Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man with a bad habit of stealing shopping carts in the downtown area late last week. The Police Department reports officers observed 57-year-old James Daniel Bisel pushing two shopping carts near the corner of NW D and 4th streets on Friday afternoon. Police said Bisel was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Theft following a recent arrest for stealing a shopping cart from a local retailer. He also had been warned for stealing a shopping cart on October 9th and November 7th. Bisel was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus two new counts of 2nd-Degree Theft. The stolen carts were returned to Fred Meyer and Home Depot. Trash inside the carts was disposed of.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a motorist for impaired driving after a traffic stop on Redwood Highway west of Grants Pass late last week. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies pulled over a white Ford pickup driven by a 42-year-old male subject on US Highway 199 near Robinson Road early Friday morning. Deputies said they stopped the pickup for a traffic violation and the driver showed signs of impairment. They said the driver performed poorly in field sobriety tests and was transported to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided a breath sample that exceeded the legal driving limit. For undisclosed reasons, the man was also taken to Three Rivers Medical Center. The suspect was subsequently lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. His pickup was towed.

 

Authorities were investigating the cause of a fire that damaged a shop building in the Cave Junction area on the morning after Thanksgiving. The Illinois Valley Fire District, Rural Metro Fire Department and American Medical Response were dispatched to the structure fire near the corner of Aquarius Way and Masters Drive on Friday at 3:35 a.m.. IVFD officials said arriving units observed smoke emanating from the eaves of a 40-by-80-foot metal workshop. Firefighters successfully located the flames and extinguished the fire. There was no damage estimate available. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported among civilians or firefighters.

 

Rural Metro Fire Department rescued a stranded dog off an island in the Applegate River over the weekend. On Saturday at 1:12 p.m., Rural Metro Fire Department was dispatched to help rescue "Harley" after the dog became stranded on an island in the Applegate off Fish Hatchery Road. Rural Metro officials said Harley explored the island and attempted to cross a swift channel of water, but he became too cold and tired. Officials said Harley's owner called for assistance and the dog was soon reunited with his family as well as his warm and dry home.

 

The Grants Pass City Council is set to find out exactly how much it will cost to build a new water treatment plant during its workshop session today. The first topic on the workshop agenda is "Water Treatment Plant Guaranteed Maximum Price and Funding." It is the largest municipal project in city history. The City Council is also scheduled to receive a staff presentation on a Navigation-Shelter Services Grant before it reviews the agenda for Wednesday night's regular meeting. Today's workshop begins at 11:45 a.m. in the City Council Chambers at Grants Pass City Hall, 101 NW A Street.

 

The Oregon State Marine Board will hold a public hearing this week on proposed rules for boat operations on the Upper Rogue River in Jackson County. The hearing will be held Wednesday from 2 to 6 p.m. at Riverside Campus of Rogue Community College in Medford at 114 South Bartlett Street. The Marine Board is considering proposed rules for the Rogue River between Fishers Ferry and Lost Creek Dam. They include speed limits for boats on that section of the river including a possible ban on jet boats. Testimony will only be accepted by telephone on the day of the rule hearing. Written comments will also be accepted until December 20th by 12:55 p.m.. Comments can be submitted by e-mail to "osmb.rulemaking@boat.oregon.gov" or by US Mail to Jennifer Cooper, Administrative Rules Coordinator, Oregon State Marine Board, 435 Commercial Street NE, Salem, OR 97301. Agency staff will compile all comments for the board to review before their next quarterly meeting on January 23, 2025. At that meeting, the board may make a motion to adopt, amend or take other action on the proposed rulemaking.

 

After an exceedingly wet November, Southern Oregon is starting out the month of December with stagnant air and no precipitation. The National Weather Service has posted an Air Stagnation Advisory that runs until 4 p.m. Wednesday and possibly longer. The advisory includes Josephine, Jackson, Klamath, Lake and eastern Curry counties. The Weather Service in Medford reports a ridge of high pressure has led to a strong inversion and stagnant air conditions near the valley floors that will continue to trap pollutants. This could worsen air quality over time. Poor air quality may cause issues for people with respiratory problems. Persons with respiratory illness should follow their physician's advice for dealing with high levels of air pollution during periods of stagnant air. Grants Pass received 8.21 inches of precipitation in the month of November. The first chance of precipitation in December will arrive Saturday.

 

Mount Ashland Ski Area has announced that it will open early for the 2024-25 winter season this coming weekend. The local ski resort will open Friday for "Season Passholder Appreciation Day" and Saturday for all guests with the Sonnet, Comer and Windsor lifts running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.. Single-day lift tickets won't be available for purchase until the 7th. The Ski Area will welcome guests this season with exciting upgrades such as the widening of the entryway to the main mountain, updated LED night-lighting for twilight skiing beginning January 9th, and the highly-anticipated opening of the first new chairlift in over 30 years. All services will be available on Opening Day including lessons, rentals, retail shop, T-Bar Lounge and the Grill. Opening day is only the beginning as the 2024-25 season promises a schedule packed with events.

 

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office arrested a Medford man on child pornography charges this week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 54-year-old David Lee Hurd on the day before Thanksgiving following a lengthy investigation. Hurd was charged with 10 felony counts of Encouraging Child Sex Abuse and he was lodged at the Jackson County Jail. The Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Team (SOCET) began the investigation in 2023 after a tip came in from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The SOCET task force served a search warrant in August 2023 and seized digital devices from Hurd's residence in the 3700-block of South Pacific Highway. The Southern Oregon High Tech Crimes Task Force forensically examined the devices for evidence of child exploitation. Hurd's arrest resulted from the investigation. The case will be prosecuted by the Jackson County District Attorney's Office. SOCET is a joint interagency task force that started in June 2020 to combat child exploitation. It consists of investigators from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Oregon Department of Justice and US Homeland Security Investigations as well as prosecutors from local, state and federal law enforcement partners in Jackson and Josephine counties.