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Eagle Point School District Strike Settled

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:49:15 -0700

By Bryan Navarro

EAGLE POINT, Ore. -- After more than a year of bargaining, months of rallying, and a week without classes an overnight negotiation ends the strike in Eagle Point.

He words that everyone is saying are "relieved" and "excited". Hillside Elementary, and all Eagle Point District Schools are closed Wednesday to prepare to go back to normal starting Thursday morning. Where there was picketing, honking, and walkouts, the scene is now quiet. The signs are being hauled away; the strike is over.

"It's very much a relief when we can focusing on the important things," District 9 Human Resources' Mike Remick.

Bargaining began at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. At 1 a.m. Wednesday, the two sides announced a compromise.

"We kept tweaking and wordsmith-ing and finally we came to a resolution," explains Remick.

"Oh, the district was finally moving. I think that they heard the community and that was really huge. I don't think they would have moved otherwise," says Bargaining Team Spokesperson Daniel Burdis.

Both sides say with the issue of subcontracting, there were two issues that incited compromise. Each campus will decide on instructional time, and part time employees will receive benefits at a pro-rated level. Each campus was closed Wednesday, administrators prepared to return to normal classes on Thursday.

"I didn't think it was going to affect me as much as it did," says Samantha Hagler-Allred, an Eagle Point High School sophomore. "And to have it be over and to hopefully go back to normal is going to be awesome. It's just not fun for anybody."

Teachers, staff, students, parents, and district officials all shared the same feeling: relief. While keeping in mind another clash may be down the road.

"It's nice to move on. It's been a long 14 months; we're counting down to 14 months till we start bargaining again," says Burdis.

This is technically not the end. The school board as well as the union must ratify the contract. Those votes are expected in the next few weeks.

Josephine County Sheriff's Office Cut Deep

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:37:20 -0700

By Steven Sandberg

GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- A warning from the sheriff: law enforcement in Josephine County is about to change.

Cuts are already being made to the sheriff's office after a public safety levy fails in Tuesday's election. Dozens of deputies and other employees have lost their jobs, and the sheriff says it's only the beginning.

The proposed levy would have increased property taxes to 1.99 per thousand dollars of assessed value to help pay for public safety. Voters turned it down and now the sheriff says the levy's failure means his office will have to respond to crimes with whatever little they have left.

It's a day Josephine County Sheriff Gil Gilbertson would like to forget. The Josephine county sheriff was forced to spend his Wednesday telling 70 of his deputies and employees they no longer had a job.

"It's pretty devastating," says Sheriff Gilbertson. "The phone calls have been happening all night long, and families in tears, of course, losing their support."

He said he tried to warn voters about what would happen if a public safety levy was voted down.

"Whether they don't believe us, whether they thought we were blowing smoke to squeeze more money out of them, that wasn't the case at all," Sheriff Gilbertson states.

57% of Josephine County voters voted down the public safety tax on Tuesday. As a result, only 28 people will be left at the sheriff's office. Sheriff Gilbertson will be the only person on patrol, a little more than a dozen employees will be at the jail and three contract deputies scattered are across the county; Gilbertson says everything else will be gone.

"Records? No one. Evidence? No one. Detectives? No one."

The district attorney's office will also lay off prosecutors. Juvenile justice is closing its detention center, and letting go of 20 employees and some citizens are already arming themselves. One man wanted his identity hidden, because he's getting a gun to be ready for law enforcement cutbacks.

"I need to be prepared to defend myself, and defend my family and my property," he says.

Without funding, those cutbacks could end up cutting the entire sheriff's office.

"This year, we're going to be severely crippled," Sheriff Gilbertson says. "Next year, we're going to close our doors."

Josephine county homeowners currently have one of the lowest tax rates in Oregon, they only pay 58 cents per thousand dollars of assessed value. The sheriff's office says it is working on a system to report property crimes or car accidents on its website, but Sheriff's Gilbertson says the small staff means there's small chance of a follow up investigation.

Use Your Gift Foundation Fundraiser

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:35:36 -0700

By Kaylin Krashesky

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. -- Kids are reaching the top of the charts when it comes to their musical dreams thanks to one Southern Oregon organization.

Rebekah, and her sister Missy, are using their gift and creating the perfect harmonies for Becca's original songs. The sisters have been working with Sandy Ficca. Ficca is a member of the ‘70s rock band Firefall and is the executive director of the Use Your Gift Foundation.

"When we bring somebody in, we're going to take care of all their copyright issues, we're going to do promo packs with photos record a complete CD so that when they leave they have a package that they can give to management, agents, whatever to help them go to the next step," Ficca explains.

Ficca is hoping for a next step of his own. After about a year of construction, he is weeks away from opening this studio for the foundation, saying he is very thankful for people volunteering time and services.

"The downside to that is that when people are donating their time, you're kind of at the bottom of their priority list so it took a little bit longer," Ficca says.

There are almost 25 aspiring artists hoping they strike a chord with Ficca can hit a high note in the industry with the help of the foundation. Ficca is hoping to add on about 8 more clients free of charge once the studio is complete.

The Use Your Gift Foundation is hosting a benefit concert is next Thursday night, May 24th at 7:30 at the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theatre. You can buy tickets from the Craterian.

Ultimate Spring BBQ: Santa Maria Style Beans

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:33:16 -0700

Santa Maria Style Beans

4 -14.5-oz. cans pinquito beans
4 strips pepper bacon, diced
1- cup smoked ham, small diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 (14.5-oz) cans diced tomatoes
3/4 cup ketchup
3 teaspoon smoked paprika. Any good fresh paprika will work as well

2 teaspoon chili powder
pinch of dried oregano

2 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 cup water

In a large sauce pan, combine the pepper bacon and diced ham, and cook lightly on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring to keep from sticking.

Add the garlic, ketchup, paprika, chili powder, oregano, parsley, water, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add in the drained beans, and stir thru. Continue simmering for 30 minutes.

Plate up your Santa Maria Tri-Tip, drizzled with Pomegranate BBQ Sauce and serve with nice Fresh Made Salsa. I used Rogue Salsa, made in Eagle Point, www.roguesalsa.com but other Salsa's will do. Beware of Salsa's that are not refrigerated. Preservatives are not a good thing.

Enjoy your Santa Maria Style BBQ Meal!

Oregon Primary Winners Look Forward To November

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:03:54 -0700

Southern and eastern Oregon's representative in the U.S. House, Republican Greg Walden will be challenged this November by Democrat Joyce Segers. Republican Art Robinson will challenge incumbent U.S. Representative Peter Defazio in the general election.

The November race for Jackson County District Attorney is already set; Beth Heckert received more than 50% of the vote, meaning there is no need for a fall vote.

The November Jackson County Commissioner race will feature Republican Doug Breidenthal and Democrat Jeff Scroggin. In Klamath County, the Incumbent Commissioner Al Switzer will not get the chance to defend his seat in November. Republican Tom Mallams and Democrat Ted Lindow will face off for that seat.

Reward For David Grubbs Investigation Increases

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:00:39 -0700

ASHLAND, Ore. -- The reward in the David Grubbs murder case is getting a $10,000 increase.

The Ashland City Council approved the addition to the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction. This newest addition brings the total reward to $21,180.

Police say they still have tips coming in, and the case is still being actively investigated on a daily basis. Contact police by phone or on their website if you have any information.

Tentative Agreement Reached Between the District and the Union.

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:26:20 -0700

EAGLE POINT, Ore. -- The Eagle Point teachers association and District 9 have come to a tentative agreement. The District has canceled school this morning, but classes at ALL Eagle Point school will resume tomorrow with normal schedules and regular teachers.

The two teams negotiated from 9 a.m. yesterday morning until almost 1 a.m. this morning, and when they emerged from the bargaining session a tentative agreement was in hand. That agreement will now be presented to the Eagle Point employees association for ratification as soon as a final draft can be produced. If approved, District 9 will then consider it and it will then become a contractor for the District's licensed and classified employees.

School will resume tomorrow and on Monday, community use and non-school related activities will resume.

Election Results For Oregon Primary

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:02:41 -0700

Here are the latest numbers for Election Night.

U.S. Republican Presidential Primary

Romney: 72% -- 157,334
Paul: 12% -- 26,528
Santorum: 9% --19,557
Gingrich: 6% -- 12,155

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Segers (D): 75% -- 25,164
Sweeney (D): 23% -- 7,605

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 4TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
DeFazio (D): 90% -- 61,127
Robinson (D): 10% -- 6,746

SECRETARY OF STATE OREGON
Brown (D): 90% -- 204,900
Wells (D): 9% -- 20,531

ATTORNEY GENERAL OREGON
Rosenblum (D): 63% -- 143,002
Holton (D): 37% -- 84,598

DISTRICT ATTORNEY JACKSON COUNTY
Heckert: 55% -- 15,981
Patridge: 28% -- 8,004
Hoppe: 17% -- 4,790

Jackson County Commissioner Pos. 2 - Democrat
Scroggin: 61% -- 6,165
Beatty: 21% -- 2,090
Soderstrom: 17% -- 1,670

Jackson County Commissioner Pos. 2 Republican
Breidenthal: 44% -- 5,502
Roberts: 27% -- 3,362
Ockunzzi: 22% -- 2,724
Harrison: 8% -- 963

JOSEPHINE COUNTY COMMISSIONER POSITION 2
Heck: 31% -- 5,603
Webb: 19% -- 3,485
Walter: 9% -- 1,694
Bowers: 9% -- 1,612
Ferguson: 5% -- 896
Seligman: 5% -- 969
Ertel: 5% -- 837
Brown: 3% -- 635

JOSEPHINE COUNTY COMMISSIONER POSITION 3
Walker: 40% -- 7,272
Just: 28% -- 5,059
Reedy: 15% -- 2,752
Moore: 14% -- 2,565
Koebrick: 4% -- 653

MEASURE 17.43
Josephine County Public Safety Levy
YES: 43% -- 9,168
NO: 57% -- 11,997

JOSEPHINE COUNTY CLERK
Harvey: 70% -- 13,234
Matthews: 16% -- 2,962
Cassanelli: 13% -- 2,516

KLAMATH COUNTY COMMISSIONER POSITION 1
Mallams: 43% -- 3,664
Morris: 28% -- 2,373
Switzer: 18% -- 1,560
Garee: 10% -- 864

KLAMATH COUNTY COMMISSIONER POSITION 3
Bellet: 42% -- 3,589
Kellstrom: 23% --1,990
Hukill: 17% -- 1,475
Jefcoat: 16% -- 1,357

Curry County

Measure 8-70 Central Curry School District #1

Yes: 43.90%
No: 56.10%

County Commissioner Position 3

Susan Brown: 45.73%
John G Herzog: 18.88%
Bill Waddle: 14.56%
Greg Empson: 20.34%

County Commissioner Position 2

David Brock Smith: 26.64%
Leroy Blodgett: 14.65%
Lucie La Bonte: 38.70%
Randy Dubbs Dowler: 9.47%
George Rhodes: 10.08%

Judge of the Court of Appeals, Position 6

Tim Volpert: 23.94%
Allan J Mow: 23.12%
James C Egan: 52.48%

Two Candidates Lead Jackson County Commissioner Race

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:02:00 -0700

By Bryan Navarro

MEDFORD, Ore. -- Seven candidates were hoping for a chance to become a Jackson County Commissioner - four Republicans and three Democrats. Now, we know who will likely face off in November.

The Democratic nominee for Jackson County Commissioner Position 2 is Jeff Scroggin. He received 61% of the vote and John Beatty came in second with 21% support. Scoggin will run against Republican Doug Briedenthal. 44% of Republican voters in Jackson County picked him as their nominee.

The leading candidates say they're pleased with the early results, but say not all of the ballots have been counted so they are not declaring victory yet and it'll still be a six-month battle to get to the Jackson County Courthouse.

On the Republican side, it's Doug Breidenthal. He spent the evening with his friends and family, saying it's been a long campaign since January and now it's about looking toward November. For the Democrats, it's Jeff Scroggin. He was enjoying the evening and results with his team. He says a young campaign manager and young interns helped inject energy into his race.

Again, both say they're hesitant to declare any sort of victory, but they can't help starting to think about November. Both say they'll enjoy Election Night and then it's hard work to fight for that second commissioner spot come the general election on November 6th.

Josephine County Voters Turn Down Public Safety Levy

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:42:40 -0700

By Sharon Ko

GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- Many voters in Josephine County are keeping a close eye on the public safety levy. 57% voted against a property tax to fund law enforcement and without the money that levy would have provided; the Josephine County Sheriff's Office says 70 pink slips will be going out Wednesday. Josephine County Sheriff Gil Gilbertson says within two weeks, dozens of criminals will be released from jail, back out on the streets.

During ballot drop offs in Grants Pass Tuesday, many residents who voted against the tax measure say -- it's a scare tactic and believe financial backing will somehow come through. The sheriff says there is no money and the voter's decision Tuesday night is going to cut deep into the county.

The tax measure proposed a dollar 99 per 1,000 dollars of assessed value, but without it, the sheriff says 21 deputies will be slashed down to one - himself; he will be on call 24/7.

The juvenile department is also closing its doors and renting out beds from the Jackson County Jail. He says there will only be five deputy district attorneys prosecuting cases and jail beds downsized from 120 to 30.

"I am very concerned about the safety of the officer - myself - and the public. There is just not going to be enough of us to respond adequately," Sheriff Gilbertson states.

The sheriff says Grants Pass Public Safety will try and assist the sheriff during calls. So will state police, but he says the trooper is not on call 24/7, which means the sheriff may not have back up. For 70 sheriff's deputies and employees, pink slips will be handed out Wednesday and they will be gone by the end of this month.

Chambers Twins Help Duck Softball Host First NCAA Regional

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:41:26 -0700

By Erik Elken

EUGENE, Ore. -- Lindsey and Kelsey Chambers have been playing softball on the same team since they were five years old.

"My whole life she's [Kelsey] been right there next to me on the field," elder twin Lindsey said.

"We kind of know what each other's thinking, not telepathically, but we know what each other's thinking like I'll know that she's covering the steal, or if I'm covering the steal, we kind of just look at each other, and we know," Kelsey said.

The identical twins make up the starting left side of the Duck softball team's infield, with Lindsey at third base and Kelsey at shortstop.

For both, being a Duck was a childhood dream as they say they grew up in Duck gear. Their father, Ron, attended the University of Oregon.

They have combined to hit 45 total home runs and 167 RBI in their four year careers leading up to Thursday's NCAA Regional against Portland State.

Their chemsitry helps them on the field, but unlike most siblings, they say they rarely have any big fights.

"We'll get tired of each other for maybe like ten minutes and then after that we're just like, alright let's go do something," Lindsey said.

"The worst fight was in high school when I took her jeans. She got really mad and it took like two hours for us to make up."

Aside from the occasional wardrobe argument, there is one thing they will never agree on - who is better. According to Kelsey's team bio, one of her nicknames is "good twin".

"That was just a joke," Kelsey said. "But I think I'm the good twin because I just am, I don't know."

"No one's ever called her the good twin," Lindsey said. "And if they do they come right back at me and say, 'But you're the better twin'".

One thing they can both vehemently agree on, is their desire to end their long softball careers with a national championship.

"It would mean so much to do it at my dream school, as a senior to end my career, with my sister ... it would be an amazing experience," Lindsey said.

The quest for that storybook ending begins Thursday at 6 p.m. at Howe Field against Portland State.

Heckert Leads Jackson County District Attorney Race

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:39:28 -0700

By Steven Sandberg

JACKSONVILLE, Ore. -- Early results in the race for Jackson County District Attorney show a commanding lead. Three candidates faced off to replace a man that has served as Jackson County's District Attorney for two decades.

Voters chose the candidate the current D.A. endorsed. Chief Deputy District Attorney Beth Heckert took 55% of the vote. Rob Patridge was far behind with 27% and David Hoppe with 16%. Although the three D.A. candidates are still waiting for the final results, Beth Heckert says she is pleased to see such a large early lead. The first election results came in around 8 p.m., and put Chief Deputy District Attorney Beth Heckert in the lead with 55% of the vote. More than 7,000 votes ahead of her closest challenger; then, two hours went by without an update, so Heckert was left with a sense of "hurry up and wait" until the results are final.

Heckert beat out candidate Rob Patridge, who earned 28% of the vote, and fellow prosecutor David Hoppe, who had 17% of the vote. Heckert has been a prosecutor in Jackson County for 22 years, and was endorsed by current District Attorney Mark Huddleston, who is retiring at the end of the year. Heckert says her campaign wanted to stress her experience in the district attorney's office.

"We worked really hard, we knocked on a lot of doors, had a lot of volunteers, a lot of support in the community, and I am really pleased with these initial results," said Chief Deputy District Attorney Beth Heckert.

Dave Hoppe says he is disappointed in the results, but said he is glad a career prosecutor was elected. He said it is important to have someone in that office with experience trying serious cases and he knew all along that if he did not win, he wanted Beth Heckert to win.

Tuesday Sports, May 15

Tue, 15 May 2012 22:39:00 -0700

by Chris Leone

Oregon maintains a game and a half lead over Arizona in the Pac-12 race.

Errors, bad breaks cost South Medford its play-in game against Century as the Panthers fall 6-1. Crater beats South Umpqua 12-7 in a non-conference game.

Rogue River's Kevin Murphy, North Valley's Ryan Melnychuk and Henley's Kaitlin Collom all win Golf State Championships. The St. Mary's boys win the 3A-1A team title.

Southern Oregon Prepares For Election Night

Tue, 15 May 2012 19:24:23 -0700

MEDFORD, Ore. -- A last minute push was seen at drop boxes in many Southern Oregon counties. In Josephine County, the public safety levy up for vote is reeling in more voters than usual.

County Clerk's Office says they started the day off already 2% higher than the last presidential primary. The clerk's office says election season calls for extra hands, with all five full-time employees working with 22 temporaries.

Jackson County also brought in re-enforcements. A new machine helped sort ballot by precinct and did away with the old signature verification method. "

Across the state another digital component was added. All counties received iPads for disabled voters to use in house or to request for use at their residence. But it's the new electronic helper that election staff says will change the outcome of this Election Day.

Three Candidates Fight for Jackson County D.A. Position

Tue, 15 May 2012 18:51:02 -0700

By Bryan Navarro

MEDFORD, Ore. -- Many voter eyes will be on one of the more high-profile local races for the Jackson County District Attorney.

There's a change in leadership coming for the chief prosecutor in Jackson County. D.A. Mark Huddleston is retiring and three people are vying to take the spot. Those include Rob Patridge, Beth Heckert, and David Hoppe.

Huddleston says last year the D.A.'s Office saw 8,000 cases. The District Attorney is in charge of a $5 million budget, 45 employees, including 19 lawyers. There are dozens of police chiefs, and 9 judges, but only one district attorney. Huddleston says the individual who is elected makes a big impact not only in the office, but also in the community, working hand in hand with law enforcement, community justice, and non-profits.

The well-known work is on criminal prosecutions, but they also have victim witness services, and child services. Huddleston says the caseload has seen a good size increase in the last year and a half and staff has grown, too. Huddleston says one of the changes he hopes the next district attorney oversees is moving into or building a new facility.