Northwest tribal and religious leaders have teamed up to call for updates to the Columbia River Treaty.  The treaty written in 1964 governs hydropower and flood control agreements between the U.S. and Canada, and key terms expire in ten years.  In the letter to President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the tribal and religious leaders say a modern treaty should include recognizing the rights of indigenous people and promoting environmental stewardship.  The leaders call for requiring fish passage at dams, protecting ecosystem health and cultural resources, adapting to climate change, and including tribal leaders and local communities in future decision making.  Federal agencies that manage the hydropower system have recommended updating the treaty, and Northwest lawmakers have asked the President to make negotiations a priority, but no talks have begun.

Two people were arrested in Gresham after a reported assault at a Cascade Locks hotel sent a man to a hospital.  According to the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office, deputies arrived at the Columbia Gorge Inn early Tuesday morning to find a 21-year-old Cascade Locks man injured.  Investigators identified two suspects in the assault residing in Gresham, and police there located the suspects Tuesday evening and took them into custody without incident.  18-year-old Steven Wade is charged with robbery, assault, theft, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and unlawful use of a weapon.  19-year-old Deanna Marie Schlunegger faces robbery and assault charges.  Both suspects are lodged at NORCOR.  The victim was transported to Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital for treatment, and was released a short time later.

Three candidates for Hood River City Council are banding together to form a single group.  Becky Brun, Tim Counihan, and Peter Cornelison are forming the Sustainable Hood River Political Action Committee to focus on initiatives they say would create a livable and vibrant community.  The trio’s goals include reducing pollution heading for the Columbia River, reducing the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, and creating more parks, green space, and trails for families.  The group plans to kickoff their campaign Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. at Volcanic Bottle Shop on 1410 12th Street in Hood River.

Volleyball

Hermiston def. Hood River Valley 25-20, 18-25, 25-16, 22-25, 15-11

Pendleton def. The Dalles 25-15, 25-23, 25-9

LaCenter def. Columbia 25-6, 25-16, 25-13

Seton Catholic def. Stevenson 25-17, 25-10, 25-2

Sherman def. Arlington 25-16, 25-18, 26-24

Trout Lake def. Horizon Christian 25-4, 25-8, 25-8

Granger def. Goldendale 25-10, 25-16, 25-23

Trinity Lutheran swept South Wasco 3 games to 0

The political signs in the public right of way adjacent to The Dalles Veterinary Hospital will be going away.  The Dalles City Council made the decision to no longer allow any kind of signs at the location where West Third and Fourth Streets and West Third Place intersect.  The City had allowed political signs to be placed there for years…but after a disagreement involving placement of placards in favor of marijuana legalization Measure 91, Mayor Steve Lawrence said the simplest thing to do was to no longer allow the signs.  All of the political signs at that location have to be removed by this Friday.

A candidate for position three on The Dalles City Council has withdrawn from the race, and will support another challenger.  Brian Stevens told Bicoastal Media in an e-mail that he was stepping aside from the campaign that also involves incumbent Bill Dick and Russ Brown.  Stevens says he met with Brown to discuss their platforms, philosophies, and overall feeling for direction of the city, and felt that given his busy schedule and family commitments it was best to drop out and support Brown.

Q-Life, the collaboration of public entities established in The Dalles in 2002 to create a 17-mile fiber optic loop through the city, is now operating in the black.  That announcement was made at Monday’s The Dalles City Council meeting.  Mayor Steve Lawrence noted many had thought the project would never make any money.  Lawrence added the Regional Solutions team is seeking state funding to work with Q-Life to fill in gaps in broadband service in rural areas of Wasco County.

An act of vandalism resulted in flooding of the basement of the Wasco County Courthouse.  According to County Adminstrative Officer Tyler Stone and a report from The Dalles Police Department, someone over the weekend took a water hose located in a corner by the courthouse steps, stretched it out along the sidewalk, and turned on the water and left it against the foundation…sending water into a meeting room and office in the basement.  Stone said clean-up efforts are underway, and the County’s insurance company is assessing the amount of damage incurred.  Stone added both the meeting room and office are unusable at this time.

Boys Soccer

Glencoe 6, The Dalles 1:  The Riverhawks had their three game winning streak snapped with the loss.

Horizon Christian 2, Damascus Christian 1:  The Hawks have won two of their first three games in Special District 6 play.

Girls Soccer

Glencoe 3, The Dalles 1

The Hood River City Council voted 6-0 to approve the first reading of an ordinance to changes the zoning of a portion of the Expo Center property on the waterfront from commercial to light industrial, which will pave the way for construction of a new warehouse facility for Turtle Island Foods.  Some councilors did express reservations about not considering the rest of the Expo Center property, which a disposition and development agreement between the Port and Key Development has earmarked for office and commercial space, but in the end they did not want to stand in the way of the new Turtle Island facility.  An application for City consideration of the other half of the property has not yet been filed, as the Port attempts to develop a plan that would ease fears of the Waterfront competing with downtown.  The absence of a Councilor prevented a final reading of the ordinance, which will take place on October 14.