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Applications Being Accepted for Seat on Bikeways & Walkways Committee

Applications are being accepted for one position on the Grants Pass/Josephine County Bikeways & Walkways Committee due to a vacancy. This term expires on November 2, 2025. The purpose of this committee is to seek input from the community, coordinate and disseminate information for public education about biking and walking routes and rules, and serve as a resource and advisory group regarding bike and pedestrian trails for the City of Grants Pass and Josephine County. The special qualification for this position is a Grants Pass resident who represents the interests of bikers and walkers. Applications are available at the City Administration Office at 101 NW A Street or online at "grantspassoregon.gov/committee-application." Completed applications must be received by 5 p.m. this Friday, January 10th. Applications will be reviewed by the committee on Tuesday, January 14th. The appointment will be made by the Grants Pass City Council on Wednesday, February 5th.

Posted on 1/8/25 5:29AM by Sam Marsh

New GPCC Approves Revocation of MINT Grant and Abrupt Closure of J Street Campground

The 2025 version of the Grants Pass City Council held a special meeting in front of a capacity crowd on Tuesday afternoon when they listened to a lot of opposition to their plans, but generally went ahead and approved them anyway. The first item was a resolution to revoke the grant agreement with the Mobile Integrative Navigation Team (MINT) for a permanent shelter for the homeless at 210 and 220 Redwood Highway. The vote was 5-to-2 to revoke the grant, with Council member Joel King absent. Public testimony was 22-to-4 against the resolution. The second resolution was to shut down the homeless campground on SE J Street. Councilor Dwayne Yunker made a motion to close J Street with a 72-hour notice for campers to vacate and limit "resting" hours at the 7th Street site to between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. daily. Public testimony was 17-to-5 against the resolution. The third resolution was to suspend the $6.5 million Caveman Pool Project from moving forward and reallocate $1.2 million to Public Safety. Councilor Yunker made the motion, which was approved 6-to-1. In this case, two people -- including interim YMCA Director Brad Converse -- spoke in favor of project suspension. The fourth resolution was to sunset three advisory panels -- the Collaborative Economic Development Committee, the Housing Advisory Committee and the Sustainability & Energy Action Committee. All three committees were scrapped by a 5-to-2 vote. Public testimony was 11-to-0 against the resolution.

Posted on 1/8/25 5:24AM by Sam Marsh

Local Library Leaders "Shocked" by BCC Decision to Terminate GP Lease Agreement

Local library district leaders say they were shocked when the Josephine County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to terminate the lease on the building that houses the Grants Pass branch. Claiming that the change from being a "county" to a "community" library in 2017 negates the County Charter mandate for "the support and maintenance" of libraries in Josephine County, recalled Commissioner John West urged his fellow commissioners to terminate the lease with 30 days' notice. The lease -- which has been in place for $1 per year since 2008 -- runs until the end of this year. West convinced new Commissioners Ron Smith and Chris Barnett that terminating the lease will bring the district to the table to renegotiate the lease. Josephine Community Library leaders said the discussion preceding the vote failed to consider that in the late-1990s, citing Measure 50, the Board of Commissioners shifted a 33-cent levy to the general fund to pay for public safety -- an increase in the county's property tax rate of 57%. The County then absorbed that levy into the permanent tax rate, raising it from 25 cents to 58 cents. Except for maintenance of the Grants Pass branch, none of that money goes toward supporting the library.

Posted on 1/8/25 5:22AM by Sam Marsh

ODF Announces Statewide Wildfire Hazard Maps Now Available on Explorer Website

The statewide maps of wildfire hazard zones and the wildland-urban interface are complete and the final versions are now available on the Oregon Explorer website. The Oregon Department of Forestry reports notifications are being mailed to impacted property owners and should be expected to arrive over the next several days. According to ODF, the wildfire hazard map's purposes are to educate Oregon residents and property owners about the level of hazard where they live, assist in prioritizing fire adaptation and mitigation resources for the most vulnerable locations and identify where defensible space standards and home-hardening codes will apply. The statewide wildfire hazard map designates all of Oregon's 1.9 million property tax lots into one of three wildfire hazard zones: low, moderate or high. It also identifies whether a tax lot is within boundaries of the wildland-urban interface. Properties that are in both a high hazard zone and within the interface will be prioritized for future wildfire risk mitigation resources and actions.

Posted on 1/8/25 5:20AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Incarcerated Man for Causing Two-Injury Crash and Fleeing Scene

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for crashing into another vehicle and injuring its occupants before fleeing the scene early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers and emergency personnel responded to the two-vehicle collision at the intersection of SW 4th and J streets at 9 a.m. Monday. Police said 39-year-old William Henry Haywood was driving a sport utility vehicle when he ran through a stop sign and crashed into another vehicle occupied by a woman and her young child, pushing it across a sidewalk and into a front yard. According to the report, the occupants were transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center with unspecified injuries. Their heavily-damaged vehicle was towed. Haywood fled the scene and was contacted about 45 minutes later by police on G Street. He admitted to being involved in a motor vehicle accident and said he fled because he was scared. Haywood was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Hit-and-Run. He was also cited for Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device and No Insurance. His SUV was towed to the impound yard.

Posted on 1/7/25 10:42AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Man for Vandalizing Downtown Bank after "Bad Drug Trip"

Grants Pass Police arrested man for vandalizing a downtown bank early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to the incident at Wells Fargo Bank on NE 6th Street on Monday around 7:50 a.m.. Police said a witness observed a male subject smash out one of the small windows on the front door of the bank facing 6th Street. The bank manager was called and he contacted the Wells Fargo corporate office to obtain surveillance footage. Video surveillance showed a man later identified as 47-year-old Beau Thomas Beard intentionally kicking in a window at the bank, causing around $2,000 in damage. Officers searched the area and found him in the 200-block of SE G Street. Beard stated he was mad about his bags and he had used "bad meth" the night before. Beard was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief. He was being held without bail.

Posted on 1/7/25 10:41AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Man for Vandalizing Screen Window at North-City Motel 6

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for vandalizing a north-city motel yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to the incident at Motel 6 on NE 7th Street on Monday shortly after 9 a.m.. Police said a motel manager called 9-1-1 to report a male guest was bothering other guests by picking up a prescription drug bottle and offering the contents to them. The caller said the guest became angry when he was told to leave. The suspect -- 29-year-old Matthew Alexander Scalabrinibyrne -- was observed on surveillance video damaging the window screen to a room at the motel. He advised he did so due to the belief that his friend was overdosing inside the room. When employees unlocked the room, they advised there was no one inside. According to the report, the damaged window screen was estimated to cost $40 plus labor to replace. Scalabrinibyrne was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief. He was also trespassed from Motel 6.

Posted on 1/7/25 10:40AM by Sam Marsh

Deputies Assisted Corrections Officer with Arrest of Client for CJ Violation

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office assisted Community Corrections by apprehending a man for violating his probation in Cave Junction yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 47-year-old Michael David Baze at the Cave Junction Substation on West Lister Street on Monday at 1:09 p.m.. Deputies said Baze's corrections officer requested help in placing his client into custody. The man was sitting outside the substation waiting to speak to the officer and he was wanted for violating his probation. According to the report, Baze was flagged by law enforcement with universal precautions which necessitated the assist. Baze was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.

Posted on 1/7/25 10:38AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Nabbed Trespasser Who was Sleeping Downtown on Warrants

Grants Pass Police arrested a frequent trespasser on two local warrants after he was found sleeping in front of a downtown business early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a trespassing complaint at the Jewelry Center on SW 6th Street on Monday around 8:15 a.m.. Police said 72-year-old Russell Dewitt Coe was covered with a moving blanket in front of the business with beer cans, cigarettes and trash scattered around. Upon contact, it was discovered that he was wanted on two Grants Pass warrants for failing to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. After his identify and the warrant were confirmed, Coe was lodged in jail on the outstanding warrants. His soiled blanket and clothing items were disposed of.

Posted on 1/7/25 10:36AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Apprehended Fugitive on OR and CA Warrants Outside Fred Meyer

Grants Pass Police jailed a man on statewide and out-of-state fugitive warrants after a weekend encounter at Fred Meyer. The Police Department reports officers arrested 40-year-old Eddie Joseph Correia, Jr., at the store on the Grants Pass Parkway on Sunday at 1:09 p.m.. Police said an off-duty officer spotted Correia inside Fred Meyer and called 9-1-1. The officer cautioned responding law enforcement to say nothing over the air as the suspect was known to have police scanners. Correia was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a conviction for Felony 2nd-Degree Assault. He was also wanted on an El Dorado County, California, warrant for Felony Parole Violation for an unspecified criminal conviction. The suspect fought with officers who placed him into custody. Correia was lodged on the warrants at the Josephine County Jail. He was being held on a no-bail detainer and his vehicle was impounded. Charges of Resisting Arrest and Methamphetamine Possession were referred to the District Attorney.

Posted on 1/7/25 6:40AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Man for Several Crimes after He Fled from Weekend Crash

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for multiple crimes and an outstanding warrant after he crashed his vehicle into a building on Williams Highway near New Hope Road and fled the scene on foot. The Police Department reports officers and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle wreck in the 2500-block of Highway 238 on Sunday at 7:05 a.m.. Police said 27-year-old Michael Dexter Creech was located on Bryn Court after he was observed fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run crash into an occupied auto shop building. No one was hurt after he collided with several mailboxes and into the building, causing more than $10,000 in damage. Creech was found to be in possession of foil with burnt residue that field-tested positive as fentanyl. He was also wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for Probation Violation related to an arrest for Fentanyl Possession. Creech was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus new charges of Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage, 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief, two counts of 3rd-Degree Criminal Mischief, Fentanyl Possession and Careless Driving. He was being held on a no-bail detainer and his vehicle was towed.

Posted on 1/7/25 6:39AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Snared Pair on Local Warrants after Suspicious Activity Report

Grants Pass Police arrested two men on outstanding warrants after investigating a report of suspicious activity in the north part of the city. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a call in the 100-block of NE Hillcrest Drive on Sunday at 3:07 p.m.. Police said a Starbucks worker called 9-1-1 to report three male subjects behind Paradise Car Wash -- one of them walking around with a rubber mallet. The caller said it appeared the group was looking break into a vehicle and/or steal something. Officers arrived on scene and contacted the men including 49-year-old Demetrius Elward Hughes and 38-year-old Charles Lee Shull. They quickly discovered that Hughes was wanted on a Josephine County warrant for failing to appear in court for Criminal Mischief, Criminal Trespass and Petty Theft. Shull was wanted on a Jackson County warrant for failing to appear in court for 1st-Degree Theft. Hughes and Shull were lodged in jail on their outstanding warrants. All three men were trespassed the business.

Posted on 1/7/25 6:37AM by Sam Marsh

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