Local News

The Oregon State Police arrested an Illinois Valley man for impaired driving late last night following a traffic stop near Cave Junction. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Nissan Titan driven by a 60-year-old Cave Junction man at the intersection of Redwood Highway and Laurel Road on Thursday at 10:58 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the truck after observing multiple traffic violations. The driver displayed signs of impairment and performed poorly in field sobriety tests, so he was transported to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided a breath sample that was more than twice the legal driving limit. The suspect was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving before being handed off to Sobering Center staff. His vehicle was impounded by Jerry's Towing.

 

A month-long undercover operation to identify adults victimizing children online has led to the arrests of six suspects throughout Oregon. The Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Team (SOCET) joint interagency task force conducted the operation to identify and arrest dangerous cyber-predators who are using the internet to meet local children to have sex. The SOCET-led operation consisted of undercover law enforcement officers posing online as minors, waiting for suspects to proposition them into having sexual relations. Even after the acknowledgement of the child's age, the suspects sent sexually explicit messages, photos and detailed requests for illegal activities. From January 30th-March 13th, the arrestees were identified as 29-year-old Gabriel Harrison-Swinden of White City, 57-year-old Kelly Ramsey of Central Point, 33-year-old Eugene Buckner of Tigard, 25-year-old Cayden Vasquez of Medford, 41-year-old Andrew Jones of Milwaukie and 66-year-old Steven Newstrom of Redmond. This complex undercover operation involved dozens of law enforcement agencies including detectives, investigators and support staff. SOCET believes the suspects may have other victims. If you have additional information, please call the Jackson County Sheriff's Office Tip Line at (541)-774-8333.

 

A rollover crash near Fish Hatchery Park this week sent a motorist to the hospital with moderate injuries. Late Wednesday afternoon, Rural Metro Fire Department and American Medical Response were dispatched to the single-vehicle wreck in the 2600-block of Fish Hatchery Road. Rural Metro officials said rescue crews took over care of the driver from several Good Samaritans who had stopped to help. The unidentified motorist was taken by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center for treatment. No one else was hurt. The crash also sheared off a power pole at that location, but the power lines did not come down. Traffic control was provided during the incident that was transferred over to Pacific Power crews to conduct repairs. Scattered power outages in the Fish Hatchery area were reported by customers that night before full electrical service was restored. It was unclear in the Rural Metro report whether law enforcement was conducting an investigation into the cause of the crash.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a woman on four outstanding warrants early yesterday after she turned herself in at the police department. According to the report, officers were alerted to a female subject at the GPPD headquarters on NE 7th Street shortly after 5 a.m. Thursday. Police said the 44-year-old woman arrived in the vestibule, told officers she was wanted on two warrants each out of Josephine and Klamath counties, and asked to be placed into custody. Two warrants were confirmed out of Josephine County for two counts of failing to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. Two more warrants were confirmed out of Klamath County for failing to appear in court for DUII and Criminal Driving While Revoked. The female suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail in lieu of posting $30,000 bail.

 

Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted on a local felony warrant during an early morning patrol check in the north part of the city. According to the Police Department, officers arrested the 49-year-old man at the intersection of NE 7th Street and Midland Avenue on Thursday at 4:20 a.m.. Patrol officers said they observed the man who was known to them from previous law enforcement encounters. They ran his information through dispatch and there was a valid Grants Pass felony warrant for failing to appear in court for 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief. After the warrant was confirmed, the suspect was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on $25,000 bail. He was still in custody this morning.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Grants Pass man for drug possession after an early morning traffic stop on Interstate 5. OSP reports troopers pulled over a Chevrolet C-150 pickup driven by a 61-year-old man in the northbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 59 on Thursday at 12:34 a.m.. Troopers said they stopped the motorist for a traffic violation. Upon contact, they said he pulled out his wallet to grab his driver's license and they noticed a small bag fall out of his pocket with what appeared to be drug paraphernalia inside. According to OSP, the driver admitted that the observed narcotics were less than two grams of methamphetamine. He was cited to appear in court for the narcotics violation. The meth and associated drug paraphernalia were seized for destruction.

 

Applications are being accepted for an open position on the Grants Pass Tourism Advisory Committee. This position is for a three-year term. The goal of the Tourism Advisory Committee is to encourage visitors and residents to engage in community activities while enhancing the positive image of Grants Pass through marketing, promotions and destination management. The purpose of the committee is to review and advise the work of the city's tourism contractor. This includes reporting findings and recommendations to the Grants Pass City Council as needed. Special qualification for this position is a member representing lodging properties within the City of Grants Pass. Applications are available at the City Administration Office at 101 NW A Street or online at "grantspassoregon.gov/committee-application." Completed applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, May 24th. Applications will be reviewed by the committee on Tuesday, June 4th. The City Council will make the appointment during its regular meeting on June 19th.

 

The Bureau of Land Management has funding for projects that maintain and improve public lands across western Oregon. BLM officials are encouraging individuals, organizations and local governments to submit funding applications for consideration. The public funding is available through Title 2 of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. Proposed projects must improve existing infrastructure, enhance forest ecosystems, or restore and improve land health and water quality. Projects must benefit and Oregon and California Grant lands and resources. O&C lands are spread across 18 western Oregon counties. Roseburg BLM District Manager Heather Whitman said Title 2 funds are used to make investments in public lands and create employment opportunities. She said these projects improve cooperative relationships among those who use and care for public lands. The application forms, criteria and instructions are available at "grants.gov." All applications are due by April 2nd. In the Medford BLM District, contact Amanda Huffman for more information at "ahuffman@blm.gov" or by calling (541)-618-2487.

 

Oregon's public schools will receive a record $74.2 million from the Common School Fund in 2024 and a good portion of that is coming to the southern part of the state. Every one of Oregon's 197 public school districts receives money from the Common School Fund each year. How much each district receives depends on the number of students served. The average distribution is approximately $376,000. Locally, the Medford School District will receive more than $1.8 million while the Grants Pass School District will receive more than $783,000 from the fund. The Central Point School District will get nearly $635,000 and the Three Rivers School District will get just over $613,000. The other recipients, in order, are the school districts in Eagle Point, Ashland, Phoenix-Talent, Rogue River and Glendale. The Common School Fund has supported Oregon schools since statehood in 1859, when the federal government granted our new state nearly 3.4 million acres "for the use of schools." Now valued at $2.3 billion, the Common School Fund is invested by the State Treasurer and the Oregon Investment Council.