News

Headlines & Highlights For August 19, 2026

This Week In Rogue River History AUG. 19, 1981 Bathtub admirals around the area were out testing their crafts in preparation for the third annual Bathtub Race. The race that year was expected to attract many eager participants attempting to take home the $2,500 first-place prize, put up by sponsor[Read More…]

Oregon Businesses Asked To Report Losses

Oregon businesses experiencing financial losses or physical damage from wildfires and wildfire smoke are being encouraged to report their impacts through the Oregon Business Self-Reporting Damage Survey. Wildfire impacts can extend far beyond areas directly damaged by flames. Businesses may experience temporary closures, fewer customers, canceled events, lost revenue or[Read More…]

Sheriff Ends License Plate Reader Program

Josephine County Sheriff’s Office has ended its contract with Flock Safety for the use of automated license plate reader cameras in rural areas of the county following public concerns over privacy and Fourth Amendment rights. The Sheriff’s Office had contracted for 10 Automated License Plate Reader, or ALPR, cameras. The[Read More…]

OSF Brings Award-Winning “Yellow Face”

For nearly a century, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival has helped make Ashland a destination for theatre lovers from across Southern Oregon, the country, and beyond. What began in 1935 as a small Shakespeare festival has grown into one of the most recognized regional theatres in the United States, bringing both[Read More…]

ODOT Road Construction Update For August 19, 2026

Road Work Brings Lane and Ramp Closures This Week Drivers throughout Jackson and Josephine counties should prepare for construction delays this week as crews continue work on several highways, including Interstate 5, Highway 62 and Highway 66. Some of the most significant impacts will be north of Grants Pass, where[Read More…]

C-R Zoning Moves On To City Council

After months of discussion, the Rogue River Planning Commission heard nearly no questions or resistance toward unanimously referring the establishment of a Commercial-Residential zone outside of the main downtown corridor in Rogue River, and commercial design standards within the Commercial Zone, to the City Council at the commission’s meeting on[Read More…]

Fire Department Uses Tablet Command, Ultrasound

Jackson County Fire District 1 Chief Mike Hammond said his department began using Tablet Command in the previous week, to great results, at the district’s Board of Directors meeting on Wed., Aug. 12. Tablet Command provides mapping that Hammond said was improved over the in-vehicle data system that had been[Read More…]