Local News

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a dirt bike rider who attempted to elude deputies in the Merlin area this week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies eventually caught up to and arrested 26-year-old Cole Raymond in the 11,200-block of Lower River Road on Wednesday night. Deputies said the incident began when they spotted two men riding dirt bikes on a public roadway and they refused to stop. One of the riders took off on Azalea Drive while the other continued down Galice Road. They followed one bike down Azalea to Robertson Bridge Road where it turned right and made several U-turns, stopping long enough to "flip-off" law enforcement. According to the report, Raymond went into a residential yard during the pursuit and then continued on until the final stop on Lower River Road. Raymond was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Attempt to Elude Police and Reckless Driving. His Kawasaki dirt bike was impounded and towed away.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for allegedly attacking her husband at their northwest city residence this week. The Police Department reports officers responded to a domestic disturbance at a home in the 100-block of NW Sinclair Drive late Wednesday night. Police said a man called 9-1-1 to report that his 28-year-old wife punched him twice during an argument over family issues. The man said this had happened before, but he never reported it. There were three children in the home at the time of the incident, but the man said he didn't believe they witnessed any violence. Upon arrival, officers contacted Emillie Rose Thompson and she told them she had been drinking when the fight started. She claimed her husband was screaming at her and she pushed him away. After officers observed redness and swelling on the man, she was placed into custody. Thompson was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 4th-Degree Domestic Assault.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Coos Bay man for two crimes this week after an investigation into a road rage incident on Interstate 5 in the North Valley area. According to OSP, state troopers were flagged down by a 60-year-old Oak Harbor, Washington, man who reported that the driver of a Ford F-150 pickup pointed a firearm at him while they were heading south on I-5 near milepost 63 on Wednesday afternoon. Troopers tracked down the Ford and placed the driver -- 57-year-old Jason Regis Hill -- into custody. Hill was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and Menacing. His vehicle was impounded and a cat in the pickup was taken to the Animal Shelter.

 

An investigation by the Oregon State Fire Marshal has determined the cause of a barn fire just south of Grants Pass this week was linked to an electrical failure. Rural Metro Fire Department reports evidence at the scene suggests that rodents chewed through wiring in the barn located on Williams Highway near Allenwood Drive. The fire initially threatened nearby homes before it was fully-contained. Rural Metro officials said fire agencies strive to release the cause of fires when it is known and reasonable to do so. When fires are listed as "under investigation," it's typically due to an ongoing effort that could take days, weeks, months or even years. The investigation can involve laborious digging through rubble, collection of evidence, lab-testing of the evidence, interviews and sometimes waiting on credible witnesses to come forward. Officials said the release of information is often controlled by the sensitive nature of an investigation in order to maintain confidential integrity of a case that may lead to convictions or cost-recovery collections. Information release also considers if there is a public need-to-know due to public safety concerns, which is rare. However, in cases where there is a lack of evidence or complete destruction of evidence from the fire, a cause may remain "unknown" or "undetermined."

 

An open burn west of Sunny Valley got out of control this week when flames moved beyond reach of a garden hose. On Wednesday afternoon. Rural Metro Fire Department and the Wolf Creek Rural Fire Protection District responded to the reported fire in the 5600-block of Lower Grave Creek Road. Rural Metro officials said crews converged on the fire and quickly contained it to just under 1/10th of an acre. The Oregon Department of Forestry announced on Thursday that the 2025 fire season in Josephine and Jackson counties will begin on June 1st. Anyone opting to continue using fire as a tool to reduce combustible hazards around their property is urged to follow all basic requirements for safe burning. Construct a vegetation-free ring down to the dirt around any burn piles. Have a reliable water source on site. Have a shovel or other tools on site. Carry a charged cell phone to call 9-1-1 quickly in case of spread. Stay in attendance with the burn. Fully extinguish remaining ash with water and then check for heat using bare hands to prevent the chance of rekindling and escape.

 

Total payroll employment in Jackson County increased by 480 jobs in April. According to the Oregon Employment Department, there were 100,768 people working in Jackson County last month for a seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 4.6%, which was down sharply from 5.9% in March. Leisure & hospitality posted the largest increase in April, up by 250 jobs. Smaller employment gains were estimated in health care & social assistance, professional & business services and manufacturing. Government employment climbed by 70 jobs, mostly due to 60 jobs added in local government education. Jackson County industries losing jobs in April were transportation, warehousing & utilities, and wholesale trade. Over the past year, payroll employment in Jackson County edged up by 140 jobs, or 0.1%. Industries adding jobs since April 2024 were private education & health services (+1,210), retail trade (+80) and other services (+40). Other industries showed little change or decline over the past 12 months. Those with notable declines were leisure & hospitality (-220), manufacturing (-130), wholesale trade (-120) and financial activities (-110).

 

The Board of Commissioners failed to approve an invoice for renewing Josephine County's membership in the Association of O&C Counties on Thursday. Board Chair Andreas Blech expressed his concerns about the $68,642.40 invoice being too high for the services provided by the organization, which represents 18 western Oregon counties that host around 2.1 million acres of timberlands. Commissioner Ron Smith made a motion to approve paying the invoice, stating that the Association of O&C Counties provides a lobbyist in Washington, DC, who advocates for sustained yield timber management for its members. However, Vice-Chair Chris Barnett did not second the motion and it expired without a vote. Smith reminded his colleagues that more than two-thirds of the land in Josephine County is federally-managed and not subject to taxation, which generates revenue to provide essential services and protect the local economy. He said he was very disappointed by the outcome. During Requests and Comments from Citizens, the Board heard from one man who was in favor of continued membership in the O&C Counties, a man who said the amount paid by the Civil Air Patrol for leasing a county-owned building near the Grants Pass Airport is too low, two women who supported the immediate renewal of the lease for the Grants Pass library branch and a man who continued to press for the sale of the Pipe Fork property near Williams.

 

Representatives from the Josephine Community Library District met this week with Board of Commissioners' Vice-Chair Chris Barnett to discuss the future of the Grants Pass library building lease. During the meeting, the local library district reiterated its request to maintain the current $1 per year lease for another five years, with an option to renew. After months of uncertainty, the meeting marks a step to reopening a positive dialogue. On January 6th, the Board of Commissioners voted to terminate the library's lease with only 30 days' notice. Since that vote, the Commissioners have not offered a substantive response or proposed new lease terms, citing internal departmental needs and the potential sale of unrelated county property as reasons for the delay. The district remains open to continued negotiations and urges Josephine County to formalize its position in writing so that a collaborative path forward can be established. Consistent to its mission, the library is committed to keeping the public informed through transparent communication as the process moves forward.

 

The Grants Pass Active Club is gearing up for the Boatnik Parade on Saturday, with theme "Return of the Caveman." It starts at 10 a.m. and for those who cannot attend, it will be broadcast "live" on KAJO Radio 99.7FM/AM1270. 6th Street will be closed to all vehicle traffic from A Street to Caveman Bridge. The road closure will start at 8 a.m. and run until after the parade or approximately 1 p.m.. No parking will be allowed on 6th Street from A Street to Caveman Bridge and on Voorhies Way between 6th and 7th streets from midnight tonight until after the parade. During the parade, traffic will be diverted at 6th and A streets to Beacon Drive and then onto the Grants Pass Parkway. Caveman Bridge will be closed during the parade. Those wishing to travel south of the Rogue River need to leave early or plan to use the Parkway Bridge. Access across the river will only be on the Parkway Bridge or the 7th Street Bridge (northbound only). For more information about the festival, visit "boatnik.com."