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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Public meetings for Jan. 5-9, 2014 Head first 5 Things to do This Week Get Up & Go: Jan. 4 Drought-plagued reservoirs need the white stuff to recover Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Sheriff's deputies arrest two after pursuit on Table Rock Road Laser strike on jet entering Medford delays flight Emergency services VIDEO: Wrap Up, week of Jan. 2 Politics and Elections Councilman stirs online dust-up with anti-marijuana post State certifies recount showing failure of GMO-labeling measure Time running out for O&C funds GMO vote recount still shows little change Education Ashland schools to implement chickenpox precautions Traveling artist sets the stage for Ruch School amphitheater Ruch school class focuses on the natural environment Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Logos may offer students 'fifth year' at RCC or SOU Environment Monument expansion expected to increase tourism, protect resources Biologist resigns over LNG reporting failure Bird flu discovered in Winston backyard flock Jackson County holds back on enforcing GMO ban for now No fish, no funding for problem dams State News Seabird die-off puzzles scientists Oregon fans get married Rose Bowl parking lot Earthquake off coast shakes Humboldt County Stranded sea turtle recovers at Oregon aquarium Oregon minimum wage rises to $9.25 Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries Philip Richard Lind Howard S. 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Sports Latest Stories Millsap-led Hawks deal Blazers loss Big rally gives SOU men road triumph Nuggets end skid as behind Lawson Comets pick up MWL victory Setzer, Comets cruise in league opener Varsity 541 College Sports Big rally gives SOU men road triumph No. 13 Beavers beat cold-shooting UCLA Young At Arc Rookie sparks Seton Hall to another big upset Florida rides big plays to 28-20 win over East Carolina Pro Sports Millsap-led Hawks deal Blazers loss Nuggets end skid as behind Lawson Flacco leads Ravens to uspet of Steelers Panthers' defense overwhelms Cardinals Young QBs lead Colts, Bengals today Community Sports Business Latest Stories Irrigation system upgrade gets a forum Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda Crosstour Positive Steps Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Real Estate News Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate People In Business Transportation Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Agriculture Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers K-BAR ignites agriculture boom beneath Table Rocks Opinion Latest Our View: Waiting a little longer for the bus Letters to the Editor, Jan. 4 Eugene Robinson: Economic facts get in the way Guest Opinion: Get the best deal on pipeline Guest Opinion: Say yes to clean energy jobs, no to the LNG project Editorials Our View: Waiting a little longer for the bus Other Views: Oregon's GMO battle is far from over Our View: Meeting in the middle keeps a mill open Our View: Help clear the air for the new year Our View: Caves expansion worth the wait Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Jan. 4 Letters to the Editor. Jan. 2 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 1 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 31 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 30 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Get the best deal on pipeline Guest Opinion: Say yes to clean energy jobs, no to the LNG project Guest Opinion: Loved one chose death with dignity in Oregon Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future Guest Opinion: Suit threatens family farms and democratic vote Lifestyle Latest stories Expert offers advice on quake preparedness Becoming terminal all by myself Community blog: Get the New Year off to a Great Start Hobart Bluff offers top-notch views Fishing report: Jan. 2, 2015 Food Community blog: Ring in new flavors with year's last appetizers Food for Thought: Tips for cooking when you have food allergies Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Kitchen Call: The comfort of creamy soups Community blog: Baking contest finalists combine cookies, candies Home and Garden Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Dear Monty: Can a rookie real estate agent be a good choice? Bathtub or shower: What’s best for you? Home Help: Home safety tips for a safe and happy winter season How NOT to install drywall Health Community blog: We Don't Have To Conspire Against Good Health HealthStyle: New year, new you Health Watch: Build up your glutes in the off-season Dr. Jeff Hersh: What's a monoclonal antibody? Dr. Murray Feingold: Have a happy and stress-free holiday Hiking Biking Faith Churches start new year with messages of hope (No heading) Churches, synagogs host seasonal events Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Milestones and Achievements Little Yaretzi is county's first baby of 2015 Local landowners see no public good in proposed pipeline Pear Blossom queen has open heart surgery Hundreds enjoy Christmas dinner, gifts at St. Vincent de Paul SinceYou Asked: SBA would work with Mt. Ashland Ski Area about loan Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Live Music in Local Clubs Generation Jones plays Paddy Brannan's Pete Herzog and Dennis Walker play 2Hawk Winery Paul Turnipseed Trio at Belle Fiore Jefferson State Choral Coalition presents 'Reason for the Season' Theater Camelot's 'Fiddler' is a charmer ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Meet the real Jacob Marley This Nutcracker ballet will have a superhero twist Plumbing the depths of meaning Music Live Music in Local Clubs Generation Jones plays Paddy Brannan's Pete Herzog and Dennis Walker play 2Hawk Winery Paul Turnipseed Trio at Belle Fiore Jefferson State Choral Coalition presents 'Reason for the Season' Community Events New Schneider Museum exhibits highlight First Friday Celebrate winter solstice with the Bad Film Society Tomaseen Foley's "A Celtic Christmas" returns to the Craterian Theater Stefan Baumann and Eugene Bennett highlight Third Fridays Dancing People Company celebrates the solstice Dining Jackson Creek Pizza Co. is a good downtown haunt Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Coffee shops roll out holiday-inspired drinks Over Easy serves 'pop-up' brunch Sundays Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Our View: Waiting a little longer for the bus ... Drought-plagued reservoirs need the white stuff to recover ... Guest Opinion: Get the best deal on pipeline ... Our View: Waiting a little longer for the bus ... Drought-plagued reservoirs need the white stuff to recover ... Guest Opinion: Get the best deal on pipeline ... JOSEPHINE COUNTY New effort underway to pass tax for public safety in Josephine County New effort underway to pass tax for public safety Comment By Shaun Hall Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Shaun Hall Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Dec. 17, 2014 @ 5:25 pm By Shaun Hall Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Dec. 17, 2014 @ 5:25 pm » Social News For the fourth year in a row, another effort is underway to put a tax measure before voters to fund Josephine County's jail, rural sheriff's patrols and juvenile justice programs. A group called Community United for Safety held a kickoff event Tuesday before about 80 people at the Wild River Pub in Grants Pass to begin a petition drive to collect about 2,150 signatures. Their goal: to put the proposal before voters on May 19. "People are fed up with being fed up," said Scott Draper, general manager of Club Northwest and co-founder of the petition drive. "Now is our window. Now is the time to get this done." The latest levy would set a property tax rate of $1.40 per $1,000 of assessed value. At 58 cents, Josephine County currently has the lowest property tax rate in the state, far below the average of more than $2 per $1,000. Three proposed levies have failed since 2012, including one earlier this year that was a lower rate of $1.19. But organizers say that what's different this time is that a professional polling company was used to ask voters ahead of time what they would support. "We listened directly to people," Draper said. The poll found that 51 percent definitely favored the $1.40 amount, with an additional 12 percent saying they "probably" would vote for it — but only if a boost in patrol coverage is part of the deal. As a result, the latest proposed levy would pay for 16 patrol deputies, up from 10 now. It would also boost the jail's capacity to 160 inmates, up from 130 now, and pay to reopen the 30-bed Juvenile Justice Center's shelter/detention facility. A key provision of the measure also calls for creation of a public oversight committee and for an independent audit of county public safety funding. Draper termed the oversight committee "a bridge between our money and public safety." Sheriff-elect Dave Daniel, who was in attendance, said such a committee "provides solid information to the public." Voters last May, by a 52 to 48 percent margin, turned down a $1.19 levy that would have allowed the 262-bed jail to be filled to capacity and reopen the juvenile center. However, that measure didn't call for direct funding of patrols. With no federal timber subsidies on the horizon, the jail might close, Daniel warned. Inmates might then be housed in other jails in other counties, under contract. "Very likely, commissioners will close the jail," Daniel said after Tuesday's event. "Let's just hope that doesn't happen." Daniel, a Grants Pass police officer who defeated two-term incumbent Gil Gilbertson last month, had no specifics on what his patrol force would look like, if that does happen. "I will do the best I can with patrol, to get some kind of emergency response," he said. Three times in the last three years voters have turned down levies designed to offset cutbacks in timber harvests on federal lands in the county. Recent congressional efforts to continue the subsidies have failed. Grants Pass resident Linda Scott, who is managing the campaign to pass the latest levy proposal, said petitions will be ready in a few days for people to begin gathering signatures. The effort will include door-to-door campaigning, events and speakers at group gatherings. Scott hopes to gather 2,800 signatures, in excess of the approximate 2,150 needed to place the measure on the ballot. Deadline to turn them in is Feb. 18. More information is available at www.communityunitedforsafety.com .   By Shaun Hall Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Shaun Hall Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Dec. 17, 2014 @ 5:25 pm » 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 MailTribune.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 Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked 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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