Local News

Make fishing part of your Thanksgiving Weekend plans with friends and family. Everyone can fish, clam and crab for free in Oregon on Friday and Saturday. No fishing or shellfish licenses or tags are required on November 24th and 25th. Both Oregon residents and nonresidents can fish for free. All other fishing regulations apply including closures, bag limits and size restrictions. See the Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations for rules and remember to check for any in-season regulation changes at the Recreation Report, especially for salmon and steelhead. For beginners, Easy Angling Oregon is a great guide to getting started fishing in Oregon. If you live near Portland, Bend, Medford, Roseburg or in Lane County, there are lots of nearby options. Currently, crabbing is open in bays, beaches, estuaries, tide pools, piers and jetties along the entire Oregon coast. Crabbing is closed in the ocean due to the annual closure from October 16th-November 30th each year. As of mid-November, there were some razor clamming closures along the coast -- but these may change by Thanksgiving Weekend, so check before you go.

 

Jackson County Public Health officials have issued another alert for accidental overdoses or poisoning related to illicit opioids, specifically fentanyl. Officials said the alert was issued based on an increase in suspected fatal overdoses, emergency department admissions and responses made by law enforcement between November 12th and 18th. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl started to become more common in Jackson County in 2018. In early 2021, it became the predominant illicit opioid sold and used in Jackson County. Fentanyl can be sold as counterfeit pills such as oxycontin or in a powder form which can look like other drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine. It can also be mixed with other illicit opioids, such as heroin. The increased presence of fentanyl in the local drug supply increases the risk of overdosing or poisoning for people who are experimenting with drugs, who use them recreationally and who are not intentionally using fentanyl. Jackson County Public Health is encouraging the medical community, partners, parents, family and friends, people who occasionally use recreational or party drugs, and people with an active substance abuse disorder to be aware of the increase of fatal and nonfatal overdoses associated with illicit opioids.

 

Total payroll employment in Josephine County rose by an estimated 60 jobs in October. According to the Oregon Employment Department, there were 34,706 people working in Josephine County last month for a seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 4.8%, which was up slightly from 4.7% in September. Private education & health services added 80 jobs over the month with a smaller gain of 20 jobs posted in professional & business services. On the other hand, leisure & hospitality shed 60 jobs in October. Government employment was little changed over the month. Local government education added 70 jobs while there were slight declines in federal government and local government excluding educational services. Over the past year, payroll employment in Josephine County rose by 250 jobs, a gain of 0.9%. However, local employment is still 340 jobs below the October 2019 total prior to the pandemic. Industries adding jobs since October 2022 included private education & health services, transportation, warehousing & utilities, and construction. Sectors with estimated losses over the year included retail trade, leisure & hospitality, and manufacturing.

 

The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management are proud to be partners in the Chinese Diaspora Project which just received the National Trust Advisory Council Award for Federal Partnerships in Historic Preservation. The Chinese Diaspora Project is a grassroots federal, state and local partnership initiated in underserved rural communities in southern and eastern Oregon. This trailblazing project is embedded in local communities, but includes an exceptional public education component that reaches a statewide audience and beyond. The research generated through public archaeology projects is helping to update and re-center the history of the Chinese Diaspora in Oregon. The term "Chinese overseas" is generally used to refer to the approximately 46 million ethnic Chinese living outside China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. While short episodes of Chinese migration can be traced back through history, the phenomenon generally referred to as "Chinese Diaspora" only dates back to the mid-19th century when many Chinese immigrants helped settle Southern Oregon.

 

A Grants Pass man was jailed yesterday for roughing up his mother last weekend. The Grants Pass Police Department reports 60-year-old Donald Lee Kinzel was arrested at 2:32 p.m. Monday for the incident that occurred at a home in the 1500-block of Sun Glo Drive on Sunday night. Police said Kinzel pushed his 80-year-old mother, causing her to fall and fracture her wrist. They said there was a history of abuse between the man and his mother, and that his mother was attempting to keep him inside the house so he would not leave to buy drugs when he pushed her. According to the report, Kinzel's niece called 9-1-1 to report the crime and she requested immediate law enforcement response or she "would take care of him" after she returned home from work. Officers said the female victim had her hand bandaged and she provided hospital release papers confirming the fractured wrist. Kinzel was placed into custody. Donald Kinzel was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 2nd-Degree Assault. He was being held without bail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a Grants Pass man for violating terms of his probation by allegedly attacking his wife last night. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies responded to a domestic disturbance in the 3200-block of Pearce Park Road on Monday around 9 p.m.. Deputies said a male juvenile called 9-1-1 to report that his stepfather -- 39-year-old Anthony Jacob Yates -- assaulted his mother and made her bleed. The child whispered to dispatchers that he had blood on him, too. He also stated that his stepfather had been drinking. Upon arrival, deputies noted that the female victim had a black eye and was bleeding. However, she declined medical treatment. Yates was contacted while lying in bed and highly intoxicated. He was placed into custody without incident. Anthony Yates was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Probation Violation and he was being held on a no-bail detainer. Domestic assault charges were referred to the District Attorney's Office for consideration and prosecution.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for breaking into the restroom of a Williams Highway gas station and spending the night there. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a trespassing complaint involving 57-year-old Lance Joseph Cardinal at the Chevron station in the 1500-block of Highway 238 on Monday around 7:30 a.m.. Police said a gas station attendant reported that Cardinal had slept in the restroom after forcing entry into the facility the night before. While inside the restroom, the suspect charged his cell phone. Cardinal was contacted as he was walking away from the station. He admitted to using a card to open the door so he could stay warm. The suspect's corrections officer was contacted and requested his client be placed on a no-bail detainer. Lance Cardinal was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for a felony charge of 2nd-Degree Burglary, a misdemeanor charge of Theft of Services and the resulting Probation Violation related to arrests for Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Menacing, Criminal Mischief, Disorderly Conduct and Criminal Trespass.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for using a tool to steal a baby stroller and other merchandise from Walmart yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a shoplifting complaint involving 39-year-old Rianna Kae Orcutt at the store on NE Terry Lane at about 1:15 p.m. Monday. Police said Orcutt used a set of bolt cutters to cut the cable lock off a child stroller inside Walmart. They said she then loaded the stroller with items from the store, passed all points of sale and exited the business without paying. The total value of the items was more than $1,136 and Orcutt had been trespassed from Walmart in April. The suspect was said to be under the influence of drugs and company policy prevents store workers from contacting impaired suspects, so police placed her into custody as she was loading the items into her vehicle. Rianna Orcutt was booked into the nearby Josephine County Jail for Felony 1st-Degree Theft, 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief and 1st-Degree Criminal Trespass. The stolen merchandise was returned to Walmart and the bolt cutters were seized as evidence.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for resisting arrest after he was called in as a welfare check near an assisted living center along the Parkway early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to perform a welfare check on 21-year-old Ulises Leonel Saldivar in the 1300-block of Parkdale Drive near The Suites Assisted Living on Monday around 2:30 a.m.. Police said they contacted Saldivar while he was seated in a parked pickup in front of the Parkway Fire Station in the "Keep Clear" zone facing in the wrong direction. They said he was passed out in the driver's seat, with beer cans strewn about his vehicle. He refused to open the door and repeatedly tried to put his pickup in gear, even though it was not running. Despite receiving several orders in English and Spanish to open the door, Saldivar refused to do so and began looking for his keys. That's when an officer broke out the window and manually restrained the suspect until another officer arrived to assist with removing him from the pickup and placing him in handcuffs. Saldivar reportedly stated that he drank all the beer after arriving at the location. However, due to a 30-minute delay and no one actually seeing him drive, there was no probable cause for an impaired driving arrest. Ulises Saldivar was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Resisting Arrest and he was being held without bail. He was also cited for Stopping in a Roadway. His pickup was impounded as a hazard.