Local News

The Oregon State Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving after she crashed her vehicle off Redwood Highway west of Grants Pass. According to OSP, troopers and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle wreck near milepost 5 of US Highway 199 on Sunday at 8:10 p.m.. Troopers said their investigation indicated 25-year-old Jessica Long was impaired when she crashed the Toyota Camry she was driving. The driver was transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries. A search warrant was obtained and a legal blood draw was performed. Based on the results of the blood draw, Long was cited at the hospital for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. Her car was impounded. ODOT was notified of state property damage for destroyed highway signs.

 

Monday was an uncommonly busy day for the Illinois Valley Fire District and its partners. At 3:47 p.m., IVFD and the Oregon Department of Forestry responded to a small grass fire in front of McGrew's Restaurant in O'Brien. Units arrived on scene to find the fire had been fully extinguished and the incident is being investigated. At 3:59 p.m., IVFD, ODF and the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest responded to a grass fire near the Chevron gas station on South Redwood Highway in Cave Junction. The small fire was confirmed to be extinguished. Several citizen bystanders assisted in suppression efforts. An investigation will be conducted. At 4:58 p.m., IVFD, ODF and American Medical Response were dispatched to a reported structure fire in the 2600-block of Holland Loop Road. Arriving units confirmed a contained flue fire that was subsequently extinguished. At 9:35 p.m., IVFD, AMR and the Josephine County Sheriff's Office responded to a single-vehicle rollover accident on West Side Road at Finch Road in Kerby. No individuals were present at the crash scene. A search of the area was conducted, but no one was located. The Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident.

 

The Oregon Department of Transportation has started a project to improve safety along Interstate 5 by adding features that alert drivers when they enter a freeway off-ramp from the wrong direction. ODOT officials said these enhancements include permanent signs, reflective pavement markings and flashing beacons. The project will involve most ramps on I-5 from the California border north to the Curtin interchange at milepost 163. Starting this week, motorists are urged to watch for intermittent I-5 closures each Sunday night to Friday morning from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.. Construction on each ramp will take about 4 to 6 hours. During ramp closures, drivers should watch for construction signs and electronic message boards. Drivers are advised to use alternate routes, usually by traveling to the next interchange and turning around. In general, the contractor will begin work at the south end of the project area near the California border and gradually work north through Jackson, Josephine and Douglas counties.

 

The Grants Pass City Council has directed staff to start the process of hiring a consultant to help guide it in next steps for the Washington Campus property. During its Monday workshop, the Council discussed what should be done with the roughly 8-acre property off NW Midland Avenue and Washington Boulevard that the City of Grants Pass purchased last year for $2 million. City Manager Aaron Cubic called it the "North Star Project" and explained the property is zoned Industrial, R-4, R-1-6 and General Commercial, which provides numerous potential uses and possibilities. He said a 9-month process to create an Opportunity Plan for the property could reveal some exciting opportunities. Cubic said public dollars are being used to incentivize private development. City Council members agreed that a consultant should help guide the process and city staff was directed to draft a Request for Proposal to help find the right consultant. In other business, the City Council decided to pause its discussion on reallocating $5 million in Urban Renewal Agency funding for a public swimming pool until after it receives presentations on Caveman Pool and the Caretaker's Cottage at Riverside Park. Some of the money could be redirected to those projects as well as providing infrastructure to the Spalding Industrial Park.

 

The City of Grants Pass has announced the opening of Caveman Pool has been delayed until Friday. Recent maintenance issues are causing a delay in the scheduled opening of Caveman Pool, which has been part of the community for more than 50 years. The municipal swimming pool is operated by the Grants Pass Family YMCA under contract with the City of Grants Pass. The pool is available for private parties when not scheduled for other activities. It will be closed on July 4th. Daily admission fees are free for kids 4 & under with a paid adult. The price for youth 5 to 17 is $5, $6.50 for adults 18 & over, and $12 for a family of four. Season passes can be purchased at the YMCA -- $75 for youth, $125 for adults and $175 for family which includes up to four members of the same household. It's $40 for each additional family member. Children under the age of 10 must have a parent or guardian present. All non-swimmers are required to have a parent or guardian in the water with them at all times. There are also swimming lessons and family movie nights on the Caveman Pool summer schedule. For more information, please visit "grantspassymca.org."

 

Josephine Community Library invites citizens to a special celebration this week as it unveils a brand new BearFest bear, generously sponsored by Evergreen Federal Bank. The public event will take place on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. at the Grants Pass library branch located at 200 NW C Street. In partnership with the Grants Pass & Josephine County Chamber of Commerce, the event will feature a ceremonial ribbon-cutting with the Chamber Ambassadors followed by a meet-and-greet with BearFest artist Kel Letvenchuck at 1 p.m.. The new bear named "Beary Tales" is a heartwarming addition to the beloved BearFest collection. Designed by Letvenchuck, the sculpture features two baby bears reading books together, symbolizing the joy of storytime and the importance of early literacy and lifelong reading. The community is encouraged to attend this free event, learn more about BearFest and help celebrate the new addition to the Grants Pass library grounds.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a man for eluding the Oregon State Police and a traffic violation following a weekend trespassing complaint on the southeast side of Grants Pass. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies responded to the incident in the 1500-block of Mount Baldy Road on Saturday around 6:30 p.m.. Deputies said a woman called 9-1-1 to report that a former friend of her husband -- 43-year-old Joseph Scott Doyle, Jr. -- kept coming back to their house in a Chevy Blazer after the two men had a falling out. The husband told Doyle he did not want him there, and his wife and their toddler had locked themselves inside the house. Doyle had left the residence prior to deputies' arrival, but they located him a short time later at Fruitdale Park. They discovered his license was suspended and that he had eluded state troopers last week. Doyle was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Attempt to Elude Police, Reckless Driving and Driving While Suspended. His vehicle was impounded.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a man for violating a court order following a weekend traffic stop on Williams Highway near Murphy. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Dodge Ram 2500 pickup driven by 33-year-old Nicholas Svane Morris of Lancaster on Highway 238 near Grays Creek Road on Friday at 10:17 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped Morris for an undisclosed traffic violation and learned that his 41-year-old female passenger from Grants Pass had an active restraining order against him. Morris was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Contempt of Court/Restraining Order Violation. He was being held without bail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a Cave Junction man on a local felony warrant over the weekend -- with an assist from his family. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies contacted 20-year-old Joshua James Polk at a home in the 1800-block of Laurel Road on Saturday around 3:30 p.m.. Deputies said Polk was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for 1st-Degree Theft and Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle. They said he went into the house when he spotted law enforcement, but his family was successful in talking him into coming out and surrendering. He was said to be "cooperative." Polk was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant. He was being held on $20,000 bail.