Local News

US Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined a letter led by Senator Bernie Sanders to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, urging him to stop any changes to United States Postal Service standards that would result in job losses and further degrade mail delivery performance, especially in rural areas like Southern Oregon. While the USPS claims that its "Mail Processing Facility Reviews" will not result in closures or career employee layoffs, the Senators wrote "we are concerned these facility reviews will functionally result in both." In many instances, outgoing mail processing will move hundreds of miles to a regional facility, outside reasonable commuting distance and -- in some cases -- to another state entirely. In Oregon, mail processing at the Eugene and Medford facilities is now being transferred to a facility in Portland, distances of around 110 and 227 miles, respectively. These changes are already producing reports of mail delays in the Medford service area that includes Jackson and Josephine counties. Wyden, Merkley and other lawmakers have asked USPS leaders to hold public hearings about its plan to consolidate mail sorting in Oregon.

 

The regional hazardous material team for Josephine, Jackson, Klamath and Lake counties came to Grants Pass last week to conduct detailed hazmat training for all the fire departments in Josephine County. The Medford-based Oregon State Fire Marshal Region 8 Hazardous Materials Team spent several days at the Hillcrest Fire Station conducting refresher training to approximately 75 firefighters from local agencies. Grants Pass Battalion Chief Wayne Nelson said the team is poised to respond to incidents that occur in the four-county region. He said they regularly provide consultations to firefighters who encounter an unknown material to help with identification, containment and evaluate potential hazard concerns. Nelson said the training conducted last week involved three scenarios: a life safety drill, technical decontamination and emergency decontamination from fire trucks. Hazardous materials pass through Josephine County on a daily basis, especially on Interstate 5 and Redwood Highway.

 

The Josephine Community Library District is partnering with the State Library of Oregon to bring community members a free workshop demonstrating how to find reliable health information online, free from hidden fees and advertisements. The free workshop will be held this Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Grants Pass library branch located at 200 NW C Street. Join Oregon State Library Consultant Arlene Weible and discover reliable online resources free from hidden fees and persuasive advertisements through library resource databases. Weible is a librarian at the State Library of Oregon in Salem. She consults with libraries across the state to help them provide services including access to quality information sources through library databases and government information resources. This program is offered at no charge and is open to the public. A library card is not needed to participate.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners is expected to approve the second readings and adoptions of three ordinances during its weekly business session on Wednesday. Three separate public hearings will be held on ordinances related to Board of Commissioner meetings, the Finance Department and Unified Board of Appeals. The first readings were approved on March 6th. According to Legal Counsel Wally Hicks, all three amendments update outdated ordinances in order to comply with changes in state law. As part of the Consent Calendar, the Commissioners will consider an appointment to the Josephine County Parks Advisory Board. During Requests and Comments from Citizens, residents are given three minutes to address the Board on virtually any topic. Wednesday's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

 

A Grants Pass Police Department investigation has led to the arrest of a woman for a felony-level sex crime. The Police Department reports officers arrested a 29-year-old woman at or near the Li'l Pantry Market & Deli on Rogue River Highway on Monday at 1:30 p.m.. Police said an investigation into a citizen complaint resulted in probable cause that the female suspect engaged in sexual activity with a juvenile family member. They said a citizen showed officers where the suspect has been staying and described her vehicle as a white Chevrolet sedan. After searching the area, officers located the woman at the Rogue River Highway store and placed her into custody. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Incest and she was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for threatening his girlfriend at a northwest-city residence late last weekend. According to the Police Department, officers arrested a 25-year-old man at a home in the 2100-block of NW North Hill Drive on Monday at 10:45 a.m.. Police said they responded to a reported domestic disturbance at that address, and learned that the man and his girlfriend had been engaged in a verbal altercation. During the altercation, the suspect allegedly placed the victim in fear of imminent serious physical injury with his words and conduct. Further investigation determined the incident occurred on Sunday night and it happened in front of their two-year-old child. No one was injured in the fight. The suspect was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for suspicion of Felony Domestic Menacing. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for causing a disturbance in the north part of the city last night. The Police Department reports officers responded to the incident near the corner of NW Morgan Lane and Hawthorne Avenue on Monday around 8:20 p.m.. Police said a truck driver called in the disturbance after his wife dropped him off at his parked semi. The caller said the 41-year-old male subject walked into the street and started yelling profanities at his wife as she drove away. Responding officers observed the suspect in the roadway yelling and causing public alarm. They said he had difficulty following their orders and continued to yell until he was placed into custody. The man admitted that he was planning to fight the owner of a car who shined their headlights into his face as they drove by. The suspect was placed under arrest for his loud and tumultuous behavior. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for allegedly attempting to steal a cart from a Redwood area laundromat yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to a theft complaint at Cleanlife Laundry in the 1700-block of Redwood Avenue on Monday at 3:55 p.m.. Police said the manager of the laundromat called 9-1-1 to report the male subject took the cart to transport his laundry home. The caller followed the man's white motorhome to the corner of Union Avenue and Williams Highway where officers made contact with the suspect in the Walgreen's parking lot. Officers said the 47-year-old man admitted taking the cart, but stated that he intended to bring it back to the laundromat a short time later. However, the business owner wished to pursue charges and the man was detained. The suspect was cited to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Theft and released after the cart was returned to its owner. He was told to report to his corrections officer this morning.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested two people on outstanding warrants during separate traffic stops in Josephine County yesterday. According to OSP, the first incident occurred on Monday at 9:10 a.m. when state troopers pulled over a Subaru Impreza driven by a 37-year-old Grants Pass man in the 3600-block of Merlin Road. Troopers said they stopped the motorist for traffic violations at the Dollar General store and discovered that he was wanted on a local bench warrant for failing to appear in court. The man was cited, ordered to appear in court and then released. The second incident happened on Monday at 8:31 p.m. when troopers pulled over a Volvo sedan driven by a 36-year-old Grants Pass man near the corner of Chinook Park Lane and Gordon Way. Troopers said they stopped the motorist for a traffic violation, discovered that his driving privileges had been suspended and that he was wanted on a local warrant. The man was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant and his mother picked up the Volvo.