Local News

Most people think of April 15th as Tax Deadline Day, the day when federal and state personal income tax returns must be filed. But for disabled and senior homeowners struggling to pay their property taxes, April 15th provides another deadline and an opportunity to take part in a program that could help them stay in their homes. April 15th is the deadline to apply for the Oregon Property Tax Deferral for Disabled and Senior Homeowners Program. The program helps disabled and senior homeowners stay in their homes by paying their property taxes for them subject to a lien that is repaid with 6% interest after the deferral ends. This is not a tax exemption -- the program is paying the current year taxes to local governments. If a qualified homeowner with a site-built home had prior property taxes outstanding, they can request a delay of tax foreclosure from the county. In 2024, the program paid more than $11.5 million in property taxes for 3,382 seniors and 419 disabled homeowners. Participants must be at least 62 years old or disabled and eligible to receive federal Social Security Disability benefits, and they must have owned and lived in their home for five years. To obtain an application form or for more information, please visit the Oregon Department of Revenue website at "oregon.gov/dor/deferral."

 

State Representative Christine Drazan has introduced a bill that creates a 5% property tax exemption that increases annually for homeowners who are at least 65 years old, have lived in their homes for at least 10 years and have a household income of no more than $150,000 per year. State demographic data shows seniors outnumber children in Oregon for the first time since 2023 at 19.6%, and the demand for elderly care is increasing rapidly. According to recent projections, property taxes, utilities and medical costs are among the fastest-growing expenses for seniors. In 2022, health care costs increased by 49% and Medicare costs increased by 57.5%. Representative Drazan said our seniors need help. She said legislative spending needs to reflect the needs of our communities, adding that House Bill 3755 makes new investment strategies that support our aging population.

 

Theater Arts at Rogue Community College is back after a several-year absence. The first production -- Amelia Roper's English translation of Shakespeare's Two Gentlemen of Verona -- will take place this spring. Auditions will be held at RCC's Riverside Campus in Medford, with most rehearsals at the Table Rock Campus in White City and performances at the Redwood Campus in Grants Pass. General auditions are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday of next week, with callbacks on Wednesday. Signups for auditions are posted on the bulletin board in the Humanities Faculty Office at the Riverside Campus. Auditions will be conducted as a cold read and sides will be available to preview in the same office. For more information, contact Alice Jordan in the RCC Humanities Department at (541)-956-7461.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office assisted the United States Marshals Service with the apprehension of a Selma man wanted on a statewide felony warrant. Sheriff's deputies and US Marshals arrested 35-year-old William Allen Tweet in the 100-block of Norman Road on Tuesday at 11:35 a.m.. Tweet was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Felony Parole Violation related to a past conviction for 1st-Degree Theft. He was also wanted on a Josephine County warrant for failing to appear in court for Disorderly Conduct. Deputies said Tweet was placed into custody while he was walking down Norman Road. They said he did not resist being arrested. Tweet was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a felon for drug and weapon crimes while placing his female companion in the local deflection program early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to perform a welfare check on a man and woman in the WinCo Foods parking lot on Tuesday at 9:10 p.m.. Police said 35-year-old Matthew Moats and 20-year-old Alexandria Millwood were reported to be slumped over in a Toyota Camry near the supermarket exit with drug paraphernalia in plain view. Upon contact, Moats told officers the drug in use was methamphetamine and he was found to be in possession of a knife with a centrifugal-force blade during a consent search. He was confirmed to be a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing drugs or weapons. Both were seized as evidence. Moats was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felon in Possession of a Restricted Weapon and Meth Possession. He was being held without bail. Millwood was offered the deflection program instead of jail and she accepted. The car keys and two dogs in the vehicle were left with her.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a well-known offender for his erratic behavior in a northwest neighborhood yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers placed 44-year-old Nicholas John Knox Knowles into custody in the 700-block of NW 2nd Street on Tuesday at 12:52 p.m.. Police said they contacted Knowles after two citizens advised they were alarmed when they observed him removing his clothing, yelling to himself and entering people's yards. Knowles was contacted on the back patio of a residence where he had his shirt off and was holding an empty beer can. His corrections officer was contacted and he requested his client be placed on a detainer. Knowles was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and the resulting Felony Parole Violation. He was being held without bail. Jail records show Knowles has been arrested for violating his parole nine times since June of last year.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for drug possession at the Josephine County Community Corrections Office late yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested 40-year-old Tera Mae Core at the corrections office on NW 4th Street on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.. Police said Core's corrections officer patted her down during a scheduled check-in and found her to be in possession of a crystal-like substance that she admitted was methamphetamine. The meth was seized for destruction. Core was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Meth Possession and Probation Violation. She was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

Police arrested a woman on an outside felony warrant last night during a welfare check near the Grants Pass Shopping Center. According to GPPD, officers contacted 27-year-old Sarena Lynn Dukart in the 500-block of NE Anderson Street on Tuesday shortly after 9 p.m.. Police said they responded to reports of a female subject slumped over the steering wheel of a Volkswagen Jetta parked at that location. The callers said the passenger door was open, but there was no one else in or near the vehicle. They requested a welfare check and expressed concerns the woman might try to drive the car. Upon contact with Dukart, officers discovered that she was wanted on a Lane County felony warrant for absconding on her probation for an unspecified crime. Dukart was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a wrong-way motorist for violating a court order early yesterday in the north part of the city. According to the Police Department, officers pulled over a Ford F-150 pickup driven by 43-year-old Jesse Bruce Sweet near the corner of NE 6th Street and Hillcrest Drive on Tuesday around 12:45 a.m.. Police said they stopped Sweet after they observed him traveling north on southbound 6th Street. They said he is not from this area and his wife was identified as his passenger. A records check revealed that Sweet's wife was legally protected from him in a valid court order through Coos County. Sweet was placed into custody and lodged in jail without bail for Contempt of Court-Restraining Order Violation. He was being held without bail.