Local News

Jackson County Sheriff Utilizing Grants for Safety Awareness Campaigns
Impaired driving continues to be a significant problem in Jackson County. Over the past three years, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office has made a total of 986 DUII arrests, with 322 in 2021, 290 in 2022 and 374 in 2023. To help keep the community safe, local law enforcement agencies are conducting three awareness campaigns from now through September. DUII Awareness runs from now until September 4th, Child Vehicle Restraint Safety Awareness is now until September 1st and Speed Awareness runs the entire month of September. Funding for these campaigns is provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). The ODOT grant seeks to reduce the number of traffic-related death and serious-injury crashes on Jackson County roadways through sustained DUII enforcement and education activities.
Posted on 8/26/24 6:15AM by Sam Marsh
 

First Responders Remind Drivers Kids Heading Back to School This Week
Emergency first responders are reminding motorists that many kids are headed back to school this week. Rural Metro Fire Department encourages motorists to slow down in school zones where the speed limit is 20 miles per hour and refresh on your duties at bus stops when lights are flashing. It is unlawful to pass a school bus with flashing lights. Watch for children who are walking or riding bicycles around schools. Many kids are starting classes at new schools this week and are unfamiliar with the campuses. Local law enforcement agencies across Southern Oregon will be patrolling in school zones -- especially this week as kids return to school after their summer vacation.
Posted on 8/26/24 6:10AM by Sam Marsh
 

OSHA Fines Medford Roofing Company $103K for Failing to Provide Fall Protection
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The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined a Medford roofing company more than $100,000 for repeatedly failing to safeguard workers from fall hazards that could seriously injure or kill them. Oregon OSHA cited JAM Construction, Inc., following an inspection of a jobsite in Central Point where work was being done on the roof of a house. OSHA officials said a recent inspection showed the employer failed to ensure that employees working on the roof installed and implemented fall protection. As a result, employees were exposed to potential falls of up to 13 feet to the ground. JAM Construction violated a rule requiring employers to ensure that fall protection systems are provided, installed and implemented where employees are exposed to a hazard of falling 6 feet or more to a lower level. It was the third time the local company violated fall protection requirements and OSHA issued a penalty of $103,438 for the third repeat violation. The agency also issued an "other-than-serious" citation to the company for failing to provide documentation showing employees had received fall protection training. Following the inspection, JAM Construction corrected the fall protection violation. Penalized employers have 30 calendar days to file an appeal.
Posted on 8/26/24 5:57AM by Sam Marsh
 

Employment in Jackson County Fell by 410 Jobs in July Due to Summer Vacation
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Total payroll employment in Jackson County fell by 410 jobs in July due to public schools taking their summer break. According to the Oregon Employment Department, there were 102,475 people working in Jackson County last month for a seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 4.7%, which is the same as in June and up from 4.2% in July 2023. Government employment declined by 1,190 jobs in July, mostly due to 1,280 fewer jobs in local government education. Federal and state government had small gains. Private sector job gains were broad-based in July. Job totals rose in retail trade, health care & social assistance, construction, and professional services. Gains were also posted in leisure & hospitality, other services, and manufacturing. Utilities, warehousing & transportation was the only industry with a slight employment decline over the month. Over the past year, payroll employment in Jackson County rose by 770 jobs, an increase of 0.9%. Since July 2023, industries adding jobs were private education & health services, and leisure & hospitality. Industries with over the year losses included manufacturing, professional & business services, financial activities, retail trade, utilities, warehousing & transportation, construction and other services.
Posted on 8/26/24 5:54AM by Sam Marsh
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Fall Term Applications Now Open for RCC SBDC Business Management Program
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Southern Oregon small business owners can receive training and mentorship offered through the Small Business Development Center at Rogue Community College. The first 20 applicants to the Small Business Management Program, with classes starting in the fall, will be considered for a scholarship that covers half of the tuition, a $300 value. Full cost of tuition is $618. The scholarship is available through the RCC Board of Education. This nationally recognized program has produced many SBDC-certified graduates in Southern Oregon who have demonstrated success and growth in the business world. The program has in-class sessions held once a month on Tuesdays from 2-5 p.m., beginning October 1st. Course dates for the 2024-25 program will be October 1st, November 5th and December 3rd this year, In 2025, they will be January 7th, February 4th, March 4th, April 1st, May 6th and June 3rd. For more information on the Small Business Management Program, call (541)-956-7494 or e-mail "TBusald@roguecc.edu."
Posted on 8/26/24 5:51AM by Sam Marsh
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Grants Pass Police Department Seeks Public Assistance in Locating Missing Man
UPDATE: MR. SCHAEFFER HAS BEEN FOUND.

The Grants Pass Police Department was seeking public assistance in locating a missing man. In a Friday night press release, GPPD reported Michael Schaeffer was last seen in the area of SW Oak Street and Rogue River Avenue on Friday afternoon. Schaeffer is described as an older white male adult, 5-feet-7-inches tall and 185 pounds who walks with a limp. He was last known to be wearing a red t-shirt, jeans and a black hat with writing on it. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Michael Schaeffer is encouraged to contact the Grants Pass Police Department at (541)-450-6260.
Posted on 8/24/24 6:35AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Seeking Public Help to Identify Suspects Who Targeted Elderly Woman
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The Grants Pass Police Department is seeking public assistance in identifying two suspects who targeted an elderly woman earlier this week. On Wednesday around 2 p.m., two male suspects targeted an elderly woman in the parking lot of Albertsons in the Allen Creek Shopping Center. While the woman loaded groceries into her vehicle, a dark male adult in a white hat approached her, feigned illness and asked for directions to the hospital. While the woman was distracted, a white male adult in a plaid shirt stole the woman's debit card from her purse. Police said the two suspects left with the card and immediately started making purchases and money withdrawals at various stores in the Grants Pass area. Anyone with information about this investigation or the identity of the suspects is urged to contact GPPD at (541)-450-6260. Please reference Case #24-29656 or ask for Officer Potts.
Posted on 8/24/24 6:33AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Jailed Housekeeper for Stealing Checks from Man and Cashing Them
Grants Pass Police arrested a housekeeper for allegedly stealing checks from her employer and writing at least one to herself for hundreds of dollars. The Police Department reports officers responded to a fraud complaint at a home in the 2300-block of Sasha Court on Thursday afternoon. Police said a man called 9-1-1 to report that his 48-year-old female house cleaner stole multiple checks from his credit union checkbook and fraudulently wrote one to herself for $450. The victim stated his housekeeper also had been stealing items of value from his residence and selling them. Upon contact with officers, the woman whom GPPD identified as "Brandy Renee Bagnasco" admitted to stealing the checkbook, writing checks to herself and cashing them at Walmart. She was placed into custody at a local fast food eatery. Bagnasco was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on charges of Felony Identity Theft and misdemeanor 2nd-Degree Theft. She was being held without bail.
Posted on 8/24/24 6:31AM by Sam Marsh
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Motorcyclist Hurt after Trying to Outrun Sheriff's Deputies on Redwood Highway
A motorcyclist was injured this week after he tried to outrun deputies on Redwood Highway and crashed on or near Hayes Hill. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office reports deputies attempted to make a traffic stop on the motorcycle on US Highway 199 near Wilderville on Thursday night. Deputies said the 31-year-old male subject refused to yield and led them on a chase south through Wonder and up Hayes Hill. They said the subject crashed his bike and was injured. He was taken by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center for treatment of unspecified injuries. During an interview at the hospital, the patient told deputies he fled because he did not want a citation for not having a motorcycle endorsement. The suspect was charged with Felony Attempt to Elude Police, Reckless Driving and Reckless Endangering. He was cited to appear in court and released to the care of hospital staff. His wrecked motorcycle was impounded.
Posted on 8/24/24 6:30AM by Sam Marsh
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GP 911 Communications Center Fielded 1,159 Emergency Calls over Past Week
The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center dispatched eight local agencies to numerous emergency calls over the past week. According to the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center's weekly post on Facebook, dispatchers fielded a total of 1,159 calls between August 15th and August 21st. The vast majority of the calls were directed to the Grants Pass Police Department with 914, followed by American Medical Response with 293 and Grants Pass Fire & Rescue with 92. Rural Metro Fire Department received 54 calls, while the Illinois Valley Fire District received 27, the Oregon Department of Forestry received 18, Williams Fire & Rescue received 10 and Wolf Creek Fire got one. Dispatchers received a total of 469 internal phone calls and they made a total of 528 outbound calls. On August 16th, local dispatchers received multiple calls regarding a structure on fire in Kerby. The fire was quickly upgraded to a second alarm structure fire with extension to the wildland. The fire burned two acres including outbuildings, an RV and multiple Connex boxes. There were no injuries reported. During the time dispatchers were handling this rapidly evolving incident, they also received 35 other calls for emergency service.
Posted on 8/24/24 6:27AM by Sam Marsh
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Newman United Methodist Church Announces Rev. Logan Strike is New Pastor
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The oldest church in Grants Pass has a new pastor. Newman United Methodist Church has announced that Reverend Logan McLean Strike began her tenure on August 1st. Reverend Strike replaces Reverend Ryan Scott, who was assigned to lead the First United Methodist Church in Eugene. Raised in Montana, Strike's passion for preaching started as an undergraduate at Carroll College in Helena. After graduating, she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to learn from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and to live in community with other like-minded women. After a year in Minneapolis, Strike returned to Montana to serve as a youth director for First English Lutheran Church in Billings. At First English, she recognized the call to ministry and became a pastor of word and sacrament of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Before moving to Grants Pass and serving at Newman, Reverend Strike served as pastor of Florence United Methodist Church and as a hospital chaplain. She loves poetry, knitting, bikes and spending time with her spouse, son and dog. Together, they enjoy playing board games, cooking and exploring the outdoors. Newman United Methodist Church has been part of the Grants Pass community since 1857.
Posted on 8/24/24 6:24AM by Sam Marsh
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Board of Commissioners Holding Monday Meeting on Oregon Wildfire Hazard Map
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The Josephine County Board of Commissioners has invited residents to a public meeting regarding the Wildfire Hazard Map. The meeting will take place on Monday from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Anne G. Basker Auditorium located at 600 NW 6th Street in Grants Pass. During the meeting, the Commissioners and leaders from more than a dozen other Oregon counties will meet virtually with representatives from Oregon State University and the Oregon Department of Forestry. The draft Wildfire Hazard Map went "live" for public review and comment on July 18th. The official draft map can be seen at "hazardmap.forestry.oregonstate.edu." Senate Bill 80 states: "County commissioners will have one additional opportunity, arranged and scheduled by the Association of Oregon Counties, to discuss concerns about the map and potential changes to the map." In order for changes to be made to the map, the statute states it must be based off Vegetation, Weather, Climate and/or Topography. The Oregon Wildfire Hazard Map is set to be finalized and released in October.
Posted on 8/24/24 6:21AM by Sam Marsh
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