Southern Oregon University and the six other public universities in the state narrowly avoided a large-scale strike by reaching a tentative four-year agreement with a union early Monday morning, just hours before the strike was set to begin.

The agreement includes wage increases of 15.24% over a two-year period for eligible employees, according to the Coalition of Oregon Public Universities. Other terms of the agreement were not spelled out and remain unclear.

A successful penalty kick by junior midfielder Jozalynn Lee tied Grants Pass’ match against North Medford with three minutes left, salvaging a 2-2 Southern Oregon Conference girls’ soccer draw Saturday at Bowerman Field in Medford.

“We really had our best effort in [last Tuesday’s] match against Crater,” Grants Pass coach Paul Williams said, calling his team’s effort on Saturday “inconsistent.”

No injuries were reported in connection with a fire in a residential neighborhood in northwest Grants Pass early Monday.

The fire was reported at 12:11 a.m. Monday at a residence in the 1500 block of Northwest Hawthorne Avenue, near Gilbert Creek Park.

Grants Pass Fire Rescue said the fire damaged a bedroom and its contents, but firefighters were able to keep it from spreading.

The house was occupied, but nobody was reported injured.

The Siskiyou Crest Coalition is looking for artists who would like to serve as artists-in-residence next summer.

The artist-in-residence program is a five-day artist retreat in the historic 14-by-14-foot Bolan Mountain Lookout in the Illinois Valley. The residency is scheduled for June 25-29.

Artists of all disciplines will be considered. The program provides the venue, equipment support and a food stipend.