Local News

The Board of Commissioners is expected to adopt five ordinances that change the Josephine County Code during its weekly business session this morning. The Board will hold five public hearings on the second readings of each of the ordinances. The first readings were approved after April 3rd hearings. The ordinances pertain to repealing chapters related to the Urban Area Planning Commission, Jackson-Josephine Regional Board, Jefferson Behavioral Health and Job Council. The other ordinance amends the chapter for the Solid Waste Agency. All five ordinances are considered housekeeping items to keep the Code current. As part of the Consent Calendar, the Commissioners will consider one resolution to establish an Administrative Internal Service Fund and a second resolution to establish a County Services & Fleet Fund. Today's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

 

This week is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, an annual event that honors the essential role emergency response coordination professionals play in keeping the nation's communities safe and secure. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek proclaimed April 14th-20th as Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in the state and encouraged all Oregonians to join in the observance. Oregon has 43 standalone 9-1-1 centers known as Public Safety Answering Points that serve as the first and single point of contact for people seeking immediate relief during an emergency. Nearly 800 dedicated telecommunicators across the state answer at least two million emergency calls annually for law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services. These 9-1-1 professionals respond to emergency calls, dispatch emergency professionals and equipment, and render life-saving assistance during intense personal crises and community-wide disasters. The critical work of Oregon's public safety telecommunicators directly supports the operations of federal, state and local government agencies. Oregon's 9-1-1 program was established by the 1981 Oregon Legislature and is directed by the Oregon Department of Emergency Management.

 

The Four Way Community Foundation is assisting the Grants Pass School District in presenting a special variety show event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Performing Arts Center (PAC) and to launch a fundraising campaign to update and beautify the facility. The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 18th, at 6:30 p.m. in the PAC at Grants Pass High School, which is located at NE 8th and Olive streets. In 1996, the local foundation was instrumental in the community-wide effort to raise funds to build the 730-seat venue, providing over $500,000 from a bequest from the estate of Mel Voorhees, the Kay Pratton Fund and other charitable gifts. Numerous individuals and businesses made donations to build the facility, and voters passed a bond for the new high school which included creating the PAC, which opened in May of 1999. The GPHS PAC has the finest acoustics of any venue between Seattle and San Francisco. It is in use almost every day by community groups, visiting performers and students. After 25 years of almost constant use, the theater needs some items that are beyond the scope of annual school district allocations.

 

The City of Grants Pass will convene a roundtable discussion related to public safety funding tomorrow. Thursday's roundtable session will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at Grants Pass City Hall, 101 NW A Street. During its April 1st workshop, a majority of the City Council wanted to hold a public safety funding conversation before deciding whether to proceed with the referral of a food & beverage tax to voters in the November general election. During the session, city staff will present an overview of public safety services provided by the police and fire departments along with the various funding options the Council has considered. This will be followed by questions and answers. City officials said this roundtable discussion is being treated as a normal Council workshop and does not provide an opportunity for public comment. A quorum of Council members may be present.

 

The Board of Commissioners is expected to adopt five ordinances that change the Josephine County Code during its weekly business session tomorrow morning. The Board will hold five public hearings on the second readings of each of the ordinances. The first readings were approved after April 3rd hearings. The ordinances pertain to repealing chapters related to the Urban Area Planning Commission, Jackson-Josephine Regional Board, Jefferson Behavioral Health and Job Council. The other ordinance amends the chapter for the Solid Waste Agency. All five ordinances are considered housekeeping items to keep the Code current. As part of the Consent Calendar, the Commissioners will consider one resolution to establish an Administrative Internal Service Fund and a second resolution to establish a County Services & Fleet Fund. Wednesday's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man wanted on out-of-state and local warrants after a city park patrol check early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested the 42-year-old man at Lawnridge Park on NW Hawthorne Avenue on Monday at about 8 a.m.. Police said they contacted the man for an observed ordinance violation and learned that he was wanted on a Bexar County, Texas, felony warrant for 2nd-Degree Assault on a Family Member. The suspect was also wanted on two Josephine County warrants -- one containing a secret indictment for Felony Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and the other for failing to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. He was lodged in jail and faces possible extradition to send him back to San Antonio. According to the report, uncapped needles were located inside the man's tent and they were properly disposed of.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man who stole items from Walmart last weekend and discovered that was wanted on an outside felony warrant. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a shoplifting complaint at the big box retailer on NE Terry Lane on Sunday around 3:50 p.m.. Police said a 41-year-old male suspect stolen merchandise from Walmart, but dropped the items when confronted by loss prevention and ran away from them. Responding officers located the suspect on NE Fairview Avenue and advised him that he was under arrest. But the man ran away from law enforcement and -- after running in and around residential backyards -- he was placed into custody. That's when police discovered that the suspect was wanted on a Clackamas County felony warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a conviction for Possession of Heroin. He was lodged in the Josephine County Jail on the warrant along with a new charge of 3rd-Degree Theft. He was awaiting transfer to Clackamas County.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on an outstanding warrant during a weekend shoplifting incident at Home Depot. According to the Police Department, officers arrested the 38-year-old male subject for the incident at the home improvement store on NE Mill Street at 4:56 p.m. on Sunday. Police said Home Depot employees called 9-1-1 to report a suspect placed some merchandise in a bag, proceeded past all points of sale and exited the business before he was confronted by loss prevention. He immediately dropped the stolen items and fled into the store parking lot. That's where officers placed him into custody. A routine records check revealed that he was wanted on a Jackson County warrant for Fraud and Furnishing False Information to Police. After the warrant was confirmed, the suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail. He was also trespassed from Home Depot.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man on a local warrant during a weekend welfare check in Cave Junction. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies arrested the 28-year-old male subject at gunpoint in the 500-block of South Redwood Highway around 8:15 p.m. Sunday. Deputies said 9-1-1 dispatchers received a call from that address, which was hung up. Dispatchers returned the call and heard some voices before someone said "never mind" and hung up again. Additional calls went straight to voice mail. Upon arrival, deputies contacted the man in one of three cabins on the property. They discovered that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for 2nd-Degree Theft. He was flagged as a flight risk known to run from law enforcement, but he was placed into custody without further incident. The suspect was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail.