Local News

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office has released information about a fatal motor vehicle accident that occurred in a mountainous area north of Grants Pass late last week. The Oregon State Police first reported the incident that occurred on Friday at 3:52 p.m. near milepost 2.5 of Winona Road. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies, state troopers and American Medical Response were dispatched to a report of a single-vehicle crash with an occupant trapped inside the vehicle. Arriving units determined the female passenger -- 39-year-old Justine Nord -- was deceased inside the overturned vehicle. Sheriff's Lieutenant Jim Geiger said the driver told deputies they stopped to help a disabled vehicle and were outside their own vehicle when it began rolling north on Winona Road down the hill. The vehicle subsequently left the roadway, rolled over and trapped Nord inside where she later succumbed to her injuries. Lieutenant Geiger said next of kin has been notified.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a man for violating a court order by going to his mother's residence and yelling at her. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested a 41-year-old male subject for the domestic disturbance at a home in the 12,400-block of Redwood Highway on Saturday afternoon. Deputies said a woman called 9-1-1 to report that she has a valid restraining order protecting her from her son who lives in another dwelling on the same property. The caller said her son came into her house and yelled at her before returning to his own home. There were no injuries reported. Upon arrival, deputies interviewed both parties, confirmed the court order and then placed the son into custody. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Contempt of Court-Restraining Order Violation. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for stealing another man's cell phone out his backpack at the Skate Park last weekend. The Police Department reports officers were alerted to the phone theft at the Grants Pass Skate Park on Sunday around 4:45 p.m.. Police said an investigation determined that a 47-year-old man intentionally stole the victim's Samsung phone valued at $1,200 from the victim's backpack. Using a cell phone tracking system, officers were able to locate the suspect at Southern Oregon Goodwill at the Grants Pass Shopping Center. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for suspicion of Felony 1st-Degree Theft. The cell phone was recovered and returned to the victim. At an employee's request, the suspect was trespassed from the Goodwill store.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested two people for their unruly behavior in two separate incidents on the same day in the downtown area last weekend. According to the Police Department, the first incident occurred on Saturday at 3:38 p.m. when officers were alerted to a male transient sleeping in the doorway of a downtown business in the 300-block of SW 6th Street. Police said they awakened the 38-year-old man who immediately jumped to his feet and squared up to fight an officer. He had threatened officers with violence on a previous call earlier in the day, so he was taken to the ground before any punches were thrown. He was lodged in jail for Disorderly Conduct and Attempted Assault on a Public Safety Officer. The second incident happened on Saturday at 5:05 p.m. when officers responded to reports of a female subject throwing objects, crawling on the sidewalk and yelling at people in the 100-block of SW G Street. Responding officers observed the 64-year-old woman's bad behavior, which was causing public alarm. She was lodged in jail for Disorderly Conduct.

 

Rural Metro Fire Department assisted the Applegate Valley Fire District in battling a weekend structure fire in the Murphy area. On Sunday at 7:35 p.m., Rural Metro and Applegate Valley firefighters responded to a reported structure fire in the 9800-block of North Applegate Road. Multiple units converged on the scene near the border of both agencies, finding a fire in the second floor of an occupied residence. All occupants were able to flee the dwelling and no injuries were reported. After full containment of the blaze, Rural Metro units were released. The Applegate Valley Fire District was leading the investigation into the cause of the fire.

 

Jackson County residents should be prepared for a test of the Citizen Alert Notification System today. Jackson County Emergency Management said it will conduct today's test between 10 a.m. and noon. Jackson County encourages all residents to sign up for Citizen Alert or update their information before the test. For more information, visit "jacksoncountyor.gov/alerts."

 

The Pacific Northwest Region of the US Forest Service is still actively seeking nominations for the regional Recreation Resource Advisory Committee (RRAC). This committee will play a crucial role in shaping the future of recreation fee programs on federal lands in Oregon and Washington. The Pacific Northwest Region RRAC's role will be to provide recommendations on various aspects of the recreation fee program including day-use fees, overnight use fees and special recreation permit fees. The committee will work to develop inclusive and impactful recommendations that reflect varied community interests. The 11-member committee will include representatives from a variety of interest areas including winter and summer recreation, hunting and fishing, motorized and non-motorized outfitters and guides, local environmental groups, state tourism officials, affected Indian tribes and affected local government interests. The Forest Service is seeking members to serve on this important committee and encourages self-nominations as well as nominations of qualified candidates from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Each member serves a two- or three-year term. The nomination period will close this Friday, May 17th.

 

The Eagle Point Police Department is proud to announce it has been recognized for excellence in policy management and training in 2023 by Lexipol -- it's the third consecutive year EPPD has received the award. Lexipol is the nation's leading provider of policy, training and wellness support for first responders and public servants. Eagle Point Police Chief Jim Hamilton said the Lexipol Connect program tracks performance on five metrics proven to measure success in policy management. He said EPPD achieved Gold -- the highest level of recognition offered -- for effective and consistent policy dissemination to personnel, timely policy updates as laws change and officer training on policies. Chief Hamilton said policy management is critical to ensure compliance with changes to law and procedures, and to ensure staff regularly trains on those changes. Hamilton said they are honored to be recognized as an agency and they continue to strive to provide the highest level of service in the Eagle Point community. Their commitment to policy and policy training helps to provide trained staff through nationally-recognized best practices.

 

Britt Music & Arts Festival has announced its full lineup for the 2024 season and all shows are now on sale to the general public. Shows newly added to this final general public on-sale include legendary hip-hop duo Atmosphere, folk artist Ray LaMontagne and Gregory Alan Isakov, and award-winning soul artists Michael Kiwanuka and Brittany Howard. Britt will also be welcoming Dog Star, a star-studded band that includes actors Keanu Reeves on bass, Robert Mailhouse on drums, and Bret Domrose on guitar and vocals. Those acts are in addition to Britt performances by Pink Martini, Judy Collins, Nickel Creek, The California Honeydrops, Ziggy Marley, Willie Nelson & Family, Shaggy, Colbie Callat & Gavin DeGraw, Rick Springfield & Richard Marx, Jason Mraz, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening and Chis Izaak. The Britt Festival Orchestra season is just one month away and tickets are still available to all concerts including the two-night run of "Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope in Concert." All tickets are available at "brittfest.org."