The Ashland Police Department has introduced Cisco, a 20-month-old yellow lab donated by Dogs For Better Lives, as its new facility service dog. Cisco will support APD’s wellness program, assist in community settings and help create a calming environment during sensitive interactions.

A driver was injured Tuesday after a vehicle crashed into Stevenson Union on the Southern Oregon University campus in Ashland, rupturing a gas meter and prompting an evacuation. Ashland Fire & Rescue says the building was cleared for re-entry shortly after 2 p.m.

Ashland Police, the Ashland School District and Ashland Rotary partnered for the Ashland READS program, a literacy celebration for local first-grade students. The event included new books for students, a high school percussion welcome and a community BBQ served with help from Ashland Police officers.

A barricade incident in Ashland escalated into a fire Saturday after authorities say a trespassing suspect threatened explosives and set a vacant home ablaze. The man, armed with an axe and claiming additional weapons, was taken into custody after SWAT negotiators and firefighters responded to the scene.

A pre-dawn explosion in Ashland prompted a large multi-agency response and led to the arrest of a 32-year-old man. Investigators say an explosive device detonated inside a parked vehicle, and a potential secondary device prompted officials to secure the area and advise nearby residents to shelter in place before bomb technicians cleared the scene.