Jackson County News

While cyclists have been test-driving the newest section of the Bear Creek Greenway for a few weeks, county and state officials gathered Wednesday to dedicate a 1.4-mile stretch near the fairgrounds that filled the final gap of a 20-mile span between Ashland and Central Point.

Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Lorenzo Mejia today dismissed most of a racketeering and money laundering case against a Medford couple related to a highly publicized raid on their medical marijuana dispensary in May 2013.

A total of 26 people have been arrested on weapons, drug and other charges after an investigation that began with the accidental killing of a 5-year-old girl by a Grants Pass man using a military-style rifle as a crutch to get up from a couch, authorities said.

A multi-agency investigation, dubbed Operation Rap It Up, is wrapping up its investigation involving more than 40 people, 31 of which have been indicted on state and federal drug and firearms charges.

Sheriff's deputies are trying to track down a homeless man who allegedly robbed another man at knifepoint Monday on the Bear Creek Greenway near Central Point.

Residents of this cash-strapped town have looked to social media websites to fill the gaps left by limited police protection.

Recent scorching temperatures and the increased abundance of dry fuels have prompted the Oregon Department of Forestry to increase restrictions for logging sites and other commercial operations in Jackson and Josephine counties.

Wynonna Judd and the Big Noise, Mark Chesnutt and The Guess Who headline the 2014 Jackson County Fair, and about 30 regional musicians and bands will perform throughout the fair on two other stages.

Triple-digit temperatures and possible thunderstorms are expected in Jackson County today, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a heat advisory and red flag warning because of possible wildfires.

The first forest fire of the season in this section occurred Monday on Poorman Creek, near Jacksonville, when forty-three and one-third cords of wood were burned.

Anticipated triple-digit temperatures for today and Tuesday have prompted the National Weather Service to issue a heat advisory for Jackson County.

A multi-agency effort to net Jackson County drunken drivers over the Fourth of July holiday turned up more suspended drivers than those under the influence of intoxicants - but that doesn't mean the roads were safe, police say.

For political junkies, these are the dog days of summer. Even the most maniacal candidates are resting up after July 4th parades, content in the knowledge that they have only a few county fairs before election season begins in earnest after Labor Day.

The owners of MaryJane's Basement, shut down by the city of Medford, are gearing up to ask voters to overturn a local ban on medical marijuana dispensaries.

A former director of the Talent Historical Society museum says volunteer help is dwindling, and the museum's quality is suffering.

Despite a high fire risk and widespread legal and illegal firework use Friday in Jackson County, fire officials said the holiday was relatively uneventful.

The 41-word blurb beneath Medford's ranking lists two specific reasons why the city made the cut - its annual "Red, White and Boom" Fourth of July celebration and our "seven-foot-tall replica of Lady Liberty" ... in Hawthorne Park.

No dramatic increase in library hours should be expected until a newly formed library district hammers out a budget and decides how much it needs to charge in property taxes.

This is the story of W.H. Judson of Portland, whose conscience hurt him after 44 years, and secured easement therefore from County Judge F.L. Tou Velle.

More than 150,000 signatures were submitted Wednesday for a ballot measure requiring labeling of genetically modified organisms in food sold in Oregon.