Local News

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended a woman wanted on a local felony warrant late last week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 28-year-old Rayeena Desiree Giles in the 5500-block of West Side Road near Cave Junction on Friday afternoon. Deputies said they were serving a subpoena on an unrelated matter when they saw Giles driving a vehicle on a nearby easement road. They recognized the woman from previous criminal encounters and knew that she was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for Possession and Delivery of Methamphetamine. Giles was contacted and placed into custody without incident. She was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on $250,000 bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man wanted on a local warrant while performing a patrol check on the east side of the city. According to the Police Department, officers contacted 33-year-old Donald Gene Strunk near the corner of NE Industry Drive and Assembly Circle on Friday at 7:35 p.m.. Police said they recognized Strunk from prior contacts and they knew he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief. He was placed into custody without incident. Strunk was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus he was trespassed from Walmart due to an unrelated incident. He was being held on $25,000 bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a transient for trespassing after he started a small warming fire underneath a bridge on the Parkway. The Police Department reports officers responded to reports of a fire on railroad property under the bridge on Friday at 11:33 p.m.. Police said they arrived on scene and contacted 35-year-old Alejandro Camarena-Torres. Camarena-Torres and another man were standing next to the warming fire and he admitted to starting the small blaze. It was easily extinguished by officers. Camarena-Torres was lodged at the Josephine County for 1st-Degree Criminal Trespass. He was being held without bail.

 

The Cave Junction City Council will hold a public hearing on flood hazard protection during its monthly meeting this evening. The flood protection ordinance is to bring the city in compliance with current standards mandated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Oregon. In July of this year, FEMA announced changes to the implementation of the National Flood Insurance Program in the state to comply with the Endangered Species Act. Local jurisdictions must implement the standards by this month or risk being ineligible for participation in the NFIP. In other business, the City Council will hold a hearing on the Cave Junction Library's Closing Presentation and Pacific Power will provide an update on its local powerline project. There is also a resolution declaring 129 North Kerby Avenue a nuisance plus the monthly public works update. The next City Council meeting is scheduled for January 13th. Cave Junction City Hall will be closed on December 24th and 25th for Christmas, and it will close at 11:30 a.m. on December 31st and remain shuttered for New Year's Day. Tonight's meeting starts at 7 at Cave Junction City Hall, 222 Lister Street.

 

Residents are invited to attend and participate in a community forum hosted by the City of Grants Pass tomorrow evening to learn about current issues related to housing production, rent burden, fair housing and more. The community forum is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Grants Pass City Council Chambers, 101 NW A Street. Information will be shared on current housing statistics, causes and consequences of rent burden, barriers to reducing rent burden and community resources. Any feedback from this community discussion may be used to help guide city housing strategies and initiatives to address current rental housing challenges. Grants Pass has been identified by Oregon Housing & Community Services as a city that is severely rent-burdened, with 28.6% of all renters paying more than half their income on rent.

 

The results are in for the Grants Pass School District's 2024 Holiday Card Contest. Nearly 500 people voted for their favorite holiday card designs from District 7 students, which are now headed to the printer. The district winners were Ryder B. from Lincoln Elementary School in the K-1 level, Zoey D. from Lincoln in the 2-3 division, Juliette W. from Highland in the 4-5 division, Skyler P. from North Middle School in the 6-8 division and Peerada G. from Grants Pass High School in the 9-12 division. The People's Choice winners were Juliette W. from Highland and Peerada G. from GPHS. The winning students will be recognized by the Grants Pass School Board on Tuesday. People who want to purchase District 7 holiday cards can call (541)-474-5700.

 

The Grants Pass Broadcasting Corporation and Grants Pass Active Club staged another successful Kids Day event on Saturday. According to an updated tally provided by the Active Club this morning, a total of $18,941.75 was collected during the three-hour annual event. The total represents generous donations made by individuals, families and local businesses plus an auction of several items including a Traeger grill package that sold for $2,000 and a Bo Nix-autographed Oregon Ducks football helmet that went for $1,550. Proceeds from the 67th Annual Kids Day event will go to taking 174 local kids shopping to get Christmas presents for their families. Thank you for participating in Kids Day -- we couldn't have done it without you!

 

The Grants Pass Broadcasting Corporation and Grants Pass Active Club staged another successful Kids Day event this morning. According to an unofficial tally when the broadcast-a-thon ended at 11 a.m., a total of $17,808 was collected during the three-hour annual event. The total represents generous donations made by individuals, families and local businesses plus an auction of several items including a Traeger grill package that sold for $2,000 and a Bo Nix-autographed Oregon Ducks football helmet that went for $1,550. Proceeds from the 67th Annual Kids Day event will go to taking 174 local kids shopping to get Christmas presents for their families. Thank you for participating in Kids Day -- we couldn't have done it without you!

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a local felon for violating his post-prison supervision by stealing a vehicle following a traffic stop in the southeast part of the city yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested 31-year-old Nicholas Patrick Scarnechia near the corner of SE J and 11th Streets on Thursday at 9:33 a.m.. Police said they pulled over a gold Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Scarnechia because he failed to use his signal prior to making a turn onto J Street. They said he admitted that he was on parole and did not have a driver's license. A records check showed that the vehicle he was driving illegally had been reported stolen. A consent search of the vehicle uncovered a small baggy of a crystal substance that fielded-tested positive as methamphetamine. It was seized for destruction and the suspect was placed into custody. Scarnechia was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and the resulting Felony Parole Violation. A charge of Possession of Meth was referred to the District Attorney's Office. The registered owner of the Chevy Tahoe was contacted and they responded to take possession of their SUV. Jail records show Scarnechia has been arrested for violating his parole from a 2018 conviction five times since June of this year.