Local News

Grants Pass Police incarcerated a man for trespassing at the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) office in the northwest part of the city early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to a trespassing call involving 50-year-old Eugene Lynn Jenkins, Jr., at the DHS office on NW Hawthorne Avenue around 2:40 a.m. Tuesday. Police said Jenkins was initially contacted by Concierge Security and he refused to leave the premises. They said they offered to give him a ride to another location because he wasn't wearing any shoes. However, the man cursed at them, refused to leave and requested that he be lodged in jail. Jenkins got his wish. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. He was trespassed from the DHS office and is only allowed on the property during business hours.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners has only one action item on its weekly business agenda this morning. Under Administrative Actions, the Board will consider approval of a Criminal Justice Commission Justice Reinvestment Program grant agreement. The two-year agreement with the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission is worth a total of $2,454,684, which would be disbursed in four equal installments of $613,671 through January 5, 2025. Unless it's extended, the contract would expire in March 2026. As always, there will be Requests and Comments from Citizens in which residents are allowed three minutes to speak to the Commissioners on virtually any topic. Today's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

 

Grants Pass Mayor Sara Bristol plans to veto a recently-passed humanitarian services ordinance because she says it would add an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy and red tape in the city park system. In a Tuesday news release, Mayor Bristol said she believes this ordinance is expedient, redundant and opens the door to potential litigation against the city. Bristol wrote: "To be clear, I am strongly opposed to the use of drugs in our city parks. It is already illegal under Municipal Code to possess or deliver drugs, needles or other drug paraphernalia in city parks and public properties. It is already illegal to have propane tanks and kerosene tanks on public property. And it already regulates special events on public property, including established standards for denial and an appeals process, without singling out a specific type of use as the proposed ordinance does." The mayor said if the Grants Pass City Council is serious about reducing the homeless presence in city parks, she suggests stopping the tactics of excessive regulation that only burdens law enforcement while starting to focus on actions that will provide shelter for unhoused people so city parks can be reclaimed.

 

The Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) is holding its regular meeting in Medford this week. The Thursday meeting at 9 a.m. will be hybrid, originating in the Prescott Room of the Medford Police Department at 219 South Ivy Street. Items on the OTC agenda include 2024 Legislative Summary and Recap, Urban Mobility Office Update and Local Project Updates such as the Interstate 5 South Medford Interchange Area Management Plan and a presentation on the Rogue Valley Area Commission on Transportation (RVACT). Citizens are encouraged to view the meeting at "youtube.com/c/OregonDOT." Please note that participation will be limited to one representative per organization. People and organizations who are providing public comment to the OTC for the first time will be given priority for the limited available testimony spots. Today, Commissioners are joining ODOT staff and others on a tour and site visit to several locations in Jackson County including the Oregon Highway 140-Foothill Road Roundabout, Highway 99 in Phoenix and Highland Barnett Exit 27.

 

The Three Rivers School District Science Fair this year boasted an impressive turnout with 78 outstanding projects submitted by 100 enthusiastic students. To recognize and reward students' hard work, gold, silver and bronze certificates were distributed based on average scores. In the Chemistry & Earth category, the winner was Giovana Guimaraes of Applegate School. Charlee Stacey of Fort Vannoy won in Consumer Products Testing. For Behavioral & Social Science, Danny Kent of Lincoln Savage was the winner. In the Engineering category, Quinton Quigley of Fort Vannoy was tops. Cameron Williams of Fruitdale picked up top prize for Energy & Transportation while Rowan Zamber of Fort Vannoy was the winner in Medicine & Health. Top prize in Physics-Electromagnetic went to Jace Searle of Lorna Byrne while in Physics-Mechanics, Maeby Jane Leonard of Applegate picked up the gold. Other winners included Morrigan Wright of Fort Vannoy in Plant Biology, Wyatt Fitting of Applegate in Environmental Science and Kylee Moline in Animal Science & Microbiology.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners has only one action item on its weekly business agenda tomorrow morning. Under Administrative Actions, the Board will consider approval of a Criminal Justice Commission Justice Reinvestment Program grant agreement. The two-year agreement with the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission is worth a total of $2,454,684, which would be disbursed in four equal installments of $613,671 through January 5, 2025. Unless it's extended, the contract would expire in March 2026. As always, there will be Requests and Comments from Citizens in which residents are allowed three minutes to speak to the Commissioners on virtually any topic. Wednesday's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office has issued a press release regarding the fatal structure fire that occurred last weekend in the Jerome Prairie area, but the identity of the deceased has not yet been disclosed. Sheriff's deputies, Rural Metro Fire Department and Grants Pass Fire & Rescue were dispatched to the structure fire in the 600-block of Timber Ridge Road late Sunday night. Upon arrival, rescue personnel searched the single-story residence and located a deceased adult inside. No other injuries were reported. Because of the death, Lieutenant Jim Geiger said the Oregon State Fire Marshal has begun an investigation into the cause of the fire. He said investigators are continuing to work on identifying the decedent and locating their next of kin. Lieutenant Geiger said this morning that no further information on the fatal fire is available at this time.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a woman yesterday for fighting with officers at a local motel after she was called in as a trespassing complaint. The Police Department reports officers eventually arrested 33-year-old Janique Lee Kosct for the incident at Holiday Inn Express on NE Agness Avenue on Monday at 3:15 p.m.. Police said they contacted Kosct in the parking lot of the motel where she was organizing her property and refusing to leave the property. When told she was under arrest, she replied "No, I'm not" and physically resisted law enforcement. According to the report, Kosct kicked multiple officers in the groin area in an attempt to avoid being placed into custody. Focused blows to the suspect were administered with no effect, so a Taser was deployed during the close-quarters struggle and she was ultimately subdued. Janique Kosct was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Assault on a Police Officer, Resisting Arrest, Criminal Trespass and the resulting Probation Violation. She was still being held without bail this morning.

 

Grants Pass Police apprehended a woman wanted on a statewide felony warrant after she caused a disturbance near the downtown area late yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers arrested 33-year-old Morgan Delin Weber in the 1300-block of SW G Street at 5:09 p.m. Monday. Police said they responded to complaints about a female subject walking back and forth near the laundromat, stopping traffic and asking for rides. One of the people the suspect asked was an employee of the Josephine County Jail who called 9-1-1. Officers contacted Weber near corner of G and Booth streets a short time later. She was found to be wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a conviction for Harassing Communication. Morgan Weber was lodged without bail at the adult jail facility.