Local News

Josephine County is proud to announce the dedication and opening of the newly certified Forest Therapy Trail at Fish Hatchery Park.

Officially recognized by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT), the EcoRECOVERY Trail is now the first certified Forest Therapy Trail in Oregon and the only certified trail in the entire Pacific Northwest, said a news release from Recreation Director Tamra Martin.

ANFT-certified trails are evaluated for safety, biodiversity, accessibility, and features such as gentle slopes, diverse plant life, and access to natural water.

This project was led by community member and EcoRECOVERY founder, Dawn Cogliser. To learn more about EcoRECOVERY, visit www.ecorecovery.health.

Guided forest therapy walks are offered on the last Sunday of each month, inviting the community to explore the sights, scents, and calming atmosphere of Fish Hatchery Park.

 

An employee at Bestway Inn requested a woman be trespassed Tuesday morning, leading to an arrest by Grants Pass Police.

Dispatch received the call at 11:10 a.m. regarding the suspect not checking out of the 1253 NE 6th Street inn, and hiding in her room.

Officers arrived, but the woman refused to answer any announcements they made at the door. With permission from the manager, the room was searched, and the suspect was found hiding in the shower.

The suspect, Shelley West, was contacted. The manager elected to only have her warned for trespass, but West was known to have a warrant for Meth Possession, so she was transported and lodged in the Josephine County Jail.

 

Grants Pass Police officers were alerted to a break in at The Depot Eatery Tuesday evening.

At 6:27 p.m., the 577 NE F Street restaurant's motion detector went off in the dining room. An officer arrived on the scene and requested law enforcement to watch the second and third sides of the building.

Evidence of forced entry was found on the backside of the restaurant where there was a broken glass door. The suspect was observed inside the restaurant. After commands were issued, he was detained and identified as Michael Sherer.

Officers cleared the interior with K9 Unit Maro, and a recovered sweatshirt owned by Sherer was submitted into evidence.

While inside the restaurant, Sherer had eaten from multiple pre made cakes. He had punched the glass to make entry, and photos were taken of his hands and jacket. Damage to the door was estimated at $3,500. The stolen food was $64.

Sherer was transported and lodged in the Josephine County Jail where he was lodged for First Degree Criminal Mischief, Second Degree Burglary, and Third Degree Theft.

 

Today, the Oregon Employment Department released monthly employment and unemployment data for September 2025, after a significant delay due to the federal government shutdown.

Oregon’s unemployment rate was 5.2% in September and 5.0% in August, after increasing for much of the past two years from the recent low of 3.6% during spring 2023. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.3% in August and 4.4% in September.

In September, Oregon’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment rose by 3,300 jobs, following a revised gain of 3,500 jobs in August. September’s gains were largest in health care and social assistance (+1,300 jobs); construction (+700); and professional and business services (+700). Losses were largest in financial activities (-700 jobs).

Health care and social assistance continued its rapid expansion of the past several years, adding 11,400 jobs, or 3.7%, between September 2024 and September 2025.

Construction employment was down slightly this summer compared with the two prior summers. September employment totaled 116,100 jobs, which was 1,600 jobs, or 1.4%, below its level in September 2024.

Professional and business services added 700 in September but lost jobs since early 2023. Since its peak of 268,900 jobs in March 2023, it has declined to 253,700 jobs in September (-15,200 jobs, or 5.7%). Each of the three component industries trended downward since early 2023. Over the last 12 months, there were cutbacks for administrative and waste services (-4,900 jobs or -4.8%); professional and technical services (-2,300 jobs, or -2.1%); and management of companies and enterprises (-1,000 jobs, or -2.0%).

Manufacturing slipped by 200 jobs in September and is down 9,600 jobs, or 5.1%, since September 2024, with both durable goods manufacturing and nondurable goods manufacturing each down close to 5%.

 

The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (OSHA) has fined a Medford contractor over $128,000 for safety violations after an inspection found the company exposed employees to multiple hazards, including a potentially deadly fall from heights. The division completed its inspection of Shrader Homes Inc. in November, citing the company for five violations of requirements to protect workers from serious injury or death. The inspection focused on a jobsite in White City, where employees were doing framing work on a two-story residence. One of the violations was a fourth repeat infraction for failing to provide fall protection. Another was a second repeat violation of a ladder safety rule. Falls are one of the leading causes of death in the construction industry, and Oregon OSHA significantly increases penalties for repeat violations. The division ordered the company to correct the violations. Oregon OSHA conducted the inspection of Shrader Homes under its prevention-based emphasis program addressing fall hazards in all industries. The division cited the company for protection systems not being implemented where employees were exposed to a hazard of falling 6 feet or more to a lower level.

 

Today, from 7am to 6pm, Scoville Rd near NE Greenfield Rd, will have active lane closures with active flagging for in-ground utility installation.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area and find alternate routes. Emergency Vehicles will be allowed through.

For more information contact Robco at (541) 476-2132

 

On Sunday at 6:13 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a vehicle versus pedestrian crash on Highway 99 near milepost 7 in Jackson County. The preliminary investigation indicated a southbound Hyundai Elantra, operated by Bobbie Rae Stinson-Payne of Grants Pass, struck a pedestrian, Jarrod Edward Garwood, 43, of Rogue River, as the pedestrian was pushing a go-kart on the highway. The Hyundai fled the scene and the operator later contacted law enforcement to report their involvement. Garwood was declared deceased at the scene. An occupant of the go-kart, James Eric Johannes, 41, of Grants Pass, suffered reported minor injuries. Stinson-Payne and the passenger, Dillon Edward Gasser, 33, of Grants Pass, were reportedly uninjured. Stinson-Payne was arrested for Failure to Perform Duties of a Driver, DUII, and First Degree Manslaughter. The highway was impacted for approximately five hours during the on-scene investigation.

 

Josephine County Commissioner Ron Smith declared Monday that he is recusing himself from the appointment process to replace former Commissioner Andreas Blech. According to The Daily Courier, Commissioner Smith said recusing himself invokes a county charter provision that puts the appointment process in the hands of the county's other elected officials. The move also takes Commissioner Chris Barnett out of the appointment equation. The decision to appoint a successor to Blech will now be in the hands of Sheriff Dave Daniel, county Clerk Rhiannon Henkels, county Legal Counsel Wally Hicks, Treasurer Dustin Calvo, Assessor Chris Parton, and county Surveyor Peter Allen.

 

This morning, the Illinois Valley Fire District was dispatched to a traffic accident at milepost 17 on Highway 199 in Selma.

Around 8:23 a.m., I.V. Fire arrived at the vehicular incident that fortunately resulted in no injuries.

The Oregon State Police were informed and were en-route to the scene as of the report.