Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a well-known offender for her unruly weekend antics at Riverside Park. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the incident involving 32-year-old Whitney Ann Word at the city park on Saturday around 2:40 p.m.. Police said Word was called in for fighting, screaming and taking her clothes off near the Riverside Park playground. They said one caller was very upset that the woman was making people very uncomfortable at a public facility. Others stated that the woman was walking up to citizens' vehicles and causing them to drive off. When officers arrived at the park, they observed Word walking in the middle of the parking lot with her pajama bottoms removed and her shirt half off. She was placed into custody without further incident. Word was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and she was being held without bail.

 

Applications are being accepted for two positions on the Grants Pass Urban Tree Advisory Committee. These positions are two-year terms. The purpose of this committee is to review, develop and implement programs and activities that promote, protect and enhance the urban forest as part of the Tree City USA program of the US Arbor Day Foundation. The special qualification for these positions is an interest in the promotion and enhancement of the urban forest in Grants Pass. Applications are available at the City Administration Office at 101 NW A Street or online at "grantspassoregon.gov/committee-application." Completed applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, May 2nd. Applications will be reviewed by the committee on Monday, May 12th. The appointments will be made by the Grants Pass City Council on Wednesday, June 4th.

 

The Josephine Community Library District is preparing to be evicted from its Grants Pass branch after it contends the county has canceled lease negotiations. On Friday afternoon, the local library district issued a press release in which it stated "Josephine County is now making plans to evict the library from the building it has occupied since 1959." Library officials said the unexpected shift was shared by Josephine County Legal Counsel Wally Hicks without clear reasoning or a timeline and it comes after county officials canceled a scheduled meeting with the district. They said the county has yet to reschedule or respond directly to its lease renewal proposal. The library district has proposed a five-year renewal of the current lease at $1 per year. The rate reflects the significant public investment and community benefit including over $500,000 in building improvements since 2009. Officials said they need five more years to raise an estimated $26 million to build a new facility on land the Library Foundation owns in downtown Grants Pass. The Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 on January 6th to terminate the current lease with just 30 days' notice. In a January 8th press release, officials said the move was intended to establish a framework for a new lease -- not to evict the library. However, no progress has been made.

 

The Grants Pass City Council has scheduled a Special Workshop tomorrow in order to tackle the homeless problem and an accompanying court injunction. The single topic on the workshop agenda is "Resting Sites for the Homeless." The City is under a preliminary court injunction prohibiting it from enforcing rules restricting conduct of the unhoused population except at Riverside and Reinhart Volunteer parks along with city streets and sidewalks. Josephine County Circuit Judge Sarah McGlaughlin granted the injunction at the request of Disability Rights Oregon and five homeless plaintiffs. The judge said she will drop the injunction if the City Council offers more space for homeless camping and provides paved surfaces that are accessible for disabled people. Disability Rights Oregon sued the City of Grants Pass on January 30th while arguing the city was violating state disability rights law as well as an Oregon law that states local homeless camping regulations must be "objectively reasonable." Tuesday's Special Workshop will take place in the City Council Chambers at 3 p.m.. The public may attend, but citizens input is not accepted at workshops.

 

The Oregon Department of Transportation is reminding residents and motorists about bridge replacement projects on Rogue River Highway in western Jackson County. ODOT officials said the $11 million project is replacing three 1920s-era bridges on Highway 99 with structures that are better able to withstand earthquakes. The bridges are located east of the City of Rogue River at Birdseye Creek, Foots Creek and Millers Gulch. Foots Creek Bridge is being closed this week for approximately 30 days. Please use an alternate route and watch for workers in the roadway. The contractor has provided a pedestrian transport vehicle that can accommodate at least two ADA passengers and a maximum of 10 able-bodied passengers during the closure. The vehicle can also transport up to three bicycles with a secured rack. Other current ODOT projects in Jackson County include utility work on Rogue Valley Highway 99 from Glenwood to Coleman Creek and construction at the Big X intersection in north Medford. There are no scheduled ODOT projects this week in Josephine County.

 

The Grants Pass Daily Courier is once again the newspaper of record for Josephine County. The Board of Commissioners this morning approved an order designating the Daily Courier as the newspaper of record for publication of county notices. The former Board designated the Illinois Valley News as the paper of record, primarily because former Commissioners Herman Baertschiger and John West were unhappy about a perceived bias against them in the Daily Courier. Board Chair Andreas Blech -- who served with Baertschiger and West in 2024 -- voted against the order. The Commissioners approved orders appointing James Black as the new Planning Director and Frank Wharregard as the new Building Official. The Parks Advisory Board was dissolved following a recommendation by Commissioner Blech. In other business, the Board approved the acceptance of $23,000 in rebate funds from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality as well as a DEQ Authorization form for a recycling modernization and enhancement program. Public Works Director Rob Brandes said the DEQ rebate is intended for solid waste mitigation purposes. The Commissioners unanimously approved a letter of support for the Animal Shelter Capital Improvement Request. Board Vice-Chair Chris Barnett said the letter will be submitted to the Oregon Legislature for potential funding for the $2.5 million improvement project. In Requests and Comments from Citizens, former Public Health Director Mike Weber expressed his frustrations with being fired without notice. He said he received 93 calls from concerned citizens and thanked them for their support. Other people had complaints about solid waste, controversial library books and the religious invocation at the beginning of weekly business sessions.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a Cave Junction woman for an outstanding felony warrant and drug possession following a short foot pursuit yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 30-year-old Carly Brooke Jensen in the 400-block of South Redwood Highway on Thursday at 12:37 p.m.. Deputies said they spotted Jensen and knew that she was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a 2022 conviction for 3rd-Degree Robbery. They said she took off running, but they tracked her down and placed her into custody near the Grocery Outlet store. During a consent search, Jensen was found to be in possession of a glass pipe and a small baggie of a crystal substance that tested positive as methamphetamine. She also admitted to smoking the narcotic stimulant earlier in the day. Jensen was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the outstanding warrant plus a new charge of Meth Possession. She was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for his violent behavior at two convenience stores on Rogue River Highway yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to the incident involving 31-year-old Shane Codyglen Weidman at the Market & Deli in the 1,000-block of Highway 99 on Thursday around 3:45 p.m.. Police said Weidman generated multiple calls for service by engaging in violent and tumultuous behavior at that store and the Why Not Market. Customers and employees reported that he threatened multiple people and raised an ash can above his head in order to frighten others. Officers tracked Weidman down at Morrison Centennial Park and placed him into custody without further incident. Weidman was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct. He was being held without bail. He was also trespassed from the two convenience stores.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a Gladiola High School student for possessing drug paraphernalia on campus yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a report of suspicious activity at the alternative school on SE Gladiola Drive on Thursday at 1:10 p.m.. Police said an 18-year-old male student was found to be in possession of a marijuana pipe, marijuana grinder and a lighter. They said he displayed signs of recent marijuana use and admitted to it. The paraphernalia was seized. The student was cited to appear in court for Minor in Possession of Marijuana and then released.