestic Menacing. The Bend Police Department advised that Zacha had fled the area and was now living with his father in Grants Pass. Officers confirmed with a Hawthorne Avenue neighbor that Zacha was living at that address and driving a 2021 Ford Ranger pickup before moving in and making the arrest. Brett Zacha was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the outside warrant. He was being held without bail pending transfer to the Deschutes County Jail in Bend.
Posted on 12/6/23 6:13AM by Sam Marsh
 

GP Police Incarcerated Man for Throwing Rocks at Vehicles on Redwood Highway
Grants Pass Police arrested a man for throwing rocks at vehicles on Redwood Highway this week. According to the Police Department, officers responded to multiple reports of a disturbance involving 29-year-old Jonathan Daniel Mahoney on US Highway 199 near Henderson Lane on Monday morning. Police said they arrived on scene to find Mahoney standing in the highway median and throwing rocks at vehicles. They said the suspect grabbed a large rock and hit the driver-side door and window of a woman's Chevrolet Suburban, shattering the window. The female employee of Henderson's Lineup was shaken but not injured. Based on the large number of calls that came in to the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center, it was determined that Mahoney's actions caused a great deal of public alarm. Jonathan Mahoney was placed into custody and booked into the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief and 2nd-Degree Disorderly Conduct. He was being held without bail.
Posted on 12/6/23 6:11AM by Sam Marsh
 

OSP Cited GP Motorist Claiming to be 'Sovereign Citizen' for Running Red Light
The Oregon State Police cited a Grants Pass motorist who claimed to be a "sovereign citizen" for running a red light near the downtown area this week. According to OSP, state troopers pulled over a vehicle driven by Brian Markl for the traffic violation at the intersection of NW 6th Street and Evelyn Avenue on Monday afternoon. Markl initially refused to roll down his window and started recording the contact. Troopers said Brian Markl had license plates on his vehicle indicating he was a "sovereign citizen." Upon contact with him, he stated that he was traveling and did not need a driver's license. He was able to produce an identification card and he did have valid insurance on the vehicle. Markl was cited for Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device, and he was warned for No Operator's License and Expired Registration. He was advised that the warnings were issued because he was "misinformed" and was being given "an opportunity to remediate."
Posted on 12/6/23 6:09AM by Sam Marsh
 

BCC to Decide Library Withdrawal Request and Create Law Enforcement District
The Josephine County Commissioners will find themselves in the unusual position of considering a requested withdrawal from the local library district during their weekly business session this morning. The Board is scheduled to hold a public hearing in the matter of withdrawing a property from the Josephine Community Library District. The property is owned by the Mike & Winnie Pelfrey Family Trust. Since the establishment of the district, dozens of properties have been annexed into the district and none have opted out. Under Administrative Actions, the Board is expected to approve an order declaring the results of the November election final and forming the Josephine County Law Enforcement District, which passed by a margin of just 299 votes. Commissioners will also consider an order revising a current purchasing policy. The Board will open the meeting with its monthly recognition of employees and by presenting Oregon State Marine Board Life Saving Awards. Today's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.
Posted on 12/6/23 6:01AM by Sam Marsh
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SOU Laboratory of Anthropology Receives National Recognition for History Preservation
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The Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) has received an award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for its collaborative work with other agencies on the Chinese Diaspora Project. The Chinese Diaspora Project is a wide-ranging effort to research and document the lives of Oregon's early Chinese immigrants. SOULA and other entities collaborating on the project received the National Trust Historic Preservation (NTHP) Award for Federal Partnerships in Historic Preservation during a recent conference in Washington, DC. The NHTP is a privately-funded nonprofit organization that works to save historic places nationwide and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is an independent federal agency -- the two entities partner in presenting the award. SOULA works on the ongoing project with agencies including Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon State Parks, Oregon Historical Society and the Portland Chinatown Museum. Researchers are using local history and public archaeology to challenged dated stereotypes and highlight the transnational lives of the Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans who helped establish the early infrastructure and economic industries of Oregon.
Posted on 12/6/23 6:00AM by Sam Marsh
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Southwest Oregon Logging Firms Recognized for Protecting Local Natural Resources
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A Roseburg-based logging company has been chosen as Forest Operator of the Year for Southwest Oregon. An Oregon Department of Forestry regional advisory committee selected Plikat Logging, Inc., earlier this fall. The firm and two other recipients representing Northwest and Eastern Oregon will be recognized in Salem in January. The award recognizes forest operators who -- while harvesting timber or doing other forestry work -- protect natural resources at a level that consistently meets or goes above and beyond requirements of the Oregon Forest Practices Act. The law requires people to manage forests responsibly, protect steams, water quality and habitat, and reduce landslide risk. Two other Southern Oregon logging firms were given an Award of Merit. They are Roseburg-based Weber Logging and Construction for consistent employment of innovative logging technology in steep-slope areas to protect fish-bearing streams and minimize soil disturbance, and Don Hamman, Inc., of Butte Falls for assisting small landowners in urban-adjacent, high-visibility areas with thinning to reduce wildfire risk.
Posted on 12/6/23 5:57AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Broadcasting Offers Remote Holiday Cam for Downtown Christmas Tree Viewing
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A 44-foot-tall Christmas tree was installed this week at SW 5th and H streets in downtown Grants Pass and it's being decorated for the holiday season. 5th Street between G Street and the alley are closed until January 2nd as the area becomes the "Grants Pass Holiday Plaza." A special tree-lighting ceremony will take place on Friday at 7 p.m.. That evening, G Street between 4th and 6th streets will also be closed from 3 to 10:30 p.m. in the interest of public safety. Between now and Friday, the tree decorating will be ongoing, so feel free to come downtown and see the process. If you can't make it, the Grants Pass Broadcasting Holiday Cam is now up on the main page of KAJO.com, KLDR.com and KRRM.com so you can watch the event remotely.
Posted on 12/6/23 5:54AM by Sam Marsh
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BCC to Decide Library Withdrawal Request & Create Law Enforcement District
The Josephine County Commissioners will find themselves in the unusual position of considering a requested withdrawal from the local library district during their weekly business session on Wednesday. The Board is scheduled to hold a public hearing in the matter of withdrawing a property from the Josephine Community Library District. The property is owned by the Mike & Winnie Pelfrey Family Trust. Since the establishment of the district, dozens of properties have been annexed into the district and none have opted out. Under Administrative Actions, the Board is expected to approve an order declaring the results of the November election final and forming the Josephine County Law Enforcement District, which passed by a margin of just 299 votes. Commissioners will also consider an order revising a current purchasing policy. The Board will open the meeting with its monthly recognition of employees and by presenting Oregon State Marine Board Life Saving Awards. Wednesday's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.
Posted on 12/5/23 1:07PM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Collared Man Wanted for Committing Domestic Violence in Bend
Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted for allegedly committing domestic violence in Central Oregon late yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested 47-year-old Brett Christopher Zacha at a home in the 1,000-block of NW Hawthorne Avenue on Monday at 5:16 p.m.. Police said the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office requested assistance in locating Zacha who was wanted on a felony warrant for Domestic Strangulation, Domestic 4th-Degree Assault and Domestic Menacing. The Bend Police Department advised that Zacha had fled the area and was now living with his father in Grants Pass. Officers confirmed with a Hawthorne Avenue neighbor that Zacha was living at that address and driving a 2021 Ford Ranger pickup before moving in and making the arrest. Brett Zacha was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the outside warrant. He was being held without bail pending transfer to the Deschutes County Jail in Bend.
Posted on 12/5/23 11:32AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Snared Two Fugitives while Performing Patrol Checks at Parks
Grants Pass Police captured two local fugitives while performing patrol checks at city parks early yesterday. The Police Department reports the first incident occurred at Morrison Centennial Park on Monday morning when officers made contact with 32-year-old Alic Jordan Hendrickson during a patrol check and subsequent drug investigation. Police said Hendrickson was the subject of an overdose call involving narcotics. He was located in the southeast corner of the park, but refused medical transport to the hospital. He was found to be wanted on a Grants Pass warrant charging him with Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle and 2nd-Degree Theft, so he was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail. The second incident happened a short time later when officers contacted 34-year-old Jonathan Lee Hewlett sleeping under the canopy at Riverside Park. He was heavily impaired and admitted to recent alcohol consumption. A routine records check revealed that Hewlett was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for failing to appear in court for Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Menacing along with a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. He was placed into custody and jailed.
Posted on 12/5/23 11:31AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Arrested Man for Throwing Rocks at Vehicles on Highway 199
Grants Pass Police arrested a man for throwing rocks at vehicles on Redwood Highway early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to multiple reports of a disturbance involving 29-year-old Jonathan Daniel Mahoney on US Highway 199 near Henderson Lane on Monday shortly after 8 a.m.. Police said they arrived on scene to find Mahoney standing in the highway median and throwing rocks at vehicles. They said the suspect grabbed a large rock and hit the driver-side door and window of a woman's Chevrolet Suburban, shattering the window. The female employee of Henderson's Lineup was shaken but not injured. Based on the large number of calls that came in to the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center, it was determined that Mahoney's actions caused a great deal of public alarm. Jonathan Mahoney was placed into custody and booked into the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief and 2nd-Degree Disorderly Conduct. He was being held without bail.
Posted on 12/5/23 11:14AM by Sam Marsh
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OSP Arrested Young Man for Obstructing Weekend Traffic in Grants Pass
The Oregon State Police arrested a young man for obstructing traffic in north Grants Pass last weekend. OSP reports troopers responded to a male subject walking down the middle of 6th Street near Midland Avenue on Sunday around 10:15 p.m.. Troopers said they contacted 19-year-old Thomas Ryder White of Central Point, who had been called in by a motorist who nearly hit him with their car. He was contacted, could not provide a good explanation why he was walking in a public roadway and was placed into custody. Thomas White was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct.
Posted on 12/5/23 11:13AM by Sam Marsh
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