People from the community, tribal representatives, and state leaders came together at Blue Heron Park in Phoenix on Saturday, Nov. 1, to honor Indigenous land stewardship of the Rogue Valley and the collaborative spirit guiding its recovery since the 2020 Almeda Fire.
On Oct. 11, the city of Ashland conducted a full-scale Community Wildfire Evacuation Drill, engaging more than 300 residents, local agencies and partner organizations in a coordinated evacuation exercise.
After concerns were raised about how those in Ashland living without housing would evacuate during a wildfire, a local nonprofit issued an emergency plan for people staying on the city’s “night lawn,” Ashland’s designated camping area.
Hundreds turned out for Ashland’s first wildfire evacuation drill. The exercise tested how quickly cars, cyclists and those on foot could reach safety using the emergency on-ramp at North Mountain Avenue.
After having to adapt on the fly during the Almeda Fire five years ago, agencies across Jackson County now have a shared wildfire evacuation plan that spells out each group’s duties. Law enforcement leads the way In the event of a citywide wildfire evacuation, while local fire departments and the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) will focus on fighting the fire.
Ashland is slated to host a first-of-its-kind voluntary evacuation drill on Saturday, Oct. 11, giving people the opportunity to practice wildfire evacuation procedures in real time. Registration closes on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
The Moon Complex of fires in Curry and Coos counties is sending smoke into the Rogue Valley, prompting a warning from Jackson County health officials about dangerous air quality.
U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz said he is willing to return to in-person town halls if decorum and safety can be guaranteed. He specifically called out the group ORD2 Invisible, which Bentz said has orchestrated disruptions at meetings. The group pushed back, and said Bentz is scapegoating the organization to avoid accountability.
After more than two decades of service in every role within Ashland Fire & Rescue, Marshall Rasor has been named the department’s permanent fire chief. Rasor had been interim chief since March after Ralph Sartain retired.
Interstate 5 is closed just south of Ashland after a vehicle fire on the northbound side spread to vegetation nearby, according to reports from the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) as reported on the Watch Duty app.
Barbara Shor: I first met Jane Goodall in 1987 at a lecture she gave at the Sacramento Zoo, where I was working as veterinarian as part of my residency program in non-domestic animal medicine at UC Davis.
Ashland, long celebrated for its Shakespearean drama, is about to trade soliloquies for sarcasm. From Dec. 5 to 7, the city will host the inaugural Ashland Sarcasm Festival (ASF!), a comedy takeover designed to fill theaters, bars and restaurants with sharp wit, satire and laughter.
Tickets are selling fast for “Mass for the Endangered,” described as a multi-sensory film experience of music and animated artwork being presented Sunday at the ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum in Ashland.
Ashland Scout Troop 112 will honor local veterans with a free Veterans Day breakfast on Tuesday, Nov. 11, from 7 to 11:30 a.m., or until food runs out, at Elks Lodge No. 944. Scouts will take orders, serve meals and visit with veterans as part of the local troop’s tradition of showing gratitude to those who served.
A proposal to improve safety along Lithia Park’s received a tepid response from the Ashland Parks & Recreation Commission on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Although commissioners supported adding disability parking near the Japanese Garden and created a designated pedestrian walkway, many questioned whether the cost would lead to meaningful safety improvements.
Medford voters appear to have approved a 2% increase to the city’s transient lodging tax, which will help partially pay for the construction of a downtown conference center and minor-league ballpark.
(It’s free)
