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Today's First Thing podcast touches on these top stories: Kalmiopsis on fire again, in the same place. Full story here . Our air quality may get a cleansing. Full story here . Listen to other Mail Tribune podcasts at www.mailtribune.com/podcasts . Reach web editor Ryan Pfeil at [email protected] or at 541-776-4468. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil .
No one warned Mark Rine that while he was saving others, he was killing himself. The bad habits that would ensure his death sentence started with his very first fire in 2007. Rine was supposed to help set up the ladder, but he ignored his orders, grabbed the hose and charged into the burning two-story brick house. The rookie firefighter trudged through thick black smoke. In seconds, he was covered in soot. His head throbbed, but he moved on. Once he and the other Columbus firefighters from Stati
It seems like every time there is a forest fire, the timber industry blames environmentalists for a lack of “active forest management” and presumes that contemporary fires have catastrophic ecological consequences. David Schott’s opinion piece in the Mail Tribune July 22 does just that, using the Klamathon fire as an example. But this fire began on residential land, not in the backcountry environmentalists seek to protect. It made its largest run on private residential, ranch, and timber land, p
While traveling to Washington, D.C., with Honor Flight of Oregon brought back memories of his 14 months in a German prisoner of war camp during World War II, former U.S. Army machine gunner Cordino “Cor” Longiotti said the trip was also memorable and therapeutic. Founded in 2010, Honor Flight of Oregon (www.honorflightoforegon.org) provides trips for veterans living in Oregon to see memorials established in their honor. But funding for the flights has become so limited that organizers are reachi
Two of the biggest fires in history to strike Southern Oregon — the Biscuit and Chetco Bar — are both hindering and helping efforts to snuff out the Klondike fire in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. “They are using some of the old lines from the Chetco as well as the Biscuit fire,” said Katy O’Hara, public information officer for the Klondike and Natchez fires. The Klondike fire is burning within the boundaries of the 500,000-acre 2002 Biscuit fire and on the edge of the Chetco Bar fire, a 192,000-acr
Campers at Oregon’s coastal state parks can have campfires again, but beach-goers must remain mostly flameless under eased fire restrictions announced Wednesday by the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department. Campers visiting places such as Harris Beach State Park near Brookings and Bullards Beach State Park near Bandon can have campfires in state-built rings or fire pits after a nearly one-week ban on state parks campfires because of extreme fire danger. Self-contained propane fire pits wi
A man is being held in the Jackson County Jail on arson and reckless burning charges, with police alleging he recently set multiple fires in downtown Medford. Thomas Lloyd Austin, 58, listed as a Grants Pass resident, was arraigned Monday in Jackson County Circuit Court. He is being held on one count of first-degree arson, seven counts of second-degree arson and eight misdemeanor counts of reckless burning, jail records showed. Between 1 and 4 a.m. last Friday, Medford Fire-Rescue responded to f
While watching the John Deere golf tournament, I noticed the variety of equipment they now manufacture. One piece in particular made me wonder if they are planning to build a car, probably a Jeep type of vehicle. Any ideas? — N.F., Central Point Checking out the current lineup of John Deere vehicles, we can see why you think the company best known for its tractors and riding lawnmowers could be on the cusp of making a Jeep or other SUV-style vehicle. John Deere is making what it calls crossover
The same taste for high-end pears that helped make a herd of Roosevelt elk one of northeast Medford's urban headaches soon may bring its days of easy living to a screeching halt. Shovelfuls of pears culled from local orchardists are one of the main ingredients state wildlife biologist Steve Niemela is using to trim the herd to a more manageable size of about two dozen animals from its 100-elk heyday earlier this decade. "We've been at this for four years now, and we've gotten a lot better at it,
A winery outside Jacksonville hopes to host a variety of events that include food — without running afoul of a state law that blocks wineries from running restaurants on land zoned for exclusive farm use. Jackson County planning staff issued a preliminary denial of Rellik Winery’s plans, saying those plans may have morphed beyond what has been approved for the property. Jackson County Hearings Officer Roger Pearce heard from residents who largely are supportive of Rellik Winery during a public h
County considers state requirement for tough rules for building safety on steep slopes Owners of 20,000 properties in landslide-prone areas received an ominous warning this week from Jackson County that land values could be reduced under a proposed ordinance. We've had quite a few calls about this, said county Planning Manager Ali Turiel. The letter referred to House Bill 3375, passed on May 28, that requires greater oversight by counties in areas that have substantial risk of landslides. Despit
Wildflowers were the last thing on Vicki Korpa's mind after a fire one year ago scorched 633 acres below Roxy Ann. "For a long time, it just hurt my heart to see that devastation," she said. Then, this spring, Korpa and other neighbors got a surprise. "The wildflowers came up, but everything else was dead," she said. "The grasses that came up after the fire were the tallest I've ever seen. They were taller than I am." After the Deer Ridge fire swept over the flanks of Roxy Ann on Sept. 21, 2009,
Country Crossings will be back at The Expo in 2019, despite triple-digit temperatures and wildfire smoke that plagued this year’s festival. Peak attendance throughout the four-day country music event at the end of July reached 15,000, organizers said, about 5,000 fewer than last year. “This year’s event just ended, but people should already be getting excited for Country Crossings in 2019, ” said Anne Hankins, president of Willamette Country Concerts LLC, which puts on the festival. “We have big
-road vehicles from driving on Prescott Park, private property Bob Roe is afraid for his east Medford home and adjacent land. One nasty fire and we lose Prescott Park and a lot of houses, said the president of the Eagle Trace Homeowners Association. That's why Roe, and many residents near Hillcrest Road and Cherry Lane, are soliciting the city's help in keeping off-road vehicles from illegally driving on the area's grassy, oak savanna hillside. The association and the city are considering jointl
Since You Asked I am new to Medford. Who was Roxy Ann? ' Jennings R. (sent July 31) So who was Roxy Ann? ' Jennings R. (sent Aug. 5) So, what good is a you asked section if you never answer? ' Jennings R. (sent Sept. 19) All right, already, give it a rest! Jennings, you're persistent, so you'll get your answer, but first a little primer on Since You Asked. We get dozens of questions every week sent in by readers in search of the ultimate truths known only to the crack staff here at Since You Ask
Today's First Thing podcast touches on these top stories: Backburns add to smoke. Full story here . Despite smoke and heat, Country Crossings will return. Full story here . Ashland man earns Emmy nomination for sound effects. Full story here . Listen to other Mail Tribune podcasts at www.mailtribune.com/podcasts . Reach web editor Ryan Pfeil at [email protected] or at 541-776-4468. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil .
In this episode of The Insider, host Ryan Pfeil talks to Vickie Aldous about their July co-produced feature series, "The Protectors" which focused on the important, difficult job of detectives and prosecutors who investigate and try child abuse cases. Read the stories and hear the podcasts from the series by clicking the links below: Part 1 story here . Part 1 podcast here . Part 2 story here . Part 2 podcast here . Part 3 story here . Part 3 podcast here .
Just as Gov. Ted Kulongoski was ordering state resources to help bring an Ashland fire under control, a fire began sweeping up East Medford's Roxy Ann Peak and causing evacuations, power outages, road closures and snarled traffic. The wind-swept Deer Ridge fire in Medford had mushroomed to 600 acres by Monday night. Retardant-laden air tankers and helicopters swinging buckets of water managed to spare residential areas in the path of the fire. By 9 p.m. Monday, most of the evacuations of more th
Under a cloudy, rain-swollen sky, Medford police on Saturday gathered to honor the first and only local officer killed in the line of duty. Medford police and the city parks department hosted a rededication ceremony Saturday in Prescott Park to honor Constable George J. Prescott. Prescott, the city's first traffic officer, was shot and killed 80 years ago today. The department held a color guard and dedicated a new plaque to Prescott. The old one had been destroyed by vandals. This should be an
A world-class mountain bike trail system could crisscross Prescott Park around Roxy Ann Peak in the near future. The city of Medford has been working with the International Mountain Biking Association to develop a plan for 34 miles of trails that would be available to cyclists, hikers and horses. "A lot of mountain bikers felt left out not having their own world-class trail system locally," said Mike Bronze, president of the Rogue Valley Mountain Biking Association. "More people now see the valu