Local News

The Illinois Valley Fire District battled a recreational vehicle fire in the Selma area last night. On Thursday at about 7:30 p.m., IVFD crews were dispatched to the large vehicle fire at an unspecified location near Selma. IVFD officials said the RV fire was quickly extinguished and units cleared the scene. There were no injuries reported and no damage estimate was available. Officials said the cause of the fire was under investigation.

 

The Illinois Valley Fire District is reporting that a fatal plane crash occurred yesterday near Cave Junction. On Thursday at 11:25 a.m., IVFD, American Medical Response, Josephine County Sheriff's Office and the Oregon State Police responded to the reported plane crash at or near the Illinois Valley Airport. IV Airport personnel also responded. IVFD Chief John Holmes said arriving units found an ultralight aircraft that had crashed into the ground and there was one fatality. Holmes did not provide any other information on the incident yesterday including the identity of the deceased pilot. The Sheriff's Office along with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was conducting the investigation.

 

A Klamath Falls woman died this week in a motor vehicle accident in Jackson County. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to a two-vehicle crash near milepost 8 of Highway 140 on Wednesday at 5:16 p.m.. State troopers said a preliminary investigation indicates an eastbound Peterbilt semi and trailer operated by 47-year-old Ronald R. Lacy of Eagle Point was trying to make a left turn onto Brownsboro Road. An eastbound Jeep Compass driven by 24-year-old Trinity H. Sanchez of Klamath Falls crossed over the double yellow line in a no-passing zone while attempting to pass the commercial vehicle. Troopers said the Jeep struck the rear of the Peterbilt during the attempted pass. Sanchez was declared deceased at the scene, while Lacy was not injured. Highway 140 was closed for approximately five hours during the on-scene investigation. OSP was assisted by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Eagle Point Police Department, Lake Creek Rural Fire District, US Forest Service Law Enforcement and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a female transient this week for using a rock to break a window and then enter a parked vehicle at Three Rivers Medical Center. The Police Department reports officers arrested 30-year-old Malae Ryean Kimack in the 700-block of Union Avenue near the hospital on Wednesday night. Police said Kimack used a rock to shatter the driver-side window of a vehicle in the hospital parking lot and then entered the vehicle. The owner of the vehicle subsequently found her in the driver seat and used his cell phone to record her before she left and walked toward the hospital. After Kimack was contacted by police, she admitted to shattering the window and entering the vehicle. She told officers she believed the vehicle belonged to a friend. Malae Kimack was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief, Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle and Felony Parole Violation. Her corrections officer requested she be held on a detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a male transient on a local warrant after he committed a city ordinance violation by camping in the downtown area early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to the incident involving 47-year-old Beau Beard in the Grasshopper Parking Lot around 4:40 a.m. Thursday. Police said they received a citizen complaint regarding an orange dome tent set up at the south end of the city parking lot. Officers contacted Beard inside the tent and discovered that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for Failure to Register as a Convicted Sex Offender. He was advised of the warrant and detained. Beau Beard was cited to appear in court on the warrant and then released. After being ordered to remove his tent from the parking lot, he was advised to go to GPPD headquarters and register as he was arrested for being out of compliance.

 

A Grants Pass man was arrested on two local warrants after he refused to vacate his north-city motel room this week. The Police Department reports officers responded to a trespassing complaint at the Super 8 Motel on NE 7th Street on Wednesday afternoon. Police said a motel employee called 9-1-1 to report that it was past check-out time and 71-year-old Russell DeWitt Coe was refusing to leave his room. They said Coe was staying at the motel because he had been legally evicted from his residence at the Royal Trailer Park on Lewis Avenue. Responding officers contacted Coe and discovered that he was wanted on two Grants Pass warrants for failing to appear in court for Criminal Trespass related to the trailer park eviction. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail and his belongings were logged into evidence for safekeeping.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving following a late night traffic stop on the east side of the city. According to the Police Department, officers pulled over a vehicle driven by 52-year-old Gaylene White on the Grants Pass Parkway near NE Agness Avenue on Wednesday shortly before midnight. Police said they stopped White after observing her driving west in the eastbound lanes of the Parkway. Upon contact, they said she displayed signs of impairment. She was placed into custody after performing poorly in field sobriety tests. White was taken to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where she provided a breath sample that was positive for alcohol. She was cited to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. Her vehicle was picked up by a friend.

 

The Bureau of Land Management's Rural Fire Readiness Program is dedicated to enhancing the firefighting capabilities of wildland firefighting partners. Through the program, the BLM can provide training and equipment including supplies and communication devices. BLM fire managers have announced the opening of a 30-day application period for wildland fire equipment under the Rural Fire Readiness (RFR) program in Oregon and Washington. The RFR program provides a streamlined process for local cooperators to request and receive excess BLM firefighting equipment to better protect communities, natural resources and critical infrastructure. The equipment the BLM transfers to local firefighting partners -- including supplies and radios -- is ready to use. Wildland fire engines are transferred with items like hoses, fittings, tools and radios to ensure immediate use by cooperators. The BLM is accepting applications for 2024 from rural fire protection districts and rangeland fire protection associations for available vehicles, fire engines, equipment and supplies. To submit an application, visit "blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-info/oregon-washington/rfr-apply." Completed applications are due on March 29th.

 

Oregonians 65 and older can now get an additional dose of the 2023-24 updated COVID-19 vaccine following a federal announcement that opened eligibility to older adults who are most at risk for severe outcomes of the virus. Paul Cieslak, MD, medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations at the Oregon Health Authority, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's February 28th approval of a second dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine released last fall can provide increased protection for older adults. Older adults are eligible to get a second COVID-19 vaccine dose if it's been at least four months since they received their first dose of the 2023-24 vaccine. People can get the vaccines by contacting their health plan, health care provider, county public health clinic, federally qualified health center or pharmacy. Because the COVID-19 vaccine -- like the seasonal influenza vaccine -- is available on the commercial pharmaceutical market, health care and vaccine providers order it directly from vaccine manufacturers. The vaccines are available from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Novavax, and studies show all are safe and effective at protecting against serious illness from COVID-19. While the state has seen a steady decline in COVID-19-related hospitalizations and percentage of positive tests since late December, OHA officials say the virus is still circulating briskly in Oregon communities.