Local News

Grants Pass Police jailed a convicted felon for a weapons crime after he tried to steal merchandise from Walmart this week. The Police Department reports officers arrested 43-year-old Donn Reeves Fincher for the incident at the store on NE Terry Lane late Monday morning. Police said Fincher entered Walmart, selected over $300 in camping gear and left the store without paying. They said he was located a short time later at the nearby Arco AM/PM store and placed into custody. Fincher was found to be in possession of a spring-assisted folding knife, which is prohibited because he is a convicted felon. It was seized as evidence and the stolen camping gear was returned to Walmart. Donn Fincher was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felon in Possession of a Restricted Weapon, 2nd-Degree Theft and 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a Eugene woman for trespassing at her ex-boyfriend's home and throwing his guitar into a swimming pool. The Police Department reports officers responded to a trespassing call involving 38-year-old Sarah Elizabeth Beck in the 2200-block of Cloverlawn Drive early Tuesday morning. Police said Beck returned to the location after previously being trespassed. She advised she was invited by her ex-boyfriend, which would be a violation of his probation. They said the man was not completely honest about when he has or has not been contacting Beck, but he denied inviting her over. Beck was arrested and charged with 1st-Degree Criminal Trespass and 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief for throwing the man's guitar into a pool. She was cited and released, but escorted to Interstate 5 for the return trip to Eugene. The ex-boyfriend -- identified by police as "Samuel Kempton" -- was told to check in with his corrections officer regarding the incident.

 

The Illinois Valley Fire District was called into action twice yesterday -- a large vehicle fire in the morning and a motor vehicle accident in the evening. On Tuesday at 10:34 a.m., IVFD, American Medical Response and the Josephine County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a large vehicle fire at North Caves Avenue and East Lister Street in Cave Junction. IVFD officials said arriving units found an interior fire within a recreational vehicle, which they put out quickly. There were no injuries and the cause of the RV fire was under investigation. On Tuesday at 6 p.m., IVFD, AMR and the Oregon State Police responded to a single-vehicle crash in the 22,300-block of Redwood Highway near Kerby. Arriving units found a vehicle blocking the highway after striking a tree. However, there were no injuries reported. The damaged vehicle was hauled to Cave Junction by Jerry's Towing. The Oregon Department of Transportation directed traffic while the scene was active.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners should make quick work of a light agenda for its weekly business session this morning. There are no public hearings or action items on the meeting agenda. As part of the Consent Calendar, the Board is scheduled to make appointments to the Josephine County Special Transportation Advisory Committee, Josephine County Housing & Community Development Council and Collaborative Economic Development Committee. As always, there will be Requests and Comments from Citizens when participants are given three minutes to address the Commissioners on virtually any topic. Today's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

 

The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) recently finalized the last of several rate-related filings submitted by Pacific Power leading to an overall increase in customer rates to be in full effect as of today. PUC officials said the increase stems from an annual adjustment for power costs, which are markedly higher due to market volatility as well as various additional Pacific Power rate filings, some that increased and others that decreased rates. Overall, customer rates will increase with the exact bill impact differing based on customer type and energy usage. There will be a 12.9% average increase in revenue from residential customers, a 12.1% increase in revenues from small commercial business owners, and a 16.7% average increase from large commercial and industrial customers. For a single-family residence using the average 900 kilowatts per month, monthly bills will increase by $14.92. Officials said drivers for the increase include an annual adjustment for power supply costs, which is a pass-through cost of Pacific Power purchasing electricity to meet customer demand. Power costs have risen sharply and increased in volatility in the Western electricity market. There was also an increase due to costs for wildfire mitigation actions taken by the company among other adjustments.

 

The next competitive grant opportunity for the Connect Oregon Grant Program will be open from Thursday through February 29th. About $46 million is available for eligible aviation, marine and rail transportation projects. Visit the Connect Oregon webpage to apply for or learn more about the program, eligibility requirements and application process. Public, private and nonprofit entities are eligible to apply. After the application window closes, several committees will review and rank submitted applications before presenting a final recommended project list to the Oregon Transportation Commission. Connect Oregon expects to present the final project list to the commission at their November 2024 meeting. Since its launch in 2005, the Connect Oregon Grant Program has awarded $463 million to 221 projects over seven funding opportunities. The most recent round in 2022 awarded grant funding to the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport. Projects that were nominated but not funded in 2022 include the Grants Pass Airport Runway Extension and the Illinois Valley Airport Aircraft Fueling System.

 

Applications are being accepted for openings on the Josephine County/City of Grants Pass Solid Waste Agency Budget Committee. The purpose of this committee is to receive and review the proposed budget and recommend a budget for approval to the Solid Waste Agency. Qualifications to serve on the Solid Waste Agency Budget Committee include residency within Josephine County and voter registration. Experience in evaluation and analysis of the delivery of services is beneficial as well as a background in civic and community volunteer programs. Applications are available in the City of Grants Pass Public Works Office at 101 NW A Street, Room 205, or via the internet at "grantspassoregon.gov." The deadline for completed applications is January 19th. For more information, call (541)-450-6110.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners should make quick work of a light agenda for its weekly business session tomorrow morning. There are no public hearings or action items on the meeting agenda. As part of the Consent Calendar, the Board is scheduled to make appointments to the Josephine County Special Transportation Advisory Committee, Josephine County Housing & Community Development Council and Collaborative Economic Development Committee. As always, there will be Requests and Comments from Citizens when participants are given three minutes to address the Commissioners on virtually any topic. Wednesday's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

 

A Grants Pass man was jailed for allegedly committing domestic violence against his estranged wife last weekend. The Police Department reports 30-year-old Brandon Alexander Fields was arrested for the incident that occurred at a home on SW Susan Lane on Monday shortly before 1 p.m.. Police said Fields' wife came to the GPPD station yesterday to report the incident that allegedly occurred on Sunday night. They said the husband and wife -- who are separated but still married -- became engaged in a verbal altercation. According to the report, Brandon Alexander pushed his wife to the ground, got on top of her, covered her mouth and held her neck. The suspect impeded the victim's breathing and blood circulation to the point where the victim felt herself going into unconsciousness. The incident halted when one of the couple's children came out of their room to investigate what was happening. Three children were present. Brandon Alexander reportedly apologized to his wife while being placed into custody. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Domestic Strangulation and he was being held without bail.