Grants Pass Tribune - Wed. December 3, 2025 by Grants Pass Tribune

FOR THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2025

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Grants Pass Prepares for a Full Evening of Celebration

Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony this Friday

By John Oliver Grants Pass is set to usher in the holiday season with one of its most cherished community traditions as the Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony arrives this Friday, December 5. What began decades ago as a simple gathering has grown into a signature seasonal event that brings thousands downtown to celebrate the start of winter, the close of the year and the shared sense of community that defines the city. Organizers expect this year’s event to be one of the most robust in recent memory, blending long-standing traditions with new attractions for families. The celebration will once again unfold in the center of downtown near Don’s Bike Center, transforming the area into a festive corridor filled with lights, music and holiday energy. Visitors arriving early will find the streets lined with local craft vendors offering handmade goods, winter art pieces and unique gift selections suited for holiday shoppers hoping to get a head start. The growing vendor presence has turned the tree lighting into a seasonal marketplace that supports small businesses while adding to the event’s cheerful atmosphere.

PHOTO BY JIM THOMPSON

Families can look forward to the return of horse-drawn carriage rides, which have become an annual favorite. The rides provide a nostalgic way to take in the decorated streets as dusk settles and the community gathers. Throughout the evening, live music from local performers will help set the tone for the celebration, adding warmth and familiarity as people make their way toward the central gathering area. A major highlight for children remains the

anticipated arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus. Their appearance offers families the chance to capture holiday photos and for young visitors to share their winter wishes. This year also introduces an activity designed specifically for younger children with the debut of a sock skating rink. Built on a polished wooden surface, the rink allows kids to glide and play in a safe, winter-themed space without the need for skates or special gear. The new fea-

ture is expected to draw steady crowds and provide an accessible, fun activity for children of all ages. The ceremony continues to be one of the most well-attended events of the year in Grants Pass. Residents from throughout the region and visitors from nearby towns typically fill the downtown streets, turning the evening into a citywide gathering. Local shops and restaurants often extend hours or prepare for increased foot traffic as attendees explore the area before and after the main event. The tree lighting also marks the start of downtown’s broader seasonal décor program, when winter lights and displays begin appearing across the corridor and remain throughout December. City officials encourage community members to plan to arrive early, bundle up and enjoy the full range of activities scheduled throughout the evening. Additional information, updates and event details are available through the city’s online platforms for those seeking schedules or guidance on navigating the festivities. As the countdown reaches its final days, the excitement surrounding Friday night’s ceremony continues to build. The Grants Pass Tree Lighting remains a unifying moment each year, offering residents a chance to gather in shared tradition, celebrate creativity and welcome the winter season together in the heart of their city.

Evictions Surge Across Oregon as Housing Instability Deepens Into a Statewide Crisis By John Oliver Oregon entered 2025 burdened by a housing crisis that has grown steadily more severe since the end of pandemic-era protections. Court records, housing agency data and independent research networks all show the same trend. Eviction filings are higher than they have been in more than a decade, the rate of renters entering the court system continues to climb and the crisis is touching every region of the state from Portland’s urban neighborhoods to the small towns and rural communities of Southern Oregon. Before the pandemic Oregon averaged just over fifteen hundred eviction cases per month. That level held relatively steady throughout 2019 and represented the state’s baseline for rental instability. Everything changed in 2020 when the state and federal governments enacted sweeping protections. For almost a year filings plunged to barely one hundred per month, offering temporary relief to thousands of tenants facing sudden job losses. As those protections expired through 2021 and into the summer of 2022, eviction activity rebounded at a pace that stunned housing researchers. Monthly filings climbed from roughly three hundred to nearly nineteen hundred within

sixteen months, a spike of more than five hundred percent. By 2023 Oregon Housing and Community Services reported that eviction cases had returned to and then exceeded pre pandemic levels. That year marked the highest annual total since 2011, signaling that the surge was not an isolated correction, but the beginning of a new era defined by chronic housing pressure. The pattern carried directly into 2024. Court data shows that Oregon landlords filed nearly twenty-seven thousand three hundred cases statewide, the highest

number on record. This amounted to almost twenty-three hundred filings per month, significantly above the 2019 statewide average. The first months of 2025 showed no indications that the trend is easing. By May statewide filings averaged roughly twenty-four hundred per month. Rising rents, stagnant wages, a shrinking supply of affordable units and the depletion of emergency rental assistance all fuel the upward pressure. Housing stability experts note that many tenants who avoided displacement during the pandemic years are now being swept into the

court system as temporary protections and relief programs expired. In practical terms one in roughly twenty-four renting households statewide now faces an eviction filing within a twelve month window. This is significantly worse than the pre pandemic ratio of roughly one in thirty-three renter households. The statewide pattern masks significant regional variation. The Portland metropolitan area records the highest volume of cases by far due to population size but also shows sharply elevated rates of filings per renter household. Between October 2023 and September 2024 Multnomah County alone recorded more than eleven thousand two hundred eviction filings. This represented an increase of nearly ninety percent over

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see HOUSING, page 5