A 47-year-old man who has operated coffee businesses in the area was arrested over the weekend on forty-six different charges, including 38 felonies, involving trafficking in persons, compelling prostitution, and online sexual corruption of a child. Hood River County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Joel Ives confirmed Bryan Matthew McGeeney was arrested over the weekend by the Hood River Police Department after a joint investigation by both agencies. Records at the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility show McGeeney was taken into custody on Friday, and has been lodged there since then. According to Oregon Circuit Court records, a grand jury indictment was issued on Friday along with a warrant for McGeeney’s arrest. Multiple charges of rape, delivery of cocaine to a minor, unlawful delivery of a marijuana item, and furnishing alcohol to a person under 21 cited in the court documents. Ives said the charges involve alleged crimes that occurred in Hood River and Wasco counties. McGeeney was arraigned before Circuit Judge Karen Ostrye in Hood River today, and there is a plea hearing scheduled for tomorrow morning at 11:30.
TD Marina Report In Draft Form
The Port of The Dalles has received a draft of a Marina Facilities Condition Assessment Report, and it is under review by Port staff. The Port hired a professional marine engineering company to examine the Marina’s infrastructure both above and below water. Port Executive Director Andrea Klaas says they are looking for more details on some of the items noted in the draft. Among them is the underwater pilings for the Marina’s D Finger, which remain after the dock was destroyed by fire. Klaas says divers found a lot of corrosion on those pilings. Once finalized, the report will help the Port determine improvement decisions at the Marina.
City of Hood River To Host Community Events On Bond Potential
The City of Hood River will host two community events this June on potential bond measures for the November 2026 ballot. On June 23rd, there will be a Housing Town Hall and Panel Discussion from 6 p.m. to 7:30 pm at City Hall. Panelists will include Mid-Columbia Housing Authority Executive Director Karen Long, Big River Community Land Trust Executive Director Alysha Sherburne, and local developer Maui Meyer. The City is exploring a variety of bond sizes and models to use housing bond dollars: rentals, co-ops, and limited-equity ownership. The Town Hall is an opportunity to learn about them and provide feedback. On June 29th, there will be a Police Station Open House and Tour from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at City Hall. The Hood River Police Department currently works out of a modified fire engine bay in the basement of City Hall that lacks many of the features necessary for police work. The City is exploring a construction bond to upgrade the police station and resolve ongoing deficiencies.
Man Arrested In Connection With Fossil Fires
A man wanted as a person of interest as a result of multiple fires in Fossil was taken into custody late Thursday after firefighters saw suspicious lights in the hills north of Fossil. Drones identified multiple power poles on fire Thursday. The Wheeler County Sheriff’s Office says its deputies along with multiple law enforcement officers from the Oregon State Police, Union, Yamhill and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Offices, and the FBI conducted a join tactical operation that led to an OSP officer to convince 28-year-old Ethan Burlingame in a phone conversation to surrender peacefully. Burlingame was taken into custody and later lodged at NORCOR in The Dalles. Fire crews from the Fossil Volunteer Fire Department, Wheeler Fire and Rescue, and Oregon Department of Forestry responded to take care of the power pole fires. The investigation is on-going.
Fishery Managers Extend Spring Chinook Fishing
Fishery managers from Oregon and Washington added eleven more recreational spring Chinook fishing days on the mainstem Columbia during a joint state hearing this week, continuing the season to June 15. Upstream of Bonneville Dam, the area from the Tower Island power lines about six miles downstream of The Dalles Dam to the Oregon/Washington border, plus only the banks from Bonneville Dam upstream to the Tower Island power lines, will be open to spring Chinook fishing through June 15. Downstream of Bonneville Dam to the Tongue Point/Rocky Point line will also be open. Anglers are reminded that from March 1 through June 15 on days when the mainstem Columbia River recreational fishery below Bonneville Dam is open to retention of Chinook, the daily salmonid bag limit in Oregon and Washington Select Areas will be the same as mainstem Columbia River bag limits.
Hustlers Sweep Opening Doubleheader
The Columbia Gorge Hustlers opened their American Legion Baseball season with a sweep of the Columbia Gorge River Bandits on Thursday night at Quinton Street Park. In game one, Elliot Dillingham drove in four runs on a pair of doubles. In the nightcap, Dillingham had two more doubles while Gunner Bustos and Kale Beardmore each had two runs batted in. The two teams meet again on Tuesday at Quinton Street Park for a 5:30 twinbill.
Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge Lift Planned Tuesday
The Hood River-White Salmon Bridge will be fully closed to all traffic on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to approximately noon for a bridge lift to accommodate passage of the vessel Zorro. The bridge may reopen sooner if conditions allow. The closure is required under U.S. Coast Guard regulations, which mandate the bridge open with at least 12 hours’ notice from river traffic. For real-time traffic conditions, view the live bridge camera at portofhoodriver.com.
The Link To Make Service Adjustments After Measure 120 Failure
The Link Public Transit says it will make a couple of service reductions in the wake of the failure of Measure 120. In a statement, the agency said that beginning July 4, its South Wasco County Shuttle Service will be reduced from two days a week to Tuesdays only, and office hours will transition from seven-day operations to Monday through Friday only. The statement indicated The Link, like many transit agencies across Oregon, is facing financial challenges related to stagnant or reduced available funding, and with the defeat of Measure 120, operational adjustments are necessary to maintain long-term service sustainability within projected budget levels. Those with questions and concerns about the change can call The Link at 541-296-7595.
White Salmon Council Passes EV Infrastructure Ordinance
The White Salmon City Council on Wednesday passed an ordinance to require electric vehicle ready infrastructure in new residential construction that includes a garage, carport, or off-street parking space. The ordinance, which came out of White Salmon’s CityLAB committee, requires new residential construction to include sufficient circuit capacity to support “Level 2” EV charging. The ordinance does contain exemptions, including if Klickitat PUD certifies that sufficient power can’t be reasonably provided. Manufactured homes, affordable housing as defined by City codes, and dwellings of 800 square feet or less are also exempt. White Salmon previously adopted an Emissions Reduction Plan which identified EV-ready infrastructure in new residential construction as a priority. General demand for electricity and loads carried on Klickitat PUD infrastructure have been steadily increasing over time, but a meeting between City and PUD officials found the risk of creating a sudden or major need for infrastructure upgrades that would increase costs to ratepayers is low.
Wasco County Added To Mid-December Disaster Declaration
The Oregon Department of Emergency Management announced that Clatsop and Wasco counties have been officially added to the federal major disaster declaration for mid-December flooding and severe storms. The two counties were not included in the initial declaration issued in April, but additional documentation and continued coordination by county emergency managers and OEM staff resulted in their successful inclusion. The expanded declaration now authorizes federal Public Assistance funding for eleven counties impacted by the December atmospheric river event, which already included Hood River County. That supports eligible costs related to damaged roads and bridges, debris removal, utility impacts, and other public infrastructure losses. Record rainfall and high winds during the December storms caused widespread flooding, landslides, and mudslides across multiple regions of the state. At the peak of the event, more than 300,000 Oregonians experienced power outages and several major transportation routes were temporarily closed. A joint preliminary damage assessment documented more than $15.4 million in eligible public infrastructure losses statewide.