Local News

The Jackson County Board of Commissioners presented the City of Ashland's Wastewater Treatment Plant with the Community Partner Appreciation Award at its regular meeting last week.

The award recognizes the voluntary sampling the plant has provided at the request of Oregon State University and the Jackson County Department of Health and Human Services.

The award was presented to Wastewater Treatment Plant Manager Ben Russell and to all Ashland wastewater treatment plant staff. The Board expressed its admiration and gratitude for the plant's service to the Jackson County community.

Ashland wastewater treatment plant staff collect samples each week. Those samples are used to track levels of disease in the community, which allows the Health Department to watch trends in illnesses such as COVID-19, influenza, RSV and measles.

 

The Grants Pass DMV at 162 NE Beacon Drive became the state’s first to offer an in-office Express Kiosk.

According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, the kiosk provides a way for customers to renew a vehicle registration, print a copy of a vehicle registration, or replace a vehicle registration card and stickers.

Customers can bypass the lobby line, renew their vehicle registration in English or Spanish, and walk away with their printed vehicle registration and license plate stickers. Kiosks do not require an appointment, and most transactions take five minutes or less to complete. 

The stickers include the vehicle’s license plate number, a feature only available at kiosks, to prevent theft and fraud. Upcoming transaction options will include driver reinstatement fees and miscellaneous vehicle fees.

The Grants Pass DMV kiosk will be available during regular office hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday. In addition to the renewal fee, a vendor transaction fee of $4.95 is charged for each transaction.

 

Grants Pass Police trespassed a man following a possible drug use complaint at Riverside Park Wednesday morning.

A Parks Department employee reported to dispatch at 11:14 a.m. that a park goer approached him, saying there were several individuals inside the men's bathroom. It was believed drug-related activity was taking place, and the employee requested a response from law enforcement.

Upon arrival, officers contacted Justis Cory and another individual inside the restroom. A consent search was conducted, and a small rubber container was located in Cory's backpack that contained a crystal like residue.

He was taken into custody for Possession of Methamphetamine and a Parole Violation detainer, then transported to the Josephine County Jail for lodging. Officers also trespassed Cory from the park for 30 days.

 

Grants Pass School District 7 students made significant gains in both English Language Arts (ELA) and math on the 2025-26 Oregon Statewide Assessment System (OSAS) tests, with growth across the district and particularly strong gains in grades 3, 5 and 7. According to a statement, districtwide, ELA proficiency increased 4.3 percentage points, from 46.6% in 2024-25 to 50.9% in 2025-26. Math proficiency increased 4.2 percentage points, from 31.9% in 2024-25 to 36.1% in 2025-26. Across Oregon, proficiency increased by 0.8 percentage points in ELA and 1.4 percentage points in math. Statewide, 43.8% of students were proficient in ELA, and 32.9% were proficient in math. Grants Pass students outperformed the statewide proficiency rate. The district was 8.9 percentage points above the state in third-grade ELA, 10.0 points above in fifth-grade ELA, and 8.1 points above in seventh-grade ELA. In math, Grants Pass was 8.0 points above the state in third grade, 5.1 points above in fifth grade, and 10.8 points above in seventh grade.

 

Fire crews successfully held the Crow Road Fire at an estimated quarter acre, with 50% of the perimeter lined per the latest update.

According to the Oregon Department of Forestry, units responded alongside Grants Pass Fire and Rescue and Rural Metro Fire to the grass fire Wednesday. Multiple ground and air units moved in for an aggressive initial attack.

Crews worked to secure the perimeter and prevent further spread. The final update at 4:30 p.m. stated aircraft were released from the incident, while ground crews continued mop-up operations on hot spots.

 

Legal Counsel met with the Board of Commissioners to discuss a spending limit of a settled case, and a request for a proposal for contracted attorney services.

A surplus proceeds litigation case has been settled through the Snell Wilmer law firm. The Finance department needed the board to identify a spending limit, with Legal Counsel recommending $40,000 to cover legal expenses for the case. The board, consisting of Commissioners Ron Smith and Gary Richardson, approved the amount without objection.

Next, with a retirement scheduled for Wednesday of next week, Counsel recommended putting out a state-wide inquiry to different targeted firms and providers for contracted attorney services, with consideration of potential candidates to follow. The board then thanked Legal Counsel Leah Harper for her service to the community.

An executive session was rescheduled due to a change in date for the Stephen Eric Fitch v. Josephine County et al case. A Court Security Advisory Committee update will also be rescheduled.

 

Emergency responders were alerted and dispatched to a traffic accident Wednesday evening.

The Illinois Valley Fire District and American Medical Response reported to the incident in the 100 block of Wild Park Lane, Selma, at 6:20 p.m. Upon arrival, units identified a vehicle that had collided with a power pole.

The vehicle was unoccupied, and a subsequent search of the surrounding area yielded no individuals. Pacific Power worked to restore electrical service. The vehicle has been flagged, and the Josephine County Sheriff's Office was notified for further action.

 

The Board of Commissioners considered the dismissal or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against a public officer, employee, staff member, or individual agent Wednesday in executive session.

The Human Resources department was authorized to move forward with an investigation as needed without objection from the board.

After reconvening from their 1:30 p.m. this afternoon, executive session in consideration of the employment of a public officer, employee, staff member, or individual agent, the Commissioners chose to continue with the interview process.

Commissioner Colene Martin and Human Resources were appointed to conduct the interview, which will then be brought back to the board next week.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office is searching for a missing teen. Tony Fletcher was last seen on September 19th around 11:00 p.m. on Caves Highway. He is described as a 14-year-old 5'10" Caucasian male with light brown/blonde hair, and blue eyes. He was wearing blue jeans, a light blue shirt, and a white baseball hat. Tony likes to hang out at Jubilee Park, and may be in a white Mazda sedan. If you have any information on Tony's whereabouts, please contact the Josephine County Sheriff's Office at 541-474-5123. Reference Case #26-25755.