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Yellowjacket Environmental Assessment Planned for Siskiyou Ranger District

The Yellowjacket Environmental Assessment on the Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest is in early planning stages. The district's main focus for the project is to start a meaningful community engagement with as much diversity of thought as possible. The goals and objectives for the projects are to mitigate risks to human health and safety and to keep roads open to the public, not just for recreation but also for ingress and egress for the public and Forest Service personnel; to connect fuel reduction projects to the west and east, providing a more resilient landscape and helping protect vulnerable communities from catastrophic wildfires; to reduce hazardous fuels and foster a more fire-, insect- and disease-resilient forest; to treat the dead and dying Douglas fir and other conifer species; to restore and promote more climate-adapted pine, oak and other species; and to enhance and protect the old growth by focusing on reducing competition for legacy trees. The district will be utilizing input from the public and the Rogue Forest Partners via field trips looking at specific concerns that local interest groups are interested in discussing.

Posted on 11/15/24 6:09AM by Sam Marsh

GP City Council Approved Two Urban Renewal Building Rehabilitation Grants

The Grants Pass City Council recently approved two Urban Renewal Building Rehabilitation and Restoration Grants. The first grant went to Dwell House, a local staging company that will open a new showroom and community business space at 626 SW 6th Street -- the former location of Household Furnishings & Appliances -- after renovations. The second grant went to Scopa Properties and Partake Hospitality, which plans to transform the upper story of the former King Jewelers building at 221 SE 6th Street into a restaurant and lounge with full kitchen.The Historical Buildings & Sites Commission signed off on the plan during its meeting last night. According to the plan, the mezzanine will be converted into a wine library and private meeting space while the first floor will host a cheese and wine shop.

Posted on 11/15/24 6:02AM by Sam Marsh

Jackson County Sheriff Warns Rogue Valley Residents about Increase in Local Scams

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office is warning the Rogue Valley community that there is a major increase of scam calls in the local area. The Sheriff's Office has been receiving 20 to 30 reports per day of people receiving scam calls from people pretending to be sheriff's deputies. These scammers are able to spoof the agency's number as well, making these calls seem legitimate. If you receive a call from a Sergeant David Miller or Sergeant Matt Hagert, please know the Jackson County Sheriff's Office does not have any sergeants by those names and it is a scam. Please note the names and ranks of these callers can change on a regular basis. According to the Sheriff's Office, you will not be called because you have missed grand jury, jury duty or a jury summons, or you have an outstanding warrant. They prefer to come find you in person. They will never ask you to pay anything over the phone by cash, credit, wire, Crypto or Bitcoin. If someone is asking for money, it is a Red Flag and you should hang up. Unless you are in an active investigation, you will not receive calls from anyone in a law enforcement agency. Please share this information with your friends and family who do not have social media as many community members are receiving these calls, believing in them and following the caller's instructions.

Posted on 11/15/24 5:59AM by Sam Marsh

More Than $5.4 Million Coming to Oregon for Hazardous Fuels Projects Across State

US Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden have announced that $5.4 million is coming to Oregon from the Inflation Reduction Act for hazardous fuels projects across the state. The federal funding awarded by the US Forest Service will reduce the risk of wildfires by removing hazardous fuels from national forests and grasslands to facilities for use in wood products and wood energy production. The awards to Oregon are part of a $20 million effort by the Forest Service to fund 34 entities for 66 projects as part of its hazardous fuels transportation assistance program. A total of eight projects were selected in Oregon, with three of them in the southwest part of the state. The Cow Creek Umpqua Tribe Project will receive $375,000 to remove 65,000 tons of material on 1,000 acres of Umpqua Tribal lands adjacent to US Forest Service lands. The Mineral Creek Logging Project will receive $248,668 to remove 4,000 tons of non-saw Timber Subject to Agreement material from 402 acres on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. The Biomass One Project gets $88,000 to remove 15,000 tons of green biomass material on approximately 950 acres near Crater Lake National Park.

Posted on 11/15/24 5:58AM by Sam Marsh

Grants Pass School Board Holding Community Listening Session on Tuesday at GPHS

The Grants Pass School District 7 Board of Education wants to hear from its patrons during a community listening session next week. The listening session is scheduled for Tuesday, November 19th, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Grants Pass High School Commons. The Grants Pass School District is inviting all interested citizens to attend the session. This is the public's chance to share their questions, ideas and feedback directly with the Board. Whether you have thoughts on cell phone policies, questions on the dress code or budget, suggestions for improving school facilities, or feedback on current school programs, the D7 Board wants to hear from you. An RSVP is appreciated but not required to attend the listening session. If you have any questions about the event, please contact Tonya Doane at (541)-474-5700.

Posted on 11/15/24 5:55AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Jailed Felon on 2 Local Warrants and for Narcotics Possession

Grants Pass Police jailed a local felon on two outstanding warrants and for drug possession yesterday after a patrol check in the downtown area. The Police Department reports officers arrested 39-year-old Travis Randal Davenport near the corner of NE 7th and L streets at 1:03 p.m. Wednesday. Police said they were on patrol when they spotted Davenport walking south along 7th near E Street. They were familiar with him from previous law enforcement contacts and a records check revealed that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for Methamphetamine Possession along with a Josephine County warrant for failing to appear in court for Disorderly Conduct. While placing Davenport into custody, officers found him to be in possession of a glass pipe with a white crystal residue that tested positive as meth. The pipe was seized for destruction. Davenport was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the local warrants plus a new charge of Meth Possession. He was being held without bail.

Posted on 11/14/24 11:17AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Snared Man for Drug Possession after OR DHS Trespassing Call

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for narcotics possession while investigating a trespassing complaint at the Oregon Department of Human Services yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responding to the call at the DHS office on NW Hawthorne Avenue on Wednesday at 2:25 p.m.. Police said a state worker called 9-1-1 to report a male subject later identified as 44-year-old Nicholas John Knox Knowles had locked himself in the handicap stall of the men's restroom and refused to come out. The caller reported the man was screaming and -- when they managed to get the stall door open -- he was rocking back and forth with a beer in his hand while surrounded by trash. Officers arrived on scene, contacted Knowles and found him to be in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine, which was seized for destruction. Knowles was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Meth Possession and he was trespassed from the DHS facility.

Posted on 11/14/24 11:15AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Nabbed Man for Drug Possession at NE 7th Street Campground

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for narcotics possession at the designated campground on NE 7th Street yesterday. The Police Department reports officers were performing a patrol check at the temporary campsite next to GPPD headquarters on Wednesday at 3:16 p.m. when they contacted 36-year-old Derek Brian Hood. Police said they spotted Hood holding a clear glass pipe while they were walking into the campground. They said he dropped the pipe on the ground while trying to conceal it. He then consented to a search and was found to be in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine. The pipe and narcotic stimulant were seized for destruction. Hood was lodged in jail for Meth Possession and he was trespassed from the campground for 30 days.

Posted on 11/14/24 11:13AM by Sam Marsh

Deputies Arrested Man for Violating Court Order Protecting Female DV Victim

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for violating a court order by being with a woman from whom had been prohibited from contacting. The Sheriff's Office reports they were notified about the no-contact order by the Northern Call Center in Texas on Wednesday afternoon. Deputies stopped a vehicle driven by the 40-year-old male subject on Monument Drive near Blue Grass Place and found him to be with the protected female party. The woman's parents advised deputies the subject had been arrested for domestic violence with her and a no-contact order was issued. After his release from jail, the man showed up at the woman's home and she left with him. He reportedly admitted to violating the release agreement during the traffic stop and was arrested. After the no-contact order was confirmed, the suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Contempt of Court. He was being held without bail.

Posted on 11/14/24 11:12AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Woman for Outlandish Behavior at Fred Meyer & GameStop

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for her outlandish behavior at Fred Meyer and GameStop yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to the incident involving 42-year-old Mindy Raquel Jacobson at the store on the Grants Pass Parkway on Wednesday shortly before 2 p.m.. Police said Jacobson created public inconvenience, annoyance and alarm by her bad behavior as she was initially contacted with her items strewn about the Fred Meyer entrance doors to the garden section. She was trespassed from the store by loss prevention and left. A few minutes later, Jacobson caused public alarm with her unseemly behavior at GameStop in the 100-block of NE Terry Lane. She was described as "catatonic and manic" while refusing to leave the store. She reportedly believed she was in Idaho. Jacobson was placed into custody and lodged in jail for Disorderly Conduct. She was being held without bail.

Posted on 11/14/24 11:10AM by Sam Marsh

Interstate 5 Motorist Hurt after Crashing Car during Rainstorm near Wolf Creek

An Interstate 5 motorist was injured yesterday when she crashed her vehicle near Wolf Creek. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the single-vehicle wreck in the southbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 78 at 12:32 p.m. Wednesday. State troopers said a 31-year-old woman was driving a Ford Escape too fast for the conditions during a rainstorm when she hit standing water on the freeway and lost control. They said the vehicle spun and left the road to the right, impacted the side-slope embankment and overturned. The woman was the only occupant of the vehicle. She was transported by AMR ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Her heavily-damaged car was hauled to Grants Pass by 3 Boys Towing.

Posted on 11/14/24 11:08AM by Sam Marsh

Major Methamphetamine Trafficking Bust Made in Southern Oregon Last Week

Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement (MADGE) arrested two men last week for trafficking methamphetamine from California into Southern Oregon. Following a long-term investigation, MADGE made contact with several people and a vehicle in Ashland on November 5th. After executing a search warrant on the vehicle, detectives seized approximately 20 pounds of methamphetamine. Two men -- 62-year-old Randall Banks of Sonora, California, and 42-year-old Gabriel Calderon of Madera, California -- were arrested and lodged at the Jackson County Jail on charges of Felony Unlawful Manufacture, Possession and Delivery of Meth. The MADGE team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force focused on identifying, disrupting and dismantling local, multi-state and international drug trafficking organizations. MADGE works in coordination with the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, which is sponsored by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). MADGE includes members from the Medford Police Department, Eagle Point Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Jackson County District Attorney's Office, Jackson County Parole & Probation, Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI.

Posted on 11/14/24 6:44AM by Sam Marsh

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