Local News

The Board of Commissioners held a job performance meeting in open session by request beginning at 10 a.m. this morning.

The County Communications system and a reported lack of communication was a main area of concern. Commissioner Colene Martin stated there was a lack of documents provided, while Facilities Director Ryan Johnson said he had in-person conversations, claiming he didn't feel he needed to bring things to the board to prove he's doing his job.

Animal Shelter updates and maintenance complaints were discussed, as were safety and security inquiries, and the topic of fairgrounds plumbing.

Commissioner Gary Richardson said that, in the director level position, people are sought who are proactive and looking to the future, trying to make the County Government more efficient, and advancing the interest of their department and organization.

Another meeting will be held to discuss next steps following the open session.

 

Officers with the Grants Pass Police Department apprehended a woman wanted on a fentanyl possession warrant Sunday.

While on patrol, police recognized Bobbie Jo Langdon walking south on 6th Street next to the Police Department around 7:28 p.m. She was stopped and detained, and found to be wanted on a warrant out of the department.

Officers confirmed her warrant, charging her for possessing fentanyl, and placed Langdon under arrest. She was subsequently transported to the Josephine County Jail and lodged at 7:53 p.m.

 

Rogue Community College and Oregon Tech are partnering to address regional demand for manufacturing engineering talent while expanding access to four-year technical education in the Rogue Valley.

The new partnership gives students an opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree from Oregon Tech without leaving the region. Through the new 2+2 pathway, students will earn an Associate of Science transfer degree through RCC before continuing into Oregon Tech’s Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering Technology.

RCC and Oregon Tech will celebrate the partnership with a ceremonial signing at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 29th, at RCC’s Table Rock Campus, 7800 Pacific Avenue in White City, in the A Building Atrium.

The partnership is a first for RCC and was developed in response to the need for more advanced manufacturing and engineering talent in Southern Oregon. The degree prepares students for the technical needs of modern manufacturing, including manufacturing processes, automation, robotics, industrial controls, computer-aided design and manufacturing, quality and continuous improvement.

For information about RCC’s transfer degree program, visit roguecc.edu/manufacturing-transfer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman accused of assaulting another at Quality Inn Saturday night.

Two women were reported to be under the influence of meth at the 1889 NE 6th Street location around 9:34 p.m. One of them was attempting to check in before a physical fight between the two broke out. They were briefly separated but continued a verbal altercation outside.

The victim of the fight was in the bathroom while the suspect, Misty Bauer, was in the parking lot, screaming and yelling, around 9:37 p.m. Law enforcement reported to the scene and detained Bauer. Video footage of the incident had been captured and was provided to police.

Bauer was arrested and transported to the Josephine County Jail. She was lodged on a charge of Fourth Degree Aggravated Assault.

 

Grants Pass Police apprehended a man that had reportedly pulled his pants down at a local business Saturday.

An employee at the 1555 Williams Highway location called 911 at 6:20 p.m., to report a man had come into the store, took his pants down to his knees, and took a cup. He was asked to leave, which he did two minutes later.

The suspect was described as having a brown beard and hair, wearing a camo hoodie, gray and blue pants with mud on the back, boots, and was carrying clothing in his arms. He left the premises, and was reported next to the Abby's Pizza across the street.

Officers responded and contacted the suspect, Robert Smith. His parole officer was contacted and placed a detainer on Smith. He was taken into custody and transported to the Josephine County Jail. Officers lodged Smith on his detainer.

 

This Friday, October 2nd, 42 chalk artists will participate in Art Along the Rogue, transforming two blocks of pavement into a gallery depicting this year’s theme: Reflections.

Along with the artist's work in 12 x 12 and 10 x 10 spaces, including a 3-D piece, there will be an array of local and traveling musical groups performing in The Owl Plaza for the first time since its completion. Back this year are the youth teams from Grants Pass High School, Hidden Valley High School, and the CoCreation School in Williams.

Besides the brick-and-mortar dining options in and around the festival area, four food trucks will be serving hot food on H Street near 4th Street. 67 craft vendors will be in the Osprey Parking lot and on H Street between 4th and 5th Streets.

The event takes place on 5th Street between G and I Streets, and H Street between 4th and 6th Streets in historic downtown Grants Pass. Art Along the Rogue hours are Friday from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m., Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Art Along the Rogue would not be as successful as it is without the generous support of its sponsors and community partners.

 

A traffic accident and small grass fire occurred and were reported Sunday morning and afternoon respectively.

The Illinois Valley Fire District and American Medical Response responded to the rollover accident at 8:41 a.m. The incident occurred on Waldo Road, just up the road from O'Brien Road in O'Brien.

Upon arrival, responders located an abandoned vehicle overturned on the side of the road. A search of the surrounding area yielded no occupants. The vehicle was secured and referred to law enforcement for further investigation.

Then, at 1:31 p.m., a grass fire was reported on Kerby Mainline Road in Kerby at Milepost 1.

IVFD and Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest Oregon District crews responded to the incident. The fire was successfully extinguished and appeared to be an unattended open burn, approximately a 10x10 spot.

Rural Metro Fire was initially dispatched but subsequently canceled.

 

Continued cooler conditions have prompted a decrease in the Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) across Jackson and Josephine counties. At 12:01 a.m. this morning, September 28, 2026, the IFPL on lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest Oregon District decreased from Level 2 to Level 1. The public fire danger level will remain “moderate”. This change affects 1.8 million acres of state, private, county, city and Bureau of Land Management forestlands in Jackson and Josephine counties. The primary change with this decrease applies to industrial operations. Public fire prevention restrictions are not changing with this decrease. Moderate fire danger restrictions remain in effect, including restrictions on the use of power-driven equipment, grinding, cutting of metal and other spark-emitting equipment between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. daily. Outdoor debris burning also remains prohibited.

 

An anonymous call to 911 regarding a concerning living space led to a man being cited for failure to register as a sex offender.

The caller told dispatch Thursday at 3:54 p.m. that she was providing a ride share service, and after picking up a woman from Three Rivers Medical Center, transported her to her property in the 27,000 block of Redwood Highway.

The living conditions of the property were reportedly very disturbing. A fifth wheel trailer was covered with a tarp, and trash was scattered. The caller saw five or six canines running around, all with mange and severely underweight.

Dispatch was then told two men were seen outside the residence. The caller requested a welfare check out of concern for her passenger's living conditions and the wellbeing of the dogs.

Deputies with the Josephine County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the scene, and contacted one of the men, Christopher Gillette. He was found to be out of compliance with his sex offender registry, and was taken into custody. He was then cited to appear in court, and released shortly thereafter.