More than a million dollars donated towards Rogue Credit Union’s wildfire relief fund in the wake of the Almeda Fire will be distributed among 23 different non-profits, organizations, and other community staples in southern Oregon. “Our local non-profits and community organizations are doing incredibly important work,” said Rogue Credit Union President and CEO Gene Pelham. “We are honored to help support their efforts to rebuild and heal our communities.” As of now, the fund has raised more than $1.15 million — compiled from donations both large and small, from individuals, businesses, foundations, and other credit unions as far away as…
Author: Tony Cooper
mid a whirlwind of changes at area schools due to precautions over the new coronavirus, Rogue Community College (RCC) announced its plans on Friday. The school will extend Spring Break for another week, effectively making it March 23 through April 6. Campus services, including the bookstore, will remain open during that time for normal hours. The schedule is almost identical to what SOU announced earlier this week. “Slowing the spread of this virus helps ensure that our health care systems are not overwhelmed and able to respond to all community health care needs in a timely and effective way,” Kemper-Pelle…
Surging coronavirus cases are beginning to affect more people than those who test positive. Jackson County is seeing less bed availability in Providence and Asante hospitals. The Oregon Health Authority Reports ICU beds in Jackson County at 80.7% occupancy. That leaves 68 beds available, 11 from ICU and 57 non-ICU. Jackson County’s Medical Director, Dr. Jim Shames said based on statewide trends, this does not come as a surprise. Asante says they will be following an escalation protocol. It includes looking within their system’s three hospitals where they can accommodate patients as needed, second, if those hospitals are completely full,…
Rare is the college football Signing Day in which fans are not hoping for fireworks. But that’s exactly what Oregon Ducks fans should be rooting for Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period – a quiet, uneventful day of recruits sending in signed paperwork. Oregon’s 2021 recruiting class is the highest-rated collection of talent in program history – No. 6 on 247Sports and No. 3 on Rivals – and the Ducks are unlikely to be a factor in any major new college commitments Wednesday. So for Mario Cristobal and his coaching staff, the goal will be to sign as many of…
Coronavirus has had a major impact on Salvation Army of Jackson County’s annual fundraising campaign, causing what Major Jason Koenig calls “a very challenging year,” but Monday brought a bright spot. Koenig says that the Salvation Army’s annual Red Kettle campaign is short about half of its usual bell-ringing volunteers. The organization is currently short about $25,000 and has not yet managed to raise half of its $160,000 goal for the year. However, sometime on Monday, Koenig says that someone placed a gold coin worth an estimated $1,800 in one of the Medford kettles. “It is a great blessing and…
Today from 11-2, you can go shred old or unwanted documents in the parking lot of the Peoples Bank on Biddle Road. Anyone and everyone is welcome. This is a free annual event that the Peoples Bank holds during Community Bank week. The free event will help combat identity theft. There will be a mobile shredding truck on site to help assist and shred documents. 1528 Biddle Rd in Medford.
A Medford man is headed to prison after pleading guilty on Monday to charges for sharing child pornography online. Detectives arrested 56-year-old James Scott Pyper, a registered sex offender, in April at a house in the 2300-block of Temple Drive in Medford. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office had received a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) on April 13, letting them know that someone living in Jackson County had uploaded “multiple pornographic images of children” in September of 2019. Originally charged with 15 counts of Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, Pyper agreed to plea guilty…
he name Crater Peak is misleading. The views from its summit are broad, sweeping and expansive, but Crater Peak doesn’t offer even a peek at Crater Lake. Unlike Crater Lake, which is a body of water in a caldera, Crater Peak is an actual crater. Located in the south zone of Crater Lake National Park, the peak reaches an elevation of 7,263 feet, which is actually lower than the highest viewpoint along Rim Drive. But that doesn’t detract from the charm, or the views, that reward hikers making the 7-mile round-trip trek. Crater Peak’s summit crater is the rounded remains…
13-year-old Ashton Torgerson, a Medford native, started competing in junior monster truck races a year ago. Now, he’s looking to make the jump to full-size monster trucks.
Today, Jackson County Public Health reports 65 new COVID-19 cases and three new deaths. Due to the holiday, this total is reflective of November 25th and November 26th. This update brings the total reported COVID-19 cases in Jackson County to 3,645 and the total number of deaths to 29. Jackson County’s 27th COVID-19 death is a 90-year-old male who tested positive on November 3 and died on November 17 at his residence. He has underlying conditions. Jackson County’s 28th COVID-19 death is an 82-year-old female who tested positive on November 11 and died on November 24 at Ashland Community Hospital, in…