Local News

Two people were killed late yesterday in a violent crash on Riverbanks Road about two miles east of Redwood Highway. On Monday at 6:03 p.m., Rural Metro Fire Department, Grants Pass Fire & Rescue and American Medical Response were dispatched to the single-vehicle wreck in the 2200-block of Riverbanks Road. Rural Metro officials said the crash occurred in the sharp S-curves between Marcy Loop and Douglas Drive. They said efforts to rapidly extricate and treat the two occupants were performed, but both were confirmed to be deceased on scene. Law enforcement was conducting the investigation and notifying next-of-kin. The Oregon State Police is the lead agency and it has not yet identified the deceased. Traffic was detoured while the crash scene was active. Officials said witnesses to this tragic event and citizens who assisted with rescue efforts were exposed to a very graphic scene. Anyone struggling with trauma or who was otherwise affected by the incident and might find the need to talk to someone is welcome to call Rural Metro at (541)-474-1218

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a motorist for impaired driving after he wrecked his vehicle near the Hellgate Bridge last weekend. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle rollover crash near milepost 6 of Galice Road -- between Hellgate Lookout and the bridge -- on Sunday around 8:40 p.m.. Deputies said another motorist reported the crash of a light-blue sport utility vehicle that had struck the guardrail twice before landing upside-down partially in the inbound travel lane. The caller said the driver appeared to be intoxicated and was walking toward Merlin from the wreck. Upon arrival, deputies contacted the 30-year-old male driver who displayed strong signs of impairment. After performing poorly in field sobriety tests and being checked out by medics, the man was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. The wrecked SUV was towed into Grants Pass. A white Bull Mastiff named "Daisy" went missing after the crash, but the dog was found on Monday.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for a felony-level crime after she vandalized her ex-boyfriend's vehicle in the Redwood area last weekend. The Police Department reports officers responded to a reported vehicle vandalism in the 1400-block of Kokanee Lane on Sunday at 7:45 p.m.. Police said a 42-year-old woman had been in an argument with her ex-boyfriend at his Kokanee Lane residence and before leaving the property, she dug several deep gouges along multiple panels of his vehicle with a key or similar object. Damage was estimated to be well over $1,000. The woman's actions were captured on surveillance video and she was contacted at her home on NW Sunset Drive. After admitting to the offense, she was placed into custody, charged with 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief and lodged without bail at the Josephine County Jail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a woman for spray-painting the outside of someone's trailer at an RV Park just east of Grants Pass last weekend. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to the vandalism incident at the park in the 3200-block of Pearce Park Road late Saturday night. Deputies said a man called 9-1-1 to report he caught his 76-year-old neighbor spray-painting his RV black and applying some colorful metaphors to the outside of the trailer. The woman also reportedly stacked fencing against the trailer door in an effort to trap him inside. The woman could be heard laughing and screaming inside her own trailer when deputies arrived on scene. It was unclear why she victimized her neighbor. The suspect was contacted and placed into custody. She was lodged in jail for 3rd-Degree Criminal Mischief and trespassed from her neighbor's RV space.

 

The Illinois Valley Fire District responded to a vehicle fire near Cave Junction and a motor vehicle accident in Selma on the same day last weekend. On Sunday at 10:31 a.m., IVFD crews were dispatched to a recreational vehicle fire on Little Grayback Road. The RV was smoldering when firefighters arrived on scene. Fire suppression was completed and the scene was mopped up. The cause of the fire was under investigation. On Sunday at 7:25 p.m., IVFD and American Medical Response were dispatched to a single-vehicle crash on Redwood Highway near Lakeshore Drive. Arriving units found a vehicle had wrecked into a tree and no one was around. Units checked the area, but they were unable to locate any occupants. The Oregon State Police also responded and troopers were completing the investigation.

 

Authorities were investigating the cause of a vegetation fire that broke out in the Kerby area yesterday. On Monday at 3:10 p.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District and Oregon Department of Forestry were dispatched to the fire along Forest Road 910 off Westside Road. IVFD officials said the fire was knocked down at just under three-quarters of an acre. ODF crews remained at the scene until the blaze was fully-extinguished. Officials said no structures were threatened and there were no injuries reported.

 

The Citizens Advisory Committee for the Josephine County Law Enforcement District is meeting tomorrow in Grants Pass. Wednesday's meeting will be held at 3 p.m. in the Board of Commissioners Conference Room at the Josephine County Courthouse. Under New Business, Attorney Alison Smith will present Oregon's Public Meeting Laws to the Citizens Advisory Committee. That will be followed by the topics of Meeting Recording, Bulletin Posting and Handling Media Inquiries. Committee members will hold a discussion on tours of the Josephine County Jail and ride-along updates will be provided by Sheriff Dave Daniel. Committee bylaws will also be discussed during the meeting, which is one of the first for the panel governing the new law enforcement district that starts in July.

 

Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) has announced funding awards of more than $40 million in grants and tax credits to build and preserve 471 homes, with a good chunk of the funding coming to River City. OHCS announced on Monday that $4.5 million has been awarded to Allen Creek Crossing, a 68-home development along Williams Highway in south Grants Pass. The resources come from the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, Oregon Affordable Housing Tax Credits, HOME and General Housing Account Program. These resources are used along with local, state and private investments to make possible the development of affordable housing in communities across the state. OHCS Director Andrea Bell said over 400 families and individuals will have a safe and stable place to call home because of these investments and the leadership of their local partners who made this possible. She said this progress can invigorate local neighborhoods, communities and economies. These investments also contribute to the five-year Statewide Housing Plan goal of increasing the pipeline of affordable rental housing. OHCS surpassed the goal of adding 25,000 new homes to the pipeline and had met this goal at around 107% of the target as of the end of 2023.

 

Total payroll employment in Jackson County rose by 270 jobs in February as many industries added jobs over the month. According to the Oregon Employment Department, there were 100,927 people working in Jackson County in February for a seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 4.5%, which was up from 4.3% in January and down from 5.4% in February 2023. On the positive side, jobs were added in construction, private education & health services, leisure & hospitality, and professional & business services. Retail trade and manufacturing lost jobs in February while government jobs increased, with most of the gains in local government education. Over the past year, payroll employment in Jackson County lost a total of 130 jobs, a decrease of 0.1%. Jackson County employment is now 1,620 jobs below the total reached in February 2020, prior to the pandemic. Industries adding jobs since February 2023 included private education & health services and constructio. Industries showing over-the-year losses were professional & business services, financial activities, transportation, warehousing & utilities, other services, leisure & hospitality, retail trade, information and wholesale trade.