KRRM - Local News

BLM District Closes Rainie Falls Trail Until Further Notice Due to Heavy Rain Damage

The Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management has closed Rainie Falls Trail as a result of damage caused by recent heavy rains. The BLM is also advising caution on the Rogue River Trail when it becomes accessible again. The closure order covers BLM-managed public lands south of Rainie Falls Trail. The trail sustained heavy damage including multiple landslides and heavy erosion. Members of the public may not enter closed areas and all uses -- including hiking, hunting and dispersed camping -- are prohibited. BLM officials said the heavy rainfall caused significant flooding, landslides, fallen trees and damage to facilities across the Medford District. Crews are out in the field conducting damage assessments and prioritizing repairs. If you find damage on BLM lands, please report it to the Medford District Office at (541)-618-2200. Avoid driving through flooded areas or on roads that look compromised. Watch out for debris and potentially damaged facilities like boat ramps and restrooms.

Posted on 3/20/25 5:13AM by Sam Marsh

GP City Council Approves Return of Summer Concert Series to Riverside Park in June

The Grants Pass City Council last night approved commercial activity and waived fees allowing Concerts in the Park to return to Riverside Park in June. The City Council approved two resolutions. One was a waiver of park reservation fees for Concerts in the Park produced by the Grants Pass & Josephine County Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber will be responsible for a $1,650 refundable deposit. The second resolution approved commercial activity at Riverside Park for the Concerts in the Park series. The Medicine Show Revival was approved to be held in Riverside Park on Easter Sunday, April 20th. The event is part of a 7-day-long event that begins in rural areas and culminates in Riverside Park, focusing on personal resilience and some alternative health treatments. Organizers will be assessed a reservation fee of $355.50. The Council made several committee appointments.

Posted on 3/20/25 5:12AM by Sam Marsh

Concerts in the Park Approved to Return to Riverside Park in June

The Grants Pass City Council, during their Wednesday night business session approved commercial activity and waived fees allowing Concerts in the Park to return to Riverside Park in June. The Council approved two resolutions. One was a waiver of park reservation fees for Concerts in the Park produced by the Grants Pass and Josephine County Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber will be responsible for a $1650 refundable deposit. The second approved commercial activity at Riverside Park for the Concerts in the Park series. The Council then approved an ordinance vacating the property lines between two tax lots on Southeast J Street and Southeast 11th creating one parcel. The property owner of both lots intends to develop the property with a new industrial building, requiring the vacation of property lines to meet minimum setbacks. There is no cost to the city. The Urban Forest Management Plan submitted by the Urban Tree Advisory Committee was approved. The Plan outlines the committee’s vision, goals, and strategies for urban forest management for the City and guides the committee’s recommendations to the Council. The Medicine Show Revival was approved to be held in Riverside Park on April 2oth. The event is part of a 7-day long event that begins in rural areas and culminates in Riverside Park focused on personal resilience and some alternative health treatments including acupuncture. They will be assessed a reservation fee of $355.50

Posted on 3/19/25 6:41PM by Chuck Benson

GP Police Jailed Man for Five Fraud Crimes after Attempt to Cash Stolen Check

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for multiple fraud crimes after he attempted to use two people's identities to cash a check belonging to one of them at a local bank. The Police Department reports 30-year-old David Araya Rodriguez was arrested for the incident on Tuesday at 12:55 p.m.. Police said Rodriguez used the identities of two people to try to cash a $600 check at Rogue Credit Union on SE 7th Street. The suspect used one person's driver's license in an attempt to cash the check, which had been stolen out of the other person's vehicle two days ago. Rodriguez admitted to officers that he unlawfully entered the victim's vehicle and stole the check. He told officers he found the other person's driver's license in a box on NE B Street and took it. Following the investigation, Rodriguez was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for two counts of Felony Identity Theft plus single counts of 2nd-Degree Forgery, Attempted 2nd-Degree Theft and Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle. He was being held without bail pending his court arraignment at 1:30 this afternoon.

Posted on 3/19/25 10:11AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Snared Man on State Warrant after He Overdosed at Homeless Camp

Grants Pass Police apprehended a man on a statewide felony warrant after he overdosed on narcotics at a temporary homeless campsite in the downtown area. The Police Department reports officers and emergency personnel responded to an overdose at the campsite on NE 7th Street on Tuesday at 5:35 p.m.. Police said fellow campers pulled 30-year-old Jacob Levi Reeder out of the porta-potty after he overdosed on drugs. He was lying down and semi-conscious with pale skin when they arrived on scene. Medics were able to revive him with a series of Narcan injections. Officers followed an ambulance that transported Reeder to Three Rivers Medical Center for an evaluation. They discovered that he was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a past 4th-Degree Assault conviction. After Reeder was cleared by doctors, he was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.

Posted on 3/19/25 10:09AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Man on Felony Warrants after Dollar General Store Theft

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on two outstanding felony warrants after he stole a small number of items from the Dollar General store on the west side of the city. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a shoplifting complaint at the Dollar General in the 1900-block of SW Bridge Street at 3:20 p.m. Tuesday. Police said 35-year-old Marcus Allen Weeks stole about $12 worth of food and paint from the store before fleeing on a bicycle. They located him a short time later and recovered the stolen items before placing him into custody. A routine records check revealed that Weeks was wanted on two Jackson County felony warrants for failing to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Burglary, 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief, 1st-Degree Criminal Trespass and 3rd-Degree Theft. Weeks was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants plus a new charge of 3rd-Degree Theft. He was being held pending transfer to the Jackson County Jail in Medford. His bike was logged into evidence for safekeeping.

Posted on 3/19/25 10:07AM by Sam Marsh

Two People Injured in Tuesday Afternoon Collision on Riverbanks Road

Two people were hurt late yesterday in a motor vehicle accident on Riverbanks Road west of Grants Pass. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the two-vehicle collision near milepost 15 of State Route 260 on Tuesday at 4:58 p.m.. Troopers said a preliminary investigation indicated a Nissan Sentra driven by an 18-year-old Grants Pass man failed to maintain his lane and crashed head-on into a Dodge Ram pickup driven by a 37-year-old Cave Junction man. According to OSP, the two occupants of the Dodge were transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center with unspecified injuries while the two occupants of the Nissan denied any injuries. Both vehicles were towed to Grants Pass. The young driver of the Nissan was either cited or warned for a traffic violation.

Posted on 3/19/25 10:04AM by Sam Marsh

OSP Arrested Brookings Man for DUII after US Highway 199 Stop near GP

The Oregon State Police arrested a Brookings man for impaired driving last night following a traffic stop on Redwood Highway just west of Grants Pass. OSP reports troopers pulled over a Chevrolet Colorado driven by a 28-year-old motorist on US Highway 199 near Midway Avenue on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the vehicle for several traffic violations and the driver showed signs of impairment by both alcohol and drugs. They said he performed poorly in field sobriety tests so he was transported to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided breath and urine samples, but refused to be evaluated by a drug recognition specialist. The suspect was charged with suspicion of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Controlled Substances. He was cited to appear in court and his pickup was impounded.

Posted on 3/19/25 10:03AM by Sam Marsh

OSP Nabbed Motorist for Impaired Driving after Disabled Vehicle Call on I-5

The Oregon State Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving early today following an incident on Interstate 5 in northern Josephine County. According to OSP, troopers responded to a disabled Subaru driven by a 40-year-old man in the southbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 76 at 12:37 this morning. Troopers said they contacted the driver and he displayed signs of impairment. They said he performed poorly in field sobriety tests and he was taken to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided a breath sample that was nearly twice the legal driving limit. The suspect was lodged at the Sobering Center for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. His disabled Subaru was impounded and towed to Grants Pass.

Posted on 3/19/25 10:01AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Cited Man for Drug Possession after Redwood Area Welfare Check

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for drug possession yesterday during a welfare check in the Redwood area. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the intersection of Elmer Nelson and Hubbard Lanes on Tuesday at noon to perform a welfare check on a man who was reported to be slumped over in a Honda Accord. Police said they contacted a man they identified as "Josh Thompson" who was asleep in the driver's seat of the car with a glass methamphetamine pipe in plain view. They said Thompson admitted that the pipe was his and he had smoked from it the prior evening. He also handed over a plastic container with meth inside it. Because Thompson was cooperative and honest with law enforcement, he was cited to appear in court for Meth Possession and released. He told officers he was not interested in the deflection program.

Posted on 3/19/25 10:00AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Jailed Man for Breaking Garage Door to Enter East Park Street Home

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for two felony crimes after he broke a garage door to gain entry to a residence near Baker Park. According to the Police Department, officers eventually arrested 22-year-old Tevon James McCornack at the corner of East Park Street and Clara Avenue on Monday afternoon. Police said they responded to a burglar alarm in the 1,000-block of East Park Street during the noon hour and found obvious signs of forced entry. McCornack was caught on video walking around the gated property, but he wasn't there when they arrived on scene. GPPD requested assistance from the Oregon State Police and a Josephine County Marine Deputy in order to locate the suspect. Officers shut down traffic on East Park Street and law enforcement units were posted on both sides of the river. A K-9 unit was deployed to search the home, but the suspect was not found. More than two hours later, police detained McCornack and he admitted to breaking the garage door to gain entry. He also admitted to opening the inside door to gain entry into the residence, but he fled the scene when the alarm was triggered. McCornack was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 1st-Degree Burglary and Felony 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief. He was being held without bail.

Posted on 3/19/25 5:46AM by Sam Marsh

OSP Jailed Selma Man on Old and New Charges after He Tried to Elude Troopers

The Oregon State Police jailed a Selma man on both old and new charges after he tried to elude them on Redwood Highway in southwest Grants Pass. OSP reports troopers arrested 44-year-old Matthew Albert Rosenberry near the intersection of US Highway 199 and Dowell Road on Saturday night. Troopers said they initiated a traffic stop on a Toyota pickup driven by Rosenberry for a traffic violation, but he fled and no pursuit was initiated. They located the vehicle parked nearby a short time later and attempted to make contact. According to OSP, Rosenberry tried to flee again resulting in a use-of-force incident involving multiple Taser deployments before the suspect was subdued. He was found to be wanted on a local felony warrant for Felony Parole Violation. Rosenberry was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus new charges including two counts of Felony Attempt to Elude Police and single counts of Reckless Driving, Resisting Arrest and Reckless Endangering.

Posted on 3/19/25 5:45AM by Sam Marsh