The Medford City Council has selected Martha Bennett as the city’s next city manager following a nationwide recruitment that drew nearly 40 applicants. Bennett, a former Ashland city administrator and Lake Oswego city manager, will begin Nov. 30.

Black bears are showing up across more Ashland neighborhoods as scarce mountain berries push animals toward easier food sources. ODFW says bears have been reported getting into garbage and backyard chicken coops, while residents are being urged to remove attractants and report sightings.

Mt. Ashland Association has named Rachel Canada as the ski area’s new general manager. Canada brings more than 20 years of mountain operations and resort management experience and will lead Mt. Ashland as it prepares for chairlift replacement projects and continued growth beyond the winter season.

Cycle Oregon Rally 2026 is bringing hundreds of cyclists through Grants Pass, Jacksonville, Ashland, and the surrounding Rogue Valley. The five-day, non-competitive event combines paved and gravel routes with live music, community connections, and a mission that reaches well beyond the ride itself.

A Red Flag Warning will cover the Rogue, Illinois, and Applegate valleys from Monday afternoon through Tuesday evening as dry, gusty weather raises fire danger. A Heat Advisory follows Tuesday through Thursday, with some inland communities forecast to reach 105 to 110 degrees.

A Grants Pass man was arrested after Ashland police said he pulled a woman from a car, stole her purse and fled toward Interstate 5. Officers recovered some of the stolen property, and the victim did not report any injuries.

Two Ashland homes were left unlivable after a highly visible structure fire broke out Wednesday afternoon near Walker Avenue and Ashland Street. Everyone inside escaped safely, including a dog, as firefighters quickly contained the blaze.

Investigators served a search warrant at an Ashland apartment Wednesday after authorities say an unidentified suspect sent more than 2,000 child sexual abuse material images to an undercover investigator. Digital devices were seized as investigators work to identify the suspect.

An Ashland man was arrested Wednesday following an attempted armed robbery investigation that began with reports of two men fighting in a Clover Lane parking lot. Police recovered two handguns, including one fitted with a homemade suppressor, and said a shot struck the victim’s van.

A Red Flag Warning is in effect through Sunday for parts of the Klamath Basin, eastern Klamath County and Modoc County. Strong southwest winds, very low humidity and critically dry fuels could allow new fires to spread rapidly, while hot inland weather continues across the region.

Federal funding has cleared for the Mariposa Wildlife Crossing, a planned $37 million wildlife bridge over Interstate 5 south of Ashland. The project would reconnect habitat in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, reduce wildlife crashes and give SOU students years of research work.

F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets from the Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing are scheduled to make Independence Day flyovers across Oregon and southwest Washington, including stops over Ashland, Central Point, Eagle Point, Brookings and Port Orford on July 4.

Fireworks over lakes, rivers and the coast will cap a busy July 3-5 Independence Day weekend across the Jefferson region, with parades, food, music, rodeos, train rides, car shows and family celebrations from Crescent City to Klamath Falls, Central Point, Lakeview, Alturas and Mt. Shasta.

The Oregon Court of Appeals has overturned Robert Paul Keegan’s 2023 manslaughter conviction in the shooting death of Aidan Ellison, sending the case back to Jackson County Circuit Court.

A Heat Advisory is in effect Monday and Tuesday for much of southwest Oregon and parts of Northern California, with afternoon highs of 95 to 100 expected in the Rogue Valley and nearby low-lying valleys.

Southern Oregon University’s Board of Trustees has unanimously approved the university’s Vitality Plan, moving SOU into a yearlong implementation phase tied to emergency state funding. The plan calls for more than $20 million in reductions and includes the sunsetting of three academic programs.

AAA expects 877,000 Oregonians to travel for Independence Day, with Bend, Newport and Medford/Ashland among the top regional destinations. The forecast also highlights Oregon gas prices, airfare and major July 4 events in Bend, Medford and Ashland.

The first significant heat wave of the summer is expected to bring 90-degree and triple-digit temperatures to much of Southern Oregon and Northern California this weekend, prompting heat advisories across several west side valleys, coastal areas and parts of far Northern California.

Rogue Community College and Southern Oregon University will both hold commencement ceremonies Saturday, recognizing more than 1,300 students across the Rogue Valley. RCC will celebrate its largest graduating class since 2018, while SOU marks its 100th commencement since reopening at its Ashland campus.

Seventy-three organizations will share more than $2.25 million in spring 2026 grants through the Reed and Carolee Walker Fund of Oregon Community Foundation. The award list includes organizations based in Jackson, Josephine and Douglas counties, with funding focused largely on services for children, families and low-income residents in Jackson County.