An 18-year-old man in Jackson County Jail on a murder charge. Police responded to 911 calls of an assault early Saturday morning. It happened in the field behind Albertson’s shopping center on Ross Lane. Officers found a 48-year-old homeless man with several stab wounds. Medford Fire and Mercy Flights tried to save him. The man died at the scene. Police searched the area. About two hours later, they found and arrested Ethan Guitierrez, 18. Meford Police are still investigating. The name of the man who died is not being released until next of kin is notified.
Author: Tony Cooper
Medford First Christian Church is speaking out on some of the challenges they’ll face beyond Governor Kate Brown’s statewide two-week freeze. During the freeze, faith-based organizations can’t have more than 25 people indoors and 50 outdoors. The church has around 35 members and most of them are elderly. Pastor Stacy Shelton says this is challenging because those who are at-risk can’t meet in person. The church does group meetings via Zoom and streams Sunday worship through Facebook live. However, not everyone has access to that technology. “It has affected them, no doubt,” Shelton said. “You know, I have a lot…
At approximately 8:02 pm, Medford Police Officers were dispatched to the listed motel for an assault report. Upon their arrival officers located a deceased 28 year old male in the motel room. Injuries to the deceased male were consistent with an assault. The listed suspect Jackson Frischman was on scene and identified as a suspect. He was taken into custody without incident and later lodged at the Jackson County Jail for Murder in the 2nd Degree.
A small grass fire is out and Interstate 5 is open again at milepost 27. The fire started about 7:14 pm The fire was in the median and the grass area along the southbound lanes of the freeway. The fire burned between 3 to 5 acres before crews from Medford, Jackson County Fire District 5 and Ashland Fire were able to get it out. The freeway was closed briefly. The fire was contained and the freeway was reopened at about 8:10 pm. Crews say they haven’t figured out how the fire started.
For Jana Langhoff and her son Tyler, summer days don’t look drastically different from when their Medford elementary school was in session. Tyler, who finished his first-grade year at home like the rest of his Howard Elementary School classmates amid Oregon’s statewide school closure, didn’t thrive while learning from a distance. And the catch-up instruction his school is offering him this summer won’t work much better, since his teacher still must connect with him over a computer instead of face-to-face. Tyler, 6, had been settling into a routine just before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the ensuing restrictions disrupted that rhythm.…
As of Wednesday morning, Avamere at Three Fountains had 113 cases of coronavirus among its residents and staff. That’s dozens more than any similar facility in Oregon. The facility with the second-most cases is Maryville Memory Care in Washington County with 74 cases, according to weekly state data released by the Oregon Health Authority on Wednesday. Some of the information in OHA’s weekly report isn’t as up-to-date as local data from county governments. On Wednesday, Jackson County Public Health reported that the Three Fountains facility had 113 cases, while the state reported 95 cases. The county also listed Avamere’s Health…
As businesses continue to grapple with changing coronavirus restrictions in Oregon, one fitness company is taking the same approach as many restaurants. Several 24-Hour Fitness clubs are moving their equipment outside so people can work out, even if a county is in the ‘extreme risk’ category. The location off Murray-Scholls Place in Beaverton is one of them. The company says they’re using a combination of outdoor tents, turf areas, and patios to provide people space to stay fit. “The health and mental, physical and emotional well-being of our members is paramount, and we really want to provide space and a…
Jackson County Public Health reported three more deaths attributed to coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the county’s death toll since the beginning of the pandemic to 44. Public health officials gave the following information about each of the three patients: Jackson County’s 42nd COVID-19 death is a 71-year-old female who tested positive on November 16 and died on December 5 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center in Grants Pass, OR. The patient had underlying conditions. Jackson County’s 43rd COVID-19 death is a 73-year-old male who tested positive on November 25 and died on December 5 at Providence Medford Medical Center. The…
Coats for Kids is an annual campaign helmed by NewsWatch 12 that connects kids in need with winter coats donated by members of the community. In the last 30 years, Coats for Kids has collected, cleaned, and distributed more than 125,000 coats to children in Southern Oregon. The current health crisis has necessitated some changes to Coats for Kids for 2020 — but the need in our community and our willingness to help remains the same. This year, the big red barrels will remain in storage as our Coats for Kids campaign goes virtual. Instead of collecting coats, NewsWatch 12…
The Oregon State Police reported Friday that a body found November 17th in Jackson county was that of 33 year old Matthew Lang of Bend. On October 27th police reported finding a badly damaged Ford Explorer that had been in a rollover wreck with no occupants on Highway 62. Lang had not contacted friends or family since the wreck. On Tuesday, November 17th a Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy found a body in the river several hundred yards from the crash off Highway 62. The State Police Medical Examiner confirmed the identity of Lang.