Local News

Grants Pass Police evicted a camper from a city park early yesterday after citing him for multiple ordinance violations. According to the Police Department, officers contacted the man at Lawnridge Park on NW Hawthorne Avenue on Tuesday morning. Police said they were alerted to a citizen complaint that transients were actively smoking marijuana in the park and that tents were not being removed after being posted by law enforcement. The male subject had been warned the previous day about being in a Buffer Zone and the subject had not moved his tent. The man was cited for two counts of Buffer Zone Violation and he was trespassed from the park for 30 days. No evidence of marijuana use was found.

 

The Josephine Marijuana Enforcement Team (JMET) raided an illegal cannabis growing site in Sunny Valley yesterday. On Tuesday morning, JMET -- with assistance from Josephine County Public Health & Building Safety -- served a search warrant in the 300-block of Sunny Glen Way. During execution of the warrant, more than 2,600 marijuana plants were seized and destroyed. The property also had multiple electrical, water and solid waste code violations, which could result in the criminal forfeiture of the property. According to JMET, the primary suspect was not at the property during the search. If located, he or she will be charged with Unlawful Manufacture of Marijuana, Unlawful Possession of Marijuana and Unlawful Appropriation of Water. Detectives said the investigation is ongoing and no further information is being released at this time.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for violating terms of his probation after he caused a disturbance in the downtown area this week. The Police Department reports officers eventually arrested the 58-year-old male subject in the 300-block of NE 7th Street around midday Monday. Police said the subject caused numerous calls for service including the Critter Campus Daycare regarding his violent and tumultuous behavior. They said he was reported to be yelling at kids on the playground at the daycare and telling staff he was going to hurt the kids. The man bent the frame of a gate trying to get in. Officers contacted the man at A-1 Market & Deli where he was displaying pre-assault indicators to the owner of the daycare. They said he was noticeably under the influence of alcohol while holding a can of beer. His probation officer was contacted about the incident. The suspect was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and the resulting Probation Violation related to past arrests for Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Criminal Mischief, Disorderly Conduct and Criminal Trespass. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended man wanted on an out-of-state fugitive warrant following a disturbance at a local middle school this week. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies arrested a 61-year-old male subject at Lincoln Savage Middle School on New Hope Road in Murphy on Monday. Deputies said multiple callers reported a man jumping in and out of traffic, flipping everyone off and writing on signs with a sharpee pen at the entrance to the school. No one was hurt and there was no damage estimate available. Upon arrival, deputies contacted the subject and discovered that he was wanted on a Pierce County Sheriff's Office warrant issued in Tacoma, Washington, for failing to appear in court for Burglary. He was immediately placed into custody. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant and he was being held without bail pending extradition proceedings.

 

Early detection and defensible space preparations allowed for a positive outcome with a fast-moving grass fire in the Azalea Drive area late yesterday. On Tuesday at 5:15 p.m., Rural Metro Fire Department, Grants Pass Fire & Rescue and the Oregon Department of Forestry were dispatched to the blaze in the 100-block of Cienaga Lane. Rural Metro officials said ODF detection cameras on Mt. Sexton notified agencies of a column of smoke coming up near Azalea Drive. After Josephine County Sheriff's Office and Oregon State Police units assisted in locating the fire, crews were able to make an aggressive attack, limiting damage to the loss of a small outbuilding and one vehicle. The fire was halted at an estimated 3.25 acres. Multiple residents in the neighborhood had spent numerous hours this past spring building defensible space for their properties. Fire officials credited this effort with saving homes that could have been lost in this incident.

 

The US Forest Service has announced an investment of over $2.88 million to fund five Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) projects in the Pacific Northwest for the current fiscal year. One of those funded projects is in Southern Oregon. Forest Service officials said this funding is part of a larger $12 million national investment in GNA projects for the same period. They said the projects aim to enhance watersheds, restore forest health and reduce wildfire risks in Oregon and Washington. The funding made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allows the Forest Service to partner directly with state agencies for these projects. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife received $200,000 for priority fish passage projects including the removal of the Pomeroy and Parrot Creek dams on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. In other projects, the Oregon Department of Forestry received $1 million to support forest restoration on federal lands and the Oregon Department of Transportation received $485,000 to mitigate hazard trees along forest roads and state highways crossing Forest Service lands.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to hold three public hearings pertaining to the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget during its weekly business session this morning. The budget hearings for Josephine County, the Law Enforcement Service District and the 4-H Extension Service District will follow a presentation by the BLM on the Pipe Fork property near Williams and a public hearing on an ordinance that would amend the Rural Land Development Code for accessory dwelling units. Out of the three budget hearings, the most controversial is the 4-H Extension Service District which two of the Commissioners have vowed to defund due to their perception that it has become too liberal. If the Board does not follow the recommendation of the Budget Committee to fund the district, Josephine will become the only county in the state not to receive OSU Extension services. Today's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

 

Firefighters were able to conduct burning operations on the eastern edge of the Upper Applegate Fire last night. The Oregon Department of Forestry reports these efforts helped bring the edge of the wildfire to indirect lines established around the fire burning south of Ruch. Mop-up efforts continue along the southern portion of the fire, which remains at 890 acres. Additional acreage increases are expected in the coming days as burn operations continue within the containment lines. These burns will occur over the next 48 hours during night operations when burn intensity is low. According to ODF Southwest, 485 personnel are assigned to the incident including 21 20-person hand crews backed by six engines, four bulldozers and five tree-fallers and numerous managers. Four helicopters are assigned to the fire again today, with additional helicopters and air tankers available when needed. Evacuation notices were lowered this afternoon from Level 2 "Be Set" to Level 1 "Be Ready" for residents living in Zone JAC-434. Those residing in Zone JAC-436 remain at Level 2. The Upper Applegate Fire was first reported last Thursday afternoon. Officials said the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

 

The City of Grants Pass has confirmed that a Geosmin bloom is the culprit in recent reports of smelly tap water. Grants Pass officials said lab results received this week showed up to 60 parts per trillion in the water distribution system and over 70 parts per trillion in the raw water. Geosmin is detectable by humans in concentrations as low as 4-5 parts per trillion. Water distribution staff will be taking additional samples this week to determine if the bloom has subsided. Once the Geosmin levels are reduced, they will deep cycle the reservoirs and perform selective flushing to improve water quality faster than if they wait for the bloom to naturally dissipate in the distribution system. In a press release last week, city officials said Grants Pass tap water is safe to drink despite the unpleasant odors. They said the odors should pass in a few days and that active carbon filters found in some household pitchers should mitigate the smell.