ODF Crews Tackling Lower Wolf Creek Road Fire
The Lower Wolf Creek Fire has been GPS mapped at 3 acres and is holding within established lines. There is a Level 1: BE READY warning in effect for Zone JCU-303-B, and a Level 2: BE SET to evacuate warning for Zone JCU-302-B in the area of Lower Wolf Creek Road to downtown Wolf Creek. Front Street to Railroad Avenue and the 1400 block of Lower Wolf Creek Road are closed due to fire activity. According to the Oregon Department of Forestry, a quick, coordinated response from firefighters on the ground and aircraft overhead helped stop forward progression despite the steep terrain. Night resources are arriving and will continue mop-up operations, working to locate and extinguish remaining heat and further secure the fire overnight. Resources include two 20-person hand crews, two water tenders, one Type 3 engine and three Type 5 engines. The official cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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BCC Agrees on Original Jail, Juvenile Justice Levy, Refined Language Headed to WBS
The Board of Commissioners will move forward with the current Adult Jail and Juvenile Detention Five-Year Local Option Tax, with refined language to be brought to the next Weekly Business Session. A discussion was held at 1:30 p.m. to consider a potential shift or pivot to a Jail tax levy of 89 cents that would exclude the Juvenile Justice Center. During the meeting, Sheriff Dave Daniel said overtime and correction deputies are being burned up, with calls for service increasing as well. Legal Counsel mentioned health care for deputies is more than it has been. Commissioner Gary Richardson suggested a potential 87 cent levy, while Commissioner Colene Martin said a deeper dive into the numbers would help provide a clearer picture of the department needs. Following a half hour recess, the meeting continued with both Martin and Commissioner Ron Smith in agreement on keeping the original 93 cent levy as is. Familiarity with the voting public was cited as a primary reason for the decision. It was determined the refined levy language would be brought to the Weekly Business Session for a final decision before the August 14th deadline, then the meeting adjourned.
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JoCo Sheriff's Office, SAR Locate Body believed to be Missing Rafter
A body, believed to be a missing rafter, was recovered by Josephine County Sheriff's deputies and Search and Rescue personnel. The 911 dispatch center received a message August 4th at 1:16 p.m. from a Garmin GPS device stating there was a rafting accident at Wildcat Rapid in the Wild and Scenic section of the Rogue River. The caller was unable to locate the rafter, 65-year-old Reid Litwack. It was reported he was in an inflatable raft when it got pinned in the rapid and was swept underwater. The next morning at 5:30 a.m., deputies and BLM personnel made their way out to the rafters’ location. The party was able to hike themselves out of the area. Between the time of the initial report and the rescue, Reid never resurfaced. Friday, August 7th, at 11:14 a.m., dispatch was alerted to an unrelated rafting party that had discovered a body in the river downstream from the initial incident. Deputies, SAR, and BLM began a recovery mission attempting to find the body Markers left to assist them were no longer there and after an extensive search of the area, they were unable to locate the body.
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