Local News

Thirty-one Oregon arts organizations will receive $10,000 grants to strengthen K-12 arts education during the 2026 fiscal year.

According to the Oregon Arts Commission, the awards are part of a $310,000 investment from the OAC's Arts Learning grant program. Every funded project is a collaboration with local schools and communities across Oregon.

Two recipients of the grant funding include the Rogue Valley Art Association in Medford, in support of the Elementary Arts Outreach serving up to 900 5th graders in Jackson County schools, and the Illinois Valley Community Development Organization in Cave Junction, supporting RiverStar's dance and theatre education for youth ages 5-18 in rural Illinois Valley and Josephine County.

These projects foster the sharing of knowledge between artists and educators and positively impact the achievement, skills, and attitudes of learners.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for stealing a purse out of someone's vehicle Sunday night.

Officers contacted the victim in the 100 block of NE Evelyn Avenue. She said that she and her husband returned to their vehicles and realized both cars had been broken into, and that her purse had been stolen.

An off-duty Oregon State Police officer later identified the suspect looking into and attempting to break into other vehicles. She was contacted by officers, who identified her as Mya McCreery.

She admitted to entering the victim's vehicle and stealing the purse. McCreery was lodged in the Josephine County Jail for Second Degree Theft and Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle. The purse was returned to its owner.

 

Grants Pass Police were alerted to a trespassing complaint at an apartment complex Sunday morning.

After arriving at the complex in the 800 block of NE Victoria Street, officers met with the caller who stated the suspect, Jack Spurgeon, was in her residence and had no right to be.

Spurgeon had been coming and going, forcing his way into the apartment for the last 1-2 weeks, and leaving behind drug paraphernalia, according to the caller. She wanted him trespassed and consented to a search of the apartment.

Officers called out to Spurgeon before going inside, but he didn't respond. Upon entering and clearing the residence, officers located him hiding in the bathtub behind a shower curtain.

Spurgeon was charged with First Degree Criminal Trespass and lodged in the Josephine County Jail.

 

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has received reports of two new scams targeting vulnerable people in the community. JCSO reports the victims included a mother of a runaway child and family members of a recently arrested Adult-in-Custody (AIC). In the first case, suspects obtained information from a social media post about a missing juvenile. They sent the family a video, possibly AI-generated, showing the child restrained in a chair, and demanded $1,500 or they would harm their family member. The video could only be viewed once, and the call originated from a Canadian phone number. The family quickly confirmed the juvenile was safe. This marks the second local scam of this kind in less than a month. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has tracked over 100 similar ransom scams since 2020. NCMEC tells families to allow authorities to create and distribute missing child posters and warns against including personal phone numbers or emails on self-made posters. In the second case, scammers called a family of a newly arrested AIC, impersonating a JCSO deputy. The scammer asked for $1,500 for bail and another $500 for an ankle monitor to secure the AIC’s release to a drug treatment program.

 

Rogue Community College’s Counseling Department is partnering with Max’s Mission to offer free community workshops on naloxone.

The workshops will teach participants about what naloxone is, how it works, how to use it and where to find it locally. Each attendee will receive an information packet and a naloxone kit to take home.

Workshops will take place Tuesday, October 7 at 2 p.m. in the Rogue Community College Higher Education Building at 101 South Bartlett Street in Medford, and Monday, October 13th at 11 a.m. in the Table Rock Campus "A" Building at 7800 Pacific Avenue in White City.

These events are free and open to the public, but registration is required. To ensure enough supplies are available, and for more information, call (541) 956-7084.

 

After a quick Legal Counsel Update, the Josephine County Board of Commissioners will hear many Department Business presentations during Tuesday's workshop. The board will first hear an update on the Grants Pass Civil Air Patrol property, a confirmation of the Sheriff's certificate of sale, and authorization of the distribution of proceeds from the sale, plus a review of Quitclaim Deeds and Land Sale Contracts from the September Auction. The Sheriff's Office will then present the e-Citations Integration Program, Community Justice will go over the third contract amendment for Options for Southern Oregon, and the Recreation Department has an Engineering Services Proposal for Schroeder Park, as well as an agreement with SOU. Public Health will present the board with amendments to Oregon Health Authority Intergovernmental Agreements, and the Human Resources Department will have many Personnel Actions and Requisitions on their agenda to discuss.

 

It's Fire Prevention Week, and the American Red Cross reminds everyone of the dangers of house fires. These claim more lives in a typical year than all natural disasters combined. To help protect your household, test your smoke alarms each month and practice your escape plan until everyone can get out in less than two minutes. For your home fire escape plan, everyone in your household should know two ways to escape from each room in your home. Decide where to meet once you get outside, and then stay out. Never go back inside for people, pets or things. Make sure you place smoke alarms on each level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. Test your alarms once a month, and change the batteries at least once a year if your model requires it. Replace your smoke alarms if they are 10 years or older.

 

Grants Pass Police officers were notified of a disturbance outside a Taco Bell Saturday afternoon.

At 1:20 p.m., a caller reported two men were having a verbal confrontation outside the Taco Bell entrance at 195 NE Terry Lane. One of them, later identified as Jeffrey Whitespeare, pulled a knife, and both men were talking about shooting and hurting each other.

Whitespeare punched the caller and pushed her to the ground. A bystander tried to break up the fight. When officers arrived, they arrested Whitespeare and lodged him in the Josephine County Jail for Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Menacing.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff’s Office has received multiple reports regarding attempted telephonic scams.

In the reoccurring attempts, the scammers identify themselves as members of the Sheriff’s Office, often times as Undersheriff Travis Snyder. The scammers are commonly calling about a family member who has been arrested and are soliciting bail money.

The Sheriff’s Office does not and will not call you with this suggestion, and they want to remind citizens to remain vigilant and report any potential scams that come their way.

You should never provide financial or personal information to anyone until you are certain who you are speaking to. As with any of these sorts of scams, it is always a good idea to not provide any information over the phone, hang up, and call the Sheriff’s Office at (541) 474-5123.