Local News

The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) is hosting a virtual event tomorrow night for the public to comment on Pacific Power's general rate increase filing that proposes an increase to electricity rates. The event will be held Tuesday from 6 to 7 p.m.. It will provide the opportunity to speak directly to the commissioners about the proposed rate increase. Customers may also submit comments in writing or by phone through June 14th. Pacific Power -- which provides electrical services to 627,000 Oregon customers -- filed a request to increase overall revenues by $322.3 million or approximately 17.9% for all customer types combined. If approved by the PUC, residential single-family customers using an average of 950 kilowatt hours per month would see a bill increase of $30.66. For a residential customer in a multi-family home using an average of 650 kilowatt hours per month, bills would increase by $18.51. Actual percentage increases will vary depending on customer type and usage. Pacific Power's general rate increase filing is undergoing a nearly year-long review and will be fully investigated on behalf of electricity customers by the PUC, the Oregon Citizens' Utility Board and others. If approved, new rates are expected to go into effect on January 1, 2025. Access to Zoom link and phone-in details at "bit.ly/44bnMi6

 

Southern Oregon University has been honored by the National Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree Campus USA for the 10th consecutive year in recognition of SOU's commitment to the effective management of its urban forest. Tree Campus Higher Education -- a program that began in 2008 -- recognizes US colleges and universities for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation. SOU -- which first earned the distinction in 2014 -- is one of 411 higher education institutions nationwide to receive the most recent recognition. SOU earned the Tree Campus designation by fulfilling the program's five standards for effective campus forest management: maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and a student service-learning project. Trees on campus and in urban spaces can lower energy costs by providing shade cover, cleaner air and water, and green space for students and faculty.

 

The National Weather Service has posted a Freeze Watch for parts of southwest Oregon that starts late tonight and runs until Tuesday morning. The Freeze Watch is in effect for western Josephine and eastern Curry counties including the Illinois Valley communities of Cave Junction, Selma, O'Brien and Takilma. Sub-freezing temperatures as low as 30 degrees are possible. Frost and freezing conditions could kill crops and other sensitive vegetation. It could also possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing. NWS officials said cloud cover could moderate temperatures and keep them above freezing. Right now, there is a 60% chance of freezing. Officials said to take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.

 

A 33-year-old woman is in the Josephine County Jail after an alleged attack of her roommate. Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the 7200 block of Monument Drive Friday afternoon at 1:24 p.m. following the reported attack. The suspect allegedly threw a handle at the complainant, who denied needing medical attention. Arriving Deputies reported the suspect also pushed the victim against a wall, again not resulting in in

 

A Cave Junction man with a lengthy criminal history was sentenced to more than 14 years in federal this week for illegally possessing methamphetamine and 12 firearms while on state supervision. According to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon, 39-year-old William Thomas Gillespie was sentenced Thursday to 173 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. Court documents show Gillespie was arrested in White City on April 6, 2020, while attempting to deliver approximately 174 grams of meth. At the time of his arrest, he possessed six baggies of meth and a digital scale. During a consent search of his residence, investigators located and seized 12 firearms including an AR-15 and multiple AK-style rifles. Three were of the firearms were stolen. On November 5, 2020, a federal grand jury in Medford returned a three-count indictment charging Gillespie with Illegally Possessing a Firearm as a Convicted Felon, Illegally Possessing a Short-Barrel Rifle and Possession Meth with Intent to Distribute. He was released from custody pending trial in June 2021 and in August 2021, pleaded guilty to the felony firearm and narcotics possession charges. In January 2023, Gillespie absconded from his supervised release and a warrant was issued for his arrest. On September 13, 2023, he was located and arrested in Bandon.

 

The 173rd Fighter Wing from Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls plans to conduct two flyovers today in western Oregon. F-15 Eagle fighter jets are scheduled to conduct a flyover at the University of Oregon Spring Football Game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene at approximately 1 p.m.. The F-15s will then perform a flyover at the 74th Annual Rotary Invitational Track Meet at Grants Pass High School at approximately 1:28 p.m.. All passes will be approximately 1,000 feet above ground level and about 400 miles per hour airspeed.

 

The Jackson and Josephine County Sheriff's Offices have bolstered their jail staffs with the graduation of six deputies from the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training last week. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office is celebrating the graduation of four deputies from Basic Corrections last Friday at the Police Academy in Salem. They are Deputy Carpenter, Deputy Carroll, Deputy Dodge and Deputy Wooten. Deputies Carpenter, Dodge and Wooten were in the class color guard. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office is celebrating the graduation of two deputies from the six-week Basic Corrections Class. They are Deputy Hernandez and Deputy Knable.

 

With gradually increasing temperatures, forest fuels are starting to dry out enough to allow spring prescribed burning operations to commence on federal lands in southwest Oregon. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest said these conditions allow for safe burning operations where the primary objective is protect communities from wildfire threat while restoring forest resiliency. Forest officials said additional burns will continue through the spring as weather conditions allow. Residents can expect to see smoke in the Ashland area and the Applegate Valley, in the Waters Creek area near Grants Pass and the Willow Lake area, with some burning units of up to 350 acres planned to start approximately one week after warmer weather sets in. In the meantime, the Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management has started to burn units in the lower elevations. Officials said prescribed burns are thoroughly planned and require a strict approval process for smoke management, fire safety and ecological outcomes before staff light any fire on the ground. Burn ignition times generally start between 10 and 11 a.m., with signage posted on roadways as needed. All burns will be patrolled by fire management personnel until determined secure with the understanding that there is always an element of risk with fire.

 

Total payroll employment in Jackson County rose by 120 jobs in March. According to the Oregon Employment Department, there were 101,468 people working in Jackson County last month for a seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 4.9%, which was up slightly from 4.8% in February. The big gainers were leisure & hospitality, professional & business services, and private education & health services. Industries with estimated job losses were construction, retail trade and manufacturing. Government employment increased by 70 jobs, with most of the rise occurring in local government. Over the past year, payroll employment in Jackson County was unchanged. Since March 2023, industries adding jobs including private education & health services (+770) and retail trade (+80). Industries with over-the-year losses were professional & business services (-390), financial activities (-250), leisure & hospitality (-150), transportation, warehousing & utilities (-100), other services (-100), information (-80) and wholesale trade (-80).