Local News

Grants Pass Police evicted three campers out of one city park for repeat ordinance violations on Wednesday. At Riverside Park, a man was cited for Scattering Rubbish, a second man was cited for Buffer Zone Violation and Misuse of Open Space, and a third man was cited for Illegal Camping and Buffer Zone Violation. All three were trespassed for 30 days. A total of 16 campsites at Riverside Park were posted for Illegal Camping and an e-mail was sent to the United Community Action Network (UCAN).

 

State troopers seized a stolen license plate off a vehicle that was pulled over on the Grants Pass Parkway late yesterday. The Oregon State Police reports troopers stopped a white Hyundai Sonata driven by a 45-year-old Grants Pass woman on US Highway 199 near NE Terry Lane on Wednesday shortly after 4 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the suspect vehicle for failing to properly display a license plate. During the course of the investigation, they discovered that the license plate had been previously reported as stolen. During a field interview, it was learned that the driver was in possession of one of the stolen license plates. The woman was not arrested, but she was warned and the stolen license plate was seized and submitted for destruction.

 

The Oregon Transportation Safety Commission wants to make sure they hear from each corner and from all communities in the state with feedback, project ideas and concerns to better serve citizens. This spring, the commission is hosting eight in-person sessions where community members can make their voices heard. One of those sessions is taking place today in Grants Pass. It runs in an open house format from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Josephine County Fairgrounds. If you're interested in transportation safety in Josephine and Jackson counties, stop by the open house before 6.

 

The Oregon Department of Forestry and other five prevention experts urge the public to exercise caution when disposing of yard debris this spring. Over 70% of wildfires in Oregon are human-caused, with debris burning being the #1 cause. As the weather gets hotter and fuels begin to dry out, the risk of a debris burn escaping increases. Now is the time to trim trees, bushes and tidy up plants around your home to create a "defensible space" around your property. As you begin spring clean-up, the Oregon Department of Forestry and Keep Oregon Green urge you to put some extra thought into how you plan to dispose of your yard debris. Call your local ODF office before burning to make sure the weather conditions are safe. You can also cover part of the pile with plastic and keep it dry until the rainy fall and winter seasons and when it's safer to burn. Delaying your plans will give the debris more time to cure and avoid spring holdover fires as fire risk increases with hotter, drier weather. By choosing alternative disposal methods or burning under safe conditions outside of fire season, Oregonians can significantly reduce the risk of creating a large wildfire. Remember, outdoor debris burning is prohibited in southwest Oregon during fire season. ODF officials said the 2024 fire season will begin on or before June 1st.

 

The Special Districts Association of Oregon has agreed to cover legal fees of more than $14,000 that were incurred in litigation between the Josephine Community Library District and Josephine County Board of Commissioners. On December 6, 2023, the Board of Commissioners voted 2-to-1 to allow residents Mike & Winnie Pelfrey to opt out of the library district and no longer pay taxes to support library services. Immediately after, the Josephine Community Library District Board of Directors voted to appeal the ruling to both preserve the integrity of the 2017 library district election and to seek judgement from a higher court on the Commissioners' ruling. As a result, the library district contracted with the law firm Hornecker Cowling, LLP, to appeal the decision through the courts. In March, the Board of Commissioners conceded to a stipulation and rescinded their ruling to allow the Pelfreys to withdraw from the library district. In addition to support from the Special Districts Association, library supporters donated $1,695 to the Josephine Community Library Foundation toward total legal expenses of $15,905. Library officials said contributions from the organization and donors ensure responsible financial stewardship of resources for the district to taxpayers.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed man for multiple crimes this week after catching him driving a stolen vehicle on Rogue River Highway. The Police Department reports officers pulled over a Toyota Tacoma driven by the 45-year-old man on Highway 99 near Parkdale Drive on Tuesday night. Police said they spotted the Tacoma, which had been reported stolen from the 5900-block of Jerome Prairie Road by the Josephine County Sheriff's Office. While contacting the driver, they discovered that his driving privileges had been suspended. During a consent search, he was found to be in possession of both methamphetamine and fentanyl. The narcotics were seized for destruction and the registered owner of the truck was notified of its recovery. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Possession of a Stolen Vehicle along with misdemeanor charges of Driving While Suspended, Possession of Meth and Possession of Fentanyl. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a felon for violating his post-prison supervision early yesterday after he caused a violent disturbance at Three Rivers Medical Center. The Police Department reports officers arrested the 41-year-old man for the incident at the hospital on SW Ramsey Avenue on Wednesday at 6:05 a.m.. Police said the male subject became uncooperative and confrontational in the Three Rivers emergency room before walking away from the facility while armed with a six-inch knife. Still acting aggressively, the man entered the outpatient building where one of the employees set off the panic alarm. The man -- who was carrying the knife, a hospital blanket and some other items -- was contacted near a tire shop on Union Avenue where he was placed into custody without further incident. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Parole Violation and he was being held on a no-bail detainer. He was also trespassed from the hospital.

 

The Josephine County District Attorney's Office was deciding whether to file charges against a Grants Pass man who was allegedly caught by the Oregon State Police breaking into a parked pickup on Interstate 5 at Highland Hill. OSP reports troopers detained the 43-year-old man along the northbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 60 on Tuesday morning. Troopers released few details about the incident, but the vehicle involved in the break-in was identified as a green Chevrolet C-1500 pickup and the suspect tried to run away. He was chased down and detained, but not arrested. OSP referred charges of Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle and Attempt to Elude Police against the suspect to the DA's office for consideration.

 

Police arrested a female transient for making a nuisance of herself at the Grants Pass Shopping Center this week. The Police Department reports officers responded to perform a welfare check on the 29-year-old woman at the shopping center on NE D Street on Tuesday night. Officers said Concierge Security contacted them about a female subject who had scattered a large amount of garbage behind a paint store and refused to leave the premises when contacted. The woman was yelling that she needed Top Ramen. She was offered a ride to the Sobering Center, but did not want to go there. According to the report, the woman had been previously trespassed from the shopping center and she also wandered onto a nearby residential property. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Criminal Trespass. Her trespass warning at the shopping center was renewed and she was issued another warning for the residential property.