Local News

The Dental Assistant program at Rogue Community College is accepting applications until this Friday for the 2024 cohort. The deadline is July 12th. The four-term certification program prepares students to meet the requirements to become Expanded Functions Dental Assistants (EFDA). Successful completion of the program equips students for job entry with state and national certification in dental radiology, and basic and expanded function dental assisting. The curriculum is based in general dentistry. Students receive training in four-handed chair-side assisting techniques to work with general dentists during all phases of patient examination and treatment. For more information on the RCC Dental Assistant program, e-mail Carmen Mons at "cmons@roguecc.edu."

 

Firefighters assigned to the Salt Creek Fire located approximately 10 miles east of Eagle Point made significant progress last night, lining 40% of the largest wildfire in southwest Oregon so far this year. The Oregon Department of Forestry reports the wildfire is burning on steep ground along Salt Creek Road and is currently estimated to be 1,500 acres. It was first reported just after 4 p.m. Sunday. The cause is under investigation. ODF Incident Management Team 1 has been briefed and will shadow current resources today before taking command of the wildfire tonight. This will bring in additional resources and allow local districts to be ready for additional fire starts. Fire activity naturally decreased last night when the sun went down and extremely hot temperatures dropped. With this advantage, resources were able to put in a mix of bulldozer and hand lines constructed along the entire northern portion of the blaze. The eastern and southeastern flanks remain largely unlined and they are the focus of the day shift today. A total of 321 personnel are assigned to the Salt Creek Fire today including 12 20-person hand crews backed by nine engines, 10 water tenders, seven bulldozers and six tree-fallers. Six helicopters, two large air tankers and one very large air tanker made numerous retardant drops last night to help box in the wildfire. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office and Jackson County Emergency Management have issued Level 1 "Be Ready" evacuation notices for Zones JAC-316, JAC-317, JAC-319 and JAC-321. Salt Creek Road and Wasson Canyon Road are closed at Highway 140, and Double Day Road is closed off Butte Falls Highway. Highway 140 and Butte Falls Highway remain open at this time.

 

Grants Pass smashed three previous high temperature records over the weekend as the Excessive Heat Warning has been extended at least one more day. Grants Pass hit 110 degrees on Friday, 113 degrees on Saturday and 108 degrees on Sunday, with all surpassing previous high temperature records for July 5th, 6th and 7th of 106. It's highly likely that more high temperature records will be broken. The National Weather Service has extended the Excessive Heat Warning through Tuesday night. Dangerously hot conditions will continue, with high temperatures between 105 and 115 degrees. The daytime thermometer is not expected to fall below the century mark until Wednesday or Thursday. Weather experts continue to encourage local residents to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors -- especially the elderly. Those working outside should take extra care and any strenuous outdoor activities should be done in the morning or evening. The City of Grants Pass has announced that the Mobile Integrative Navigation Team (MINT) will operate a Cooling Center at least two more days due to the extended heatwave. The Cooling Center at 218 Redwood Highway next to Bi-Mart will be open both today and tomorrow from 2 to 8 p.m..

 

The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center fielded more than 1,200 emergency calls for local first responders even before record-setting summer heat on July 4th. According to the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center's weekly post on Facebook, dispatchers received a total of 1,218 emergency calls between June 27th and July 3rd. The Grants Pass Police Department led the way with 969 calls followed by American Medical Response with 290 and Grants Pass Fire & Rescue with 131. Rural Metro Fire Department received 51 calls, Illinois Valley Fire District received 33, the Oregon Department of Forestry received 27, and both the Wolf Creek and Williams Rural Fire Protection Districts got nine. The local 9-1-1 agency also reported receiving 498 internal phone calls and making 512 outbound calls.

 

A 30-year-old man is in the Josephine County Jail following a criminal mischief/vandalism incident late Friday afternoon. Josephine County Deputies were dispatched to the 5000 block of Monument Drive to investigate the report of customer cutting off the hose from a fire extinguisher. The reporting party stated the suspect was still on the scene with a silver Buick Lacrosse with California license plates. The suspect told employees he needed it to fix his car. Deputies made contact with the suspect behind the business, placing him under arrest and transporting him to the county jail where he is being held on a charge of Criminal Mischief II-Vandalism/Crime Dama

 

A convicted felon was jailed by Josephine County Deputies for a parole violation after being found camping in a private graveyard Friday morning. Deputies were dispatched to the 2100 block of Foothill Boulevard at 7:33 a.m. after a report of a vehicle on the cemetery property with people sleeping inside. Deputies investigated a blue Hyundai SUV with a license plate that returned to a Nissan Sentra, that was suspected to be associated with a disorderly conduct Thursday night. Two adult males were contacted, and 32-year-old man was arrested when it was determined he was wanted on a valid warrant from the Oregon Parole Board for violating the terms of his parole from an original charge of attempted assault I.

 

Firefighters working on the Dead Indian Memorial Road Fire, located in the hills northeast of Ashland, made excellent progress on Friday, solidifying lines and mopping up 50% of the fire. Resources were able to extinguish hotspots up to 250-feet into the perimeter around the entire incident. The fire remains 100% lined and 43 acres in size. Last night 78 personnel were assigned to the fire, including three 20-person crews, three engines, two water tenders and various overhead. These resources will continue to work on mopping up the interior of the fire. A Red Flag Warning is in effect until 8 p.m. due to triple-digit temperatures, wind and low relative humidity, however these conditions have not affected the fire as much as expected, and little to no smoke is being detected. Due to the location of the fire, no homes were threatened, and no evacuations were issued.

 

The Eagle Point Police Department jailed a man for numerous crimes this week after he barricaded himself inside a residence following a domestic violence call. EPD reports officers responded to a domestic disturbance between a man and woman at 111 Onyx Street on Wednesday evening. Dispatch advised officers that a neighbor could hear yelling and other noises in a lower-level unit of the apartment complex. As officers approached, they could hear the disturbance and observed a woman in a bedroom through an open window. The male suspect ran out of the bedroom and officers helped the woman escape. The suspect -- later identified as 33-year-old Kevin Heater -- tried to flee out the front door, but officers confronted him, he refused to comply with commands and retreated back into the apartment, locking the door. Additional officers arrived on scene and surrounded the building. EPD Chief Jim Hamilton said investigators determined that Heater had assaulted the woman and restricted her breathing during the altercation. It was also learned that there was an active restraining order protecting the victim from the suspect. Heater refused to come out of the apartment, so the Jackson County Sheriff's Office responded to assist with K-9 units. After several announcements for the suspect to exit the apartment, he began talking with officers through a window while other officers entered the apartment and placed him into custody.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a woman for attempting to start her room on fire at the Sobering Center early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested the 47-year-old woman at the facility on SW Foundry Street on Friday at 1:26 a.m.. Police said Sobering Center workers called 9-1-1 to report the female subject had a lighter and was using it to try to start her holding room on fire. They said she was also stripping down naked, thrashing around and trying to destroy the room. They were able to take the lighter away from the woman. The suspect identified as "Serenity Shayne Bailey" was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Attempted 1st-Degree Arson and Felony 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief. She was being held on Friday without bail. Bailey had been brought in to the Sobering Center by the Josephine County Sheriff's Office because she was highly intoxicated while allegedly trying to start fires on Spencer Creek Road in the Murphy area on Thursday night. She admitted to using methamphetamine, alcohol and marijuana.