Local News

Grants Pass Police cited a motorist for hot rodding around town last weekend. According to the Police Department, officers pulled over a Trans Am driven by a man they identified only as "Vannoy" in the 600-block of Redwood Highway on Sunday around 2:45 p.m.. Police said they observed Vannoy turning left from Ringuette Street onto US Highway 199 when he intentionally broke traction and drifted through the busy intersection. They said he failed to stay in his lane and drifted to the outer lane. Upon contact with Vannoy, he had no insurance and admitted that he had a prior warning for similar vehicular exploits. He advised his tires were bald, but records showed he had a history of traffic complaints and video of him drifting and burning out around the city. Vannoy was cited for Careless Driving, Improper Left Turn and Failure to Carry Proof of Insurance. He was warned for Reckless Driving and advised he would be arrested if he continues to drive in this manner.

 

The smell of smoke alerted Murphy area residents to a fire in the wall of their home last weekend. On Sunday at 4:21 p.m., Rural Metro Fire Department and Grants Pass Fire & Rescue were dispatched to a structure fire in the 7400-block of North Applegate Road. The occupants feared the fire they had in a woodstove may have escaped. Firefighters were able to quickly locate the blaze in the wall and stop it from spreading any further. There were no injuries reported and the occupants were not displaced due to the fire. Rural Metro officials said an investigation determined the fire was caused from prolonged heat exposure to structural components near the chimney, not from a failure of the flue or unsafe burning practices. Officials urge anyone using a wood-fired heat source to ensure proper clearance and spacing of a minimum of three feet from any combustible materials.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.