Local News

Police arrested a man for stealing a cell phone from a teenage boy at the Grants Pass Family YMCA. Grants Pass police officers responded to the theft complaint at the YMCA facility on Redwood Avenue around midday Tuesday. Police said a 47-year-old male subject stole a $50 cell phone from a juvenile. They reviewed surveillance video, recognized the man and found him a short time later at Morrison Centennial Park. He had already given away the phone when he was contacted. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 3rd-Degree Theft. It was unclear if the stolen phone was recovered.

 

A dog and several puppies were lost to a fire in the Sunny Valley area early yesterday. On Wednesday at 7:43 a.m., Rural Metro Fire Department, Grants Pass Fire & Rescue, Wolf Creek Rural Fire Protection District and the Oregon Department of Forestry responded to a structure fire in the 4400-block of Placer Road. Rural Metro officials said arriving units found a single-story home fully-involved with flames, but the occupants were able to escape without injury. However, the family's dog and several puppies did not survive. Due to the time of day, officials said spread into nearby vegetation was minimal and easily contained. The investigation was turned over to the Oregon State Fire Marshal. Assistance through the two-county mutual aid system brought in crews from the Illinois Valley Fire District, Applegate Valley Fire District and Jackson County Fire District #1 to help cover additional calls.

 

Firefighters extinguished a fast-moving grass fire in the Sams Valley area near Eagle Point yesterday. Jackson County Fire District #3 and the Oregon Department of Forestry were dispatched to an estimated five-acre grass fire on the south side of Highway 234 and Agate Road around midday Wednesday. As the fire burned within the solar panel farm property, crews were actively extinguishing the flames with ODF helicopters providing aerial support. There was no need for evacuations, but motorists were advised of increased fire traffic in the area. In a 1:05 p.m. update, ODF reported firefighters stopped the progress of the fire at seven acres. Resources remained engaged until the fire area was mopped up. According to ODF, the cause of the fire was under investigation.

 

The Oregon Department of Transportation has become aware of a phishing scam in the state where hackers are contacting their customers and claiming to be from the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Oregon DMV will never ask you for personal information such as your driver's license number, Social Security number or date of birth through an unsolicited phone call, text or e-mail. Scammers impersonate the DMV to trick you into giving them personal information or money. If you receive an unsolicited phone call, text, or e-mail claiming to be from DMV with an urgent matter -- like you driver's license or vehicle registration is about to expire or you are owed money due to overpayment -- ignore or delete the message or hang up. Do not click on any verification links. If you receive a phishing calls, text or e-mail, notify the DMV Fraud Prevention Team at (503)-945-8946 or send an online report. The Oregon Department of Justice encourages people to report any potential frauds and scams to the Oregon Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-(877)-877-9392 or online at "oregonconsumer.gov."

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday approved the sale of two properties as well as an annexation into the local library district. The Board voted unanimously in favor of an order that confirmed the Sheriff's Property Sale of July 17th, accepted the Sheriff's Return of Sale, accepted the Sheriff's Certificate of Sale and Authorized the Distribution of Sale Proceeds. Assistant Legal Counsel Stephanie Nutall testified two county-owned parcels were sold including a property on Grave Creek Road for $214,000 and another unnamed property for about $150,000. She said proceeds from the first sale will go to the Forestry Reserve account minus administrative fees. The second purchase was made with a land sale contract, with the proceeds to be collected over time. Property Manager Helene Lulich testified that both properties were property tax foreclosures that had gone through the six-year foreclosure process. She said 11 remaining county-owned properties will be sold at a future Sheriff's auction. All three Commissioners voted in favor of annexing a 40-acre property into the Josephine Community Library District. Former County Assessor Connie Roach represented the district during the public hearing. There was no public comment.

 

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Rogue Valley has a new Executive Director and she's no stranger to the organization. Jessica King has served as the Boys & Girls Clubs' Assistant Executive Director in charge of Resource Development and Marketing for the last 10 years. She will begin her new role on September 1st. King will be succeeding Greg Roe, who has served as the clubs' Executive Director since 2017. King worked alongside Roe during many major accomplishments in his tenure including the acquisition of the Illinois Valley branch building in Kerby, expanding services in Jackson County, and navigating the club through wildfires and the pandemic. Roe's resignation from the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Rogue Valley comes after his decision to relocate from the Rogue Valley. His impact on the children of Southern Oregon stretches beyond the Grants Pass-based club. His unwavering commitment and service to the community has been inspiring. He has played a role in bringing Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to the region and in creating the Grants Pass & Josephine County Chamber of Commerce "Lemonade Day" event. Roe said he's sad to be leaving the organization, but he's excited about the future of the club with King taking over the lead role.

 

Grants Pass Parks & Recreation will host two "Movies in the Park" events this month. This Friday, August 2nd, a double-feature of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" will be shown at Riverside Park. On Friday, August 16th, "The Iron Giant" will be shown at Reinhart Volunteer Park. Both movies start at dusk. Bring your families, lawn chairs, snacks and non-alcoholic beverages for a summer night at the movies. "Movies in the Park" is sponsored by Rogue Credit Union.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners this morning approved the sale of two properties and an annexation into the local library district. The Board voted unanimously in favor of an order that confirmed the Sheriff's Property Sale of July 17th, accepted the Sheriff's Return of Sale, accepted the Sheriff's Certificate of Sale and Authorized the Distribution of Sale Proceeds. Assistant Legal Counsel Stephanie Nutall testified two county-owned parcels were sold including a property on Grave Creek Road for $214,000 and another unnamed property for about $150,000. She said proceeds from the first sale will go to the Forestry Reserve account minus administrative fees. The second purchase was made with a land sale contract, with the proceeds to be collected over time. Property Manager Helene Lulich testified that both properties were property tax foreclosures that had gone through the six-year foreclosure process. She said 11 remaining county-owned properties will be sold at a future Sheriff's auction. All three Commissioners voted in favor of annexing a 40-acre property into the Josephine Community Library District. Former County Assessor Connie Roach represented the district during the public hearing. There was no public comment. During Requests and Comments from Citizens, the Board heard from a citizen who complained about public education indoctrinating students to a socialistic agenda, a Williams resident who urged them to complete the Pipe Fork Sale, a man who is concerned about local homelessness, and two complaints about the Fire Hazard Map proposed by the Oregon Department of Forestry.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a man who led law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit through the Illinois Valley before crashing the stolen vehicle he was driving into a power pole, knocking out electrical service to several residents. The Sheriff's Office did not report the incident in its daily log, but jail records show a 39-year-old man identified as "Victor Ryan Taber" was booked today at 1:50 a.m.. Trusted sources report deputies spotted a stolen vehicle and started a pursuit, but the driver refused to yield while leading them on a high-speed chase that ended when the vehicle crashed into a power pole. There were no injuries reported, but a widespread outage occurred due to the crash. No other information was available. The suspect identified as "Taber" was placed into custody and transported to the Josephine County Jail where he was lodged for crimes including Felony Attempt to Elude Police, Felony 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief, Reckless Driving, Recklessly Endangering a Highway Worker, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief. He was being held without bail.