Fielder Mountain Fire 72% Contained, Repair and Mop-Up Continues

Firefighters on the Fielder Mountain Fire continued making progress across the incident, pushing forward on mop-up and repair work for the 72% contained, 573 acre fire. Overnight, engines patrolled the fire area, looking for any signs of smoke or fire. Flare-ups were minimal across the incident; this limited fire activity has prompted a decrease in firefighting resources working overnight. Most of the contained line is along the southern and eastern perimeter near Rogue River, where mop-up has been completed 300-feet into the interior of the fire. Today, resources will continue these operations across the rest of the fire, focusing along the western and northern edges, and continuing repair work. Temperatures are expected to reach triple-digits today. Relative humidity is expected to span between 20-30% across the fire area, with light winds predicted. As containment increases, resources that are no longer needed on the fire are being demobilized to either return home and rest or respond to other fires across the state. ...Read more

JCSO, MADIU Detectives Investigating Central Point 2-Year-Old's Death

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division detectives are investigating the death of a 2-year-old child in rural Central Point. Major Assault and Death Investigation Unit detectives responded to assist. Dispatch received a call at 4:30 a.m. for a missing child in the 9900 block of Blackwell Road in rural Central Point. Deputies and Oregon State Police troopers arrived on scene and immediately began searching for the child. The child was located deceased at 5:41 a.m. Detectives are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the child’s death. This case is open and ongoing with detectives following additional leads. There is no further information available for release at this time. ...Read more

Martin Appointed to Court Security Committee at Workshop

Josephine County Commissioner Colene Martin was appointed to the Court Security Committee at Tuesday's 1:30 p.m. workshop. Legal Counsel recommended the signing of a commissioner to the committee after consulting international firms regarding security issues. Other board business included a preliminary discussion for funding infrastructure projects or planning for potential upcoming projects. Commissioner Gary Richardson has reached out to Kerby and Cave Junction about potential projects, and the conversation will be moved forward to a Weekly Business Session. During a Rogue Workforce Partnership Consortium (RWPC) conversation, Legal Counsel reiterated the county is not part of the consortium. Commissioner Ron Smith requested budgetary numbers on county members helped, as well as a track record of people put to work through the organization. Martin wanted Legal Counsel to review governing documents provided by the RWPC before further decisions were made on provided documents. ...Read more