Josephine County

Eight months ago, Josephine County Commissioners put their local library in limbo after terminating the lease of the Grants Pass, Oregon, branch. It came after years of turmoil about how the library should be funded.

Josephine County Commissioners approved a new lease with the community library in Grants Pass on Thursday, but a last-minute change to the contract prompted concern from library officials.

Jails in rural Oregon are often older and in need of upgrades, but new tax money can be hard to come by.

Heavy rains battered areas of Southern Oregon this weekend, resulting in widespread flooding and damage.

In one of their first moves as a newly reconfigured board, the Josephine County commissioners unanimously decided to terminate the county’s lease with the Grants Pass Library. This puts the library’s near future in limbo.

The recall campaign cited a variety of reasons, including bad-faith negotiations in the sale of county-owned timberland, defunding the OSU Extension Service and 4H program and threatening community safety by shrinking wildfire programs and regulations.

With a crucial election on Tuesday and political tension mounting, local law enforcement officials are preparing for any possible disturbances.

Campaigners behind a recall effort for a commissioner of Josephine County in southern Oregon say they’ve submitted more than enough signatures to qualify for a future special election.

A federal judge ruled this week against the correctional healthcare giant Wellpath after company leaders “intentionally destroyed email evidence in order to prevent its use at trial.” It’s the third time a federal judge has found Wellpath – one of the nation’s largest for-profit providers of medical and mental health care to people in prisons and jails – destroyed evidence relevant to wrongful death cases where the company was being sued.

On Wednesday morning, Josephine County Commissioners agreed to put a tax on the November ballot to fund an office that helps veterans access benefits.