Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested two people for their unruly behavior in two separate incidents on the same day in the downtown area last weekend. According to the Police Department, the first incident occurred on Saturday at 3:38 p.m. when officers were alerted to a male transient sleeping in the doorway of a downtown business in the 300-block of SW 6th Street. Police said they awakened the 38-year-old man who immediately jumped to his feet and squared up to fight an officer. He had threatened officers with violence on a previous call earlier in the day, so he was taken to the ground before any punches were thrown. He was lodged in jail for Disorderly Conduct and Attempted Assault on a Public Safety Officer. The second incident happened on Saturday at 5:05 p.m. when officers responded to reports of a female subject throwing objects, crawling on the sidewalk and yelling at people in the 100-block of SW G Street. Responding officers observed the 64-year-old woman's bad behavior, which was causing public alarm. She was lodged in jail for Disorderly Conduct.

 

Rural Metro Fire Department assisted the Applegate Valley Fire District in battling a weekend structure fire in the Murphy area. On Sunday at 7:35 p.m., Rural Metro and Applegate Valley firefighters responded to a reported structure fire in the 9800-block of North Applegate Road. Multiple units converged on the scene near the border of both agencies, finding a fire in the second floor of an occupied residence. All occupants were able to flee the dwelling and no injuries were reported. After full containment of the blaze, Rural Metro units were released. The Applegate Valley Fire District was leading the investigation into the cause of the fire.

 

Jackson County residents should be prepared for a test of the Citizen Alert Notification System today. Jackson County Emergency Management said it will conduct today's test between 10 a.m. and noon. Jackson County encourages all residents to sign up for Citizen Alert or update their information before the test. For more information, visit "jacksoncountyor.gov/alerts."

 

The Pacific Northwest Region of the US Forest Service is still actively seeking nominations for the regional Recreation Resource Advisory Committee (RRAC). This committee will play a crucial role in shaping the future of recreation fee programs on federal lands in Oregon and Washington. The Pacific Northwest Region RRAC's role will be to provide recommendations on various aspects of the recreation fee program including day-use fees, overnight use fees and special recreation permit fees. The committee will work to develop inclusive and impactful recommendations that reflect varied community interests. The 11-member committee will include representatives from a variety of interest areas including winter and summer recreation, hunting and fishing, motorized and non-motorized outfitters and guides, local environmental groups, state tourism officials, affected Indian tribes and affected local government interests. The Forest Service is seeking members to serve on this important committee and encourages self-nominations as well as nominations of qualified candidates from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Each member serves a two- or three-year term. The nomination period will close this Friday, May 17th.

 

The Eagle Point Police Department is proud to announce it has been recognized for excellence in policy management and training in 2023 by Lexipol -- it's the third consecutive year EPPD has received the award. Lexipol is the nation's leading provider of policy, training and wellness support for first responders and public servants. Eagle Point Police Chief Jim Hamilton said the Lexipol Connect program tracks performance on five metrics proven to measure success in policy management. He said EPPD achieved Gold -- the highest level of recognition offered -- for effective and consistent policy dissemination to personnel, timely policy updates as laws change and officer training on policies. Chief Hamilton said policy management is critical to ensure compliance with changes to law and procedures, and to ensure staff regularly trains on those changes. Hamilton said they are honored to be recognized as an agency and they continue to strive to provide the highest level of service in the Eagle Point community. Their commitment to policy and policy training helps to provide trained staff through nationally-recognized best practices.

 

Britt Music & Arts Festival has announced its full lineup for the 2024 season and all shows are now on sale to the general public. Shows newly added to this final general public on-sale include legendary hip-hop duo Atmosphere, folk artist Ray LaMontagne and Gregory Alan Isakov, and award-winning soul artists Michael Kiwanuka and Brittany Howard. Britt will also be welcoming Dog Star, a star-studded band that includes actors Keanu Reeves on bass, Robert Mailhouse on drums, and Bret Domrose on guitar and vocals. Those acts are in addition to Britt performances by Pink Martini, Judy Collins, Nickel Creek, The California Honeydrops, Ziggy Marley, Willie Nelson & Family, Shaggy, Colbie Callat & Gavin DeGraw, Rick Springfield & Richard Marx, Jason Mraz, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening and Chis Izaak. The Britt Festival Orchestra season is just one month away and tickets are still available to all concerts including the two-night run of "Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope in Concert." All tickets are available at "brittfest.org."

 

Jackson County residents should be prepared for a test of the Citizen Alert Notification System on Tuesday. Jackson County Emergency Management said it will conduct tomorrow's test between 10 a.m. and noon. Jackson County encourages all residents to sign up for Citizen Alert or update their information before the test. For more information, visit "jacksoncountyor.gov/alerts."

 

The Oregon State Police was investigating a fatal crash that occurred late last week in a mountainous area just north of Grants Pass. OSP reports the motor vehicle accident happened near the intersection of Winona Road and BLM Road 35-5-9.2 on the east side of Walker Mountain late Friday afternoon. Few other details were available at press time, including the identity of the deceased and the probable cause of the fatal crash. The involved vehicle was a gray Jeep Grand Cherokee with Oregon license plate 569BYQ. State troopers took scene photos and evidence in accordance with OSP's Collision Reconstruction Policy. All evidence and information was put into OSP Evidence for processing at a later date.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Rogue River man on an out-of-state fugitive warrant as well as two out-of-county warrants during a weekend traffic stop in Cave Junction. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Dodge Avenger driven by the 36-year-old male subject near the corner of West River Street and North Sawyer Avenue on Friday at 11:44 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the motorist for failing to obey a traffic control device and discovered that he was wanted on multiple felony warrants including one from out-of-state and two from outside Josephine County. Alleged criminal offenses in the warrants included two counts of Felony Possession of Methamphetamine plus single counts of Theft, Escape and Interfering with a Police Officer. The suspect was placed into custody and transported to Grants Pass where he was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.