A man caught in February with a record amount of methamphetamine for Grants Pass, 39 pounds, was sentenced on Thursday to five years and five months in prison.

Prosecutors estimated the amount of meth seized in the case was equal to 185,000 doses, which Josephine County District Attorney Josh Eastman described as having “immeasurable collateral consquences” in terms of crime and drug addiction.

With many of the top athletes in the state expected to compete in Saturday’s 76th Annual Grants Pass Rotary Invitational track and field meet, the competition should be as hot as the weather forecast.

Meet records may be hard to come by as temperatures are expected to climb near 90, but with 42 schools expected to attend, the action at Russ Werner Field should live up to the Rotary’s meet’s top-notch reputation.

As a child reared in Southern Oregon, I learned at an early age to value the region’s rich past, thanks to parents who appreciated history. Although my twin and I, born in Grants Pass in the summer of 1951, were the youngest of five siblings, the regional lore captured our attention.