Local News

A Talent woman was killed in a motor vehicle accident on Interstate 5 near Gold Hill last weekend. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the three-vehicle crash in the northbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 38 on Saturday at about 10 a.m.. Troopers said a preliminary investigation indicated a Toyota Corolla driven by 73-year-old Susan Dale O'Connell of Talent was traveling in the slow lane of the freeway when it abruptly slowed and turned left in front of a Ford F-350 pickup traveling in the fast lane. According to OSP, the driver of the Ford -- 49-year-old Jeffrey Scott Trouslot of Klamath Falls -- was unable to avoid the collision and struck the driver-side door of the Toyota. As a result of the impact, the front passenger tire of the Ford came loose and rolled northbound on I-5 before striking a Chevrolet Silverado driven by 44-year-old Sergio Cervantes Valencia of Turlock, California, on the driver-side. Susan O'Connell was declared deceased at the scene. No one else was injured. Jackson County Fire District #3, Mercy Flights and the Oregon Department of Transportation assisted OSP at the fatal crash scene.

 

A motorcyclist was injured when he crashed his bike on Riverbanks Road during a heavy weekend downpour. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the single-vehicle wreck near milepost 20 of State Route 260 on Saturday at 11:48 a.m.. Troopers said the 38-year-old male rider of a Honda motorcycle went off the roadway and crashed. They said the rider was transported by ground ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center with a leg fracture. The damaged motorcycle was hauled away by Three Boys Towing.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a woman for her aggressive behavior when she broke into an apartment and starting assaulting people last weekend. The Police Department reports officers arrested the 31-year-old female subject for the incident in the 1800-block of NE Fairview Avenue on Sunday at 1:33 p.m.. Police said a resident of the apartment reported the subject unlawfully entered the unit and started hitting everyone. No one was seriously injured, but the resident wanted to pursue charges for assault and property damage. An investigation determined the subject entered the apartment and punched the resident, leaving a scratch mark. Multiple personal items were knocked over and scattered during the incident, causing substantial inconvenience for the resident. According to the report, the victim supplied video footage of the incident to police. The suspect was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 1st-Degree Burglary, Physical Harassment and 3rd-Degree Criminal Mischief. She was being held without bail and she was trespassed from the apartment.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for causing a disturbance at a southeast-city watering hole last weekend. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the incident at Flespy's Bar & Grill in the 600-block of Rogue River Highway around 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Police said a 36-year-old female subject was kicking the windows and door on the front of the business, causing two calls for service and a crowd to form at the bar to observe her alarming behavior. No one was hurt and damage was minimal. Officers arrived on scene and placed the woman into custody. During a consent search of her belongings, a plastic bag containing a small amount of a white substance was discovered. It was determined to be fentanyl and it was seized for destruction. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and the narcotics violation. She was also trespassed from Flespy's.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested two young inmates at the Josephine County Juvenile Justice Center last weekend. The Police Department reports officers were alerted to a disturbance at the youth detention facility on NW F Street on Saturday around 9:45 p.m.. Police said two juveniles were beyond control and acting in a disorderly manner. One of them got into a disagreement with staff members and destroyed items in the day room after refusing to go back to his cell. The young man dislodged an exit sign from the ceiling, destroyed a landline telephone by ripping it off the wall and shattered partition windows to several cells in the facility. The first subject's actions inspired a second juvenile to destroy a close circuit video surveillance camera in his cell by throwing a basketball at it. No force was used to gain compliance from the juveniles. They were overwhelmed by a strong law enforcement presence, safely detained and relocated to new cells that were stripped and cleaned with only essential items available. Undisclosed charges were added to the juveniles' rap sheets and both remained in custody on Monday.

 

The Southern Oregon Historical Society (SOHS) has announced the upcoming retirement of Executive Director Ron Kramer. Kramer joined SOHS on April 1, 2021, and his last day with the organization will be this Thursday, August 22nd. When he was hired, it was understood that his tenure was unlikely to be long-term. Attorney Doug McGeary, President of the SOHS Board of Trustees, will serve in the interim while the Board undertakes a search for a new Executive Director. McGeary said Kramer has been an invaluable leader and has significantly advanced their mission. For three and a half years, Kramer has continued to be an outstanding caretaker of the Society's mission and leader of its important efforts. According to McGeary, the entire organization is grateful for Kramer's leadership, his guidance and his many accomplishments.

 

The Grants Pass City Council has decided to move the unhoused population out of all city parks starting this week. During its Monday workshop session, the City Council adopted an implementation schedule that will move all homeless encampments out of all city parks and to two sites near the new Water Treatment Plant and the empty lot at 6th and A streets. A resolution will be on the agenda for Wednesday night's regular meeting. The 6th and A site will be temporary as it eventually will be moved to a lot next to the Grants Pass Police Station off NE 7th Street. A building on the lot must still be demolished, but it should be ready for occupancy in early October. The general consensus of the Council was to remove campsites from all city parks especially those next to schools as classes begin next week. Those parks include Fruitdale, Eckstein and Gilbert Creek. Other sites still under consideration include the southwest corner of Riverside Park away from the Rogue River, 850 East Park Street behind the Parkway Fire Station, and lots on SE I Street and NW Midland Avenue. The Council is still deciding how many sites it will open for camping, but there will be at least two available. City Manager Aaron Cubic said there is no legal requirement for Grants Pass to provide services at the designated campsites, but there will be ADA-compliant porta-potties, handwashing stations and garbage service placed at the new sites.

 

One year ago, the Grants Pass City Council signaled its intention to demolish the Reed Building at Riverside Park. On Monday, the City Council decided the old caretaker's cottage might be worth saving after all. During its weekly workshop yesterday, the Council heard from Site Consultant George Kramer and Historical Buildings & Sites Commission (HBSC) Chairman Ward Warren. The HBSC made a motion in July 2023 to preserve and rehabilitate the 1920s structure located along East Park Street in the historic landmark park. Kramer was hired by the City to look at the building and decide whether it was worth saving. He said it is in remarkable condition considering the lack of attention and maintenance it has seen over the years. He added that it's a small building and it would not be complicated to fix it up, estimating the cost to be about $235,000. In moving forward, Kramer said the most important consideration should be a determination of possible future uses for the building. He suggested that asbestos abatement and cleaning the roof should be done as soon as possible before winter weather sets in. Warren said potential future uses for the Reed Building could include a public safety substation, historical or cultural museum, or coffee shop or small cafe.

 

Due to recent rains and cooler weather, the Oregon Department of Forestry has reduced the fire danger from "extreme" to "high" in its Southwest District. As of today, the fire danger level in Josephine and Jackson counties is "high" and the Industrial Fire Precaution Level has been lowered to "2." This affects 1.8 million acres of state, private, county and BLM lands in the two-county area. The primary difference between the former regulations and the new decrease to "high" fire danger affects the public use of power-driven equipment such as chainsaws, mowers, weed-eaters and more. The use of power-driven machinery, the grinding, cutting and welding of metal, and other spark-emitting equipment such as wood splitters and generators is now allowed until 10 a.m. and after 8 p.m.. All other fire prevention regulations remain in effect including no outdoor debris burning, no fireworks on or within 1/8th of a mile of ODF-protected land or on any BLM lands, no exploding targets and tracer ammunition or any bullet with a pyrotechnic charge in its base. For more information on current fire season restrictions, visit "swofire.com."