Local News

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for violating his post-prison supervision by unlawful entering a building in downtown Cave Junction yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies responded to a disturbance in the 100-block of South Kerby Avenue on Thursday around 3:45 p.m.. Deputies said the business manager texted 9-1-1 and advised a male subject was in their building. The caller sent surveillance images of the man there yesterday and outside the back door on December 20th. While deputies responded, the subject ran out of the building and headed toward the post office. That's where deputies located 35-year-old Luey Magic Ocean Music Glenn hiding behind a dumpster. He was placed into custody at Taser point. Glenn was transported to Grants Pass and lodged in jail for two counts of Criminal Trespass and the resulting Felony Parole Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

The Josephine Community Library District has announced that it will not be attending the Board of Commissioners meeting scheduled for Monday, citing inadequate notice and the unavailability of legal counsel to represent the district. The proposed meeting is part of ongoing discussions initiated by Commissioner John West during the December 19th administration meeting where he suggested charging market rent for the Grants Pass library building, a matter of significant legal and financial complexity. The local library district cites inadequate notice, the unavailability of its legal counsel and the need for all stakeholders to be present to ensure a constructive and well-prepared discussion. JCL Director Kate Lasky said it would be irresponsible for the library's leadership to attend this meeting without proper preparation and representation. The district has communicated these concerns to the Board of Commissioners, requesting that the meeting be rescheduled to mid-January to accommodate the schedules of all involved parties. However, Commissioner West declined to move the meeting and plans to hold the discussion on Monday, despite the absence of key stakeholders. The district's position is underscored by the fact that the County Charter, specifically Section 14.5, which explicitly requires the Board of Commissioners to "provide for the support and maintenance of the main library and library branches."

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on an outside felony warrant and for drug possession while performing a New Year's Day patrol check on railroad property. According to the Police Department, officers contacted 64-year-old William Ward Fleming on the downtown railroad property on Wednesday afternoon. Police said they discovered that Ward was wanted on a Jackson County felony warrant for Probation Violation related to an arrest for Failure to Report as a Sex Offender. During a consent search, they found him to be in possession of glass pipe with a white residue that field-tested positive as methamphetamine. Ward was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus a new charge of Meth Possession. He was being held on a no-bail detainer and his dog was left in the care of an acquaintance at the SE J Street campground.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for celebrating New Year's Day by ripping up shrubbery at the downtown post office. The Police Department reports officers arrested 47-year-old Beau Thomas Beard at the post office in the 100-block of NW 6th Street on Wednesday afternoon. Police said Beard was observed causing substantial damage to the shrubbery in front of the postal facility. Damage was estimated to be well over $500. It was unclear why the man was pulling out vegetation and throwing it on the sidewalk. Officers contacted the Grants Pass Postmaster who advised he wished to pursue criminal charges against Beard, who had been trespassed from the post office late last month. Beard was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief and 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. He was being held without bail.

 

One person was hurt this week in a chain-reaction crash involving three vehicles on Interstate 5 on Mount Sexton. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the multi-vehicle mishap in the southbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 68 at 8:08 p.m. Wednesday. Troopers said an investigation indicated a 65-year-old Talent man was driving a Honda CRV that crashed into a barricade. They said a Dodge pickup driven by a 56-year-old Cheyenne, Wyoming, man and a Toyota sedan driven by 20-year-old Seattle, Washington, man collided with the first vehicle. According to OSP, the Talent man was transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. No one else was hurt. The Honda and Dodge were towed to Grants Pass, but the Toyota drove away from the crash scene. It was unclear in the report if any citations were issued.

 

The Oregon State Police was investigating a motor vehicle accident that occurred on Redwood Highway in the Selma area last night. State troopers, the Illinois Valley Fire District and American Medical Response were dispatched to the single-vehicle crash on US Highway 199 at Draper Valley Road on Thursday at 5:49 p.m.. Arriving units discovered a Toyota Venza had gone off the highway and struck a tree. The driver was identified as a 71-year-old man from Dayton, Nevada. Prior to their arrival, a bystander put out an engine fire using a fire extinguisher. Troopers said the driver tried to avoid a parked car after being inattentive and he "center-punched" a tree. IVFD officials said the driver of the vehicle was examined by medics on site and then released without requiring transport to the hospital. The heavily-damaged vehicle was hauled to Cave Junction by Jerry's Towing. OSP said it planned to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Cave Junction man for impaired driving after he crashed his vehicle on Williams Highway this week. OSP reports troopers and emergency crews responded to a single-vehicle wreck near milepost 7 of Williams Highway on Wednesday evening. Troopers said a 32-year-old Cave Junction man was driving a Subaru Legacy west when he lost control of the vehicle, slid off the highway and rolled, with the car coming to rest on its side. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Upon contact with the driver, troopers observed signs of impairment and took him to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided a breath sample that was more than twice the legal driving limit. The suspect was lodged at the Sobering Center for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless Driving and Offensive Littering. His car was impounded.

 

Citizens are invited to a three-part program series exploring classical virtues and civic responsibilities with former Oregon Teacher of the Year Lois MacMillan at the Grants Pass branch of Josephine Community Library. The program -- titled "Civic Behavior from Yesterday -- For Today" -- will be held the first three Tuesdays this month from 5:30-7 p.m. at the library branch at 200 NW C Street. Drawing from Jeffrey Rosen's The Pursuit of Happiness and Richard Haas' The Bill of Obligations, participants will examine values like temperance, humility, justice and the common good. Open to teens and adults, this program blends history with civic engagement to inspire personal and community well-being. "Temperance, Humility, Sincerity" is scheduled for next Tuesday, January 7th. "Industry, Resolution, Moderation" is slated for Tuesday, January 14th. "Tranquility, Silence, Justice" is set for Tuesday, January 21st. The program is offered at no charge and it's open to the public. A library card is not needed to participate and registration is not required.

 

The Oregon State Fire Marshal is extending its incentive program to help residents pay for defensible space projects in more communities in the state. The 2024 wildfire season came as a reminder of the importance of defensible space and completing projects at home and at the community level to be better protected. While supplies last, home and property owners in select wildfire-vulnerable communities may be eligible to receive a $250 payment following a defensible space assessment by OSFM or a participating fire agency. The assessments are free and can be easily scheduled online at "oregondefensiblespace.org." Eligible communities were chosen based on their vulnerability to wildfire to get money to those who need it most. After the assessment is complete, those who qualify will receive the payment in the mail. Defensible space is the area around your home and buildings managed to keep embers from having a place to land and spark a fire. Creating and maintaining defensible space is one of the most effective ways to protect a home during a wildfire. The Oregon State Fire Marshal understands that money may be a barrier for some residents to complete these projects and the incentive is designed to encourage people to implement the recommendations they received during their assessment.