Local News

The Oregon State Police responded to a chain-reaction crash involving three vehicles on Williams Highway between Grants Pass and Murphy late yesterday. According to OSP, troopers and emergency crews were dispatched to the incident near milepost 4 of Highway 238 on Tuesday at 4:53 p.m.. Troopers said a preliminary investigation indicated a Ford Freestyle driven by 35-year-old Deborah Lolita Patricia Barnett collided with the rear of a second vehicle, which pushed it into a third vehicle. No one was hurt and two of vehicles were able to be driven away. The other motorists were not identified in the OSP report, which stated that Barnett was not paying attention when the crash occurred. Her vehicle was towed. It was unclear in the report whether any citations were issued.

 

The Illinois Valley Fire District extinguished a vegetation fire near Cave Junction late last night. On Tuesday at 11:25 p.m., IVFD crews responded to the fire at milepost 6 of West Side Road near Finch Road and BLM Road 11. Arriving units found a quarter-acre fire burning in roadside vegetation. Crews successfully put out the flames and completed mop-up operations in short order. The incident was turned over to the Oregon Department of Forestry for a follow-up investigation.

 

A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle on Redwood Highway in Kerby early yesterday. On Tuesday at 5:36 a.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District, American Medical Response, Oregon State Police and Oregon Department of Transportation were dispatched to the vehicle-versus-pedestrian incident in the 23,000-block of US Highway 199. IVFD officials said the crash resulted in one fatality. No other information was disclosed including the decedent's identity and the identity of the driver who struck them. ODOT crews controlled traffic as one lane of the highway was closed during the on-scene investigation. We are awaiting an OSP press release with more details about the fatal accident.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department has released information regarding a murder suspect captured last weekend at a boat landing on the Rogue River. Grants Pass police detectives arrested 30-year-old James Dale Ross at Robertson Bridge Boat Landing on Sunday afternoon. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for suspicion of 2nd-Degree Murder and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. According to GPPD, Ross was being sought for a homicide that occurred on March 4th in the 1200-block of Rogue River Highway. Detectives said a 57-year-old man with significant head trauma was transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center early that morning. They said the victim succumbed to his injuries several weeks later. Due to the nature of the incident, the case was referred to the Major Crimes Unit for investigation and Ross was identified as the suspect. Until last weekend, his whereabouts was unknown. GPPD detectives conducted multiple interviews and used other investigative means to build their case against Ross, who will be prosecuted by the Josephine County District Attorney's Office.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a man for breaking into a Murphy-area residence, stealing items and frightening a young boy this week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 45-year-old Ryan Patrick Cox for the incident in the 300-block of East Rosewood Street early Monday morning. Deputies said a woman called 9-1-1 to report a male subject later identified as Cox entered her residence through an unlocked sliding door and entered her son's room. The suspect reportedly took food from inside the residence before heading outside where he went through the victim's shop and vehicle, stealing several other items. According to the report, Cox also entered the victim's guest house and deputies found him sitting in a vehicle parked in front of the residence. He was challenged by a K-9 officer and placed into custody without further incident. Cox was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 1st-Degree Burglary, one count of 1st-Degree Criminal Trespass, three counts of 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass and 3rd-Degree Theft. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a well-known criminal offender this week for causing yet another disturbance -- this time near a downtown supermarket. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the incident involving 34-year-old Morgan Delin Weber near the Safeway on SE 7th Street on Monday night. Police said Weber returned to Safeway after she had been trespassed from the store. She was reported to be highly intoxicated and behaving in a disorderly manner on SE G Street, yelling at people and forcing vehicles to swerve around her. She was also observed pushing and yelling at a homeless male subject. Officers arrived on scene and placed Weber into custody. She was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. Due to her frequent transgressions, she was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for stealing alcohol from a local convenience store this week. The Police Department reports officers responded to a theft complaint at the Short Stop Market in the 2,000-block of SW Bridge Street on Monday evening. Police said they contacted 33-year-old Meagan Jessica Lynn Sanchez after a store employee reported that she took a 10-pack of Fireball whiskey double-shots, went outside and started drinking them. The worker said she was crying and saying that she needed to go to jail. When officers arrived on scene, they observed Sanchez drinking the stolen booze. She admitted to stealing the alcohol and was placed into custody. She was initially taken to Three Rivers Medical Center for an evaluation. After being medically cleared at the hospital, Sanchez was lodged in jail for 3rd-Degree Theft. She was being held without bail.

 

AllCare Health is hosting a series of Community Listening Sessions to hear directly from Southern Oregon residents ages 60 and older. These interactive sessions aim to identify what seniors need, want, like and dislike as well as what services and resources would support a healthier and more fulfilling lifestyle. The sessions will take place today from noon to 1 p.m. and April 21st from noon to 1 p.m. at the AllCare Health Doug Flow Community Rooms, located at 1701 NE 7th Street in Grants Pass. Lunch will be provided. This initiative comes at a critical time as older adults in Southern Oregon face a range of challenges including social isolation, limited access to transportation, and a growing need for age-appropriate wellness and enrichment programs. AllCare Health invites not only seniors, but also caregivers, service providers and organizations that support older adults to attend or help spread the word. By identifying actionable needs, community partners can better align services and funding to make a lasting impact.

 

Southern Oregon University is making headway in its march toward becoming the first public university in the United States to produce all of the daytime electricity used on its campus, with more than $5 million in recent state, federal and student funding plus multiple solar projects underway. SOU completed a rooftop solar installation on Lithia Motors Pavilion last July, with the project adding a 241-kilowatt solar array to the 63-kilowatt array already located on the athletic building's roof -- making it the largest rooftop solar array in Ashland. SOU's next project -- a solar array and battery storage bank -- will begin soon at The Hawk Dining Commons. That project will enable SOU to support community resilience by providing 24/7 power at The Hawk in the event of an emergency. Other upcoming solar projects include installation of four more rooftop arrays on the SOU Art Building, Theatre Building, Marion Ady Building and Central Hall. Also in the works are projects in parking lots adjacent to Lithia Motors Pavilion and the Computer Science Building in which solar arrays will be installed on raised canopies above parking spaces. The recent and upcoming projects have been funded so far by a total of $3 million from the Oregon Department of Energy, $800,000 from a legislative allocation and $51,000 from the Associated Students of Southern Oregon University.