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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Jackson County led way in building historic Highway 99 in Oregon Police Reports Ashland New Plays Festival chooses new artistic director Ashland doctor ordered to not give injections Jackson County won't tax marijuana — yet Education Bracing for Common Core Ashland Kiwanis recognize Lillian Huang Chautauqua series brings author Jane Hamilton to Ashland Ashland Runs on Volunteers: OLLI classes pay dividends in joy of teaching, learning New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Environment Ashland Fire & Rescue Alarm Box: There are good fires and there are bad fires Lots to celebrate at SOU Arbor Day rites Mt. Ashland Ski Area to host party March 28 Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Business Chamber celebrates innovation in the food, wine and beer industries Cars We Remember: 1964 Olds F-85 owner seeks information Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda Odyssey Silvio Calabi: Passat 1.8T Sport is satisfyingly rational Ride & Drive: 2015 Ram ProMaster City Politics and elections Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s earthquake election Council wants changes to agreement with ODOT for I-5 welcome center Arthur I. Cyr: Afghanistan progress is uneven but undeniable Jackson County Commissioners plan no tax on marijuana for first year State News Oregon lawmakers begin minimum wage debate Runners to follow historic salmon migration path Nation - World Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Death Notices Anna Mae Hassell Death Notices Death Notices Jack E. James Shareable Sports Latest Stories It's not getting any easier AHS girls edge Roseburg Westbrook burns Blazers Raiders remain No. 1 in spring poll Fantasy Sports: Injuries piling up to start season High school AHS girls edge Roseburg Raiders remain No. 1 in spring poll Grizzlies blow away Eagles Hits just keep on coming Baldrica sets pace for AHS girls Southern Oregon University Raiders remain No. 1 in spring poll Grizzlies blow away Eagles Baldrica sets pace for AHS girls SOU women's hoops coach Kennedy leaves to take Portland State job SOU-OIT softball games moved to Wednesday Voices Latest Stories Our View: Jackson County should say yes to Circle of Teran rehab request Film fest is the best Our View: New cat on the block in Ashland Mochas, midrash and mysteries: Meeting G-d in the middle Our View: Ashland High benefits as cycle racing club gets rolling Editorial Our View: Jackson County should say yes to Circle of Teran rehab request Our View: New cat on the block in Ashland Our View: Ashland High benefits as cycle racing club gets rolling Our View: Ashland is prepared, Firewise Our View: Council should stop stalling on welcome center Letters Letters to the Editor, April 14 Letters to the Editor, April 13 Letters to the Editor, April 11 Letters to the Editor, April 8 Letters to the Editor, April 7 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Fremont cottonwood is not a hazard Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Columns Film fest is the best Mochas, midrash and mysteries: Meeting G-d in the middle Council Corner: Ashland deserves respect, not a just a rest stop Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Chris Honoré: The penalty phase of the bombing trial Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories A tale of two plays at OSF Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship Five picks for entertainment this week Community blog: Rabbi David Zaslow teaches poetry Community blog: Submit a poem Theater A tale of two plays at OSF Ashland New Plays Festival chooses new artistic director Backstage: 'Poof: Something that wasn’t there is there' Ticket Availability Ticket Availability Music Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship The Farr Side: Is Kelly Clarkson’s weight truly news?  Rhythm is on tap at the Northwest Percussion Festival The Farr Side: No Zayn Malik? One Direction stays the course A Country Cajun Revival comes to the Unitarian Visual Art More films, excitement than ever for AIFF Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Movies 'Cinderella' revisited is stunning, magical Ben Steelman: Big-screen showings to mark anniversary of ‘Sound of Music’ 'Western,' 'Imperial Dreams' win top film jury awards A scoop from the ocean: Reviews of four festival films What was your favorite film? Food and Drink Business profile: Couple opens second Pita Pit in Ashland Tot owners buy Playwright, hire Amuse chef Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Marketta Gregory: Breathe in God’s peace and exhale grace 'Cinderella' revisited is stunning, magical Backstage: 'Poof: Something that wasn’t there is there' Tom Grady: Finding the right animal companion in your twilight years High on flavor, low on calories: Cookbook offers tasty options for people trying to eat healthier Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Jackson County led way in building historic Highway 99 in Oregon ... Our View: Jackson County should say yes to Circle of Teran rehab request ... Film fest is the best ... Jackson County led way in building historic Highway 99 in Oregon ... Our View: Jackson County should say yes to Circle of Teran rehab request ... Film fest is the best ... ASHLAND Storm wrap-up: High winds down trees, kill camper Man and son were camping near Mt. Ashland; son OK Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Dec. 11, 2014 at 6:55 PM Updated Dec 12, 2014 at 10:12 AM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Dec. 11, 2014 at 6:55 PM Updated Dec 12, 2014 at 10:12 AM » RELATED CONTENT • UPDATED: Overnight storm causes widespread damage • Storm expected to bring wind, rain to Rogue Valley • What are you doing to get ready for winter? • Storm Damage » Social News A raging windstorm that swept through the Rogue Valley in the wee hours of Thursday brought down many trees and powerlines, closed schools for the first few hours and sent a tree down on a homeless man camping in a tent on Mt. Ashland, killing him.  Phillip T. Crosby, 40, and his son, Alexander, 18, were camping on the Pacific Crest Trail about a mile from the Mt. Ashland Ski Lodge. The son called 911 at 5:27 a.m. Thursday. Jackson County Sheriff's Lt. Marty Clark confirmed responding crews from Ashland Fire-Rescue, the Oregon Department of Forestry went to the mountain, finding Crosby dead at the scene. A tree blown over by the wind knocked down a second tree, about 20 feet tall and about 8-10 inches in diameter. That's what fell on the man and killed him, said Clark. It evidently struck the father in the arm and chest. Phillip Crosby complained of difficulty breathing, then died of his injuries a short time later. The son and his father were living in Sunny Valley until they recently became homeless, said Clark, and were reportedly en route to Arizona when the tree fell. Their dog was in the tent with the father and was slightly injured but is now with the son. The son was unhurt  and was taken to the Maslow Project in Medford, a nonprofit group that helps homeless youth. Relatives are coming from out of state to get him. In Ashland, no injuries were reported, but, said Tighe O’Meara of the Ashland Police Department, trees fell on two unoccupied cars and many power lines, creating a patchwork of outages all over town. “We got off to a bumpy start this morning,” O”Meara said. “We had some problems with traffic lights because of power lines. We handled it rapidly with normal staff. It was nasty but under control soon.” The storm blasted out of the northwest, with its highest average speed of 60 mph at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and highest gust of 74 mph at 2:55 a.m., according to the Ashland Weather Station, http://weather.sou.edu. A city of Ashland news release put the number of trees blown down in the dozens, with more suffering “significant damage.” A number of street signs were also downed. City crews concentrated on clearing trees blocking roadways. Both of the city’s street sweeping machines went to work in the mid-morning Thursday after winds subsided somewhat and stopped blowing fresh debris into roadways. A row of younger deciduous trees lining Iowa Street at the Southern Oregon University athletic fields were blown over behind a chain-link fence, not blocking traffic. A tree crashed down on Madrone Street, narrowly missing a house and crushing a boat shelter. A shaken Jerry Nutter said a blue spruce he thinks was about 100 feet tall nearly killed him when it toppled about 7:30 a.m. Thursday. Instead, the thunderous crash merely awakened him as the tree brushed up against the room in which he had been sleeping at his home in the 1300 block of Madrone Street, just south of Southern Oregon University. "Whoa, what was that?!" Nutter recalled thinking. "I looked out and all could see was tree." The tree's trunk and voluminous branches did crush a portable boat shelter in his driveway, but even there Nutter lucked out: He recently sold the boat and the shelter was empty. A tall fir fell from Bayberry Inn on North Main, landing in the parking lot of Big Al’s Drive In. It was being hastily sawn up and removed all day by Daniel O’Rourke and Josh Dayne, who allowed it was a heck of a night. “Dozens of trees fell, some on cars, some on power lines, but with no immediate safety hazard,” said Ashland Public Works Superintendent Mike Morrison. “Electrical crews were helping with traffic control, early on. No major streets were blocked. Several signs went down. Some storm drains clogged by we just raked the debris away. There wasn’t that much rain. A lot of trees went down on private property and they’re going to have to deal with it.” Some 11,000 Ashland customers took power hits, but two-thirds of those were fixed by mid-day, said Dave Tygerson, general foreman of the city Electric Department. Openings of Ashland High School and SOU were delayed to about 10, the usual “late start” time,” he adds. The waste water treatment plant and Asante Ashland Community Hospital were not affected. Calls to the Fire Department about powerlines and trees jumped to three times normal, with some trees falling on houses, but without needing fire-rescue help, said Battalion Chief Dana Sallee. Many calls were about trees falling into higher wires, he adds, which carry the big juice over 15,000 volts. The busy signal light at the intersection of Siskiyou Boulevard at Wightman Street, part of the state highway system, was the most troubling bottleneck when the light stopped working and all drivers had to treat it as a four-way stop sign. It was still dark at midafternoon Thursday, Sallee said. Today's forecast calls for a chance of showers, with thunderstorms possible after 10 a.m., according to the National Weather Service, but things will have a chance to dry out Saturday, which should be mostly sunny. John Darling is a freelance writer in Ashland. Ryan Pfeil and Bert Etling contributed to this story.   By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Dec. 11, 2014 at 6:55 PM Updated Dec 12, 2014 at 10:12 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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