Local News

The community is encouraged to donate to Kelly's Automotive Service's Wipe Out Hunger event!

Going until February 13th, you can donate a 40 ounce or larger jar of peanut butter and a 12 ounce jar or larger of Jelly to be donated to the food insecure in our community.

In exchange for your donation, you will receive a pair of standard windshield wipers up to $45 in value installed on your vehicle.

Soy, Sun, or Almond butters are also accepted, and all the food will be given to the Salvation Army and ROC Food Pantries for distribution.

Donations are accepted at both locations. 1661 NE 6th Street in Grants Pass, and 2990 Biddle Road in Medford.

 

A judge has thrown out a petition that sought to force Commissioner Ron Smith to participate in filling the board vacancy.

The Daily Courier reports Circuit Court Judge Robert S. Bain dismissed the petition on Thursday, according to court records that now list the case as closed.

The petition was filed December 18th by Ron Lamb, a retiree and chair of the Josephine County Republican Party. He said he filed the petition as a private citizen.

In the petition, Lamb sought to force Smith to work with Commissioner Chris Barnett in filling the vacancy created by the December 5th resignation of Andreas Blech.

Lamb requested "judicial clarification" as to whether the county charter imposed a "mandatory duty" on Smith to participate in the appointment of someone to fill Blech's seat.

Smith has insisted that county commissioners have a wide degree of discretion to act or not act under the county charter and state law. In Bain's ruling, he said he was denying Lamb's petition on the grounds that it "fails to state facts showing the obligation" of Smith to act or "show facts that the defendant failed to perform the act."

The judge added, "It appears, based upon the petition, that the issue is moot, as the issue is now before a temporary board."

 

Oregon State Police responded Saturday to a fatal three-vehicle crash at the intersection of Kirtland Road and High Banks Road, in Jackson County. The initial investigation indicated a Cadillac Escalade, operated by Michael Bryan Dickerson, 74, of Grants Pass, was heading northbound on High Pass Rd. and entered Kirtland Road where it was struck by a Ford Escape, operated by a female juvenile of Central Point. About five minutes after the crash, an eastbound Harley Davidson motorcycle, operated by Jeremy Bruno Fantechi, 27, of Grants Pass, struck the Cadillac at a reported high rate of speed. Fantechi was declared deceased at the scene. Dickerson and the female juvenile were reportedly uninjured.

 

A man was contacted by Grants Pass Police at the corner of Rogue River Highway and Clara Avenue Sunday night.

At 7:31 p.m. Thomas Pitts, who was known to the officer by sight, was detained for a known, active warrant out for his arrest. He was charged with Second Degree Theft and Second Degree Possession of a Controlled Substance in the GPPD warrant.

Following a positive identification of Pitts, law enforcement took him into custody. He was lodged in the Josephine County Jail.

 

There was no quorum present for today's Appointment for Josephine County Commissioner Position 1 meeting.

Due to a technical difficulty, the meeting began at 10:07 a.m. Commissioner Ron Smith was absent, so no official business or actions could be conducted. The meeting was convened for informational purposes only.

Appointment meetings for the vacant seat will be held January 21st at 1:30 p.m., and the 22nd, and 23rd at 10 a.m. All meetings will be held in the BCC Conference Room, and attendees must abide by the clear bag policy.

The Board of Commissioners are scheduled to meet again today for their 1:30 p.m. County Administration Workshop. Only Human Resources will present during Department Business.

On Wednesday at 9 a.m., the Weekly Business Session will convene in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium. While there is no board business on the agenda, public comment, other matters, and announcements will still take place.

 

The Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC), operator of the BottleDrop network, announced that it distributed $75,000 to support 12 Oregon based food assistance nonprofits during the 2025 holiday season. Local organizations impacted by the donation included the Josephine County Food Bank and Rogue Food Unites. OBRC kicked off the fundraising campaign October 30th with a $30,000 donation from its Emergency Fund and encouraged BottleDrop customers to donate their beverage container refund values to support the effort. In total, $21,360 were donated by customers, and OBRC's Emergency Fund matched all donations made through January 1st, plus contributed additional funds to round out the total amount. Each organization received $6,250 from the fundraising event.

 

Every 30 minutes, a fire agency in Oregon responds to a fire.

To help prevent these tragedies, Oregon recognizes January 19-25, 2026, as Community Risk Reduction Week.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal is urging everyone living in and visiting the state to take action for home fire safety. In Oregon, the top three causes of home fires are cooking, home heating, and electrical issues. There are simple steps that every Oregonian can take to prevent home fires:

Stay in the kitchen while cooking. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of kitchen fires. If you must leave the room, turn off the burner. Use a timer to remind yourself that you are cooking.

Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected annually. Furnaces, wood stoves, and chimneys should be serviced annually by qualified professionals.

Use electrical equipment safely. Don’t overload electrical outlets or power strips. Plug major appliances like heaters, stoves, and refrigerators directly into wall outlets, not into an extension cord or power strip. Test smoke alarms every month, and create and practice a home fire escape plan.

Community Risk Reduction Week is a nationwide effort to reduce risks in local communities to prevent emergencies. The Oregon State Fire Marshal reminds the public that everyone has a role in reducing risk, especially at home.

For more home fire safety tips, visit the Oregon State Fire Marshal website, www.oregon.gov/osfm.

 

Grants Pass Police recognized a woman wanted on two warrants, one of them out-of-county, Sunday afternoon at a 7-Eleven.

Officers detained Whitney Word around 3:13 p.m. at the 790 SW 6th Street store. After being positively identified, Word was transported to the Josephine County Jail. She was lodged for her two warrants out of the Grants Pass Police Department and Jackson County Sheriff's Office.

Charges against Word included Second Degree Criminal Trespass and Parole Violation Elude.

 

Grants Pass Police observed a suspect wanted on active and serviceable warrants at Domino's Pizza Monday night.

At 6:58 p.m., Shayna Dowell was seen leaving the 407 NE E Street restaurant in a blue Volvo heading north. She was found to have two warrants out of the Grants Pass Police Department.

Law enforcement initiated a traffic stop at NE 7th Street and NE Steiger Street and located Dowell in the passenger seat of the vehicle. She was taken into custody for her two warrants.

The charges against Dowell included a Superseding Indictment, a Secret Indictment, Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine, Second Degree Theft, Identity Theft, and Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle, a Class C Felony.

Dowell was transported and lodged in the Josephine County Jail.