A mower sparked a grass fire Sunday afternoon on Ament Road near Moon Mountain, according to Rural Metro Fire. Firefighters from Rural Metro Fire, Grants Pass Fire and ODF Southwest Oregon District controlled the fire at 1.75 acres with no structural damage reported.

Fire season begins Friday, May 15, on ODF-protected lands in Jackson and Josephine counties. ODF Southwest Oregon District says the declaration starts at 12:01 a.m. and brings new restrictions on debris burning, fireworks, campfires, smoking, and other fire-risk activities.

Asante says its hospitals, emergency departments and immediate care locations will remain open as the health system moves forward with layoffs and cost-cutting efforts. The organization says 300 or more employees may be affected in fiscal year 2026 as it works to address rising expenses, lower reimbursement rates and other financial pressures.

Grants Pass School District 7 has received state summer learning funding to support literacy, enrichment and school readiness programs for students. The funding will help continue Kinder Camps, launch Literacy Quest for invited elementary students and support a 5th- to 6th-Grade Transition Academy in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of the Rogue Valley.

Two people were rescued and taken to the hospital after a thunderstorm brought down a tree in East Grants Pass, severely damaging two homes along Rogue River Highway. Rural Metro Fire said the injuries appeared to be non-life-threatening, and crews also responded to a damaged gas line caused by the uprooted tree.

Grants Pass Fire & Rescue welcomed Kathmandu Fire Chief Kishor Kumar Bhattarai for a hands-on training demonstration and tour of local fire facilities. The visit gave firefighters an opportunity to share knowledge, compare emergency response practices, and strengthen connections across the global fire service community.

A reported threat led to a lockdown at North Valley High School Tuesday morning. Deputies searched the campus and found no weapons, while all district schools were placed in secure status as a precaution.

A floating ember from an outdoor fire pit is believed to have caused a small house fire near Colonial Valley on Monday afternoon. Firefighters said the resident had mostly extinguished the flames before crews arrived.

Three people were rescued from a two-story house fire in Wilderville after a kitchen blaze trapped occupants upstairs. Firefighters used ladders to reach second-floor windows, while two people were taken to the hospital and several pets were also saved.

A Grants Pass school support staff member has been arrested following a grand jury indictment in a sex abuse investigation involving four identified victims. Oregon State Police say the case spans multiple years and includes six counts of sexual abuse in the first degree.

Emergency crews in Josephine County responded to multiple incidents over the weekend, including a motorcycle crash near Galice that required an airlift to a Medford-area trauma hospital. Firefighters also contained a half-acre brush fire caused by an unattended burn and extinguished a fully involved chicken coop fire ignited by a heat lamp, which resulted in the loss of eight baby chickens.

Grants Pass police are asking for the public’s help in locating a 32-year-old man who has been missing since March 10. Authorities say he may still be in Southern Oregon and could be driving a dark-colored Infiniti coupe.

Pacific Crest Bus Lines has announced plans to launch a new daily bus route between Eugene and Medford with stops in several Southern Oregon communities, including Roseburg and Grants Pass.