Local News

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended a man wanted on a statewide felony warrant in Cave Junction yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 57-year-old Lee Edward McGhee in an unspecified location and took him to the Cave Junction Substation on Monday at 2:40 p.m.. According to the report, McGhee was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a previous conviction for an unspecified traffic offense. McGhee was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman who showed up at a residence and refused to leave early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to a trespassing call at a home in the 1500-block of Molly Lane on Monday around 12:30 a.m.. Police said a man called 9-1-1 to report an unknown female subject arrived at his house and refused to leave so he wanted her trespassed. The caller said the woman told him she was looking for "a place to belong." Upon arrival, officers contacted 29-year-old Marissa Raven Cato whom they knew from previous encounters. She refused to leave even after officers told her to do so multiple times. She attempted to flee and resisted being placed into custody. Cato was lodged in jail for Resisting Arrest and 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a well-known offender for trespassing at a south-city watering hole last night. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a trespassing complaint involving 32-year-old Whitney Ann Word at The 238 Bar on Williams Highway on Monday around 8:30 p.m.. Police said Word entered the business and attempted to buy a drink. They said she refused to provide her identification, was refused service and asked to leave by the bartender. Responding officers also asked her to leave, but she refused to do so. Word was placed into custody and lodged in jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. Due to her many trespassing arrests, she was being held without bail.

 

Heavy rain and flooding led to the tragic death of a Central Point woman last weekend. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office sends out its condolences to the victim's family and friends during this difficult time. Out of respect for the family's privacy, the decedent's name will not be released. Sheriff's deputies responded to a call for a missing woman on Sunday at 4:21 p.m. in the 5,000-block of Kane Creek Road in rural Central Point. Investigators learned the woman was attempting to clear branches from a culvert under her driveway when her waders filled with water and the swift current pulled her through the culvert and into nearby Kane Creek. Jackson County Fire District #3 responded and deployed a swift water rescue team. The team located the woman approximately 100 yards down the creek and she was transported by Mercy Flights ambulance to a local hospital. Medics attempted lifesaving measures, but she was pronounced deceased. Sheriff's officials said this incident is a tragic reminder of rainstorms leading to flooding. During periods of heavy rains, stay away from flood-prone areas such as streambeds, drainage ditches and culverts. If you live or work in flood-prone areas, remain alert during heavy rainstorms.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office released a road hazard update late yesterday that shows waters are subsiding, but there are still several hazards to watch out for. Public works crews were still out surveying roads for additional hazards. Leonard Road just west of Redwood Elementary School was closed to all traffic. There was a rockslide in the 6100-block of Riverbanks Road -- please use caution. Livingston Way in the 4400-block was reduced to one lane of local traffic only. Galice Road west of Indian Mary Park, Lower Wolf Creek Road and Lower Grave Creek Road -- the entire loop was local traffic only. Gene Brown Road in the O'Brien area near Highway 199 was local traffic only. Southside Road east of Fish Hatchery Road was partially blocked by a rockslide. North Applegate Road in the 12,000-block near Kubli Road -- excessive rocks and debris in the roadway. Use caution through this area. Significant debris on Winona Road -- please use extreme caution.

 

The City of Grants Pass is notifying the public that last weekend's excessive rainfall and flooding caused the Redwood Pump Station to reach its hydraulic capacity. Water Restoration Plant Superintendent Gary Brelinski said he had to make the difficult decision on Sunday to bypass the station and allow wastewater to flow into the Rogue River at around 500 gallons per minute. Brelinski said without the bypass, wastewater would have backed up into homes and businesses. He notified the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality through the Oregon Emergency Response System as well as other stakeholders downriver of Grants Pass. The Redwood Pump Station is located 4.5 miles downstream from the main water restoration plant at 4960 Leonard Road. Due to the very high flows in the river at the time -- more than 20,000 cubic feet per second -- Brelinski said there should be no impacts to people or wildlife. He said normal operations at the pump station resumed at 10 o'clock last night.

 

The Grants Pass City Council took action on two items during its bi-weekly workshop on Monday. The City Council unanimously approved bringing back a Humanitarian Services Permitting Process to Wednesday's regular business meeting for reconsideration. The Humanitarian Services Permitting Process was actually approved by the 2024 City Council in March, but it was vetoed by former Mayor Sara Bristol and did not move forward. New Mayor Clint Scherf wanted to bring it back for a vote. Both he and City Manager Aaron Cubic stated that "we have the right to know what is happening in our parks." Cubic said the ordinance is more about oversight and less about regulations when it comes to groups providing services to the unhoused who are resting in campsites or on public property. The organizations providing those services would have reporting requirements. The Council could impose a $25 fee or waive the fee. In other business, the Council voted unanimously to use decomposed granite to provide an ADA-compliant surface for the 7th Street campsite. Public Works Director Jason Canady brought up the idea because the decomposed granite surface installed at 6th & A streets has worked very well. He said the "DG" surface needs periodic maintenance, but it stood up well even after last weekend's heavy rains.

 

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has announced the appointment of Jennifer Ryen as its new director of development. A seasoned fundraising professional with 20 years of experience in nonprofit development, Ryen returns to OSF after previously serving in key fundraising roles there from 2015 to 2020. As director of development, Ryen will lead OSF's fundraising strategy, working closely with the Board of Directors and donors to secure essential resources for the Festival's artistic and community programs. She will lead all areas of contributed revenue including individual philanthropy, institutional giving and board engagement, ensuring that OSF continues to thrive as a premier destination for theater lovers across the country. Ryen's career has spanned both the theater and healthcare sectors, with leadership positions at Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles, Ojai Playwrights' Conference and HEAR Center in Pasadena. Most recently, Ryen served as a director of development at the Asante Foundation, where she played a key role in the AsanteForward campaign which raised over $50 million for transformational projects.

 

Students at South Middle School in Grants Pass are joining the national grassroots effort called "Theatre in Our Schools Month (TIOS)" to advocate for the benefits of theater education in schools. Members of the International Thespian Society (ITS) Troupe 11811 are drawing attention to the need for increased access to quality theater programs for all students. To get the word out, South students are planning youth theater performances at the elementary schools next year to recruit theater club members and raise money for theater scholarships in partnership with the Redwood Foundation, joining local parades, speaking to school board members, writing grants for technical theater equipment and producing a play this spring that is dedicated to their teachers. To see ITS Troupe 11811 in action, come to "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Your Teachers (But Were Afraid to Ask)" by Jason Pizzarello on May 6th and 7th at 7 p.m. at South Middle School. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online or in advance at the school office.