Local News

The Asante Foundation is inviting the community to join them for the fourth annual Walk for Hope on Saturday.

Located at the Mary and Dick Heimann Cancer Center, 3011 East Barnett Road in Medford, this event honors cancer survivors, caregivers and the memory of loved ones lost to cancer.

Check-in starts at 9:30 a.m., with an opening ceremony at 11:00 a.m. The 1.5-mile walk around the Rogue Regional Medical Center campus will follow, culminating in a finish-line celebration from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Enjoy live music, local food trucks, and activities for all ages.

Walk for Hope is free to attend, but pre-registration is required. All proceeds directly benefit cancer care in southern Oregon and northern California, supporting critical services for patients and families through Asante.

To register and learn more, visit asantefoundation.org, or call (541) 789-5025.

 

The Rogue Community College chapter of the American Association for Women in Community Colleges is hosting $1 clothing sales at two campuses this month.

All are welcome and visitors can expect to find gently used shoes, clothing and accessories for men, women and children of all ages. Most items are priced at $1, and proceeds benefit student scholarships.

The first sale will be October 14th from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Riverside Campus Higher Education Center at 101 S. Bartlett Street in Medford. The second will take place October 16th from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Redwood Campus Student Center at 3345 Redwood Highway in Grants Pass.

The Redwood, Riverside, and Table Rock RCC campuses will be accepting clothing donations now through October 13th during their business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For more information, call (541) 956-7141.

 

Grants Pass Police located three people trespassing in an alleyway Tuesday, and arrested one with a warrant.

Around 12:15 p.m., officers responded to a trespassing complaint and found a male and female making a campsite in an alleyway in the 800 block of NE 7th Street.

The two campers, and one other suspect in the alley, were trespassed from the location. Upon contacting them, officers identified one of the suspects as Jequis Porter. He was found to be wanted on a Grants Pass Police Department Warrant.

Porter was taken into custody and lodged in the Josephine County Jail on his warrant for Possession of a Schedule Two Controlled Substance and Probation Violation.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested two suspects on Meth Possession charges in separate instances Tuesday morning.

At 8:21 a.m., officers observed Mark Lyon with drug paraphernalia in plain view at Baker Park, 760 East Park Street. After being read his rights, Lyon admitted to smoking meth out of a glass pipe the night before.

He consented to a search of his person, and officers found a small plastic bag with a white, crystalline substance. The pipe field tested positive for the presumptive presence of meth.

Lyon was lodged in the Josephine County Jail for Meth Possession. He was also issued an exclusion order from Baker Park.

At 9:12 the same morning, officers located a man under the influence near NW 5th Street and NW A Street. He was dancing and falling in the street before being contacted behind a dumpster.

Concerned he would hurt himself, officers took John Hruska into custody. He consented to a search and officers found paraphernalia that tested positive for amphetamines.

Hruska was lodged in the Josephine County Jail for Meth Possession.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office responded to a neighborhood disturbance involving gunshots Tuesday evening.

At 5:07 p.m., a caller reported he was in his front yard when he heard gunshots. He said someone began shooting his house, with bullets hitting a tree outside and going over his head.

The caller hadn't heard any shots for a few minutes after escaping to his back yard. Upon arrival, officers were able to contact the suspects, Duane Rigel, and Kenneth Rigel Jr.

Officers located shell casings on the property, and subsequently lodged both suspects in the Josephine County Jail. Duane Rigel was charged with Felon in Possession of a Weapon, Reckless Endangering, and a Probation Violation. Kenneth Rigel Jr. was lodged on a Reckless Endangering charge.

 

Three citizens were honored for rescuing a man trapped in his vehicle as it was burning. On June 27, 2025 a fiery crash on Rogue River Highway near Gordon Way prompted a swift response from the three. A Ford Mustang and a commercial water truck collided. The driver of the Mustang, John Irwin, was trapped inside his car as it burst into flames. Calls came into Grants Pass 911 Communications, who mobilized crews from Rural Metro Fire, Grants Pass Fire and AMR-Josephine County. While first responders were en-route to the incident, citizens at the scene, Chelsae Booth, Andrew Clem, and Michael McGilvreay, jumped into action to pull John from the wreckage. The three worked together to force open the passenger door, unbuckle John, and pull him to safety before the vehicle became fully involved. Austin Prince, Operations Chief with Rural Metro Fire, recently led a joint multi-agency effort to recognize the heroic acts of Booth, Clem, and McGilvreay.

 

Talent and Phoenix are prioritizing energy efficiency, affordability, and wildfire resilience as they rebuild five years after the Almeda fires.

Public News Service states Phoenix worked with Energy Trust of Oregon to build a new energy-efficient public safety building to replace facilities lost in the 2020 wildfire. The 20,000-square-foot hub houses city offices, police and fire services.

Eric Swanson, Phoenix city manager, said with the help of local, state and federal partners, the city has been able to make the best out of a tragic situation.

The building's energy-efficiency measures, including efficient lighting, HVAC systems and storm water management, are expected to save thousands of dollars annually.

Swanson said residential reconstruction in the city is largely complete, although rebuilding of mobile homes and commercial buildings has been lagging behind.

Talent lost 700 homes in the fire. Michael Hoch, measure development manager with Energy Trust of Oregon, said his organization helped with the rebuilding process there.

He added that the city partnered with Energy Trust to create the Energy Performance Scores rebuild program, which incentivizes wildfire victims to rebuild their homes to be more energy efficient and wildfire resistant.

 

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a suspect after he fired a handgun, striking multiple houses and unoccupied vehicles in a neighborhood last night.

On Tuesday at 10:32 p.m., dispatch received numerous calls about a man walking down Northridge Terrace shooting a gun. One caller reported the window of their residence had been shot out.

Deputies located the suspect, Chase Smith, in an apartment in the 60 block of Northridge Terrace and took him into custody without incident. Deputies obtained a search warrant and recovered the firearm used in the incident.

There were no reported injuries. Smith was lodged in the Jackson County Jail for five counts of Unlawful Use of a Firearm, two counts of Reckless Endangering, First Degree Criminal Mischief, and Second Degree Disorderly Conduct.

 

The 22nd Annual Art Along the Rogue Art and Music Festival is coming up October 3, 4, and 5, in downtown Grants Pass. This year’s theme is “Time Warp: When Past Meets Future.” The festival will be expanded to include the Oregon Center for Creative Learning, which will host the Kiddie Squares on the northwest corner of 4th and G Streets, the former Dutch Bros headquarters, on Saturday and Sunday. The Grants Pass Museum of Art between 4th and 5th on G Street will host several artists painting on their patio. Sharyn Chan from Goleta, California, will return this year to create a 3D piece. Ashly Wissler of Cave Junction and Joel Yau of San Rafael, California, are two premier artists who will create in a 12x12 square. Since its inception in 2003, Art Along the Rogue has been one of Grants Pass's premier community events and one of Oregon's leading street chalk and music festivals, attracting thousands every October.