Local law enforcement agencies say they’d love nothing more than a break in the investigation into the cause of the devastating Almeda Fire of Sept. 8, 2020. Sadly, four years since the fire destroyed more than 2,500 homes and burned 3,200 acres between Ashland and Phoenix, investigators don’t know much more than they did immediately after the fire.
Firefighters and other first responders from around the country came to Ashland in late August to learn specialized rescue techniques taught by a private school at Ashland Municipal Airport. As the host agency, Ashland Fire & Rescue got a free slot in the training.
For the first time, Oregon health officials have found a type of mosquito in the state that can transmit deadly viruses. The Oregon Health Authority announced Thursday that it had found Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Jackson County as part of its regular mosquito surveillance.
Gov. Tina Kotek urges residents to be cautious throughout the holiday weekend; Oregon’s summer fire season has been unprecedented in the number of acres burned and it’s cost hundreds of millions of dollars and is far from over, according to Kotek and state and federal officials.
After nearly a decade hiatus, Ashland School District is starting the school year with a full-time school resource officer again. Ashland Police Officer Michael Bates officially started in his new special assignment as SRO for ASD on Monday. Bates is a 2010 Ashland High School graduate and has spent the last nine years as a patrol officer, including previously for Talent Police Department.
In the chill, weak sunlight of early morning Monday, around a dozen people moved steadily through their daily process of taking down tents and packing away belongings on the patch of lawn behind the city police station that serves as the city of Ashland’s dusk-to-dawn sleeping area, a designated area where it’s OK to sleep overnight. But Monday, Aug. 26, marked the end of the city’s allowing the stashing of possessions moved off the lawn and onto a strip of lawn near East Main Street.
Celebrating its 35th anniversary, the Clark R. Bavin National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory on East Main Street in Ashland remains the world’s only full-service wildlife crime lab, not only solving high-profile cases, but in many ways changing the game for wildlife crime.
“What would you put in your go bag?” That was one of several questions put on several tables Sunday evening at the Ashland Grange for an evening of discussion of fire preparedness steps Ashlanders can take now to be better prepared for a wildfire emergency later.
During a three-and-a-half-hour meeting Tuesday, the Jackson County Fire District 5 board offered a glimpse into the embattled district’s financial woes, including how it went from receiving an unprecedented amount of grant funding to possibly running out of money before the year is out.
The National Weather Service in Medford has issued a red flag warning for 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday and warns that “abundant lightning on dry fuels could lead to numerous new fire starts.”
Mt. Ashland Ski Area’s first new chairlift in more than three decades will open this weekend. The Lithia Chair will open at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, giving skiers and snowboarders greater access to easy and intermediate slopes, according to a release issued Tuesday from the nonprofit ski area.
Review: This year’s production of “A Christmas Carol,” playing at the CTP and directed by Tommy Statler, is original, imaginative and lighter than last year’s production of the same. The story of the miserly curmudgeon who finds redemption in the meaning of Christmas keeps with the spirit of the season.
The Salvation Army in Jackson and Josephine counties is pleading for volunteers to help ring in the holidays during the annual Red Kettle donations campaign as the organization faces a critical shortage of staff. “We are sounding the alarm,” said Capt. Yohani Ortiz with The Salvation Army Grants Pass.
Obituary: It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Patricia “Patti” Ann Metz (Seely), a devoted mother, friend, and pillar of the Rogue Valley community in Southern Oregon for the past 44 years. On Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, Patti left us at the age of 86, after a long illness, leaving behind a legacy of love, kindness, and unwavering dedication to those she cherished.
Real Estate Corner: I’ve been noticing an interesting trend. There’s movement both ways — people discovering Ashland as their dream destination and others leaving for the next chapter in their lives. So, what’s driving these shifts? Let’s examine why people are moving to (and from) our fantastic town.
Ashland’s TC Chevy has shifted into high gear on sustainability, becoming a shining example of clean energy innovation with the addition of three new Stracker solar arrays to its existing five units. The dealership now is in a position to run entirely on sun power, achieving net-zero status and proving that the road to a greener future starts at home.
(It’s free)