Enough of the gray haze.

For the first time this summer, the air in Cave Junction, Grants Pass and the Applegate Valley reached the unhealthy (red) level at the same time, as wildfire smoke hung in the air.

At 6 a.m. today, the air quality index from a monitor at Parkside Elementary School showed an air quality index of 181, following an average AQI of 155 on Monday. Those were nearly double the previous high in Grants Pass the past month. Read More »

Smoke has been drifting into the Rogue Valley for much of the last week, but finally enough was enough for local high school teams.

As the air quality fell into "unhealthy" levels per the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, practices were canceled around the valley for many high school programs.

At Grants Pass High, cross country worked in an early-morning workout, but the rest of the programs, including band, were told to move indoors or canceled all together. Read More »

Cleo Browner and Helen Homand, Grants Pass High School Class of '47, will breathe a sigh of relief Sunday afternoon.

The pair have planned almost every aspect of the upcoming 70th class reunion, having outlived many of their classmates who used to share the duties.

As recently as 2007, a committee of 12 planned the 60th reunion. Now that they're down to a committee of two, Browner and Homand have declared the 70th will be the last. Read More »

Heike Arnold won the Best of Show ribbon in the adult art show for her colored pencil drawing of a cowgirl, her dog and horse.

The painting also won the People's Choice vote.

In the youth art show, a graphite drawing of fish by Jessica Campbell won the Best of Show. The People's Choice Award went to Ryan Headly for "Mom and Grandmas."

Best of Class wasn't awarded for the youth show. Read More »