Local News

Grants Pass Police showed a measure of compassion when they cited a homeless man for lighting a warming fire at Riverside Park early yesterday. Police said they contacted a man they identified as "Ryan Burrows" after they received a complaint that Burrows had started a fire at the city park. He was actively putting the small fire out as officers arrived on scene. GPPD cited Burrows for violating park rules by starting a fire. GPPD also provided Burrows with a sleeping bag and some warm socks.

 

There's a chance for snow overnight in southwest Oregon, but it should give way to rain by mid-morning. The National Weather Service has posted another Winter Weather Advisory for Josephine and eastern Curry counties that runs from 10 o'clock tonight until 8 a.m. Thursday. Wet snow is expected above 1,500 feet, with total snow accumulations up to one inch. Lighter snow of a half-inch or less is possible on the valley floors. Winds may gust as high as 20 miles per hour in the valleys and 40 miles per hour over the local mountains. Affected areas include Interstate 5 passes north of Grants Pass, portions of the Illinois Valley, and the mountains of Josephine and eastern Curry counties. Snow levels are expected to start out around 1,000 feet tonight and rise early Thursday morning to around 1,500 feet before rising to 4,000 feet by around midday tomorrow. A period of light to moderate snow is expected, but it will transition to rain for most areas, with brief periods of wintry mix with ice pellets. Travelers are encouraged to slow down and use extra caution. For updated road conditions, visit "tripcheck.com."

 

A Jackson County woman who says she was thrown from a ride at the Rogue Valley Mall in Medford has filed a lawsuit seeking $600,000 from Davis Shows, the carnival's operating company. The Oregonian reports 35-year-old Rachal Martinez-Orozco alleges in court papers she was exiting the unspecified amusement ride when it suddenly roared back to life -- throwing her off the ride and onto the ground on April 22, 2023. Martinez-Orozco says she suffered cuts, bruises and a concussion, according to the lawsuit filed January 28th in Jackson County Circuit Court. Pat Davis, co-owner of Davis Shows, said the allegations in the lawsuit were inaccurate, but denied to comment further. The Rogue Valley Mall hosts a variety of carnival rides operated by Davis Shows each April.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a sex offender this week for not complying with his registration requirements. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 44-year-old Joseph Michael Correia at the corner of Merlin Avenue and Pleasant Valley Road late Monday night. Deputies said they spotted Correia while patrolling the Merlin area. They said a routine records check revealed that he was wanted for Felony Failure to Report as a Sex Offender. According to the Sheriff's Log, Correia has a history of assaultive behavior and he is a risk to escape. However, he was placed into custody without incident. Correia was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail without bail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a motorist for leading deputies on a pursuit early yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies eventually caught up to 44-year-old Robin Joseph McCafferty in an unspecified location on Tuesday just after midnight. He was booked into the Josephine County Jail at 12:58 a.m. yesterday. No details were available about the incident. As is often the case, there was no entry in the Sheriff's Log and the information came from jail bookings. McCafferty was charged with Felony Attempt to Elude Police and Reckless Driving. He was being held without bail after being arraigned in Circuit Court on Tuesday afternoon.

 

An investigation into a hit-and-run crash that occurred last week in west Grants Pass resulted in the arrest of the alleged offender last weekend. Grants Pass Police were alerted to the incident that occurred in the 900-block of SW Laurel Street last Thursday afternoon. Police said a motorist later identified as "Kevin Haugen" crashed his white Ford Explorer into a vehicle parked in front of the victim's residence. The suspect left the scene without stopping and did not attempt to contact the victim. According to GPPD, the incident was caught on video from a surveillance camera which led them to the suspect's home in the 1900-block of Rogue River Highway on Sunday afternoon. Haugen admitted to hitting the parked vehicle and driving away. He was cited to appear in court for Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage and No Insurance.

 

Grants Pass Police cited a motorist last weekend after she crashed into two parked vehicles in a northwest city neighborhood. According to the Police Department, officers and emergency crews responded to the three-vehicle collision in the 1,000-block of NW Washington Boulevard late Sunday afternoon. Police said an investigation determined that 33-year-old Tarren Thomas was driving a Lincoln SUV north on Washington Boulevard when she wrecked into a Honda CRV and a Ford Focus parked along the curb. They said they contacted Thomas at the scene and there were no signs of impairment. Thomas was subsequently cited to appear in court for Failure to Maintain Lane and No Insurance. Her SUV sustained moderate damage and it was towed away. Crash reports were supplied to all the involved parties.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners will hold its weekly business session this afternoon instead of this morning. The Board gave no reason for the later time on its agenda and several calls to the Commissioners' Office yesterday went unanswered. Under Administrative Actions, the Board is scheduled to consider a collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Two weeks ago, it was denied by the Board. In other business, the Commissioners will consider an order setting a public hearing for fees charged by the Recreation Department, an order terminating a memorandum of agreement that authorizes Josephine County to provide on-site sewage services on behalf of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and approval of a final plat map for Fruitdale Cottages.Today's public meeting begins at 2 p.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

 

US Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley of Oregon announced that they and two Idaho senators along with 17 other Senate colleagues have reintroduced bipartisan legislation that would reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Program (SRS). SRS is administered for counties hosting both US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management forested lands. If passed, the bill would be extended through Fiscal Year 2026. Wyden, Merkley and Republican Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch introduced the legislation in the 118th Congress and the Senate unanimously passed it in November 2024. However, it did not receive a vote in the US House of Representatives before the end of the congressional session. The senators say the program needs to be reauthorized as soon as possible to avoid a gap in funding for rural counties that rely on the program for needed services. Congress first enacted SRS in 2000 to financially assist counties with public, tax-exempt forestlands. The US Forest Service and BLM administer the funds. SRS payments are critical to maintain education programs for many rural counties that contain federal lands exempt from property taxes. More than two-thirds of the land in Josephine County is federally-managed.