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Joseph Rice Returns to Power While Project CARRIAGE’s Failure Still Haunts Josephine County By John Oliver In the steep, fire-prone terrain of Josephine County—where wildfire response can mean the difference between containment and catastrophe—an ambitious firefighting innovation once offered hope. That hope, named Project CARRIAGE, promised to revolutionize aerial fire suppression through a new collapsible water tank system for military-grade Blackhawk helicopters. It was pitched as a high-priority initiative backed by both private and public investment, job creation, and future government contracts. Instead, it became a glaring symbol of squandered public funds, broken promises, and political reinvention. At the center of it all stands Joseph Rice—a man whose resume now includes leading a failed business venture, weathering intra-party scandals, and most recently, being reappointed Chair of the Josephine County Republican Central Committee. In a stunning twist, Rice was also recently appointed to the Josephine County Budget Committee, putting him in direct proximity to the very type of public funding he misused more than a decade ago. That appointment has raised alarms amongst the community, given Rice’s long trail of controversy—starting with the debacle that was Project CARRIAGE. Originally launched in 2009, Project CARRIAGE was marketed as a local innovation success story by Rice and his company, Recoil Suppression Systems LLC. The project promised a revolutionary firefighting product, job creation, and economic growth for Southern Oregon. Rice claimed over $200,000 in private investment and asked for $75,000 in public support to get the product through the Department of Defense’s Air Worthiness Release (AWR) certification. Once certified, he promised full-scale production, 17 new jobs, $730,000 in payroll, and contracts already secured—including ten units supposedly ordered by the State of Utah. The promise never materialized.

With full support from economic development bodies—including Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc. (SOREDI), the Governor’s Strategic Reserve Fund, and Josephine County’s own economic development budget—Recoil received $25,000 in forgivable loans, contingent on job creation and certification success. By 2015, it was clear the milestones weren’t met. SOREDI issued a formal notice of default. No tanks had been delivered. No certification had been achieved. No jobs were created. The financial penalty? A required repayment of $50,000 plus interest, which eventually totaled over $87,000 by 2018. That money, too, was never returned. SOREDI’s internal memos reveal debates over whether to keep pursuing the debt or classify it as a loss. In the end, they quietly wrote it off—labeling the loan “unlikely to recover” and transferring it to a non-performing ledger. Joseph Rice has since denied the nature of the transaction altogether. He’s claimed publicly

that the funds were never forgivable but rather a standard 9% loan, contradicting SOREDI’s own documents, state budget language, and internal communications. He’s also denied the existence of a $4 million federal earmark request submitted on behalf of his company, despite it appearing in public congressional records. Documents show otherwise. Budget reports, emails, and meeting notes confirm that Project CARRIAGE was built on conditional public investment, dependent on job growth and federal certification. When it failed to meet those conditions, there were no legal consequences or enforced accountability. Meanwhile, Rice’s behavior became more volatile. A redacted sworn affidavit from a local witness describes a 2018 altercation in which Rice reportedly grew aggressive and confrontational when asked about the failed project and his political aspirations. The complaint paints a picture of a man unwilling to accept criticism, reportedly using threats and profanity in defense of his public record.

His political activities were no less controversial. That same year, the Oregon Republican Party formally censured him for misusing official party letterhead, spreading election misinformation, and falsely portraying himself as a statewide party representative. Though stripped of his role and required to issue apologies, Rice continued pushing himself into the public spotlight, positioning himself as a fighter against corruption— even as he refused to acknowledge the failings of his own publicly funded venture. Now, as Chair of the Josephine County Republican Central Committee and a newly seated member of the county’s Budget Committee, Rice once again holds significant influence over local political and fiscal decisions—including those involving economic development funding and oversight. This dual position, especially given his record, poses troubling questions: How does a man who defaulted on publicly funded obligations without consequence now help decide the financial future of the county? What does his appointment signal about the integrity—or fragility—of local government checks and balances? Recoil Suppression Systems, for its part, no longer operates in any visible capacity. Its website remains a placeholder. There are no known employees, contracts, or ongoing projects. What was once billed as a transformative firefighting technology exists today only as a historical footnote in budget reports and unpaid invoices. Project CARRIAGE should have helped firefighters. It should have brought jobs to Southern Oregon. It should have marked a local company’s rise in the aerospace industry. Instead, it stands as a cautionary tale: a failed endeavor that carried nothing but taxpayer dollars out the back door. For the residents of Josephine County, the appointment of Joseph Rice to the Budget Committee is not just political irony—it is a troubling reminder that history, when ignored, has a tendency to repeat itself.

Senate Narrowly Approves Trump’s Sweeping Tax and Spending Package, House Vote Remains News Desk WASHINGTON, D.C. — After weeks of tense negotiations and internal party division, Senate Republicans on Tuesday narrowly passed President Donald Trump’s massive tax and spending reform package, marking a significant legislative victory for the administration. However, the bill’s journey is not yet complete. It must still pass the U.S. House of Representatives before it can reach the president’s desk for final approval. The Senate vote capped a prolonged political struggle within the Republican Party, marked by sharp disagreements over key provisions in the legislation and concern over the bill’s long-term fiscal impact. Despite having majorities in both chambers of Congress, GOP leadership faced a series of setbacks in recent

weeks, with several lawmakers expressing hesitation or outright opposition. The legislation combines major tax cuts with large-scale spending adjustments, aiming to reshape the federal government’s economic role. Supporters argue the plan will stimulate business investment, create jobs, and simplify the tax code, while critics have raised concerns about its potential to increase the national debt and disproportionately benefit corporations and high-income earners. President Trump took an active role in the final push to secure support, reaching out directly to skeptical senators in recent days. His efforts were credited with helping break the deadlock among a handful of key Republican holdouts whose votes were critical for the bill’s passage. Ultimately, the Senate approved the

package along party lines, reflecting the deep partisan divide surrounding the legislation. The bill includes significant changes to both corporate and individual taxes, slashing the corporate tax rate and restructuring brackets for personal income taxes. It also includes a mix of spending cuts and increases, with funding adjustments that could affect programs ranging from healthcare to education. While many Republicans have touted the legislation as a historic achievement, Democrats have criticized the bill as rushed and lacking sufficient input from bipartisan stakeholders. With the Senate vote secured, attention now turns to the House of Representatives, which is expected to reconvene on Wednesday for a vote on the final version of the bill. Although the House had previously passed a

similar version, differences between the two chambers’ proposals required reconciliation. Some House members may raise concerns over specific changes made in the Senate, but Republican leaders remain optimistic that they will be able to deliver final passage. If approved by the House, the bill would represent a significant political and legislative

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see SENATE., page 5