Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

Taylor Creek nears full containment

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback) · snapshot 2018-08-25

The Taylor Creek fire , the second-largest in Southern Oregon, is almost fully contained after firefighters made significant headway mopping up and strengthening control lines. Burning in a 52,588-acre area, the Taylor Creek fire is 95 percent contained but fire officials say it’s difficult to estimate when it might be fully corralled. “It’s entirely dependent on the weather,” said Peter Frenzen, public information officer for the fire. “It’s also a significant change to go from 95 percent to 10

Commissioner related to man and toddler killed by sneaker wave

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback) · snapshot 2018-08-25

A man and child who were swept into the ocean Sunday near Port Orford are related to Josephine County Commissioner Lily Morgan, who was tending to official duties Tuesday as well as dealing with grieving family members. "It hit me this morning," Morgan told a group attending a public meeting with commissioners. "I had a rough morning." Jayson Dean Thomas, 31, of Elmira and his 3-year-old son were knocked down by a large wave and pulled into the water. Morgan's aunt is married to Thomas, and the

Substance in deadly Britt overdose “destroyed” but still unidentified, police say

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback) · snapshot 2018-08-28

Authorities say they are “confident” whatever substance three people overdosed on while attending the Rebelution concert at Britt is “destroyed,” although they are still unsure what the substance was. “We are not 100 percent sure what the substance is at this time; we are still waiting for the lab results to be able to say for certain,” Lt. Kerry Curtis with Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement said in an email Wednesday. “With that said, we believe the substance came from Northern California,

Rogue steelhead coming early, often

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback) · snapshot 2018-08-28

SHADY COVE — Triple-digit temperatures and shrouds of smoke have been choking the life out of anglers plying the upper Rogue River for one last shot at spring chinook salmon, but help finally is on the way. A pod of summer steelhead appear to be making their way upstream past Gold Hill, ready to join their early-run brethren in the upper Rogue fishery that can make the air feel a little cooler and the smoke a little less tough on the throat. The upper Rogue this week transitioned from late-run s

OUTDOOR NOTEBOOK: ODFW hunter mentor contest returns

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback) · snapshot 2018-08-28

State wildlife managers will again hold the “Take a Friend Hunting” contest this fall to urge more hunters to bring new faces to the woods or reintroduce the fields to lapsed hunters. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s second annual contest uses prizes as incentives to entice experienced hunters to encourage friends and family members to enjoy time together in the outdoors this year. Adult hunters who mentor other new or lapsed adult hunters can qualify for a drawing, with prizes that

Varney Creek Trail in the Mountain Lakes Wilderness offers cool respite

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback) · snapshot 2018-08-28

On a hot, sunny day, the ultimate reward of a hike on the Varney Creek Trail is a swim in Lake Como, floating lazily on the back while taking in views of Whiteface Peak and Aspen Butte. The Varney Creek Trail is the most popular route that accesses the Mountain Lakes Wilderness. It’s a 4-1/2 mile trail that passes through shady pine forests, gradually gaining elevation as it works its way to, across and then alongside its mostly hidden namesake creek, and then continues south to its junction wit

Medford, Yuba-Sutter cancelled

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback) · snapshot 2018-08-28

Saturday’s Great West League regular-season finale between the host Medford Rogues and the Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox was canceled due to smoke and poor air quality. The game will not be rescheduled for a later date. “We held out as long as we could, but the smoke rolled in fast and thick,” said Rogues COO Dave May. “The air quality is twice as bad as the National Weather Service originally predicted. We appreciated our fans patience and understanding.” The Rogues will begin defense of their Great Wes

Diatte wins Dwarf Car Nationals

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback) · snapshot 2018-08-28

WHITE CITY — Ryan Diatte was unstoppable in winning the WSDCA Dwarf Car Nationals Pro Division Main Event Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. The event was hosted by the local SODCA group. Diatte races with the SBDCA and NCDCA groups in California, and he won both Friday’s Preliminary Feature and the Saturday race. He led from the start, but a yellow flag with five laps to go gave Danny Wagner a shot at the lead. Diatte motored ahead on the restart and held off Wagner for the impressive

Rogues' repeat hopes derailed at Lincoln

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback) · snapshot 2018-08-28

LINCOLN, Calif. — The Medford Rogues season came to a close in a winner-take-all contest for an automatic berth in the Great West League championship on Monday. The Rogues were unable to solve Lincoln Potters left-hander Jakob Frederick, who kept the Medford offense at bay for five innings while the Potters offense came alive early to derail Medford’s GWL title hopes with a 12-4 decision at McBean Stadium. The Rogues finished the season with a 31-24 record and finished third in the GWL behind th