Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for trespassing at a downtown retirement and assisted living center last night. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to the incident involving the 64-year-old woman at The Bridge on SW Bridge Street at 8:41 p.m. Thursday. Police said an employee called 9-1-1 to report that the female subject was yelling and being belligerent near the front doors before she entered the facility. They said she refused to leave the building when requested to do so. Officers arrived on scene and placed the female suspect into custody. She was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass and she was being held without bail. She was also trespassed from the facility.

 

Grants Pass Police evicted a camper from a city park on Independence Day after she committed two ordinance violations. Officers said they cited the woman for Misuse of Open Space and Scattering Rubbish at Fruitdale Park after receiving a citizen complaint on Thursday. The woman was also trespassed from the park for 30 days. Officers also cited several people at Baker Park for illegally parking in the boat launch area. A small dog wearing a black harness was located at the park with no one around it. It was taken to the Josephine County Animal Shelter. Also at Baker Park, officers located several shopping carts that belonged to local retailers. The carts were returned to Walmart, Safeway, Big Lots and Home Depot.

 

The holiday weekend combined with a heatwave means more boaters will be on the water in Jackson County, which often leads to an increase in boating incidents and fatalities. To keep Jackson County waterways safe, the Sheriff's Office -- in partnership with the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and the US Coast Guard -- is participating in "Operation Dry Water" through Saturday, July 6th. Jackson County Marine Patrol will increase its presence on local lakes and rivers to prioritize educating boaters about safe practices including the importance of sober boating and the wearing of life jackets, with the goal of enhancing boating safety. Alcohol is the leading contributor in recreational boating deaths. This mission of Operation Dry Water is to increase public awareness of the dangers of boating while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, which is illegal. Operating a recreational vessel with a blood-alcohol concentration of .08 or higher is against state law. Alcohol use is dangerous for passengers, too. Intoxicated passengers can easily slip, fall overboard or suffer other life-threatening incidents. Marine units will be patrolling for any impaired boater posing a danger to others and remove them from the water. The increased presence is a reminder to always boat sober and to wear a life jacket when on or around the water.

 

The Oregon Department of Forestry is battling a wildfire in the hills east of Ashland this morning. ODF first responded to the 100+-acre fire in the 5400-block of Dead Indian Memorial Road on Thursday evening when it was estimated to be 40 to 50 acres. Crews from ODF and Jackson County Fire District #5 engaged in an aggressive initial attack while additional resources were being ordered. Rogue Valley Strike Team #1 was dispatched to the blaze. The strike team is made up of engines and crews from Grants Pass Fire & Rescue, Rural Metro Fire Department, Illinois Valley Fire District, Applegate Valley Fire District and Jackson County Fire District #1. The unnamed wildfire was estimated to be over 100 acres at midnight, but crews had it 30% lined. Windy conditions were creating a challenge, but resources were making progress. Three 20-person hand crews and one 10-person hand crew were expected to arrive early this morning. Orders for three additional 20-person hand crews, three bulldozers and two tree fallers were being placed for today. Dead Indian Memorial Road is closed to public access at this time. There were no structures threatened and the cause of the fire was under investigation.

 

It was a toasty Independence Day throughout the Rogue Valley, with both Medford and Grants Pass reaching 105 degrees. Medford set a new high temperature record for July 4th, while Grants Pass missed it by one degree. It was 106 degrees here on July 4, 2015. Both cities are expected to break high temperature records over the next few days as the Excessive Heat Warning continues through Monday night. The predicted high temperature in Grants Pass is 110 today, 112 on Saturday, 109 on Sunday and 108 on Monday. The thermometer is expected to remain above 100 degrees until at least next Thursday and overnight lows in the 60s will provide little relief. Firefighters were busy extinguishing vegetation fires throughout Josephine County late yesterday and last night. The Oregon Department of Forestry reported a total of six grass fires including 1420 Lakeshore Drive in Selma, 1835 Drury Lane in Grants Pass, SW 5th Street and Rogue River Avenue in Grants Pass, 1451 Fairgrounds Road in Grants Pass, 295 Haylees Way in Hugo, 3133 Canal Avenue in Grants Pass and 1288 Willow Lane in Grants Pass. ODF officials said at least some of the fires were caused by fireworks.

 

Grants Pass Police apprehended a fugitive wanted for crimes committed in the Portland area following a traffic stop in the downtown area early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested the 54-year-old male subject near the corner of NE 6th and F streets on Thursday at 1:07 a.m.. Police said they stopped the subject for driving the wrong way on F Street toward 6th Street. A routine records check showed the man was wanted on a Multnomah County felony warrant for six counts of Aggravated 1st-Degree Theft. After the warrant was confirmed with the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, the suspect was placed into custody and lodged without bail at the Josephine County Jail. He was being held pending transfer to the jail facility in Portland.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a discharged patient at Three Rivers Medical Center early yesterday after he refused to leave the hospital. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the hospital facility in the 500-block of SW Ramsey Avenue on Thursday around 12:45 a.m.. Police said the 71-year-old man had been released from Three Rivers, but he refused to leave after he was requested to do so by staff members and security. They said he reportedly began swinging at hospital workers, but no one was hurt. The verbally uncooperative suspect was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. He was being held without bail.

 

Doe deer are very protective of their fawns and can be aggressive toward nearby people and pets. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has received recent reports of does attacking dogs in Josephine and Jackson counties. In most of these reports, people walking their dogs did not avoid close contact with does. ODFW encourages people to keep away from female deer this summer and keep dogs leashed and under control. ODFW Wildlife Biologist Chris Shelton said does give birth through July in this area so it's best to do this throughout the summer as people have gotten hurt and smaller dogs have been killed by does in the past. Shelton said does and bucks can also become aggressive any time of year when they are being fed. Stay alert, especially at dawn and dusk. Be aware of your surroundings and areas where deer may be. Report any aggressive deer behavior to ODFW's Central Point office at (541)-857-2405.

 

As Oregon heads into the first major heatwave of the season this weekend, Pacific Power is urging customers to prepare for those high temperatures. Curt Mansfield, Pacific Power senior vice president of power delivery, said more electricity is used by their customers during the summer season than at any other time of the year. Pacific Power relies on a diverse mix of available energy resources to meet peak hour needs during the summer and the company is well-positioned to meet seasonal customer demand. During hot weather, the utility also takes steps each day to keep electric service reliable for its customers by monitoring daily which substations and circuits have the highest use and addressing any issues quickly. Mansfield said the demand for electricity typically reaches its highest point on a hot summer weekday afternoon, generally from about 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. when power is needed to operate summertime irrigation and air conditioners. Coincidentally, northeast city residents were without electricity during those hours yesterday. Customers can help decrease strain on the electrical grid and save on power bills by limiting energy usage between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. whenever possible.