Local News

School is out for summer, but the Grants Pass School District will be providing summer meals at three different locations. Free breakfasts and lunches are available weekdays for kids and teens. All summer meals include fruit, vegetables and 1% or chocolate milk. Menus are subject to change based on availability. School District 7 will serve weekday summer meals from June 9th-August 8th, excluding June 19th and July 4th. Meals are available to children 18 and under and they must be eaten on site. At Allen Dale Elementary School, 2320 Williams Highway, breakfast will be served from 8 to 9 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.. At Parkside Elementary School, 735 SW Wagner Meadows Drive, breakfast will be served from 8 to 9 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.. At the Grants Pass High School Commons/Cafeteria, 830 NE 9th Street, breakfast will be served from 7:30 to 10 a.m. and lunch will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m..

 

The Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc. (SOREDI), Foundation has announced that a senior at Rogue River High School has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Student Career Pathways Scholarship. Sophia Dame will receive a $1,500 scholarship. The award was officially granted by the SOREDI Foundation Board of Directors on June 3rd in recognition of Sophia Dame's outstanding academic achievements, leadership potential and commitment to career development in Southern Oregon. The Student Career Pathways Scholarship is designed to support a promising student who demonstrates a clear vision for their future career and a dedication to contributing to the economic vitality of the region. The SOREDI Foundation remains committed to fostering talent and innovation in Southern Oregon by investing in the next generation of leaders and professionals.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners annexed three properties into the local library district and approved three orders during its weekly business session this morning. The Board unanimously approved the annexation of two properties in Cave Junction and one in Williams into the Josephine Community Library District. The annexations were by petition of the landowners, without election. Under Administrative Actions, the Commissioners appointed Janet Frederickson as Interim Public Health Administrator until a permanent director is selected. She is the Senior Administrative Supervisor for Public Health, with knowledge of agency policies as well as appropriate department budgets and statutory requirements. In other business, the Board approved a resolution delegating contract signing authority for Fair entertainment to Josephine County Recreation Director Tamra Martin who doubles as the Fair Manager and Director of County Parks. In order to ensure a quorum during the week of June 16th-20th, the Commission approved a resolution rescheduling the business session to Wednesday, June 18th, at 10 a.m.. The Commissioners opened the meeting with recognition of the Grants Pass Active Club for staging another successful Boatnik Festival as well as their support of youth and families in Josephine County. During the public comment period, two former department heads spoke in opposition to recent Board decisions and public statements. Former Juvenile Justice Director Jim Goodwin chastised the Board for recent personnel decisions and former Public Health Director Michael Weber denounced public statements allegedly made by Commissioner Ron Smith that his termination was the result of financial mismanagement.

 

Less than one week after the Oregon Department of Forestry declared the start of fire season in Josephine and Jackson counties, the state agency will be raising the fire danger level. On Saturday at 12:01 a.m., local fire danger will rise from "low" to "moderate" on 1.8 million acres of state, private, county, city and BLM forestlands in the two-county region. The Industrial Fire Precaution Level will remain at "1." Hot temperatures and windy conditions for the past couple of weeks have caused vegetation to dry at a slightly faster rate than expected. This has contributed to new fire starts and growth. High temperatures this weekend are predicted to reach 100 degrees with thunderstorms also possible. Starting Saturday, all open fires will be prohibited including campfires, charcoal fires, cooking fires and warming fires except at designated campgrounds. Portable cooking stoves or fire pits using liquefied or bottled fuels are allowed in areas clear of vegetation. Chainsaws may not be used between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. during moderate fire danger. Cutting, grinding and welding of metal is not allowed during the same times during moderate fire danger. Neither is the mowing of dead and dried grass during those hours. This restriction does not include the mowing of green lawns or equipment used for the commercial culture and harvest of agricultural crops. All other public fire restrictions currently in effect will remain in effect including no outdoor debris burning as well as burn barrels and no fireworks within 1/8th of a mile of ODF-protected lands. For more information, please visit "swofire.com."

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a convicted sex offender late yesterday after he caused a disturbance at Riverside Park. The Police Department reports officers arrested 68-year-old Kenneth Lee Morin at the city park on the Rogue River on Wednesday at 4:56 p.m.. Police said they were alerted to a group of people yelling at a male subject in a Nissan Altima at the park. One member of the group said they were upset because Morin is a sex offender and he should not be at a public park facility. Morin told officers that he was at the park to use the restroom and he knew he was not supposed to be there per the terms of his post-prison supervision. Officers detained Morin and contacted his corrections officer, who requested his client be placed into custody. Morin was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Parole Violation stemming from a previous conviction for an unspecified sex offense.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for causing verbal disturbances at downtown resting sites last night. According to the Police Department, officers responded to an incident involving 45-year-old Jeffrey Brian Madden at the 6th and A Street resting site on Wednesday shortly before 8 p.m.. While in the area for an unrelated call for service, an officer observed Madden in a verbal conflict with several other men and women. The officers said Madden was gesturing violently and clearly escalating the situation. Occupants of the resting site later pointed toward a splitting maul he had been swinging around. Madden was told to depart Resting Site #6 and he immediately walked over to Resting Site #5 on NW 5th Street where he initiated another conflict. He was detained and found to be in possession of a pipe with methamphetamine residue. Madden was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and Meth Possession. He was being held without bail and was also trespassed from both resting sites for 30 days.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested three people on drug-related charges in the downtown area yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to reports of suspicious activity near Liberty Tax Services at 110 SE K Street on Wednesday at 12:50 p.m.. Police said one caller reported four subjects were shooting up drugs under a tree outside the tax business. Officers arrived on scene and found 38-year-old Kelcey Edwin Cummings holding a methamphetamine pipe and getting ready to use it. They said 42-year-old Esther Elizabeth Huston had a meth pipe next to her feet. She was also found to be in possession of fentanyl that was located in her purse. A third person -- 33-year-old Kyle Flury Palomino -- was arrested for Probation Violation related to an arrest for Meth Possession. His corrections officer was notified. Cummings, Huston and Palomino were lodged at the Josephine County Jail, with Palomino being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman on two outstanding warrants near downtown resting sites early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers contacted 38-year-old Brittany Rae Adams at the old ADAPT building on NW 6th Street on Wednesday at 10:33 a.m.. Police said they spotted Adams sleeping on the porch of the former Yankee Pot Roast building now owned by the City of Grants Pass. They said she was found to be wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for Methamphetamine Possession as well as a Jackson County warrant for an unspecified crime. After the warrants were confirmed, Adams was lodged in jail. Her male companion -- identified as "Aleksandr Uchytil" -- was told to move along. Both were issued trespass warnings.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested an uncooperative motorist for driving with a suspended license following an early morning traffic stop in the Cave Junction area yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies pulled over a Dodge driven by 37-year-old Nicolas Michael Bryant on Caves Highway near South Old Stage Road at about 12:45 a.m. Wednesday. Deputies said Bryant initially refused to identify himself, refused to get out of his vehicle and stated that he has the right to travel in Oregon. They said his driving privileges were suspended by the state and he does not have the right to do so unless it's an emergency situation. They determined there was no emergency. According to the report, Bryant had a .22-caliber pistol on his hip and "lots" of rounds on the floor of his vehicle. He reportedly struggled with deputies as they placed him into custody. Bryant was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Resisting Arrest and Driving While Suspended. His vehicle was impounded and his dog was picked up by a friend.