Local News

Due to the ongoing heatwave and wildfire smoke settling into the Rogue Valley, the Mobile Integrative Navigation Team (MINT) is opening its Emergency Cooling Shelter all this week. The Cooling Shelter near Bi-Mart will be open today-Friday from noon to 7 p.m.. MINT said it was working on getting volunteers to help keep it open the same hours next weekend with more to come. MINT officials said they're grateful to their volunteers who have stepped up to help make this possible. If you would like to contribute to this effort, contact their Mealtrain links to sign up to donate meals or snacks. They're also in need of men's clothing donations, which can be dropped off during their hours of operations. To bring dinner items, please visit "mealtrain.com/Omg7yv." To bring snacks and/or sandwich fixings, please visit "mealtrain.com/0mg74v."

 

The Grants Pass Police Department is investigating an apparent fatal shooting that occurred last night near an apartment complex on Rogue River Highway. Details are sketchy this morning as GPPD has not yet issued an official press release on the incident, but the agency sent out a bulletin on Friday at 9:57 p.m. that asked citizens to avoid the 1400-block of Rogue River Highway while they investigated a shooting. At 4:17 a.m. today, GPPD said the highway was open. Trusted sources said the 9-1-1 call came in at 9:20 p.m. and reported five male subjects were armed with rifles, with one man down in the complex parking lot and CPR in progress. The shooter then called 9-1-1 and told dispatchers he shot in self-defense. He was detained and the firearm was secured. The victim was confirmed deceased at 9:34 p.m.. Those same sources said there was an unknown amount of shots fired and there were no other victims. We are awaiting a GPPD press release to clarify details of the shooting.

 

The Josephine Marijuana Enforcement Team (JMET) arrested three people while raiding three illegal cannabis growing operations in the Illinois Valley this week. On Wednesday, JMET served a search warrant in the 800-block of Greenview Road in Cave Junction. The search warrant was served with assistance from the US Forest Service, Homeland Security Investigations and Josephine County Public Health & Building Safety. During execution of the warrant, more than 3,100 marijuana plants and around 2,000 pounds of processed marijuana were seized and destroyed. A large amount of cash and three firearms were also found and seized. The property had multiple electrical, water and solid waste code violations that may result in forfeiture. According to JMET, 48-year-old Julio Rodriguez-Cardinas and 28-year-old Alvaro Rodriguez-De La Paz were arrested and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Unlawful Manufacture and Unlawful Possession of Marijuana. On Thursday, JMET served a search warrant in the 300-block of Clear Creek Road in Selma. The warrant was served with assistance from Josephine County Public Health & Building Safety. During execution of the warrant, more than 1,400 marijuana plants were seized and destroyed. A large amount of cash and two firearms were also found and seized. The property had multiple electrical, water and solid waste code violations that may result in criminal forfeiture. According to JMET, 51-year-old Rainy Jeanne Gauvain was arrested and lodged in jail for Unlawful Manufacture and Possession of Marijuana. While investigators were on scene, they discovered another illegal cannabis grow site on nearby Pine Tree Way.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for lighting a trash container on fire and damaging a commercial building in the northeast part of the city early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested the 47-year-old male subject for the incident in the 1500-block of NE 6th Street on Friday at 3:25 a.m.. Police said a man they identified as "Brandon Wayne Newton" intentionally set fire to a plastic trash bin and caused damage to the side of commercial business structure in excess of $500. According to the report, officers located Newton walking in the area and he admitted to throwing an ignited match into the trash bin after lighting a cigarette. Newton was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Reckless Burning and 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief. He was being held without bail.

 

Firefighters mounted an aggressive attack to halt the forward progress of a small fire northwest of Wilderville yesterday. The Oregon Department of Forestry and Rural Metro Fire Department responded to a reported fire north of Dutcher Creek Road late Friday morning. Arriving units found a blaze in the same general area where two other fires were recently found. ODF and Rural Metro crews engaged the fire in an aggressive initial attack that included Type 1 and Type 2 helicopters as well as an air tanker. By 12:30 p.m., crews had the fire wet-lined, which means they used water to spray down the fire's edge, temporarily stopping the spread. They continued to dig a permanent line and began mopping up. Aircraft conducted water drops until the blaze was stopped. By 12:50 p.m., firefighters had hose around the fire and stopped the progression at an estimated half-acre. Mop-up continued throughout the afternoon. No structures were threatened and no injuries were reported. ODF said the cause of the fire was under investigation.

 

The Oregon Department of Transportation has announced a construction project that will require a two-day road closure in south Grants Pass next month. ODOT reports a bridge girder repair will take place over the 7th Street off-ramp from Redwood Highway. The girder was recently damaged by an over-height load. On Sunday night, August 11th, the Redwood Highway exit ramp will be closed for four hours starting at 6 p.m.. On Thursday night, August 15th, the ramp will be closed for approximately three hours. The 7th Street off-ramp closures will occur after the Josephine County Fair. Motorists are advised to use alternate routes during the closures.

 

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office has canceled all evacuation notices related to the Salt Creek Fire between Eagle Point and Butte Falls, but the National Weather Service is calling for the possibility of lightning and more fires this weekend. On Friday afternoon, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office canceled all evacuation notices for the Salt Creek Fire due to successful firefighting efforts over the last few days. At last report, the wildfire was 4,102 acres and 84% contained. Early today, the National Weather Service posted a Fire Weather Watch for all of southwest Oregon including the Rogue, Illinois, Applegate and Umpqua river basins as well as the surrounding mountains. Weather experts said an upper level low pressure system will move up from the south along the California coast this afternoon and will tap into increasing mid-level moisture. Meanwhile, elevated instability will combine with a moderate to strong trigger that could result in isolated scattered thunderstorms late this evening into Sunday morning and again Sunday afternoon and evening. Given the prolonged stretch of very hot and very dry conditions, lightning efficiency will be high to very high for fire starts. Additionally, gusty outflow winds will allow for new and existing fires to grow rapidly out of control. A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions are possible during the Watch time. Local fire agencies and residents should check weather updates for a possible upgrade to a Red Flag Warning.

 

Pacificorp recently received the Emergency Response Award from Edison Electric Institute (EEI) in recognition of the company's response to the 2023 Smith River Complex fires that burned in Northern California and extreme Southern Oregon. During the 2023 event, Pacificorp enacted an emergency de-energization of roughly 14,000 customers in Crescent City and surrounding areas. Electricity was quickly restored to customers on a temporary basis using large generators to power substations that serve the communities, while the company continued to monitor the fires that burned through its transmission corridor. Power was eventually permanently restored to all customers after crews performed necessary repairs. Presented to EEI member companies twice a year, the Emergency Response Awards recognize recovery and assistance efforts of electric companies following service disruptions caused by extreme weather or other natural events. EEI President and CEO Dan Brouillette said Pacificorp's commitment to restoring power in a safe, efficient manner to the communities it serves following the Smith River Complex fires is admirable. He said the utility and its response team are extremely deserving of this well-earned recovery award.

 

Long before Crater Lake became a national park in 1902, visitors stopped on their way to see the nation's deepest lake at the only lodging and dining establishment along the Upper Rogue River: a Victorian-era house in Southern Oregon's remote Prospect. Over time, the stagecoach stop and roadhouse grew to become the famous Prospect Historic Hotel Bed and Breakfast Inn–Motel and Dinner House, a resort destination for travelers, food and wine fans, as well as hikers, birders, cyclists and groups participating in classic car rallies, artist workshops and social clubs. The Oregonian reports the historic property 21 miles southwest of Crater Lake National Park is for sale at $3 million, but lodging and homemade meals are still available. The three-story, 5,492-square-foot main house, which includes the 10-room bed and breakfast hotel and a 50-seat dinner house, is surrounded by park-like grounds with evergreen and deciduous trees including a giant sequoia. Rooms in the hotel are named after famous guests: President Teddy Roosevelt, writers Jack London and Zane Grey, orator William Jennings Bryan and environmental advocate John Muir.