Local News

The Oregon State Police arrested a Cave Junction man for impaired driving last night after responding to a wreck on Redwood Highway in the Illinois Valley. According to OSP, troopers were alerted to the single-vehicle crash on US Highway 199 near Frontage Street in Cave Junction on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m.. Upon contact with the 33-year-old driver of a GMC Sierra pickup, troopers said he showed several signs of impairment. They said he performed poorly in field sobriety tests and was transported to the Cave Junction Substation where he provided a breath sample that was well over three times the legal driving limit. The suspect was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. He was cited to appear in court before being transported to the Grants Pass Sobering Center. His wrecked pickup was parked and secured.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a motorist for felony assault and impaired driving after he caused a crash in the Selma area this week. On Monday evening, the Sheriff's Office, Illinois Valley Fire District, American Medical Response and Oregon State Police were dispatched to the two-vehicle head-on collision in the 1500-block of Lakeshore Drive. IVFD officials said one person had to be extricated from a Toyota Tundra due to major damage. They said the patient was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center with serious leg and ankle injuries. They did not identify the patient. Deputies said the other driver -- a 38-year-old man -- was not hurt. They said he displayed signs of impairment at the scene, performed poorly in field sobriety tests and was placed into custody. The suspect was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 3rd-Degree Assault, Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. Both vehicles sustained heavy damage in the wreck and were towed to Cave Junction. The suspect's vehicle was impounded.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Grants Pass man after he fled from a traffic stop in the North Valley area early yesterday. OSP reports troopers pulled over a Ford F-250 pickup driven by the 44-year-old male subject in the 5,000-block of Monument Drive just after midnight Tuesday. Troopers said they stopped the vehicle for traffic violations, the driver attempted to flee and a short foot pursuit ensued. After a successful Taser deployment, the driver -- identified by OSP as "Robert Lee Guthrie" -- was placed into custody. According to OSP, Guthrie was first taken to Three Rivers Medical Center for an evaluation before he was cleared by hospital staff. Guthrie was then lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Attempt to Elude Police, Felony Driving While Suspended and three separate arrest warrants. His pickup was turned over to a 61-year-old male passenger.

 

The Oregon State Police investigated an assault that allegedly occurred at the youth prison in Grants Pass late last month. According to OSP, the incident at the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) prison facility on NE F Street happened on June 27th. Troopers said the assault occurred between two youth inmates. A 17-year-old boy from Woodburn was determined to be the aggressor. The 17-year-old victim was not identified and it's unclear how badly he was injured. The teenage suspect was charged with 4th-Degree Assault and he remains lodged at the OYA facility.

 

The US Forest Service reported a new wildfire start along the Oregon-California border early yesterday. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest reports the Sulphur Fire started at about 7 p.m. Monday on the ridge just south of Beaver Sulphur Campground on the Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District. A Forest Service fire engine first identified the fire and air tankers were diverted from the Upper Applegate Fire to drop water on the new incident. Ground crews quickly responded, getting hand-line and hose around the fire, which was two acres in size. After bedding down for the night, crews resumed their work on Tuesday. Resources currently assigned to the fire include one 20-person hand crew, one engine and one water tender. The cause of the fire was under investigation. The Forest was planning a reconnaissance flight to locate any additional starts. USFS officials are asking the public to keep an eye out for suspicious activities and report anything of this nature to the Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District at (541)-899-3800.

 

The City of Grants Pass will convene a listening session this evening related to the recent Supreme Court ruling that affirms restrictions on homeless people camping in city parks and other public spaces. The session on time, place and manner regulations pertaining to people "resting" in public spaces is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at Grants Pass City Hall, 101 NW A Street. City staff will present an overview of the issue while addressing the current legal landscape and potential future actions. People in attendance will have an opportunity to provide brief verbal comments to the Grants Pass City Council that may help them determine a solution to the issue. There will be 90 seconds of public comment allowed per person. The City Council will not be responding to public comment at this meeting nor will the panel be making any policy decisions tonight. The listening session will be streamed "live" via RVTV and on the City of Grants Pass YouTube channel.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on library annexations and may finally sell the Pipe Fork property during its weekly business session this morning. The Board is scheduled to open the meeting with a hearing on three annexations to the Josephine Community Library District. The annexations are by petition of the landowners. Under Administrative Actions, the Commissioners will again consider approval of a purchase and sale agreement with The Conservation Fund for the Pipe Fork property near Williams. They will also consider a contribution agreement with the Williams Community Forest Project for the 320-acre forested parcel. After months of delays, the Board is faced with a deadline for the $2.32 million sale. After July 15th, funding for the sale will no longer be available. Today's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

 

Containment on the Salt Creek Fire had increased to 7% this morning as fire crews continued to push forward on progress last night. The Oregon Department of Forestry conducted an infrared flight and mapped the wildfire at 3,651 acres, which indicates slight growth from Tuesday when hot and windy weather conditions were pushing the flames in three significant areas. Firefighters have focused on building up those portions of line and will continue to bolster them today. With this work, 80% of the fire has line built around it and as these boundaries are strengthened, containment will continue to increase. For today's shift, a total of 941 personnel are working on the fire including 33 20-person hand crews backed by 37 engines, 25 water tenders, 23 bulldozers and 12 helicopters. A Rogue Valley task force made up of local resources is also available. Very large, large and single-engine air tankers are available upon request. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office and Emergency Management have issued Level 1 "Be Ready" evacuation notices for areas near the wildfire including Zones JAC-316, JAC-317, JAC-319, JAC-321 and JAC-325-A. There are no structures threatened at this time. Salt Creek Road and Wasson Canyon Road remain closed at Highway 140, and Double Day Road is closed off Butte Falls Highway. Highway 140 and Butte Falls Highway remain open. The Salt Creek Fire is located 10 miles east of Eagle Point and it was first reported on Sunday just after 4 p.m.. ODF officials said the cause is under investigation.

 

Kroger has identified which stores in Oregon it would sell off to a competitor to secure regulatory approval for its $24.6 billion proposed merger with Albertsons -- and three of them are in Grants Pass. The parent company of Fred Meyer and QFC announced plans to acquire rival Albertsons -- which owns Safeway -- in October 2022. In a bid to mollify antitrust regulators, Kroger and Albertson said they would sell off more than 500 stores to New Hampshire-based C&S Wholesale Grocers for $1.9 billion. The two companies plan to sell off a total of 62 stores in Oregon. Supermarkets on that list include the Albertsons at 1690 Allen Creek Road in Grants Pass, the Safeway at 115 SE 7th Street in Grants Pass and the Safeway at 1640 Williams Highway in Grants Pass. No other stores in southwest Oregon are on the list. It's unclear what branding the divested stores in Oregon would carry. The two supermarket giants are awaiting a trial set for August 26th in federal court in Oregon after the Federal Trade Commission and nine states -- including Oregon -- filed suit in February to halt the merger.