Local News

AllCare Health is hosting the 2nd Annual Healthy Kids Event this Saturday.

From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 1701 NE 7th Street in Grants Pass, this community event focuses on promoting families and children's health and well-being.

There will be free games, face painting, and giveaways along with free health, dental, vision screenings, and immunizations. Dutch Bros will be onsite giving away free hot chocolate, and food will be available for purchase from local food trucks.

Grants Pass Broadcasting's own Cassie Callas will be broadcasting live at the event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on KLDR 98.3, 98.1, and 104.5, and on KRRM 94.7.

This is a free family-friendly event and all are welcome.

 

Grants Pass Police initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle driving without its lights on Thursday night.

Just before 8 p.m. at the corner of SE 8th and G Streets, officers stopped Baron Messier for careless driving and found he was driving while suspended. The vehicle belonged to his passenger, Stephanie McNair.

She admitted to being intoxicated, and her vehicle was subsequently impounded. During an inventory search, officers located a small bag with a crystalline substance.

McNair was lodged in the Josephine County Jail for Possession of Meth. Messier was cited for Driving While Suspended and warned for Careless Driving.

 

Deputies with the Grants Pass Police Department recognized a vehicle belonging to a wanted man early this morning.

Upon contact, officers found Sean Mitchell sitting inside his car with a machete in the front seat. After being told he was under arrest, Mitchell refused to exit.

His car didn't appear to be working, and after a few minutes of talking, Mitchell exited the vehicle and was subsequently taken into custody by officers.

Mitchell was lodged in the Josephine County Jail on his Meth Possession warrant.

 

The Asante Foundation is inviting the community to join them for the fourth annual Walk for Hope on Saturday.

Located at the Mary and Dick Heimann Cancer Center, 3011 East Barnett Road in Medford, this event honors cancer survivors, caregivers and the memory of loved ones lost to cancer.

Check-in starts at 9:30 a.m., with an opening ceremony at 11:00 a.m. The 1.5-mile walk around the Rogue Regional Medical Center campus will follow, culminating in a finish-line celebration from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Enjoy live music, local food trucks, and activities for all ages.

Walk for Hope is free to attend, but pre-registration is required. All proceeds directly benefit cancer care in southern Oregon and northern California, supporting critical services for patients and families through Asante.

To register and learn more, visit asantefoundation.org, or call (541) 789-5025.

 

The Rogue Community College chapter of the American Association for Women in Community Colleges is hosting $1 clothing sales at two campuses this month.

All are welcome and visitors can expect to find gently used shoes, clothing and accessories for men, women and children of all ages. Most items are priced at $1, and proceeds benefit student scholarships.

The first sale will be October 14th from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Riverside Campus Higher Education Center at 101 S. Bartlett Street in Medford. The second will take place October 16th from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Redwood Campus Student Center at 3345 Redwood Highway in Grants Pass.

The Redwood, Riverside, and Table Rock RCC campuses will be accepting clothing donations now through October 13th during their business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For more information, call (541) 956-7141.

 

Grants Pass Police located three people trespassing in an alleyway Tuesday, and arrested one with a warrant.

Around 12:15 p.m., officers responded to a trespassing complaint and found a male and female making a campsite in an alleyway in the 800 block of NE 7th Street.

The two campers, and one other suspect in the alley, were trespassed from the location. Upon contacting them, officers identified one of the suspects as Jequis Porter. He was found to be wanted on a Grants Pass Police Department Warrant.

Porter was taken into custody and lodged in the Josephine County Jail on his warrant for Possession of a Schedule Two Controlled Substance and Probation Violation.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested two suspects on Meth Possession charges in separate instances Tuesday morning.

At 8:21 a.m., officers observed Mark Lyon with drug paraphernalia in plain view at Baker Park, 760 East Park Street. After being read his rights, Lyon admitted to smoking meth out of a glass pipe the night before.

He consented to a search of his person, and officers found a small plastic bag with a white, crystalline substance. The pipe field tested positive for the presumptive presence of meth.

Lyon was lodged in the Josephine County Jail for Meth Possession. He was also issued an exclusion order from Baker Park.

At 9:12 the same morning, officers located a man under the influence near NW 5th Street and NW A Street. He was dancing and falling in the street before being contacted behind a dumpster.

Concerned he would hurt himself, officers took John Hruska into custody. He consented to a search and officers found paraphernalia that tested positive for amphetamines.

Hruska was lodged in the Josephine County Jail for Meth Possession.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office responded to a neighborhood disturbance involving gunshots Tuesday evening.

At 5:07 p.m., a caller reported he was in his front yard when he heard gunshots. He said someone began shooting his house, with bullets hitting a tree outside and going over his head.

The caller hadn't heard any shots for a few minutes after escaping to his back yard. Upon arrival, officers were able to contact the suspects, Duane Rigel, and Kenneth Rigel Jr.

Officers located shell casings on the property, and subsequently lodged both suspects in the Josephine County Jail. Duane Rigel was charged with Felon in Possession of a Weapon, Reckless Endangering, and a Probation Violation. Kenneth Rigel Jr. was lodged on a Reckless Endangering charge.

 

Three citizens were honored for rescuing a man trapped in his vehicle as it was burning. On June 27, 2025 a fiery crash on Rogue River Highway near Gordon Way prompted a swift response from the three. A Ford Mustang and a commercial water truck collided. The driver of the Mustang, John Irwin, was trapped inside his car as it burst into flames. Calls came into Grants Pass 911 Communications, who mobilized crews from Rural Metro Fire, Grants Pass Fire and AMR-Josephine County. While first responders were en-route to the incident, citizens at the scene, Chelsae Booth, Andrew Clem, and Michael McGilvreay, jumped into action to pull John from the wreckage. The three worked together to force open the passenger door, unbuckle John, and pull him to safety before the vehicle became fully involved. Austin Prince, Operations Chief with Rural Metro Fire, recently led a joint multi-agency effort to recognize the heroic acts of Booth, Clem, and McGilvreay.