Local News

Every five years, the US Economic Development Administration (EDA) requires each designated district across the country to develop a regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). In Oregon, there are 11 districts of which Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc. (SOREDI), is one. The 2020-2025 One Rogue Valley CEDS is sunsetting June 30th with current work being done on the next CEDS. The 2025-2030 Reimagined CEDS is nearing its final draft and it incorporates input from key organizations in Southern Oregon deeply involved in each strategy. It is a working document guiding economic development in five key initiatives: Business Development, Innovation, Talent, Tourism and Placemaking. Once approved by the SOREDI Board of Directors, there will be a public viewing before the new CEDS is submitted to the federal agency. SOREDI officials said they are excited to share the result of deep and collaborative conversations about the future of Southern Oregon's economic development.

 

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters logged a busy week of activity as the calendar turned from May to June. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 655 calls for service along with 327 officer-initiated calls last week that resulted in 48 arrests, 35 citations, 40 warnings and seven highly-intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 99 calls last week including 43 for emergency medical service, two reports of fire or smoke, 14 lift assists, eight rescue situations, nine assists to other agencies and six false alarms. Firefighters also performed 20 business inspections, led one education/prevention program and assisted the public at least five times. The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center fielded a total of 1,208 emergency calls last week.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department has announced a new tool that allows citizens to visualize local crime trends within the community. The link to Citizen Connect can be found on the Grants Pass Police homepage under "Important Links -- Grants Pass Police Citizen Connect." The website address is "grantspassoregon.gov/188/ArcataPolice." Citizen Connect is a map-centric portal that allows the public to view and analyze crime trends in their area. The portal offers a clear and intuitive visualization of crime trends in the Grants Pass community. According to GPPD, the mapping will not show actual locations of specific crimes -- but it will indicate a regionalized grid location where they have occurred.

 

The Medford Police Department is investigating a weekend homicide that occurred in the parking lot of an elementary school. MPD officers were dispatched to Wilson Elementary School where a deceased male was discovered on Sunday around 6:30 a.m.. Detectives responded to the scene and confirmed this is a homicide investigation. Surveillance footage obtained from the Medford School District shows the incident occurred several hours earlier. Investigators are working to collect additional surveillance footage to identify the suspect or suspects and any associated vehicles. At this time, there is no known threat to the public or school community. According to MPD, this remains an active and ongoing investigation. Updates will be provided as new information becomes available.

 

A man is missing and presumed dead after he wrecked his motorcycle off a cliff above the Rogue River during a law enforcement pursuit northwest of Galice late last night. The Oregon State Police reports troopers assisted the Josephine County Sheriff's Office with the single-vehicle crash near milepost 17 of Galice Road on Sunday at 11:07 p.m.. OSP said a preliminary investigation indicates a Honda motorcycle ridden by an unidentified man was being pursued by sheriff's deputies when it left the roadway and crashed into a tree on the downward slope of a cliff overlooking the river. According to OSP, the rider was not found and his identity was unknown. A 46-year-old Grants Pass man was mentioned in the report, but not confirmed as the rider. Unconfirmed sources reported a motorcycle helmet was found in the river. Bulldog Towing collected the heavily-damaged motorcycle and transported it to their secure storage facility in Grants Pass.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a woman for stabbing her boyfriend while they were in a vehicle at a city park. The Police Department reports officers arrested 58-year-old Carol Kim Clements for the incident on Saturday at 12:12 a.m.. Police said they responded late Friday night to Three Rivers Medical Center for a male victim of domestic violence who was initially uncooperative with emergency room staff. When officers arrived at the hospital, the victim advised that he was stabbed by Clements three times and that the crime occurred in the vehicle they reside in while it was parked at Eckstein Park on SE Portola Drive. The victim told officers Clements was in the vehicle outside the ER waiting for him be medically cleared. She was passed out in the passenger seat slumped over the center console, with dried blood on the driver seat as well as on the keys and exterior of the vehicle. She admitted that she stabbed her boyfriend because she was angry at him. She was immediately placed into custody. Clements was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 2nd-Degree Assault and Felony Unlawful Use of a Weapon. She was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for roughing up his ex-girlfriend at the Bottle Drop Center. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a domestic disturbance at the recycling depot on Rogue River Highway on Saturday around 8 a.m.. Police said workers called 9-1-1 to report that 37-year-old Michael Wayne Cheek was shoving a woman around and throwing items everywhere before left fled on a skateboard. The female victim stayed at the Bottle Drop Center to talk to officers. The woman told officers that Cheek pushed her, threw ice cream on her and ripped a bag of cans from her hand. She was not seriously hurt. Officers located Cheek at Baker Park a short time later. He was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Physical Harassment.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a female transient for vandalizing her mother's garage in the northeast part of the city over the weekend. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the incident at a home in the 900-block of NE 9th Street on Saturday around 6:45 p.m.. Police said a woman called 9-1-1 to report that her daughter -- 25-year-old Emilee Joy Benavente -- broke windows on her garage in order to break in. She said her daughter did not take anything and left a mountain bike behind when she fled. Video surveillance captured Benavente committing the crime against her mother. Benavente was located a short time later at the NW 5th Street resting site and was placed into custody following an interview. She was lodged in jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief and trespassed from her mother's property.

 

UPDATE: DESIREE WYTCHERLEY HAS BEEN LOCATED SAFELY.

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office is seeking public assistance in locating a missing woman. Sheriff's officials reported this morning that 39-year-old Desiree Wytcherley was last seen in the Wilderville area late last week. They said Wytcherley frequently walks on roadways in the Wilderville area. Wytcherley is described as a white female adult, 5-feet-11-inches tall and 145 pounds, with brownish-blonde hair and blue eyes. It is unknown what she was wearing. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Desiree Wytcherley is urged to contact the Sheriff's Office at (541)-474-5123.