A group led by the chair of the Josephine County Republican Party is asking the county Board of Commissioners to repudiate an Oregon law dating from nearly 40 years ago that prohibits local authorities from cooperating with federal officials for immigration enforcement.

On Thursday, Interim Commissioner Colene Martin said she wishes Oregon weren’t a sanctuary state.

Grants Pass opened Southern Oregon Conference volleyball play with a 25-23, 25-14, 22-25, 25-18 win over Ashland on Thursday at Heater-Newman Memorial Gymnasium.

“It was a great match,” Grants Pass coach Ashley Gerard said. “It was so cool to see our girls come together and find success so consistently. We’re getting better and better every match.”

After last week’s column focused on a book by an author friend who lives some 3,000 miles away in Virginia, I figured it only fair to balance it this week by visiting with an author friend in the Rogue Valley.

That would be Central Point resident Mike Green, whose impressive book addresses a topic covering the breadth of our nation, both geographically as well as its 250 years of existence.

The all-volunteer Three Rivers Community Orchestra is looking for accomplished, intermediate to advanced musicians to join their ranks.

Musicians of all ages and backgrounds are welcome, from recently graduated high school seniors, to new folks moving to the area.

Rehearsals are held every Thursday, from September to May, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the band room at North Middle School in Grants Pass.