Local News

The City of Grants Pass has announced the winners of this year's Drinking Water Week Poster Contest. Grants Pass officials thank the 30 talented students who submitted their creative and inspiring artwork to celebrate the importance of clean, safe drinking water. After careful consideration by the City's panel of judges, the winners include: Kindergarten-2nd Grade: 1st Place Sierra Parker, 2nd Place Ruby Ball and 3rd Place Olive Evans. 3rd Grade-5th Grade: 1st Place Zoe Shinners, 2nd Place Zoe Leal and 3rd Place Charlotte Brownell. 6th Grade-8th Grade: 1st Place Kaylee Maddox, 2nd Place Vivian Ball and 3rd Place Hunter Morrison. The 1st Place Winner in 9th Grade-12th Grade is Salina Oldham. She was the only participant in the upper division this year. Winning posters will be displayed in the Customer Service Office at City Hall and on the sides of some Josephine Community Transit buses.

 

After years of being put on standby, the federal REAL ID enforcement date has passed the gate. As of Wednesday, commercial airline passengers 18 and older must show a state-issued REAL ID or a federally acceptable alternative -- like a passport, permanent resident card or military ID -- at the TSA security checkpoint at all US airports. According to TSA, passengers who present a state-issued identification that is not REAL ID-compliant at checkpoints and who do not have another acceptable form of ID will be notified of their non-compliance, may be directed to a separate area and may receive additional screening. This includes TSA PreCheck passengers. Oregon is currently at 38.1% compliance, with 1.4 million REAL ID credential holders. Another 46% have a non-compliant license, permit or identification marked: "Not for REAL ID Act." Since the beginning of 2025, Oregon DMV already has issued more than 225,000 REAL IDs, which -- in recent weeks -- have accounted for 76% of in-office credential issuances and led to record-high traffic in the agency's 58 field offices.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office was assisted by the Oregon State Police when it apprehended a convicted felon on a statewide warrant and for weapons crimes in the Riverbanks Road area late yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies and state troopers arrested 31-year-old Jeptha Philip Stricklin on Limpy Creek Road on Thursday at 4:26 p.m.. Deputies said they were accompanied by two OSP Major Crime Units when they located Stricklin and placed him into custody. He was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Felony Parole Violation and he was found to be in possession of two unspecified weapons, which is a direct violation of his post-prison supervision. Stricklin was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center for treatment of an eye injury and then lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. A female subject with Stricklin -- identified as "Heaven Jessen" -- was arrested for Interfering with a Peace Officer. She was cited and released. Another person who was not identified was found with drugs and elected to enter a deflection program at the Grants Pass Sobering Center.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for violating a court order by contacting a former roommate in the Redwood area yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a domestic disturbance at a home in the 2100-block of Redwood Avenue on Thursday around 10:50 a.m.. Police said a man called 9-1-1 to report that his former roommate -- 49-year-old Bret Leon Murphy-Court -- attempted to call him while an active restraining order was in place. The caller told dispatchers that Murphy-Court wanted to retrieve his belongings from the residence. He blocked the number after a total of three calls. Murphy-Court is reportedly living with his girlfriend in the Cave Junction area. Officers located him and placed him into custody at 3:23 a.m. today. Murphy-Court was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for three counts of Contempt of Court -- No Contact Order Violation. Jail records show he had been arrested earlier this week for Harassment and Resisting Arrest.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for drug possession early yesterday following a traffic stop at a city park. According to the Police Department, officers pulled over a light-colored sedan driven by 58-year-old David Carrie Wilson at Baker Park at 10:16 a.m. Thursday. Police said they stopped Wilson for expired registration tags on his car and learned that he was driving without insurance. They said a glass pipe with narcotics residue was protruding from his right front pocket in plain view. It field-tested positive as methamphetamine. The pipe, meth and additional drug paraphernalia were seized. Wilson was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Meth Possession. His vehicle was impounded.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving after he flattened a sign and then crashed at a southwest city intersection yesterday. The Police Department reports officers and emergency crews responded to the wreck at SW 4th and Bridge streets on Thursday around 3:30 p.m.. Police said a fellow motorist who was following a Chevrolet SUV driven by 29-year-old Zachery Bryce Williams saw him veer across all three lanes of SE 7th Street and hit an ODOT "Wait Here for Crossing Pedestrians" sign before turning west on K Street and stopping on the north side of Active Home Furnishings. According to the report, another driver witnessed the crash at 4th and Bridge where Williams high-centered his SUV on some boulders. He was not hurt, but he was unable to move his vehicle. Responding officers contacted him and said he showed signs of impairment. Williams admitted to inhaling nitrous oxide "whip-its" just prior to the crashes. He was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless Driving and Criminal Mischief. He was cited and released, but his vehicle was impounded.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a young motorist for impaired driving early yesterday after a traffic stop in the downtown area. According to the Police Department, officers pulled over a black Dodge pickup driven by a 21-year-old female subject near the corner of NE 7th and A streets on Thursday shortly after midnight. Police said they stopped the woman for making an unsafe right-hand turn and her inability to maintain a single travel lane. They said she showed several indicators of impairment and they could smell the odor of alcohol on her breath. The young motorist performed poorly in field sobriety tests, was placed into custody and transported to the Josephine County Jail where she provided a breath sample that exceeded the legal driving limit. The suspect was lodged in jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and her pickup was impounded.

 

Two people and their dog escaped injury when they rolled their vehicle in the Selma area yesterday. On Thursday at 3:54 p.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District and American Medical Response were dispatched to the single-vehicle rollover crash in the 2500-block of Lakeshore Drive. IVFD officials said arriving units found the vehicle on its top, but two occupants and their canine passenger sustained no injuries. Jerry's Towing responded, removed the vehicle and hauled it to Cave Junction. It was unclear whether there would be an investigation into the cause of the crash.

 

The Medford Police Department received multiple reports of a shooting near the Bear Creek Greenway in the area of 8th Street on Wednesday afternoon. An MPD community service officer was on the Greenway about one block away, heard the gunfire and quickly relayed information to responding officers. Officers arrived within minutes and located the adult male victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. MPD officers, Medford Fire personnel and Mercy Flights medics provided immediate life-saving aid. Based on witness accounts and the initial investigation, officers promptly obtained and broadcasted a description of the suspect. Within 15 minutes, an MPD detective located the suspect walking at the Medford Center near Tinseltown Theater. The suspect -- 38-year-old William K. Triplett -- was interviewed by detectives and then lodged at the Jackson County Jail for Felony 1st-Degree Assault. The victim was initially transported to a local hospital and then airlifted to Portland for advanced medical care. The man remains in critical condition and his name is being withheld at this time. Preliminary findings indicated that the suspect and victim were acquainted and had been involved in a verbal dispute, which escalated into a physical confrontation and ultimately led to the shooting. This remains an active investigation and anyone with information is encouraged to contact MPD.