Local News

Grants Pass Police apprehended a well-known criminal offender wanted on a statewide felony warrant during a weekend patrol check in the downtown area. According to the Police Department, officers spotted the 30-year-old man whom they knew from numerous prior contacts near the corner of NW 4th and A streets on Saturday around 3:15 p.m.. Police said a routine records check showed the man they identified as "Dustin Michael Fontana" was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a previous conviction for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle. Fontana was placed into custody without incident and then lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for a series of weekend incidents near Three Rivers Medical Center. The Police Department reports officers placed the 57-year-old male subject into custody near the corner of Redwood Highway and Ringuette Street on Saturday at 5:21 p.m.. Police said they contacted a man dressed in a hospital gown after citizens reported he was having trouble crossing the highway and was doubled over. Callers said they were concerned he would not make it across the highway without getting hit. Officers eventually located the man and determined he had been called in three different times on Saturday for disorderly behavior. He refused legal commands several times and walked away from officers while arguing and yelling at them. According to the report, the subject turned around toward Redwood Highway and started urinating. He was finally subdued with a controlled takedown maneuver. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and Escape. He was being held without bail.

 

Multiple agencies worked together to extinguish a weekend grass and structure fire in the Sunny Valley area. On Saturday at 3:19 p.m., ODF, Rural Metro Fire Department and Grants Pass Fire & Rescue were dispatched to a grass fire that had spread to a structure in the 2,000-block of Leland Road near Dog Creek Road. The first-arriving unit from ODF stationed in Sunny Valley was able to stop the fast-moving wildfire at just over a half-acre. A water delivery truck from "H2O to Go" also helped with containment. Structural units from Rural Metro and Grants Pass worked to put out the structure fire. Most of the occupant's personal belongings were saved. The occupant was not on scene upon arrival of firefighters, but they appeared as the blaze was controlled. An evaluation was conducted due to minor burns, but they declined transport to the hospital. The cause of the initial fire that started in the grass surrounding the structure was under investigation by ODF, but there were indicators that current fire season regulations were not being followed.

 

Two people were injured last night when their vintage truck rolled off Redwood Highway near Selma. On Sunday at 9:13 p.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District, American Medical Response and Oregon State Police were dispatched to the single-vehicle crash on US Highway 199 between Eight Dollar Mountain Road and Gold Canyon Drive. IVFD officials said arriving units found two occupants from the truck that rolled over and stopped off the highway, half on the hill and half in a ditch. Both were evaluated at the scene and then transported to Three Rivers Medical Center for further evaluation. Jerry's Towing hauled the damaged pickup to Cave Junction. OSP was investigating the cause of the crash.

 

The Oregon Department of Transportation is continuing work on the bridge retrofit project on Rogue River Highway this week and beyond. Starting on Tuesday, Birdseye Creek Bridge on Highway 99 will be closed for approximately 30 days. Please use an alternate route and watch for workers. The contractor has provided a pedestrian transport vehicle that can accommodate at least two ADA passengers, a maximum of 10 able-bodied pedestrians and up to three bicycles with a secured rack during the closure. The ODOT project is replacing bridge structures at Birdseye Creek, Foots Creek and Millers Gulch for earthquake resilience. The estimated project completion date is June 2025. For updated road conditions and closures, visit "tripcheck.com."

 

Grants Pass police and firefighters were busy protecting the community during the first week of school. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 684 calls for service along with 439 officer-initiated calls last week that resulted in 40 arrests, 30 citations, 112 warnings and six highly-intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers conducted a total of 126 traffic stops in the city and they made 13 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services. Many of the traffic stops were due to moving violations in city school zones. The GPPD Community Response Team (CRT) contacted a total of 333 potential troublemakers while arresting seven people, citing 10 more and warning 78 others. The CRT did not issue any trespass warnings, post any transient camps or remove trash from any campsites. There are now two designated campsites on SE J Street and at the corner of 6th & A streets. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 100 calls last week including 39 calls for emergency medical service, five for reports of fire or smoke, 15 lift assists, six rescue situations, six assists to other agencies and 10 false alarms.

 

Starting tomorrow morning, the City of Grants Pass will begin offering low-income residents an opportunity to receive grants to help with weatherization and rehabilitation repairs to their homes. Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, and there are income qualification limits. The program is only available for owner-occupied stick-built homes. Manufactured homes, mobile homes and rentals are not eligible. A limited amount of funding is available through the Community Development Block Grant program administered by the US Housing and Urban Development Agency. Applications for the program will become available on Tuesday at 8 a.m.. Paper applications will be available at the Grants Pass Community Development Department, 101 NW A Street, Suite 202. They will also be available to download from the city's website at "grantspassoregon.gov." More information about this program and a link to a list of frequently asked questions can be found at "grantspassoregon.gov/1486."

 

US Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have announced a federal investment of $143,430 for the City of Medford to improve energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower overall energy use. The federal investment is from the US Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. The City of Medford will use this funding to establish a plan baseline for energy use, identify how to reduce consumption and emissions, and develop an equity framework for prioritizing actions and investments while engaging and educating community members. Medford Mayor Randy Sparacino said the funding will help them continue to implement sustainable strategies to improve energy efficiency in the community. He thanked Senators Wyden and Merkley for their "unwavering" support.

 

Josephine County Sheriff’s Deputies detained a female Friday afternoon at 5:33 p.m. at the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Fielder Lane.No reason was given for the detention in the Sheriff’s log, but an older Datsun was reported off the road. The woman, identified as Dayanna R, Snyder, 32-years-old, was arrested on an Oregon State Parole Board felony warrant and lodged in the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. Jail records show Ms. Snyder has been jailed five times since August of 2023. Past charges include attempt to elude police, driving while suspended-misdemeanor, and post-prison sanction