Weather Service Issues Wind Advisory & Heavy Rain Warning
The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory from 7 a.m. today to 4 p.m. Friday combined with a heavy rain warning for Josephine, Coos, Curry and Douglas counties. Southwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph are expected in Josephine and Douglas counties as well as Highway 199 through the Illinois Valley, Including the communities of Selma, Cave Junction, O’Brian and Takelma. Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects and a few power outages may result. Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Extra caution is advised. An atmospheric river arrives Thursday night and persists through Friday, bringing another round of moderate to heavy rain. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches are expected with the highest amounts likely in Curry County.
Small streams and creeks are still likely to run high and could resulting nuisance flooring along the ponding of water on roadways during periods of heavy rain. Significant rises on mainstream rivers are expected, but the overall concern for widespread flooding is low at this time.
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GPPD Announced Promotion of Local CSO to Police Officer Position
On Tuesday, the promotion was announced of Community Service Officer Arianna Donovan to the position of Police Officer with the Grants Pass Police Department. Arianna was joined by her family and friends to celebrate the occasion. Born and raised in Grants Pass and Murphy, Arianna began her journey in law enforcement as a Grants Pass Police Cadet in 2022. Her dedication and strong work ethic quickly stood out, leading to her promotion to Community Service Officer in July 2023. Arianna’s tenacity and passion for serving her community was evident throughout her time in both roles. After successfully completing a rigorous testing process, Arianna was offered a position as a Police Officer with GPPD.
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Commissioner Smith Confirms Stance on Vacancy and Recusal during Workshop
Commissioner Ron Smith read his public record regarding his position on the filling of the Commissioner Position 1 vacancy and his reasoning for recusing himself from recent meetings as a statement during today's workshop. He then reiterated at the end of the workshop he would not participate in upcoming meetings. During the Legal Counsel Update, the board had no objections to the preparation of adopting an administrative policy, and approved 2-0 the Oregon Department of Energy ECAPP application for a county owned building at 1000 Redwood Avenue. A motion passed to accept the recommendation to move forward with the offer to purchase County property on Winona Road. Department Business followed, with approval of invoices for the Treasurer, Public Works, and Facilities, as well as Human Resources Requisitions and Actions. The District Attorney's request for a subgrant to cover half of an attorney position with Friends of the Children's Advocacy Center, with the County paying the other half, was approved. A revision to a Community Justice IGA between Oregon Youth Authority and Juvenile Justice, reducing liability insurance from $5 million to $1 million, was also approved. The board approved a 3-year-contract with Command Cloud for the Sheriff's Office to provide a tracking program for added accountability, pending vetting from the IT Department.
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