Local News

Funding Opportunity Open for Transportation Projects that Reduce Gas Emissions
The federal Carbon Reduction Program -- which funds transportation projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions -- has returned for its second competitive grant funding opportunity in Oregon. The program's application window runs from March 1st through May 31st this year. The applications can be found on the Carbon Reduction Program webpage. This round of about $12 million is available for eligible projects in "small urban and rural areas" of Oregon, which are areas with populations under 200,000. Eligible applicants are counties, cities, tribal governments and local transportation agencies. Examples of eligible projects include public transit, bicycle infrastructure improvements, low-emission vehicles or fuels, and intelligent transportation systems. This is the second funding opportunity for the Carbon Reduction Program, which will distribute $82 million over five years to transportation projects in Oregon. The program is funded via the federal 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Carbon Reduction Program is one of the ways Oregon is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation over the next several decades. The state is on track to reduce emissions by about 60% by 2050.
Posted on 3/5/24 6:14AM by Sam Marsh
 

California Man Rescued by Douglas County Sheriff's Team after Following GPS into Snow
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The Douglas County Search & Rescue team rescued a California man who became stuck in deep snow near Azalea after following his GPS system last weekend. On Saturday shortly after midnight, Douglas County 9-1-1 received a text from an individual stating he had gotten stuck in snow after following his GPS and was in need of assistance. Deputies learned 34-year-old Juan Carlos Torres-Esquivel of Santa Rosa had purchased a pickup in Corvallis and was heading back to his residence when he encountered weather-related delays on Interstate 5. Google Maps recommended a detour that instructed him to take Exit 88, drive east on Upper Cow Creek Road and then turn south onto Snow Creek Road. Torres-Esquivel made it approximately five miles up Snow Creek Road before sliding into a deep ditch and getting his vehicle stuck in about 24 inches of snow. He was unprepared for the conditions and unsuccessful in digging the pickup out without a shovel. Douglas County Search & Rescue was activated and responded to assist. An abandoned U-Haul truck was in the middle of the roadway, but members of the 4x4 team were able to maneuver around the U-Haul by airing down their tires and they retrieved the stranded man. He was given a courtesy ride to Seven Feathers.
Posted on 3/5/24 6:10AM by Sam Marsh
 

City of GP Offers ARPA Grants to Downtown Restaurants for Building Outdoor Parklets
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Out of the many joys one can experience during summer in Southern Oregon, one of the best is dining outside. Thanks to the Grants Pass Parklet Program, dining outdoors has never been easier. The Grants Pass City Council has placed a high priority on encouraging economic opportunities for restaurants in the downtown area to enhance and expand their operating areas by creating attractive outdoor parklets. To support this endeavor, the City of Grants Pass is offering grants of up to $4,000 per restaurant to facilitate the creation of a parklet. The grants are awarded on a reimbursement basis only. The funding source is a one-time $30,000 allocation from the City's American Rescue Plan Act award. Grant applications are reviewed and awarded on a first-come, first-served basis and funding is subject to availability. The City encourages early submission to the Downtown Parklet Grant Program. The deadline to apply for this grant is 5 p.m. on April 12th, but completed grant proposals will be reviewed by the selection committee beginning in early March. If you're approved for a grant, receipts for reimbursement must be submitted no later than June 7th of this year. Parklets may be installed between May and November.
Posted on 3/5/24 6:02AM by Sam Marsh
 

Local Law Agencies & Other Organizations Took Plunge to Benefit OR Special Olympics
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Members of the Grants Pass Police Department and Josephine County Sheriff's Office joined several local law enforcement agencies and other organizations last weekend to take a plunge into icy water in wintry conditions. The Polar Plunge is a fundraising effort to support Oregon Special Olympics, which provides over 5,000 athletes around the state with access to sports and other activities each year. The 2024 Polar Plunge in Medford on Saturday was true to form with frigid water and snow falling at the Rogue Valley Country Club. Eleven members of the GPPD representing patrol, detectives, dispatch, SWAT and school resource officers grabbed third place out of 39 teams that raised a collective total of $82,000 for Special Olympics. In addition to GPPD and the Josephine County Sheriff's Office, law enforcement participants included the Eagle Point Police Department, Oregon State Police, Medford Police Department, Central Point Police Department and Jackson County Sheriff's Office.
Posted on 3/5/24 6:00AM by Sam Marsh
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OSP Jailed GP Woman for Violating Court Order after Redwood Highway Crash
The Oregon State Police jailed a Grants Pass woman for violating a court order after she crashed her vehicle on Redwood Highway between Cave Junction and O'Brien. OSP reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle wreck near milepost 30 of US Highway 199 on Saturday at 7:36 p.m.. Troopers said 47-year-old Kimberly Ann Boehm lost control of the Nissan Rogue she was driving and slid off the snow-covered highway. She was not injured, but her damaged SUV was towed into Cave Junction. Further investigation revealed that Boehm and her passenger -- 50-year-old Patrick Henry Boeggeman of Grants Pass -- both have valid restraining orders against each other. Boeggeman had fled the scene prior to the arrival of law enforcement. Boehm was placed into custody and transported to the Josephine County Jail for Contempt of Court/Restraining Order Violation. She was being held without bail.
Posted on 3/4/24 10:36AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Man Jailed on 2 Local Warrants after Wearing Out Welcome at Restaurants
A Grants Pass man who has worn out his welcome at several fast food eateries was jailed over the weekend on two local warrants. The Grants Pass Police Department reports 43-year-old James Adolph Gibbs. Jr., was arrested at the Carl's Jr. on NE Terry Lane on Sunday at 4:19 p.m.. Police said Gibbs was contacted at Carl's Jr. for a request from Arby's to trespass him from their restaurant. They said Gibbs had just entered Carl's Jr. and started filling up a Dutch Bros cup with soda. Further investigation revealed that Gibbs was wanted on a Josephine County warrant for failing to appear in court for Disorderly Conduct and a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for Criminal Trespass. James Gibbs was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants and his scheduled bail was set at $40,000.
Posted on 3/4/24 10:35AM by Sam Marsh
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OSP Snared GP Man on Outstanding Warrant after US Highway 199 Traffic Stop
The Oregon State Police arrested a Grants Pass man on an outstanding warrant following a weekend traffic stop on Redwood Highway. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Chevrolet Silverado driven by 28-year-old Christopher Alexander Miningham-Monsour on US Highway 199 near Dowell Road on Sunday around 4:30 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped Miningham-Monsour for multiple traffic violations and discovered that his passenger -- 46-year-old Andrew Burdett Peak -- was wanted on an out-of-county warrant for unspecified crimes. Peek was lodged at the Josephine County Jail while Miningham-Monsour was cited to appear in court for the moving violations.
Posted on 3/4/24 10:34AM by Sam Marsh
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OSP Arrested Washington Woman on Local Warrant after Redwood Area Stop
The Oregon State Police arrested a Washington woman on a local warrant after a weekend traffic stop in the Redwood area of Grants Pass. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Chevrolet Metro driven by 52-year-old Mary Ann Morgan of Vancouver near the corner of Dowell Road and Wolf Lane on Sunday just before 7 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped Morgan for traffic violations and discovered that she was wanted on a Jackson County warrant for failing to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. Mary Morgan was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant. Her vehicle was released to a responsible party who was identified as a 71-year-old Grants Pass man.
Posted on 3/4/24 10:32AM by Sam Marsh
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OSP Warned Motorists for Violating Basic Rule in Josephine County Crashes
The Oregon State Police warned three motorists for driving too fast for the weather conditions after separate weekend wrecks on slippery roads in Josephine County. According to OSP, the first incident occurred on Friday at 6:51 p.m. when troopers responded to a single-vehicle non-injury crash near milepost 60 of Interstate 5. State troopers said 60-year-old John McClaren of Camas, Washington, lost control of his Saturn Ion in the snow and collided with the center median. He was warned for Violating the Basic Rule and his car was towed to Grants Pass. The second incident happened on Saturday at 9:26 a.m. when troopers responded to a three-vehicle crash on Redwood Highway near Eight Dollar Mountain Road. Troopers said a Toyota Camry got stuck in the snow, so the driver of the Camry and the driver of a Ford F-250 were trying to remove the car from the highway. That's when a Toyota RAV-4 driven by 53-year-old Jeffrey Davey of O'Brien collided with both vehicles because he was driving too fast for the snowy conditions. No one was hurt. Davey was warned for Violating the Basis Rule. The third incident took place on Saturday at 10:27 a.m. when troopers responded to a single-vehicle crash on Redwood Highway in Cave Junction. Troopers said 22-year-old Daphne Schultz of Harbor was driving a Toyota Highlander too fast for the slippery conditions and she lost control, spun and crashed into a decoration in front of a business. Schultz was warned for Violating the Basic Rule.
Posted on 3/4/24 10:30AM by Sam Marsh
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Firefighters from Multiple Agencies Extinguished Jerome Prairie Road Shop Fire
Firefighters from multiple agencies worked together to extinguish a large weekend shop fire in the Jerome Prairie area. Rural Metro Fire Department and Grants Pass Fire & Rescue were dispatched to the structure fire on Jerome Prairie Road near Woodland Park Road on Saturday around 6:15 p.m.. Arriving units found the shop building fully-involved with flames. Three hours later, crews remained on scene to conduct extensive overhaul and mop-up of the fire. There were no injuries reported and a damage estimate was not available. A Rural Metro crew from the Wilderville Station came back several times Saturday night to extinguish a few remaining hot spots. The structure was a non-commercial, multi-purpose shop. The cause of the fire was under investigation. Coincidentally, the fire was just a few doors down from a commercial auto repair shop that burned in mid-January. The two fires are not considered to be related. Assistance from the Illinois Valley Fire District, Applegate Valley Fire District and Jackson County Fire District #1 were provided under the Rogue Valley Mutual Aid Agreement.
Posted on 3/4/24 6:45AM by Sam Marsh
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DA Upgrades Charges against Man Who Caused Motor Vehicle Crash near RCC
The Josephine County District Attorney's Office has upgraded charges against a man who was seriously hurt in a motor vehicle accident that he caused near Rogue Community College late last year. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 25-year-old Matthew Davis Trevino last week and lodged him at the adult jail facility on felony charges of 3rd-Degree Assault, 4th-Degree Assault and Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. On December 1st, 2023, the Sheriff's Office, Rural Metro Fire Department and American Medical Response were dispatched to a two-vehicle collision in the 3500-block of Demaray Drive. An investigation determined that Trevino was driving a Ford Focus with his father as a passenger when he turned right in front of a Toyota Corolla driven by a female motorist. Trevino, his father and the woman identified only as "Cover" had to be extricated from their wrecked vehicles and all were transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center for treatment of various injuries. Trevino reportedly displayed signs of impairment at the crash scene. He admitted to drinking a beer and taking two shots of hard alcohol before driving. His father said he did not remember the crash and did not wish to pursue charges against his son. He was initially charged with DUII, Reckless Driving and 4th-Degree Assault. The suspect was cited and released to the care of hospital staff. It was unclear why the Sheriff's Office waited nearly three months to arrest him.
Posted on 3/4/24 6:44AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Jailed Convicted Sex Offender for Not Registering after Trespass Call
Grants Pass Police jailed a convicted sex offender for being out of compliance late last week following a trespassing complaint at a downtown area business. The Police Department reports officers arrested 47-year-old Beau Thomas Beard at Layana Beauty Spa on SE H Street on Friday morning. Police said the spa manager called 9-1-1 to report a male subject camping out and blocking the doorway to their business. The caller said it was an ongoing problem, but they are usually gone by then. The manager had to use the back entrance. Officers arrived on scene and contacted Beard who was found to be out of compliance with his sex offender registration as he did not register within 10 days of his birth date. He was placed into custody and issued a trespass warning. Beau Beard was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. He was being held without bail.
Posted on 3/4/24 6:42AM by Sam Marsh
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