Local News

Grants Pass Police jailed a woman for multiple counts of fraud at the start of the weekend. The Police Department reports officers arrested 32-year-old Miranda Marie Linville on Friday at about 9:30 p.m.. No details about the investigation or arrest were disclosed, but Linville was charged with a total of nine alleged crimes including Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card, Computer Crime and Theft. Miranda Linville was lodged at the Josephine County Jail without any scheduled bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for violating a court order after investigating a domestic disturbance on the east side of the city late last week. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the reported incident in the parking lot of Elmer's Restaurant on Friday at 2:30 p.m.. Police said they were alerted to a couple arguing inside a maroon minivan in the restaurant parking lot. They said a woman later identified as 48-year-old Don-El Lisa Hentrich was hitting a male subject with her fists in the back of the van. Upon arrival, officers contacted the couple and learned that Hentrich was violating a restraining order issued by a court on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. They placed her into custody without incident. Don-El Hentrich was charged with Contempt of Court-Restraining Order Violation and lodged without bail at the Josephine County Jail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on an outstanding warrant before taking him to the hospital due to a possible drug overdose. The Police Department reports officers contacted 34-year-old Kyle Daniel Miller after a traffic stop near the corner of SW I and Alder streets on Saturday at 12:17 a.m.. Police said they were patrolling in the area when they spotted Miller run through a stop sign and then learned that he was wanted on a Jackson County warrant for failing to appear in court for Unlawful Possession of Heroin. As officers placed Miller into custody, he claimed he had just swallowed a half-gram of fentanyl. He was taken to Three Rivers Medical Center where he was kept for observation. Kyle Miller was cited to appear in court on the warrant and released to the care of medical staff. He was also warned for Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device.

 

The Grants Pass City Council will tour two parks before its bi-weekly workshop session today. The City Council will tour Tussing and Morrison Centennial parks where there have been numerous complaints about ordinance violations by the unhoused populations temporarily residing there due to a federal court injunction. The workshop agenda begins with a staff update on the Owl Parking Lot Plaza. Citizens have recently completed a survey asking for input on its rehabilitation. Also slated for Council discussion is Strategic Planning and a review of the agenda for Wednesday night's regular meeting. Today's workshop begins at 11:45 a.m. in the City Council Chambers at Grants Pass City Hall, 101 NW A Street.

 

Avista, Oregon's second largest natural gas utility, can no longer make customers pay for its political activities and subsidize new residential gas pipelines, according to the terms of a settlement agreement approved by the Oregon Public Utility Commission. The Oregonian reports last week's settlement includes a smaller rate increase of 4.7% – instead of the 8% sought by the company earlier this year. It also increases Avista's low-income weatherization program budget from about $800,000 to $2 million. Avista serves more than 106,000 customers in parts of southern and eastern Oregon. The settlement marks the first time in Oregon history that a gas utility will phase out charges called line extension allowances, in which all customers bear the cost of connecting new buildings to the gas pipeline system. Without the subsidies, an individual developer or homeowner would have to cover the costs of new pipelines. Climate activists who oppose the expansion of the natural gas system say line extension allowances encourage new homes to be built with gas at a time when gas utilities should instead drastically reduce their emissions. A natural gas fact-finding investigation released by the Public Utility Commission earlier this year found that growing the gas system in Oregon and adding new hookups will increase emissions and drive up utilities' costs to comply with the state’s climate mandate to reduce fossil fuel emissions – which is likely to lead to rate increases for all customers.

 

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters logged another busy week of protecting people and structures in the community. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 688 calls for service along with 350 officer-initiated calls last week that resulted in 51 arrests, 30 citations, 38 warnings and nine highly-intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. The Community Response Team (CRT) made a total of 191 contacts with potential trouble-makers while arresting nine people, citing 49 more and warning 93 others. The CRT unit also trespassed 37 individuals, posted 91 new transient camps and removed trash from 12 campsites. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 99 calls last week including 34 for emergency medical service, five reports of fire or smoke, 12 lift assists, five rescue situations, six assists to other agencies and eight false alarms. Firefighters also performed 19 business inspections, assisted the public six times and installed one child car seat. The 9-1-1 Dispatch Center fielded a total of 1,176 emergency calls in addition to 959 calls for non-emergency service.

 

Hidden Valley High School is reaching out to all veterans in the community from all branches of the military to join them as they express their gratitude for your service and sacrifices. The high school in Murphy is proud to host a special Veteran Tribute on Thursday, November 9th, at 11 a.m.. Local veterans and their families are invited to be a part of this meaningful event. Your presence at the HVHS Veteran Tribute will make this event even more special. In addition, the high school would love to include photos for their displays honoring local veterans. If you have a photo of yourself or a loved one in uniform, please send it to HVHS via e-mail at "tracey.jacobs@threerivers.k12.or.us." They can also scan your original photos and return them to you. Veterans are also invited to share their experiences with Hidden Valley students prior to the tribute. They want to ensure every hero is recognized and celebrated on this special day. Please RSVP by November 1st by calling Tracey Jacobs at (541)-862-2124, Extension 3723.

 

The Oregon State Police was looking for suspects who fled the scene of a crash involving two other vehicles this week on Redwood Highway in Selma. OSP reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the two-vehicle wreck on US Highway 199 at Lakeshore Drive on Thursday at 8:32 p.m.. State troopers said a stolen Dodge Ram 2500 pickup towing a trailer failed to yield the right-of-way and was T-boned by a GMC Sierra pickup that was also towing a trailer. They said all occupants of the stolen Dodge fled the scene prior to the arrival of law enforcement. According to OSP, a 69-year-old Chiloquin man was driving the GMC at the time of the crash. He was not hurt and issued a crash report. The registered owner of the stolen pickup was contacted and given instructions on how to retrieve his vehicle. Both the trucks and trailers were hauled to Cave Junction by Jerry's Towing. Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to dial *OSP.

 

Grants Pass Police apprehended a local fugitive in the downtown area early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested 25-year-old Christian Nicholas Peckham at the corner of SE 6th and H streets on Friday at 12:48 a.m.. Police said they were on patrol in the downtown area when they spotted Peckham and knew that he was wanted on a Grants Pass felony warrant for Probation Violation related to a previous arrest for 2nd-Degree Burglary. Christian Peckham was placed into custody without incident and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.