Local News

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters stayed busy protecting the community while preparing for the first week of public school. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 600 calls for service along with 314 officer-initiated calls last week that resulted in 40 arrests, 18 citations, 40 warnings and five highly intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers conducted a total of 53 traffic stops in the city and they made 12 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services. The GPPD Community Response Team (CRT) contacted a total of 97 potential troublemakers while arresting three people, citing nine more and warning 23 others. The CRT unit also trespassed 10 individuals from homes or businesses. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 92 calls last week including 32 for emergency medical service, two reports of fire or smoke, 18 lift assists, five rescue situations, three assists to other agencies and three false alarms. Firefighters also performed 16 business inspections, led one education/prevention program, assisted the public five times and properly installed three child car seats.

 

The Illinois Valley Fire District responded to an electrical fire at a church in Cave Junction on Sunday. At 10:27 a.m. yesterday, IVFD and the Oregon Department of Forestry rushed to a reported fire at the Illinois Valley Evangelical Free Church in the 400-block of Laurel Road. IVFD and ODF crews arrived at the church and immediately detected an odor of electrical burning. Units were unable to find a fire, but they located the cause of the odor. A projector cord was found to have malfunctioned and it was unplugged.

 

Impaired driving continues to be a significant problem in Jackson County. Over the past three years, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office has made a total of 986 DUII arrests, with 322 in 2021, 290 in 2022 and 374 in 2023. To help keep the community safe, local law enforcement agencies are conducting three awareness campaigns from now through September. DUII Awareness runs from now until September 4th, Child Vehicle Restraint Safety Awareness is now until September 1st and Speed Awareness runs the entire month of September. Funding for these campaigns is provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). The ODOT grant seeks to reduce the number of traffic-related death and serious-injury crashes on Jackson County roadways through sustained DUII enforcement and education activities.

 

Emergency first responders are reminding motorists that many kids are headed back to school this week. Rural Metro Fire Department encourages motorists to slow down in school zones where the speed limit is 20 miles per hour and refresh on your duties at bus stops when lights are flashing. It is unlawful to pass a school bus with flashing lights. Watch for children who are walking or riding bicycles around schools. Many kids are starting classes at new schools this week and are unfamiliar with the campuses. Local law enforcement agencies across Southern Oregon will be patrolling in school zones -- especially this week as kids return to school after their summer vacation.

 

The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined a Medford roofing company more than $100,000 for repeatedly failing to safeguard workers from fall hazards that could seriously injure or kill them. Oregon OSHA cited JAM Construction, Inc., following an inspection of a jobsite in Central Point where work was being done on the roof of a house. OSHA officials said a recent inspection showed the employer failed to ensure that employees working on the roof installed and implemented fall protection. As a result, employees were exposed to potential falls of up to 13 feet to the ground. JAM Construction violated a rule requiring employers to ensure that fall protection systems are provided, installed and implemented where employees are exposed to a hazard of falling 6 feet or more to a lower level. It was the third time the local company violated fall protection requirements and OSHA issued a penalty of $103,438 for the third repeat violation. The agency also issued an "other-than-serious" citation to the company for failing to provide documentation showing employees had received fall protection training. Following the inspection, JAM Construction corrected the fall protection violation. Penalized employers have 30 calendar days to file an appeal.

 

Total payroll employment in Jackson County fell by 410 jobs in July due to public schools taking their summer break. According to the Oregon Employment Department, there were 102,475 people working in Jackson County last month for a seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 4.7%, which is the same as in June and up from 4.2% in July 2023. Government employment declined by 1,190 jobs in July, mostly due to 1,280 fewer jobs in local government education. Federal and state government had small gains. Private sector job gains were broad-based in July. Job totals rose in retail trade, health care & social assistance, construction, and professional services. Gains were also posted in leisure & hospitality, other services, and manufacturing. Utilities, warehousing & transportation was the only industry with a slight employment decline over the month. Over the past year, payroll employment in Jackson County rose by 770 jobs, an increase of 0.9%. Since July 2023, industries adding jobs were private education & health services, and leisure & hospitality. Industries with over the year losses included manufacturing, professional & business services, financial activities, retail trade, utilities, warehousing & transportation, construction and other services.

 

Southern Oregon small business owners can receive training and mentorship offered through the Small Business Development Center at Rogue Community College. The first 20 applicants to the Small Business Management Program, with classes starting in the fall, will be considered for a scholarship that covers half of the tuition, a $300 value. Full cost of tuition is $618. The scholarship is available through the RCC Board of Education. This nationally recognized program has produced many SBDC-certified graduates in Southern Oregon who have demonstrated success and growth in the business world. The program has in-class sessions held once a month on Tuesdays from 2-5 p.m., beginning October 1st. Course dates for the 2024-25 program will be October 1st, November 5th and December 3rd this year, In 2025, they will be January 7th, February 4th, March 4th, April 1st, May 6th and June 3rd. For more information on the Small Business Management Program, call (541)-956-7494 or e-mail "TBusald@roguecc.edu."

 

UPDATE: MR. SCHAEFFER HAS BEEN FOUND.

The Grants Pass Police Department was seeking public assistance in locating a missing man. In a Friday night press release, GPPD reported Michael Schaeffer was last seen in the area of SW Oak Street and Rogue River Avenue on Friday afternoon. Schaeffer is described as an older white male adult, 5-feet-7-inches tall and 185 pounds who walks with a limp. He was last known to be wearing a red t-shirt, jeans and a black hat with writing on it. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Michael Schaeffer is encouraged to contact the Grants Pass Police Department at (541)-450-6260.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department is seeking public assistance in identifying two suspects who targeted an elderly woman earlier this week. On Wednesday around 2 p.m., two male suspects targeted an elderly woman in the parking lot of Albertsons in the Allen Creek Shopping Center. While the woman loaded groceries into her vehicle, a dark male adult in a white hat approached her, feigned illness and asked for directions to the hospital. While the woman was distracted, a white male adult in a plaid shirt stole the woman's debit card from her purse. Police said the two suspects left with the card and immediately started making purchases and money withdrawals at various stores in the Grants Pass area. Anyone with information about this investigation or the identity of the suspects is urged to contact GPPD at (541)-450-6260. Please reference Case #24-29656 or ask for Officer Potts.