Issuu

FOR THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2026

GRANTSPASSTRIBUNE.COM | $0.00

Historic Drought Tightens Across Southern Oregon as Record Wildfire Season Continues By John Oliver Southern Oregon is approaching September under an unusual convergence of severe drought, depleted water supplies and extreme wildfire activity following an exceptionally poor mountain snow year that left the region with diminished moisture before summer began. Josephine and Jackson counties remain under state drought emergency declarations, while Oregon has experienced a wildfire season that has already surpassed previous modern records for acreage burned. The water shortage developed during winter and spring, when mountain snowpack accumulated at exceptionally low levels across much of Oregon. Snow stored at higher elevations normally provides a gradual supply of water as temperatures rise, feeding rivers, streams, reservoirs and groundwater systems well after seasonal rainfall diminishes. Warm conditions accelerated the disappearance of an already limited snowpack this year, reducing the amount of runoff available during the hottest and driest months. Federal drought records illustrate the severity of the deficit in Southern Oregon. Josephine County recorded its 13th driest January through July period in 132 years of records. The state declared a drought emergency for Josephine County after evaluating precipitation, snowpack, streamflow, reservoir levels and other water supply indicators. Jackson County received an emergency declaration earlier in the year when approximately 95 percent of the county was experiencing moderate to severe drought. Curry County was added this month, extending emergency drought conditions across a substantial portion of southwestern Oregon. The consequences are visible throughout the region's water system. Reduced snowmelt has contributed to unusually low streamflows, while reservoirs have entered their annual summer drawdown with less water available to replace what is being used. Persistent heat increases evaporation

Teen Suffers Severe Spinal Injury in River Bridge Jump from soil, vegetation and open water, intensifying shortages as agricultural, residential and ecological demand continues. Rural groundwater supplies can also become vulnerable during prolonged drought. Thousands of Southern Oregon properties outside municipal water systems depend upon domestic wells, and declining groundwater levels can reduce production or cause shallower wells to stop producing. Oregon water officials have warned that severe drought can also require regulation of water rights earlier than usual, potentially affecting users with older priority dates than would ordinarily face restrictions. Agricultural producers are experiencing the same hydrologic shortage. Farms, ranches, vineyards and orchards across Southern Oregon require irrigation during the portion of the year when natural streamflows are lowest. Reduced runoff limits available irrigation supplies while high temperatures increase evaporation and crop water demand. Southwestern Oregon producers in some areas have already faced difficult decisions involving irrigation and harvesting because of limited water availability. The drought has developed alongside an

extraordinary wildfire season. Recent statewide reporting has placed Oregon above 2.6 million acres burned during 2026, exceeding the state's previous modern record while significant fires remain active. Earlier estimates of approximately 2.4 million acres reflected a rapidly increasing total as major incidents continued expanding and fire agencies updated acreage calculations. The escalation has been dramatic. When Oregon's statewide wildfire emergency was declared in June, officials reported 414 fires covering approximately 8,077 acres. Within roughly two months, statewide acreage had climbed into the millions as several enormous incidents spread across Central and Eastern Oregon and additional fires developed elsewhere. The Rowe Creek incident alone exceeded 370,000 acres and required more than 1,600 personnel during a period of intensive suppression operations. Southern Oregon has faced significant fire activity of its own. Incidents across Jackson, Josephine and Klamath counties have required evacuations, aircraft operations and extensive ground suppression. The Fielder Mountain Fire near Rogue River became one of the region's larger incidents,

•

see DROUGHT, page 5

Oregon’s November Ballot Takes Shape Candidate Filing Closes and Election Season Advances By Ellen Ward Oregon moved into a more defined phase of the 2026 general election this week as a major candidate filing deadline expired Tuesday, narrowing the field of people seeking local and district offices across the state and beginning the transition from political campaigns in formation to the ballots voters will receive this fall. Tuesday, August 25, marked the final filing day for many candidates who are not elected incumbents seeking reelection to the same office. The deadline applied to numerous local and district contests scheduled for the November 3 general election, following an earlier August 18 deadline for elected incumbents seeking another term in the offices they currently hold. The August 25 deadline also closed candidate statement filings for many voters’ pamphlets, giving election officials another substantial portion of the material necessary to assemble the information that will accompany Oregon’s fall election. From Southern Oregon through the Willamette Valley, Central Oregon, the coast and communities

east of the Cascades, county and municipal election offices are now processing the final filings for an extensive collection of local contests. Depending on where a voter lives, November ballots can include races for county government, city councils, mayors, special districts and other local offices in addition to state and federal contests. The statewide general election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3. Oregon voters will decide races extending from local government to Congress. The 2026 election includes the governor’s office, a U.S. Sen-

ate seat, all six Oregon seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, seats throughout the Oregon Legislature and numerous county, municipal and district positions. The exact ballot will vary considerably among communities because local offices and measures are determined by a voter’s residential address and political boundaries. Candidate filing, however, is not the final procedural step before those names are fixed on November ballots. Friday, August 28, is an important withdrawal deadline under Oregon’s general election calendar for applicable candidacies. Candidates covered by that deadline who decide not to continue their campaigns must complete the required withdrawal process within the prescribed period. Oregon election law also contains separate deadlines and procedures for certain types of district and local candidacies, making the filing authority responsible for each race the controlling source for its final candidate roster. The distinction is important for understanding why candidate lists published earlier in the summer should not necessarily be treated as the final November ballot. Filing deadlines, withdrawals, qualification reviews and, under certain circumstances, procedures for filling vacancies in

•

see NOVEMBER, page 5

By John Oliver An 18-year-old Central Point man is beginning what is expected to be an extensive recovery after suffering a severe spinal cord injury while jumping from a pedestrian suspension bridge into the Illinois River in Josephine County. Hunter Clevenger was swimming with friends near McCaleb Ranch on Wednesday, August 19, when he jumped from the Swinging Bridge, a suspension bridge positioned high above the Illinois River. Clevenger struck the water with considerable force, sustaining serious injuries to the lower thoracic portion of his spine. Another swimmer at the recreation area called 911 after Clevenger indicated that he could not feel his legs following the impact. Emergency personnel from the Illinois Valley Fire District and American Medical Response evaluated Clevenger at the scene. His injuries were determined to require advanced hospital care, and Mercy Flights transported him by helicopter to Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford. Medical examinations revealed significant spinal trauma, including an injury involving the T12 vertebra. Clevenger subsequently underwent emergency spinal surgery lasting approximately eight hours. Surgeons placed rods and screws around the damaged area of his spine to stabilize the injury. His long-term neurological prognosis remains uncertain. Family information and regional reporting indicate that Clevenger suffered a severe spinal cord injury and could face permanent paralysis, but there has been no public medical determination establishing whether the loss of movement will be permanent. His recovery is expected to involve substantial rehabilitation following hospitalization and surgery. The accident has drawn increasing attention throughout Southern Oregon as information about Clevenger and the extent of his injuries has become public. Although the incident occurred August 19, detailed information began circulating more widely several days later, followed by regional television coverage and growing attention to a fundraiser established for his recovery. Clevenger had already begun establishing himself as a young entrepreneur before the accident. He operated Pips Window Cleaning and had developed additional business ventures

•

see CENTRAL, page 5

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

OREGON

Eastern Oregon Utility Strike Puts Rural Power Workforce and Major Expansion Plan in Focus By Ellen Ward A labor dispute involving the workers responsible for maintaining a vast portion of Eastern Oregon’s electrical network has moved onto the picket line, placing Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative in the unusual position of managing an active employee strike while simultaneously pursuing a $154 million expansion of its utility system. Approximately 35 employees of Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative, including lineworkers, began striking at 9 a.m. Monday, August 24. The employees are represented by International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 125, which has characterized the walkout as an unfair labor practices strike. Roughly 40 OTEC employees are represented by the union across the cooperative’s operating districts. The strike reaches well beyond a disagreement between an employer and its workforce. OTEC is a member owned, nonprofit electric cooperative serving approximately 23,000 members and nearly 60,000 residents across Baker, Grant, Harney and Union counties. Its electrical infrastructure stretches across a large and sparsely populated section of Oregon where utility crews maintain distribution systems, restore service following outages and respond to electrical emergencies over considerable distances. OTEC activated a contingency plan when represented employees walked off the job Monday. The cooperative has reported that its offices remain open and that staff continue handling billing, payments and new service requests. Safety and outage response have been designated as operational priorities, while some nonemergency work may require additional time during the strike. No widespread electrical service disruption attributable to the walkout had been reported as of Tuesday morning. The labor conflict developed during months of negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement and includes disagreements involving wages, working conditions, after hours responsibilities and employee discipline. A central issue concerns OTEC’s handling of after hours emergency response requirements. Union representatives contend that working conditions were changed without appropriate bargaining when employees were expected to respond to outages or emergencies during periods when they were not formally assigned and compensated for standby duty. The union also alleges that employees subsequently faced disciplinary consequences related to those requirements. The dispute intensified following the termination of longtime La Grande lineworker Tom Higgins, who had worked for OTEC for approximately 24 years. Another employee, Tad McCrae, reportedly received disciplinary letters connected with the disputed policy. The union has sought Higgins’ reinstatement and challenged disciplinary actions associated with the after hours requirements. Those allegations have not been established as violations of federal labor law through a publicly identified ruling by the National Labor Relations Board. Although the union describes the walkout as an unfair labor practices strike, that terminology reflects the union’s position in the dispute and should not be interpreted as a federal determination that OTEC violated the National Labor Relations Act. OTEC and IBEW Local 125 have an established collective bargaining relationship, including previous proceedings involving the cooperative before the National Labor Relations Board. The current disagreement, however, centers on the negotiations and employment practices preceding this week’s strike. Compensation is another component of the

PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK

negotiations. Union employees have sought a three year wage package that reportedly includes increases of 5 percent for 2026, 6 percent for 2027 and another 6 percent for 2028, with the 2026 adjustment applied retroactively to the expiration of the previous agreement. An earlier contract proposal was rejected by union membership by a reported vote of 34 to 3. The union maintains that compensation must remain competitive with comparable electrical utilities to recruit and retain skilled workers. OTEC has continued negotiating but has limited its public discussion of specific bargaining proposals, grievances and individual personnel matters. The economic dimensions of the strike extend into another major undertaking already before Oregon utility regulators. OTEC and Idaho Power are seeking Oregon Public Utility Commission approval for the transfer of Idaho Power’s Oregon distribution system and service territory to the cooperative. The proposed transaction carries a base purchase price of $154 million and is expected to close in early 2027 if regulatory approval is obtained. Approximately 20,000 Idaho Power residential, agricultural irrigation, commercial and industrial customers in Oregon would become OTEC member owners under the proposed transaction. The territory includes customers in Malheur, Harney, Baker and Wallowa counties and would considerably enlarge the cooperative’s existing operations. Idaho Power would cease directly serving retail electricity customers in Oregon following the transaction but would retain generation and transmission assets in the state, including infrastructure associated with the Boardman to Hemingway transmission project. OTEC would purchase wholesale electricity from Idaho Power through a multiyear power supply arrangement to serve customers acquired through the transaction. The acquisition also carries potential rate consequences. Information submitted in connection with the proposed transaction indicates that former Idaho Power customers would initially pay approximately 5.7 percent more than their current Idaho Power rates as OTEC recovers costs associated with the acquired system. Idaho Power has indicated that retaining the Oregon territory would likely require the company to pursue a general rate increase of at least 17 percent to recover increased capital and operating costs. The Oregon Public Utility Commission is reviewing the proposed sale through contested case docket UM 2447, examining customer interests, service reliability and regulatory requirements before deciding whether the transfer should proceed. The timing has placed OTEC’s labor negotia-

tions and its proposed expansion before the public at the same moment. On Monday evening, only hours after union employees began striking, state utility regulators held an in person public hearing in Ontario concerning the Idaho Power transaction. The labor dispute does not itself determine whether the acquisition will receive regulatory approval, and the two matters proceed through separate processes. The proposed purchase nevertheless establishes the financial and operational setting surrounding OTEC as contract negotiations continue. A cooperative currently responsible for electric service to nearly 60,000 Eastern Oregon residents is seeking to absorb another 20,000 customer accounts while negotiating employment terms with many of the skilled workers responsible for maintaining and repairing its distribution network. Union representatives have raised staffing, compensation, recruitment and workforce retention as concerns associated with a larger service territory. OTEC has maintained that it has plans for continuity of electrical service during the strike and continues operating its existing system while negotiations remain unresolved. For Oregon’s broader economy, the dispute involves infrastructure serving communities where electricity supports homes, farms, ranches, irrigation systems, businesses, health facilities, schools and industrial operations across substantial geographic distances. Reliable electrical distribution is particularly consequential in rural areas where individual crews may cover large territories and

where severe weather, wildfires and equipment failures can require rapid field response. The immediate economic effect of the strike will depend largely on its duration and whether OTEC can continue providing normal emergency and routine services through its contingency staffing. A relatively short walkout resolved through negotiations could produce little measurable disruption for customers. A prolonged dispute could increase pressure on staffing, maintenance schedules and nonemergency operations even if normal electrical service continues. Contract negotiations remain the principal avenue for resolving the strike. Any settlement could address wages, working conditions, employee discipline, standby responsibilities and other provisions governing the relationship between OTEC and its represented workforce. At the same time, state regulators will continue considering the proposed Idaho Power transaction, a deal that could reshape the organization and geographic reach of one of Eastern Oregon’s largest consumer owned utilities. For now, OTEC continues operating, union employees remain on strike and electrical service across the cooperative’s existing territory continues under contingency arrangements. The length of the walkout, the eventual employment agreement and the outcome of the $154 million acquisition proceeding will determine how extensively this week’s labor dispute intersects with the cooperative’s planned expansion and the future delivery of electricity across Eastern Oregon.

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

RELENTLESS HEROES 13TH ANNUAL DEVASTATIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENT Saturday, September 19, 2026 Grants Pass Golf Club Shotgun Start • 9:00 A.M.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Support Southern Oregon veterans while showcasing your business to hundreds of golfers, families, and community members during one of Josephine County’s premier annual charity golf tournaments. • Sponsorships help Relentless Heroes continue providing emergency assistance and essential support to local veterans when they need it most. Your partnership directly helps fund programs that assist veterans facing unexpected hardships throughout Southern Oregon. • Businesses may also contribute raffle prizes, silent auction items, or other event donations to help maximize fundraising efforts. • Join the growing list of local businesses making a difference for those who have served our country. • Become a sponsor today and stand with our local veterans.

GOLFERS & TEAMS Gather your friends, coworkers, or family and register your team for a day of golf in support of Southern Oregon veterans. • Four-Person Team Entry: $250 • Enjoy a fun-filled day featuring golf, contests, raffles, silent auction opportunities, awards, food, and community fellowship while helping raise funds that stay right here in Southern Oregon. • Whether you’re an experienced golfer or simply looking to support a great cause, every swing helps make a difference. • Please remember: Collared shirts are required for all players. • Space is limited, so teams are encouraged to register early.

“EVERY VETERAN, EVERY DAY” Relentless Heroes is a Southern Oregon nonprofit organization dedicated to providing emergency assistance and support to veterans throughout our region.

For sponsorship information, player registration, or volunteer opportunities, visit:

www.RelentlessHeroes.org

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

OREGON

November Ballot Takes Shape, Election Season Advances From page 1 nomination can affect the field before ballots are prepared. Election administrators will spend the weeks ahead moving through a detailed production schedule involving candidate certification, ballot preparation, voters’ pamphlet materials, local measures and the administrative work required to deliver millions of ballots. For voters, the closing of candidate filing provides an opportunity to begin examining the races that will appear on their individual ballots rather than waiting until ballots arrive in October. Oregon elections can contain substantially more than the prominent statewide and federal contests receiving the greatest amount of campaign advertising and media attention. County commissioners, sheriffs, city officials and special district representatives can exercise authority over services and policies that operate directly within individual communities. Depending upon the jurisdiction, those responsibilities can involve public safety, taxation, land use, roads, water, fire protection, parks and other public services. Voters researching those races have several sources of information available before Election Day. Candidate filings and official election information are maintained through the Oregon Secretary of State and county election offices. Candidate

From page 1

statements will also become available through voters’ pamphlets where applicable. Campaign finance records can provide information about contributions and expenditures, while public records, government meeting materials, candidate forums, interviews and established news organizations can provide additional information about candidates’ backgrounds, positions and public records. Party affiliation can identify a candidate’s political association in partisan contests, but it does not substitute for the individual information available about a candidate. Voters can independently examine experience, qualifications, public records, campaign materials, financial disclosures and positions on issues before deciding how to mark their ballots. Nonpartisan local races require the same individual examination because a political party designation may not appear beside the candidates’ names at all. The election calendar also gives Oregonians time to confirm that their voter registration information is current. The registration deadline for the November general election is October 13. Oregon residents who have moved, changed their name or otherwise need to update their registration can verify their information through the state’s election system before that deadline. Ballot distribution begins earlier for some vot-

ers. Military and overseas ballots are scheduled to be sent in September, followed by ballots for voters with qualifying out of state mailing addresses in early October. Ballots for Oregon voters will begin entering the mail in October under the state’s election schedule. Those dates make the end of August more than an administrative checkpoint for candidates. The election is entering the period in which candidate fields are finalized, ballot information is assembled and election officials begin preparing the materials that ultimately reach voters. Oregon’s vote by mail system gives voters an extended period to review their ballots before returning them. That time can also be used to examine contests individually, particularly races receiving relatively little publicity. The November ballot may contain candidates and measures whose responsibilities are highly specific to a county, city or district even though those contests receive far less statewide coverage. Official election information also provides a way to separate campaign claims from the procedural facts of the election. Candidate registration, campaign finance information, ballot measures, election deadlines and voting instructions can be checked through government election records rather than relying exclusively on advertisements, mail-

ers, social media posts or campaign messaging. With Tuesday’s filing deadline now passed and Friday’s withdrawal deadline approaching for applicable candidates, Oregon is nearing the point when much of the November field will be established. Election offices will continue updating candidate information as filings are processed and remaining deadlines expire. For Oregon voters, the calendar now moves quickly. Registration closes October 13, ballots begin arriving in October and Election Day follows November 3. Between those dates is the period in which voters can determine exactly what will appear on their ballots, identify the candidates seeking authority to represent them and examine the available information about those candidates before making their decisions. The mechanics of the election are increasingly shifting from candidate filing to voter preparation. By the time ballots reach mailboxes, much of the administrative work determining who and what appears on them will already have been completed. The remaining work belongs to individual voters: becoming familiar with their ballot, reviewing reliable information about the people and measures appearing on it, and making their own decisions based on the records and information they consider relevant.

Drought Tightens Across Southern Oregon

while additional fires throughout southwestern Oregon have demonstrated the ability of dry vegetation to support rapid fire growth during periods of heat, low humidity and wind. Drought does not determine how an individual wildfire starts. Lightning remains a natural ignition source, while vehicles, equipment, electrical infrastructure and other human activity can produce accidental fires. Prolonged drought instead changes the environment surrounding an ignition. Grasses cure earlier, brush loses moisture, forest litter dries and woody fuels become increasingly receptive to combustion. Wind can then accelerate flames through dry vegetation and transport embers beyond established fire lines. Jackson and Josephine counties entered fire season on May 15, placing the region under seasonal restrictions unusually early. By late August, vegetation had experienced more than three months of continued summer drying following a winter already deficient in stored mountain moisture. The statewide magnitude of the fire season can affect Southern Oregon even when Oregon's largest incidents are burning elsewhere. Wildfire response depends upon local departments, the Oregon Department of Forestry, the Oregon State Fire Marshal, federal agencies, contractors and

interstate resource agreements. During periods of extensive fire activity, aircraft, engines, hand crews and specialized incident management personnel can already be assigned to other fires when a new incident begins. Waterways are experiencing separate consequences from the drought. Reduced streamflow can allow water temperatures to increase more rapidly during hot weather, creating additional stress for cold water fish and aquatic habitat. The Rogue River and its tributaries support salmon, steelhead and other species that depend upon adequate

flows, suitable temperatures and access to colder sections of waterways during summer. The region's water deficit will not necessarily disappear when autumn rainfall returns. Reservoirs ending summer with depleted storage require substantial precipitation and runoff to recover, while groundwater systems may recharge more slowly. Several periods of rain can reduce immediate wildfire danger without restoring the volume of water lost during an exceptionally dry year. Winter snowfall will therefore become an important measure of Southern Oregon's recovery. Total precipitation matters, but mountain snow provides water differently from rainfall by remaining stored at elevation before gradually melting during spring and early summer. A wet winter dominated by rain can produce considerable precipitation without rebuilding the natural snow reservoir needed during the following dry season. Wildfire danger also remains active beyond August. Oregon's fire seasons are determined by weather, vegetation and fuel conditions rather than a fixed calendar date. Cooler nights and isolated rainfall can temporarily moderate fire behavior, but sustained moisture is required before larger fuels and drought affected soils begin recovering. Josephine and Jackson counties are entering

September with drought emergencies still active, diminished water supplies and vegetation that has endured months of drying. Oregon's statewide wildfire emergency remains in effect as fire agencies continue suppression operations and prepare for additional starts. The final scale of the 2026 drought will become clearer after summer water use, agricultural impacts, reservoir levels, streamflows and wildfire acreage are fully calculated. Several measurements are already established. Southern Oregon began the warm season following an exceptionally poor snow year, Josephine County experienced one of its driest January through July periods in more than a century of records, both Josephine and Jackson counties reached drought emergency conditions, and Oregon surpassed its previous modern record for wildfire acreage before the end of August. How quickly Southern Oregon recovers will depend upon sustained autumn precipitation, winter temperatures, mountain snowfall and the amount of water ultimately carried into rivers, reservoirs and groundwater systems next spring. Until those supplies begin rebuilding, the region remains under the cumulative effects of a drought that began months before summer and a wildfire season that has already established a new statewide benchmark.

Teen Faces Long Recovery After Severe Injury in Illinois River Bridge Jump From page 1 while beginning an independent life at 18. He had recently moved into his own residence and acquired a company van as his window-cleaning operation expanded. The sudden injury has interrupted his ability to work while creating medical, rehabilitation and everyday living expenses. A fundraiser established August 20 has set a $50,000 goal to assist with hospitalization, rehabilitation, medical equipment and continuing expenses during his recovery. Donations began accumulating rapidly as information about the accident spread

throughout the Rogue Valley and Illinois Valley. Clevenger also has longstanding connections with the McPartland family and the Volt Foundation. He grew up alongside Liam McPartland, who died in 2025 after being struck by a motorcyclist. The foundation subsequently established in Liam's memory supports young people pursuing entrepreneurship, college and vocational education. Clevenger previously received an entrepreneurship award through the organization, which has now contributed matching financial assistance toward his recovery.

The August 19 emergency response involved Illinois Valley Fire District, American Medical Response and Mercy Flights. While Josephine County Search and Rescue frequently responds to wilderness, river and technical rescue emergencies throughout the county, publicly available information has not confirmed that Search and Rescue participated in Clevenger's rescue. No separate Josephine County Sheriff's Office release detailing the incident has been located. The Swinging Bridge near McCaleb Ranch is a pedestrian suspension bridge spanning the

Illinois River in the Selma area. River levels were reported to be low when the accident occurred, although no responding agency has publicly established that water depth caused or contributed to Clevenger's injuries. For Clevenger, the immediate emergency has now shifted from rescue and surgery to rehabilitation. The extent of neurological recovery following his spinal cord injury remains undetermined, leaving his future mobility dependent upon the progression of his recovery and continuing medical evaluation.

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNEWednesday, May 6, 2026

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

POLITICS Campaign Signs Return Across Josephine County as City, County and State Rules Govern Where and When They May Appear By John Oliver Campaign signs are becoming increasingly visible throughout Josephine County as the November 3 General Election approaches, appearing on residential properties, commercial parcels and heavily traveled corridors throughout Grants Pass and surrounding communities. Signs bearing the names of candidates including John West, Chad Hansen and Dwayne Yunker have been visible in portions of the county during the past week and, in some locations, reportedly longer, placing public attention on the collection of city and state regulations governing political signs during an election year. The rules are not controlled by a single statewide date, and the legality of a particular sign cannot be determined simply by counting the number of days remaining before the election. Where the sign stands, who owns the property, which government controls the adjoining roadway, the size and construction of the sign and the length of time it has been displayed can all determine which regulation applies. Within the Grants Pass city limits, temporary political signs are permitted beginning 11 weeks before an election. With Oregon's General Election scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, the city's authorized period began Tuesday, August 18. Temporary political signs governed by that provision may remain through the election but must be removed no later than one week afterward. The calendar provides a straightforward measurement for signs within the city's jurisdiction. A qualifying political sign erected August 18 or afterward satisfies the city's timing requirement. A sign erected August 16 would have preceded the authorized period by two days. For signs reported to have been displayed for seven to 10 days as of Wednesday, August 26, the actual erection date becomes necessary before determining whether the city's timing provision was violated. Seven days before publication reaches approximately August 19, while 10 days reaches approximately August 16. Grants Pass municipal code provides enforcement authority for political signs erected before the authorized period. City employees may remove and dispose of temporary political signs erected earlier than 11 weeks before the applicable election, and the same removal authority applies to signs remaining beyond the permitted period following the election. The city's political sign provision does not establish an automatic $1,000 daily monetary penalty for premature placement. The potential $1,000 daily civil penalty comes from a different body of Oregon law governing outdoor advertising and ODOT enforcement. Combining that state penalty with the Grants Pass 11 week timing provision would incorrectly calculate a fine that the municipal political sign regulation itself does not impose. Political signs within Grants Pass are also governed by placement requirements independent of the August 18 opening date. Temporary political signs are required to remain behind sidewalks and cannot extend onto or over public property or public right of way. Additional restrictions can apply according to the dimensions of a sign, the zoning of the property and whether the installation falls within provisions governing larger signs. The Grants Pass 11 week requirement applies within the city's jurisdiction and should not be treated as a countywide prohibition covering every property in Josephine County. Unincorporated areas are subject to the regulations applicable to those locations, while state requirements become particularly significant around highways and property

controlled by the Oregon Department of Transportation. One of the most frequently misunderstood state provisions involves the 60 day limitation applicable to certain temporary signs. Because September 4 falls exactly 60 days before the November 3 General Election, the date can easily be interpreted as the statewide beginning of campaign sign season. Oregon law does not establish September 4 as a universal first day for political signs. The state provision instead concerns an exemption from certain outdoor advertising permit requirements. A qualifying temporary sign on private property generally cannot exceed 12 square feet, cannot be mounted on a permanent base, cannot involve compensation or something of value being exchanged for displaying the sign and ordinarily cannot remain displayed for more than 60 days during a calendar year. Oregon law separately provides an exception for temporary signs erected by residents on their own residential property, allowing those signs to remain longer than the general 60 day period. A political yard sign displayed on private residential property before September 4 therefore does not become an ODOT violation solely because it appeared more than 60 days before Election Day. Determining compliance requires examination of the particular sign, property and statutory exemption rather than treating September 4 as a statewide starting date that Oregon law does not establish. State highway right of way is governed far more restrictively. Political campaign signs are not permitted within ODOT highway right of way, regardless of when they are erected. The prohibition applies throughout the election season and is independent of the 60 day temporary sign provision governing qualifying signs on private property. Determining whether a roadside campaign sign actually occupies state right of way can require more than measuring its distance from the pavement. ODOT property boundaries vary considerably and can include shoulders, drainage areas and adjoining ground beyond the visible roadway. In some locations, state highway right of way can extend 200 feet or more beyond the pavement. A sign that appears to have been positioned safely away from traffic can consequently remain within property controlled by ODOT. State law provides substantial enforcement authority when an actual violation of the Motorist Information Act is established. Civil penalties can

reach $1,000 per day for each violation. At the maximum statutory amount, a single qualifying violation continuing for 10 days could result in potential civil penalties reaching $10,000. Multiple independently established violations could increase the potential amount, although the existence of several campaign signs does not automatically establish several violations or an automatic maximum penalty. The $10,000 figure represents potential maximum exposure for one qualifying violation continuing for 10 days. It is not an automatic fine assessed whenever an improperly placed sign is discovered. ODOT applies established enforcement procedures and criteria, and the circumstances surrounding the violation must be determined before an actual civil penalty can be calculated. ODOT also possesses authority to remove prohibited signs from state highway right of way. Unauthorized signs in highway right of way may be treated as a public nuisance, and applicable removal and storage expenses can become the responsibility of the sign owner. Other noncompliant signs governed by state law may involve notice procedures that provide an identifiable owner with an opportunity to correct the violation, remove the sign or request a hearing. The appearance of a candidate's name on a sign is not sufficient by itself to establish personal responsibility for its placement. Campaign signs can be erected by candidates, campaign organizations, volunteers, supporters or participating property owners. Establishing a violation involving any sign bearing the name of West, Hansen, Yunker or another candidate requires documentation of its location and the regulation governing that location, while attributing responsibility for the placement requires additional evidence identifying the responsible person or organization. Those requirements leave government agencies with factual measurements available for determining compliance. An erection date can establish whether a sign inside Grants Pass preceded the August 18 opening. Property boundaries can establish whether a sign occupies private or public land. Transportation records can identify whether a roadway is controlled by the city, county or state. Measurements can establish whether a sign complies with applicable dimensional requirements, while ODOT right of way records can determine whether a roadside location falls within state property. For signs that have reportedly been displayed for approximately 10 days as of August 26, the

location becomes particularly significant. A temporary political sign governed by the Grants Pass ordinance and continuously displayed since approximately August 16 would have been erected about two days before the city's authorized period began. The city's political sign regulation allows premature signs to be removed and disposed of but does not provide the $1,000 per day ODOT penalty as punishment for those two premature days. A sign displayed for the same 10 day period on private property outside the Grants Pass jurisdiction cannot be declared unlawful merely because it appeared August 16. The regulations governing that particular property must first be identified. Likewise, a qualifying residential political sign cannot be declared illegal under ODOT regulations simply because it appeared before September 4. A campaign sign placed within state highway right of way presents a separate enforcement question because its location, rather than an election countdown, creates the potential violation. If such a violation continued for 10 days and qualified for the maximum civil penalty authorized under applicable state law, potential exposure could reach $10,000 for that violation. Actual assessment remains an enforcement determination for ODOT and cannot be calculated solely from the number of days a sign has been visible. The regulatory framework applies without regard to the candidate whose name appears on the sign. West, Hansen, Yunker and every other candidate participating in the 2026 election are governed by the same municipal and state provisions when those provisions apply to their campaign advertising. Establishing whether any particular sign violates those requirements requires the same documentation and enforcement process regardless of political affiliation, incumbency, previous office or electoral history. Residents encountering campaign signs before the November election are therefore looking at several different regulatory systems operating simultaneously rather than one statewide political sign rule. August 18 controls the opening of the temporary political sign period within Grants Pass. September 4 marks 60 days before the General Election but does not function as Oregon's statewide opening date for campaign signs. ODOT prohibits political signs within state highway right of way regardless of the election calendar, while qualifying temporary signs on private property are governed by separate provisions and exemptions. The financial consequences also depend upon which law has actually been violated. A premature sign governed by the Grants Pass political sign ordinance is subject to the city's removal provisions rather than an automatic $1,000 daily assessment. An established violation falling under Oregon's Motorist Information Act can carry a civil penalty reaching $1,000 per day per violation, making the theoretical maximum for one continuing 10 day violation $10,000. With more campaign advertising expected throughout Josephine County as November 3 approaches, accurate enforcement depends upon identifying the location and jurisdiction of each disputed sign before assigning a violation or calculating a penalty. The applicable rules already provide dates, placement restrictions, right of way prohibitions, removal authority and, under qualifying state violations, potentially substantial civil penalties. Applying those provisions consistently requires the same factual determination for every candidate and every campaign sign appearing throughout Josephine County during the 2026 election season.

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

NATIONAL Multiple Adults and Children Killed in Shooting and Fire at Montana Home By Charles Hudson BILLINGS, Mont. — Multiple adults and children were killed Sunday evening in a shooting at a Billings home that became engulfed in flames while police and firefighters were responding, leaving Montana authorities with a multiple homicide investigation and a residence extensively damaged by fire. The incident began at approximately 6:01 p.m. August 23 at 315 White Star Circle on the western side of Billings. Emergency dispatchers received a 911 call reporting a shooting, and gunfire could be heard in the background. Authorities have described the circumstances preceding the shooting as a family disturbance but have not disclosed what caused the confrontation or identified the relationships among those involved. The first Billings police officer arrived at approximately 6:12 p.m. Additional gunfire was reported from behind the residence, and smoke became visible about three minutes later. Firefighters could not immediately approach the house while the shooting scene remained unsecured, allowing the fire to spread before crews could fully begin suppression operations. Firefighters also encountered limited access to water because an immediately available municipal hydrant was not present at the property. Water was transported to the scene by truck, and crews ultimately prevented the flames from spreading to neighboring homes. The residence was destroyed, while surrounding properties sustained some heat damage. Authorities located a male outside the

residence suffering from an apparently self inflicted gunshot wound. He was transported to a hospital at approximately 6:48 p.m. and later died. Investigators believe he was responsible for the shootings. No additional suspect is being sought, and the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office has said there is no continuing threat to the public. Interim Yellowstone County Sheriff Kent O'Donnell has confirmed that multiple adults and multiple children died. Investigators have identified the people involved, including the suspected shooter, but authorities had not publicly released the official number of victims,

their names or their ages as of Tuesday morning. The Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office is leading the investigation with assistance from Billings police, Montana Highway Patrol, Montana State University Billings Police, Billings Fire Department, Airport Fire, Laurel Fire Department and personnel from neighboring counties. Investigators have not publicly established a motive or determined the cause of the fire. Authorities also have not said whether the blaze was deliberately started or how its origin relates to the sequence of shootings. The extensive fire damage is requiring investigators to examine

the property while separately determining how the victims died and how the fire began. Federal participation has not been publicly confirmed. As of Tuesday morning, neither the FBI nor the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had publicly announced involvement in the White Star Circle investigation. Local and Montana authorities remain publicly identified as the agencies handling the case. Additional information is expected from Yellowstone County authorities Wednesday, August 26. The next release could provide the official death toll, victim identities and further information about the suspected shooter and the circumstances surrounding the killings. The Montana investigation follows another multiple homicide discovered Saturday outside Forest Grove, Oregon. Washington County authorities identified five people killed at a rural property as Mary Elizabeth Kimsey, 85, Rowan Karla Kimsey, 60, Stella Jade Kimsey, 26, Linsey Mae Haraldsen, 26, and Alvin Raymond Chu, 27. Authorities identified Benjamin Charles Parker, 36, as the suspect. Parker was later found dead inside his vehicle in Enumclaw, Washington, in what investigators believe was a suicide. Authorities have established no connection between the Oregon and Montana cases. Both investigations involve multiple deaths at residential properties, fire associated with the crime scenes and suspected perpetrators who were subsequently found dead or mortally wounded from apparently self-inflicted injuries. The cases remain separate investigations involving different jurisdictions, victims and circumstances.

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

COMMUNITY GRANTS PASS WEATHER 5 DAY OUTLOOK SOURCE: WEATHER.COM

WEDNESDAY

Mostly sunny 92/57

THURSDAY

Mostly sunny 88/53

FRIDAY

Hundreds of Cyclists Headed for Grants Pass and Jacksonville as Cycle Oregon Rally Arrives Friday By John Oliver Four days from now, hundreds of cyclists will begin arriving in Southern Oregon for five days of riding through Rogue River country, the Siskiyou foothills and the vineyards and rural backroads of the Applegate Valley as the 2026 Cycle Oregon Rally makes Grants Pass and Jacksonville its home. The statewide cycling event begins Friday, August 28, and continues through September 2, establishing dual basecamps in Grants Pass and Jacksonville while sending riders onto a changing collection of paved country roads and gravel routes throughout the surrounding region. The format combines long days of cycling with meals, entertainment and evening activities at camp, bringing together riders, volunteers, event staff and the communities through which the routes travel. For residents accustomed to seeing bicycles along Southern Oregon’s rural highways and backroads, Rally will bring considerably more activity than the typical late-summer ride. The event is expected to attract hundreds of cyclists, with participants departing from the two basecamp communities and traveling routes selected to showcase the region’s rivers, foothills, agricultural areas and vineyard country. This is not a race, and there will be no sprint for a finish-line trophy. Rally is organized as a noncompetitive bicycle tour, giving participants multiple daily route choices and allowing them to travel at their own pace. Some routes will follow paved country lanes, while others will take riders onto gravel backroads, creating different experiences across the five days. The landscape itself is a major part of the itinerary. Cycle Oregon says the 2026 routes will wind through the Siskiyou foothills, quiet river corridors and rolling vineyards of the Applegate Valley. Riders are

encouraged to spend time in the communities along the routes, visit local businesses and experience the places they are traveling through rather than treating them simply as mileage between the morning departure and evening return. “Every ride we design is rooted in a bigger purpose: connecting cyclists directly to the culture, history, and people of Oregon’s unique towns,” Cycle Oregon Event Director Ashley Lance said. “Bringing Rally 2026 to both Grants Pass and Jacksonville gives our riders an incredible dual-basecamp experience — from the banks of the Rogue River to the historic charm of the Applegate Valley.” Keeping hundreds of cyclists moving across multiple routes requires an operation extending well beyond the bicycles themselves. Cycle Oregon will provide full on-course support throughout Rally, backed by staff members and volunteers. Catered meals and live entertainment are included in the event, while the basecamps provide central gathering places where participants can return after completing their daily routes. The choice of Grants Pass and Jacksonville gives Rally two communities with distinctly different settings while keeping participants within the broader Rogue and Applegate valleys. Between them are stretches of Southern Oregon characterized by river country, farms, vineyards, forested foothills and rural roads that can change dramatically within a relatively short distance. Those surroundings will provide the backdrop for an event with roots extending back nearly four decades. Cycle Oregon held its inaugural ride in 1988 and has since developed cycling events around a broader nonprofit mission involving bicycle access, youth education and community investment. The organiza-

tion reports that 397 community grants totaling more than $3.6 million have been awarded during its history. The Cycle Oregon Foundation now directs the philanthropic portion of that work, supporting youth bicycle education, infrastructure and community projects around the state. “Our work goes far beyond the bike ride this week. Through youth bike education, statewide advocacy, and direct community grants, Cycle Oregon exists to reinvest in the places that welcome us,” Executive Director Steve Schulz said. “There’s so much exciting momentum for cycling across Southern Oregon right now, and we’re honored to be a part of it.” The organization operates as a 501(c) (3) nonprofit and describes its broader work as expanding access to bicycles, supporting youth education and funding local projects. Its signature events provide the most visible portion of that mission, bringing groups of cyclists into different regions of Oregon and building routes around the landscapes and communities found there. Beginning Friday, that statewide tradition will be centered squarely in Southern Oregon. For five days, riders will move between river corridors, vineyard country and foothill roads before returning to the Rally basecamps. Grants Pass and Jacksonville will become the anchors for an event designed to put cyclists directly into the communities and landscapes they came to experience. By September 2, participants will have covered miles of Southern Oregon pavement and gravel without a race clock determining the winner. Rally is built around something different: five days, two Southern Oregon basecamps and hundreds of bicycles traveling through one of the most geographically varied corners of the state.

Mostly sunny 88/53

SATURDAY Sunny 84/50

SUNDAY Mostly sunny 91/53

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

TAKE A BREAK

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

August 24, 2

August 24, 2026 Pos

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

CANDIDATE INTERVIEW

Susan Fischer-Maki Makes Her Case for House District 3 By John Oliver As Oregon’s 2026 general election approaches, voters in House District 3 are weighing not only the candidates seeking to represent them in Salem, but the priorities, governing philosophies and specific commitments those candidates would carry into the Oregon Legislature. The Grants Pass Tribune invited candidate Susan Maki to address a series of detailed questions focused specifically on Josephine County and the issues confronting House District 3. The interview covers political independence, government accountability, affordability, homelessness and addiction, economic development, wildfire preparedness, homeowners insurance, rural representation and the measurable results Maki believes voters should expect if she is elected. Rather than limiting the discussion to campaign themes, the Tribune’s questions asked Maki to explain where she would stand when the interests of her district conflict with those of her political party, what she believes state government can realistically accomplish, and how voters should evaluate her performance after a first term. The following questions are presented as submitted by the Grants Pass Tribune. Maki’s answers are presented in full, with only minor corrections to grammar and punctuation for publication. Her positions, arguments and substantive responses have not been altered. Grants Pass Tribune: You are asking the voters of Oregon House District 3 to place their trust in you and send you to Salem as their state representative. What motivated you to seek this office, what do you believe is currently missing from the district's representation, and what do you believe you can accomplish for Josephine County that is not being accomplished today? Fischer-Maki: Most of life isn't political. It's getting the kids to school, caring for aging parents, building a life in a place you love. And the truth is, the system isn’t working for us. I am going to Salem to demand better for Josephine County. I've spent my career on the other side of that counter. I started as a home visitor, sitting in living rooms with new parents. I've owned two small businesses, taught at Rogue Community College, and served on the Three Rivers School Board. For the last four years I've run a consulting practice that local governments, state agencies, and nonprofits hire to make their systems work better for the people they serve. By the time a bill reaches the House floor, most of the real work is already finished. The decisions that matter happen earlier, while budgets are being drafted, while language is being negotiated, while an agency is writing the rules that determine who actually qualifies for something. Josephine County needs someone in those rooms. Over fifteen years I've built relationships with legislators and with the agencies that decide how money and programs reach communities like ours. What's missing today isn't access to Salem. It's someone with the

standing to use it on our behalf, and I am running to do just that. I will look closely at what happens to a dollar between the day the Legislature appropriates it and the day it reaches a person in Josephine County. That's money our community never sees, and it isn't a partisan issue. It's a competence issue. Constituent service will be my team's highest priority. When a resident, a small business, a nonprofit, or a local government hits a wall with a state agency, they should have a representative who picks up the phone and helps. And that means all of House District 3. When I say House District 3, I mean Grants Pass, Williams, Cave Junction, and the Illinois Valley, including the communities that hardly ever get named in Salem at all, like Selma and Takilma. Grants Pass is the largest city in this district, but it is not the whole district. Grants Pass Tribune: What fundamental principles and values would guide your decisions as a state representative? Are there principles or positions on which you would be unwilling to compromise, even when facing pressure from your political party, legislative leadership, special interests or other influential organizations? Fischer-Maki: My principles are simple: tell the truth and remember who I work for. Everything else follows from that. Let me be direct about the pressure this question is asking about. I'm a Democrat, and I'll be walking into a building where my party holds the majority. The pressure to fall in line is real, and it comes from people who can make the job easier or harder. I would never vote for something I believed would harm House District 3 because my party or legislative leadership wanted my vote. If that makes the work harder, then the work will be harder. I've already lived this on the record. This spring, when a petition came forward to let individual property owners withdraw from the Josephine Community Library District, I went to the Board of Commissioners and said publicly that it shouldn't be granted. Letting people opt out one parcel at a time isn't really about books. It's a precedent that could impact our fire and community college districts next. There is one additional principle I want to be especially clear about. This campaign has carried the same idea from the beginning: for women, by women. I will always stand up for the health, safety, dignity, and freedom of women. That means protecting a woman's ability to make her own healthcare decisions. It also means the unglamorous things that decide whether women can work and raise families here, like childcare that is high quality and close to home, and real support for the people caring for aging parents, which in this district is very often a daughter. I won't agree with every person I represent, and they won't always agree with me. What I owe them is the truth about where I stand, why I decided what I decided, and who I was thinking about when I did.

Grants Pass Tribune: Josephine County has historically leaned politically conservative, while you are seeking office as a Democrat. If the priorities of Democratic leadership in Salem were to conflict with what you believed was in the best interest of the residents of House District 3, how would you approach that disagreement, and where would your responsibility to your district stand in relation to your responsibility to your party? Fischer-Maki: Josephine County comes first. I'm a Democrat and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. I'm also running to represent everyone in House District 3, including the people who won't vote for me and the people who disagree with me. That isn't a difficult position to hold. It's the job. It's fair to say plainly that the majority in Salem is typically too focused on the Portland metro area, and that policies built for a large city don't usually fit here. When that happens, I'll say so, argue for something different, and vote against my own party when that's what serving this district requires. None of that is theoretical for me. When the state eliminated the county commissions on children and families and ordered Josephine and Jackson counties to merge into one regional structure, I was at the front of that room. Two counties, very different politics, and a real risk that the smaller one would simply be absorbed. In the end, Josephine County had an equal share of seats on the governance council and our programs maintained their funding. When you put the people being served at the center of the room, you'd be surprised how often the politics fade into the background in the interest of getting things done. I don't think independence should be measured by how often a legislator votes no. It should be measured by what they get accom-

plished for the people they have been elected to serve. That's where being in the majority matters for this district, and not as a question of loyalty. It's proximity. In the majority, you argue while a bill is still being written. In the minority, you mostly object after it's finished. My job wouldn't be to bring Salem's priorities home to Josephine County. It would be to bring Josephine County's priorities to Salem, and to come back with something to show for it. Grants Pass Tribune: Government accountability and public trust have been identified as priorities of your campaign. Where do you believe Oregon state government is currently falling short in accountability, transparency or responsiveness, and what specific reforms or legislative actions would you support to improve the relationship between state government and the people it serves? Fischer-Maki: Accountability starts with me. Trust isn't a message. It's built on three things: character, competence, and communication. I've been measured against that standard as a parent, as a business owner, and as the person people call when a system isn't working for them. I intend to be measured against it in Salem. So you should be able to reach your representative. It certainly shouldn't matter how you voted. A representative who only answers the people who already agree with them isn't representing a district. They're maintaining a mailing list. The same standard should apply to state government, and right now it doesn't. We measure the wrong things: how much was spent, how many meetings were held, how many peo-

CONTINUED >>

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

ple were served. Almost never the question that matters, which is whether it worked. There are three things I'd push to change. Report results on a schedule communities can use. An annual report landing eighteen months after the fact tells you what happened to people you can no longer help. Stop making people do the state's homework. Agencies routinely ask communities to report information the state already holds, the same numbers collected twice, by people who could have spent those hours serving somebody. That isn't transparency. Transparency is when the government does that work and hands you the answer. Make it possible for people here to be heard. Testifying in Salem means being available during a specific committee window on a specific weekday. The people most affected by a bill are usually the least able to take a Tuesday off and drive four hours. A good part of my career has been spent teaching people how their own government works. A door that's technically open isn't worth much if nobody has told you where it is.

the Spalding Industrial Park. These are bipartisan wins, and I'll say plainly that Representative Dwayne Yunker deserves credit for his part in bringing those resources home. When something is good for Josephine County, I don't care whose name is on it. Homeowners insurance is now an affordability problem as much as a wildfire problem. The Grants Pass Fire Department is working toward an ISO Class 1 rating, one that no community in Oregon has held. Right now a department can do everything right and a homeowner still won't see it reflected on their bill. I'd work on closing that gap.

Grants Pass Tribune: The cost of housing, utilities, insurance, groceries, transportation, taxes and other necessities continues to place financial pressure on working families, seniors and small businesses. What actions do you believe the Oregon Legislature can realistically take to improve affordability and economic stability without creating additional financial burdens for residents and employers?

Fischer-Maki: Josephine County understands its own challenges better than Salem does. My job would be to bring the resources home, back the people already doing the work, insist we measure whether anyone is actually reaching stability, and then let a community that has been solving hard problems without much help get on with it. I don't believe we have to choose between compassion and accountability. We can help someone struggling with addiction, mental illness, or homelessness and still expect people to follow the law and respect the safety of everyone around them. Oregon also has to be willing to learn from its mistakes. I disagreed with Measure 110, and its implementation did real damage to communities like ours. Decriminalizing hard drugs before the state had anything close to the treatment capacity to back it up was the wrong way to get there. Good intentions aren't enough. Policy has to work in the real world. We also need to stop treating homelessness, addiction, behavioral health, and criminal behavior as if they're one thing. Being homeless is not a crime. At the same time, addiction or homelessness cannot excuse violence, theft, or behavior that makes public spaces unsafe for everyone else. The question asks about personal responsibility, and I'll answer it directly. Recovery isn't something the state can do to a person. Treatment works when someone participates in it, and no amount of funding replaces that decision. What government can do is make sure the door is open on the day someone is finally ready to walk through it, because the cruelest thing we do right now is tell a person who has decided to get help that there's a waiting list. Accountability runs the other direction too. If someone is committing crimes, the consequence should be real, whether or not they're sick. The state's job is stable funding for behavioral health, addiction treatment, recovery services, and housing, and then getting those resources to this community and getting out of the way. Where Salem consistently fails is implementation. We have to move at the pace of communities. That freedom carries an obligation on our end, and I'll say it plainly: it only works if our local leaders are willing and able to take the resources, manage them, and answer for what happens next. It isn't enough for the state to offer. We have to be ready to say yes and then deliver. But law enforcement cannot be our behavioral health system, and we shouldn't keep asking officers to be the last resort for a problem that started somewhere else.

Fischer-Maki: I hear from voters every day how the cost of living is hitting people in Josephine County right now. Seniors are being priced out of the places they live and are having to make painful decisions at a time they deserve to be enjoying life. Our median household income is around $59,700, against roughly $85,200 statewide. I'm a small-business owner raising a family here and helping my parents age here, so I understand the urgency. The Legislature cannot vote to make groceries or lumber cheaper. What it can do is stop making life unnecessarily more expensive, and go after the costs state policy actually touches. The question I'll ask about every bill is simple: what will this cost a household, a small business, or a small provider in Josephine County, and does anyone in the building know the answer? This is one area where I agree with Republican leaders. Our days of asking for more need to be over, and we need to make state revenue go farther. Utilities deserve their own mention, because the reason costs are climbing isn't obvious. A significant share of what it costs to build energy projects in this state has been covered by federal tax credits, and those credits are ending. When that support disappears, the cost lands in rates. We also have to stop writing policy as though everyone is thirty-five and commuting. Josephine County's median age is 46, against about 41 statewide, and close to a third of the people here are on Medicare. It means a fixed income meeting a rising property tax bill, and Oregon's main tool for that is a deferral program that puts a lien on your house, which for a lot of people isn't relief. It's a trade against what they hoped to leave their kids. It means prescription costs, where Oregon created a Prescription Drug Affordability Board and then never gave it the authority to finish the job. And it means getting to a medical appointment when you no longer drive. Housing and infrastructure are where the state can make the most direct difference, and we've seen it here. State investment helped move the Allenwood Village housing development forward and extended the sewer serving

Grants Pass Tribune: Josephine County continues to confront difficult and interconnected issues involving homelessness, addiction, behavioral health, crime, public safety and limited government resources. What role should state government play in addressing these challenges, what responsibilities should remain with local government, and how should personal responsibility factor into the policies Oregon adopts?

We should also be honest about what counts as evidence. Numbers matter. So does what a shelter worker sees at two in the morning, and what the person being served says about whether it actually helped. The people who could tell us what's working here are already here, doing it. We should be asking them. Grants Pass Tribune: Economic development and workforce training are among the issues you have emphasized during your campaign. What types of industries, employment opportunities and investments would you like to see developed or expanded in Josephine County, and what could you accomplish as a state representative to help existing businesses grow, attract new employers and create opportunities that encourage younger residents to build their futures here? Fischer-Maki: Josephine County shouldn't be waiting for one big employer to arrive and transform our economy. We should be building on the strengths we already have, and making it possible for new businesses to grow here. We're starting from behind. Our unemployment rate was around 8 percent early this year, against roughly 5 percent statewide. Closing it will take more than optimism. It requires places to live, places to build, and infrastructure in the ground. State investment works when it shows up. We've watched it here, in housing like Hillcrest Veterans Village, Nebraska Trail, and Allen Creek Crossing. What I can do as a representative is advocate for infrastructure dollars and help our cities, our county, and our developers get projects through Business Oregon and the land use and transportation agencies, so that a good project doesn't die waiting in a queue. I see real potential in an outdoor recreation economy that goes well past tourism. SOTAR shows what our rivers can support: recreation and manufacturing in the same town. I believe we have the opportunity to be the premier place in Oregon for people with disabilities and for seniors to enjoy everything this landscape offers, and that's the benchmark I'd hold all of it to. The workforce has to be part of this. The Allied Health training center at the Redwood Campus is exactly the model: local training for jobs that exist here. I'm also concerned that our regional Small Business Development Center lost its home at RCC when state funding didn't keep pace. A business owner with a question needs somewhere to walk in. This community has already done the planning. The vision and the implementation plans already exist. Your representative's job is not to arrive with a new one. It's to listen to what people here have already decided they want, then open the pathways and clear the barriers so it can happen. The challenge in Josephine County has never been a shortage of assets. It's turning those assets into businesses, into careers, and into reasons for our kids to picture a future for themselves right here. Grants Pass Tribune: Wildfire, emergency preparedness, forest management and the availability and affordability of homeowners insurance have become increasingly important concerns throughout Southern Oregon. What policies would you support to reduce wildfire risk, improve forest health, strengthen emergency response and protect homeowners while respecting private property rights and the economic realities facing rural communities? Fischer-Maki: Wildfire, forest health, emergency preparedness, and homeowners insurance are not four separate problems. They're one system, and

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

we've been paying for it at the most expensive end. Almost everything that determines how a fire season goes here is decided before a fire starts. The fire map fight is over, and I think ending it was right. But repealing something is not the same as fixing it. What replaced the map is a model defensible space code the State Fire Marshal finished this May, which cities, counties, and fire districts may adopt if they choose. And the promise that came with the repeal, that insurers would start recognizing the work property owners do, has not been delivered. That's the unfinished business I'd take to Salem. On the land itself, I support sustained investment in fuels reduction and forest restoration rather than emergency spending after the fact. That work should include the knowledge of the tribes whose people have tended this landscape far longer than Oregon has existed. That work also got harder this year. The federal Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, one of the few funding sources dedicated to work done before a disaster rather than after, has been eliminated. That is exactly backwards from where the money should be going. Here's the piece I'd fight for hardest, because I don't think anyone else is talking about it. Fire is a science, and we can teach it here. An associate-level fire program at Rogue Community College, built alongside our prescribed burn associations and OSU Extension, would mean young people trained for year-round work in fuels crews, prescribed burning, defensible space assessment, and mitigation, instead of a seasonal job and a long drive. That is a workforce strategy, an economic development strategy, and a wildfire strategy in a single move. We also have to be honest about local capacity. What we don't have is OSU Extension forestry, the program that teaches a private woodland owner how to do this work on their own ground. If defensible space is voluntary now, then education and outreach to private landowners isn't a nice extra. It is the entire delivery system. We repealed the mandate and then let the thing that was supposed to replace it sit vacant. And homeowners, I hear you loud and clear. Telling a family they need several thousand dollars of work around their house isn't helpful if we don't give them a realistic way to pay for it. I'd rather put real money into defensible space assistance for the people least able to front it, especially seniors on fixed incomes and working families, than pass a requirement and call it done. I want mitigation efforts to count. If a homeowner clears their five feet and does everything asked, that should show up in what they pay. Right now it mostly doesn't. Grants Pass Tribune: Oregon is politically, economically and geographically diverse, and residents of Southern Oregon sometimes express concern that statewide policies are developed primarily around the priorities and circumstances of the Portland metropolitan area. Where do you believe state government may misunderstand the needs of Josephine County and rural Oregon, and what would you do as a legislator to ensure these communities have a meaningful voice in decisions made at the State Capitol? Fischer-Maki: I've spent more than twenty-five years working on the issues that decide whether individuals and families here can hold it together, including healthcare, childcare, family stability, and substance use. So when I say state decisions land differently in Josephine County, I'm not making a political argument. I've watched it happen to real people. For the last four years, my small business,

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Common Thread Consulting, has contracted with local governments, nonprofits, and state agencies including the Oregon Health Authority, the Department of Early Learning and Care, and Oregon's System of Care. I have never worked in state government. I've spent my career working with it, from the outside, on behalf of communities like this one. That is the job I'm asking for. Josephine County is not Portland, we don't want to be, and never will be. Our local governments run on smaller tax bases and fewer staff. Our infrastructure needs, our economy, and our housing market don't behave like metro areas. Here's what that means in real life. A kindergartner in this district can be standing at a bus stop before the sun comes up for an hour-long ride to school. A pediatric cancer diagnosis here can mean a forty-five-minute drive each way, over and over, to reach the right physician, which is only possible if you have reliable transportation. These and many other similar factors shape what's possible for individuals and families, and they are not being represented on our behalf right now in Salem. Take how Oregon pays for school buildings. The state's matching program requires a district to pass a local construction bond before it can access state dollars, which means the districts with the oldest buildings and the weakest tax base are the least able to qualify for help. House Bill 3014 (2025) would have created a $100 million facility fund that asked about a district's poverty rate, its property values, and its failed bond attempts instead of demanding a bond first. HB 3014 cleared its policy committee 5 to 1, with Republicans including Rep. Emily McIntire of Southern Oregon voting yes, but it died in Ways and Means without ever coming to a vote. If no one revives it before I get

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE there, it will be one of the first bills I introduce. Rural impact belongs in the conversation while a bill is being written, not discovered after it passes. I'll push for smaller communities to get real technical help, someone who picks up the phone and walks city and county staff through an application, instead of grant programs only a metro-sized staff can win. And I'll bring state agency leaders and legislators here, to stand in our communities and hear it from the people who live here. I'll also work with rural legislators regardless of party. Eastern Oregon, the coast, the Columbia River Gorge, and Southern Oregon disagree on plenty, but we share the same practical problems. Grants Pass Tribune: If the voters of House District 3 elect you in November and the Grants Pass Tribune interviews you again near the conclusion of your first term, what three measurable accomplishments would you hope to identify as evidence that you fulfilled the commitments you made to Josephine County during this campaign? Fischer-Maki: When you and I sit down two years from now, I want to be able to show you three things, through both data and constituent feedback. First, an office this district trusts. By then we will have consistently answered the calls and emails that came in, and I'll be able to tell you how many and how quickly. We will have held regular public conversations in Grants Pass, Williams, Cave Junction, and the Illinois Valley. I'll report how many of those constituent service cases we took on and how many we resolved. Second, relationships that make this dis-

trict effective in Salem. Two years from now we will have brought our cities, our county, our school districts, our businesses and our nonprofits into the same room around a short list of shared priorities, and gone to Salem with unified asks. Josephine County should be known in that building as a place that shows up prepared. Third, results you can feel, and a record of having given credit where credit is due. State dollars brought home, with the amounts and the partners in those efforts, will be clearly listed on my official representative website. Bills moved, including the school facilities bill I said I'd reintroduce, and I'll tell you exactly how far it got and where it stopped. Where I only helped, I'll say that. And where I tried and came up short, you'll hear it from me before you hear it from anyone else. One more thing about results in a biennium this tight: sometimes the win will be that something didn't get cut. Protecting a program this district depends on is a real accomplishment, even though it never looks like one. Now the honest part, because I'd rather say it in August than explain it later. Medicaid work requirements take effect in January 2027, the month I'd be sworn in. Something like 200,000 Oregonians are projected to lose health coverage. Federal decisions are moving costs onto the state and cutting state revenue at the same time. So this is not a session for promising new programs. It's a session for protecting what works, ending what doesn't, and being extremely good at making the case for this district. Which is why the network matters more than the résumé. I won't be going to Salem alone. So when I'm in a room arguing for House District 3, I'm bringing firsthand evidence in-

13 stead of vague, outdated talking points. More than anything, I want to help restore some respect. We have the ability to disagree while still treating people with dignity, and to rebuild the relationship between this community and its government. If, after two years, people who didn't vote for me can say, "I may not agree with Susan on everything, but she showed up, listened, treated us with respect, and she worked hard for Josephine County," that would be worth being proud of. Maki’s responses place much of her campaign argument on constituent service, access to state decision-makers and the contention that Josephine County requires representation tailored to the economic, geographic and governmental realities of a rural district. Across the interview, she also identifies areas where she disagrees with past Oregon policy and makes clear that she considers representation of House District 3 a responsibility separate from allegiance to Democratic legislative leadership. The interview also establishes specific benchmarks against which those campaign commitments could eventually be measured. Maki identifies responsiveness to constituents, stronger coordination among Josephine County institutions, state resources secured for the district and progress on legislation among the results she would expect voters and the Tribune to examine if she serves a first term. For voters, the significance of a candidate interview rests not in agreement with every answer, but in having a detailed record of what a person seeking public office said before Election Day. Maki’s complete responses provide House District 3 voters with that record as they consider who they want representing Josephine County when the next Oregon Legislature convenes.