Local News

No one was hurt in a weekend crash near an Illinois Valley Fire District station. On Saturday at 6:08 p.m., IVFD, American Medical Response and the Josephine County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the single-vehicle wreck on Takilma Road next door to the fire station. Arriving units found a vehicle on its side, but off the roadway. No one was hurt. The Sheriff's Office was conducting an investigation into the cause of the crash.

 

Several Good Samaritans assisted Rural Metro Fire Department with snuffing out a roadside fire in the Hugo area late yesterday. On Sunday at 4:18 p.m., Rural Metro crews were dispatched to the small fire in the 1900-block of Hugo Road. Arriving units found a number of citizens working to put out the fire. In addition to the help received, the blaze was held to just 1/100th of an acre due to it being between pavement and a green field. Rural Metro officials said the fire is considered suspicious due to the number of different ignition points. A witness at the scene reported a person of interest with a backpack walking north on Hugo Road who may know something about the fire. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office was conducting a follow-up investigation. Anyone with further information on the fire is encouraged to call (541)-474-5123.

 

All Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest offices in Southern Oregon will be closed the next two Wednesdays -- April 10th and April 17th. US Forest Service officials said the closures are to allow their front desk personnel an opportunity for training and to attend an annual meeting. The Grants Pass and Medford Interagency offices will remain open on those days to provide Medford District Bureau of Land Management information. Officials apologize for any inconvenience and thank citizens for their cooperation and understanding.

 

The Three Rivers School District is excited to announce that it has received a $2.5 million grant for the seismic upgrade of Evergreen Elementary in Cave Junction. The funding from Oregon's Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program (SRGP) will support a comprehensive seismic upgrade of Evergreen's gymnasium and cafeteria including the installation of new roofing. The seismic upgrade project at Evergreen is slated to kick off this summer and wrap up before commencement ceremonies in 2025. The SRGP is a competitive grant program that funds the seismic rehabilitation of critical public buildings, with a focus on schools and emergency response centers. Fleming Middle School also benefited recently from an SRGP grant. About 12,000 square feet -- including the gymnasium, administration building, cafeteria and library -- underwent a comprehensive seismic upgrade. Three Rivers Schools Superintendent Dave Valenzuela said the most recent grant represents a significant milestone for the district and underscores its commitment to safety. He called it "a major investment in the resilience of school facilities." Mindful of the community's limited resources, Valenzuela said the district remains dedicated to actively seeking grants to address their financial challenges.

 

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters held their own while protecting citizens and property last week. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 728 calls for service along with 251 officer-initiated calls last week -- resulting in 46 arrests, 21 citations, 31 warnings and six highly-intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers conducted a total of 34 traffic stops in the city and they made 15 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services. The GPPD Community Response Team (CRT) made contact with a total of 156 potential troublemakers while arresting one person, citing 24 more and warning 84 others. The CRT unit also trespassed 15 individuals, posted 96 transient camps and removed trash from two campsites. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 104 calls last week including 40 for emergency medical service, four for reports of fire or smoke, 16 lift assists, four rescue situations, four assists to other agencies and six false alarms. The 9-1-1 Dispatch Center fielded a total of 1,101 emergency calls last week.

 

Grants Pass parks personnel performed some much-needed maintenance at the Riverfront Pavilion at Riverside Park last week. Crews cleaned the shade sails by using a pressure washer with hot water and low pressure to remove the mold and mildew that had built up since their installation in 2018. Staff also kept busy at Riverside Park with painting over a large amount of graffiti and pruning numerous trees. Parks workers used string trimmers to knock down tall grass on several park trails, and state-licensed applicators applied herbicide to Japanese Knotweed at Riverside and Baker parks. Officials said it's crucial to manage invasive species to protect the ecosystem. Continued applications are necessary to prevent their spread in parks. The Reinhart Park playground construction project continued to advance last week. Approximately half the site had a concrete foundation laid for the future protection of falls with rubber tiles. The rubber tiles are extremely durable and require no daily maintenance. They also ensure a safe and fun time at the new playground.

 

Southern Oregon law enforcement agencies continue to pull drugs off Interstate-5 A recent traffic stop on Interstate 5 near Roseburg led to the seizure of large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl headed for the streets of Portland. On April 1st, just after 9 a.m. an Oregon State Trooper stopped a black Chevrolet sedan near milepost 149 on I-5 north for a traffic violation. The trooper suspected criminal activity and received consent to search the vehicle. During the search, the trooper located 62 pounds of methamphetamine and 22,000 suspected fentanyl laced pills inside the vehicle. The suspect acknowledged the illegal substances were headed to Portland. Due to the large quantify of substances seized, the suspect, 21-year-old Oliver Raul Alvarez Beltran of Phoenix, Arizona was arrested and federally charged with attempted delivery of a controlled substance.

 

The Three Rivers School District is excited to announce that it has received a $2.5 million grant for the seismic upgrade of Evergreen Elementary in Cave Junction. The funding from Oregon's Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program (SRGP) will support a comprehensive seismic upgrade of Evergreen's gymnasium and cafeteria including the installation of new roofing. The seismic upgrade project at Evergreen is slated to kick off this summer and wrap up before commencement ceremonies in 2025. The SRGP is a competitive grant program that funds the seismic rehabilitation of critical public buildings, with a focus on schools and emergency response centers. Fleming Middle School also benefited recently from an SRGP grant. About 12,000 square feet -- including the gymnasium, administration building, cafeteria and library -- underwent a comprehensive seismic upgrade. Three Rivers Schools Superintendent Dave Valenzuela said the most recent grant represents a significant milestone for the district and underscores its commitment to safety. He called it "a major investment in the resilience of school facilities."

 

This year's tax deadline is just over a week away as both state and federal income taxes need to be filed by April 15th. Nearly 1.3 million Oregonians have already filed their state personal income tax returns. The state is expecting to receive 2.2 million returns this year, leaving more than 900,000 Oregonians who still have to filed their taxes before the deadline. E-filing is the fastest way for taxpayers to get their tax refund. On average, those who e-file their returns and request their refunds via direct deposit receive their refund sooner than those who file paper returns and request paper refund checks. The Oregon Department of Revenue provides several options for taxpayers to e-file their returns for free. Oregon Free Fillable Forms performs basic calculations and is ideal for taxpayers who don't need help preparing their returns and want the convenience of filing electronically. IRS offers a similar option for federal taxes. New this year, the department is also offering Direct File Oregon, which allows taxpayers to file their form OR-40 through Revenue Online. Direct File Oregon is not currently linked with the IRS Direct File. Taxpayers will need to file a separate federal return with the IRS before filing an Oregon return with Direct File Oregon through Revenue Online