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Author: mbailey

Gloria Center Open As Cooling Shelter This Weekend

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Mid-Columbia Community Action says the Gloria Center’s Emergency Shelter will be open as a Cooling Shelter this weekend due to the expected extreme heat.  The shelter at 2505 West 7th in The Dalles will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Cooling Shelter operations are led by Community Action staff and supported by community volunteers.  Supports provided include a cool location, water, snacks, hygiene, and first aid items.  For details on Cooling Shelter operations visit mccac.com.  Community Action is also accepting donations of supply items for the Cooling Shelter, including Gatorade, shelf-stable snack items, lip balm, and sunscreen.  Supply donations may be dropped off to The Gloria Center during Cooling Center operations hours or regular business hours.

 

Two Weeks Of Nighttime Hood River Bridge Closures For Repairs

Posted on by mbailey

There will be two weeks of 12-hour nighttime closures to accommodate repairs to the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge starting the night of July 8.  Kiewit Construction, which will be handling the repair of the six truss members damaged by an excavator being hauled on a flatbed trailer by a large truck last Thursday, says the bridge will be closed daily from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. starting on July 8, and continuing through July 21.  Until the repairs are completed, only passenger vehicles are being allowed on the bridge.  The Port of Hood River says after the repairs are done, normal vehicular traffic operations will resume.  In addition, once the structural repairs are done, the bridge lift will be evaluated, and if it is not operable, a separate study will be conducted, and additional bridge closures may be necessary.

Cooling Kits Available

Posted on by mbailey

Mid-Columbia Houseless Collaborative partners will have free cooling kits available for houseless residents.  Cooling bundles may vary slightly at the various locations depending on available supplies, but they will generally contain cooling cloths, handheld fans, reusable water bottles, water and Gatorade, sunscreen, chapstick, snacks, and information about heat emergencies and how to avoid them.  In Oregon, the free kits are available at Mid-Columbia Community Action’s office at 606 State Street Suite 1B in Hood River, the Gloria Navigation Center at 2505 W 7th Street in The Dalles, and through the Office of Emergency Management in Sherman County that is available by phone at 541-565-3100.  In Washington, free kits are available at all Washington Gorge Action Programs offices in Stevenson, Bingen, and Goldendale.  They are also available at Second Hand Rose WAGAP’s community thrift store in Bingen, and libraries in Stevenson and Goldendale.

 

ODF Starts Regulated Closure In Central Oregon District

Posted on by mbailey

The Oregon Department of Forestry has issued a regulated closure for the lands it protects in its Central Oregon District as of Monday.  That means smoking is prohibited while traveling, except in vehicles on improved roads, and open fires are prohibited.  The use of portable appliances like camp stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels are allowed in clean areas free of flammable vegetation, and camp fires are allowed in designated areas.  Chainsaws, metal cutting, griding, and welding, and mowing dried grass with power equipment is prohibited between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m.  The use of motor vehicles is limited to improved roads except for vehicle use by landowners and their employees for activities associated with their livelihood, and the use of fireworks and blasting is prohibited.  In addition, ODF lands in Central Oregon have been placed under Industrial Fire Protection Level 2.

Truck Driver Injured After Going Down Embankment North Of Biggs Bridge

Posted on by mbailey

A Georgia man was injured after the semi-truck he was driving went down an embankment just north of the Biggs Bridge on Saturday afternoon.  According to the Washington State Patrol, the truck driven by 32-year-old Larry White of Lithonia, Georgia scraped the guardrail on northbound Highway 97 at milepost 1.  The scrape popped the front tire, and the semi traveled through the guardrail, and over the embankment.  The semi came to rest in the westbound lane of the Old Maryhill Highway.  The WSP says White was transported to Klickitat Valley Hospital in Goldendale for treatment of injuries.

Hood River Bridge Expected To Reopen Sunday Afternoon To Passenger Vehicles; No Semis Until Full Repair Takes Place

Posted on by mbailey

Update:  The Port expects to open the bridge to passenger vehicles by 2 p.m.  Electronic tolling will be implemented, and traffic control personnel will be stationed at both entrances around the clock to ensure compliance.

The Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge should be reopened to passenger vehicle traffic sometime today (June 30), but will remain closed to freight trucks until repairs to damage to six overhead portal braces can take place.  During a meeting of the Port of Hood River Commission this morning, Port Executive Director Kevin Greenwood said the bridge will be reopened to passenger vehicle traffic once they are able to communicate with state transportation departments and get 24/7 monitoring for truck traffic in place, which he expected to be arranged by late this afternoon.  Justin Doornink of engineering firm HDR said the closure to truck traffic is to ensure there isn’t another accidental strike to the overhead braces while they are in a damaged state.  HDR is doing the design for the repair while Kiewit Construction, which is the contractor working on the project to build a new bridge, will do the repairs.  Kiewit’s John Brestin said design work and discussions with suppliers and fabricators is underway, and he expects the repair work to start after the upcoming holiday weekend after July 8 and take about a week.  That will require nighttime closures of the bridge.  The repairs should take about a week to complete once they get underway.  The bridge was damaged and closed on Thursday after a semi-truck with a flatbed trailer carrying a large excavator with a boom on the back sliced through a number of beams for the bridge’s lift span.

Zaragoza Indicted On Murder Charge

Posted on by mbailey

The suspect in a shooting in The Dalles early Saturday morning has been indicted by a Wasco County Grand Jury on second degree murder and other charges.  District Attorney Matthew Ellis says 23-year-old Noe Zaragoza, Jr. was indicted after he waived extradition from Vancouver, where he was being held after being taken into custody in Clark County for the shooting death of 41-year-old Michael Boyer   Ellis says early last Saturday morning Zaragoza allegedly entered the Walnut Street Center Market and engaged in a confrontation with a patron.  During that altercation, Boyer’s wife, Mariah Herrnandez stepped into defend that person, and Zaragoza pulled a firearm and pointed it at Hernandez, who then slapped the firearm.  Ellis says Zaragoza then struck Hernandez in the side of the face with firearm, and when Boyer stepped in to defend his wife, Zargoza shot Boyer twice before fleeing.  Zaragoza was arrested at a Camas hotel later that day, and a firearm was located in the room.  Along with second degree murder charge, Zaragoza was also indicted on two counts of unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm, menacing, and assault in the fourth degree.  Zaragoza is currently in custody at NORCOR, and will be arraigned on Monday.

 

Hood River Bridge Beams Damaged In Semi-Truck Accident; Closed To Traffic Indefinitely

Posted on by mbailey

Port of Hood River Executive Director Kevin Greenwood says this morning that an engineering recommendation for the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge will be made at 1 p.m. this afternoon.  The bridge remains closed after a semi-truck with a flatbed trailer carrying a large excavator with a boom on the back sliced through a number of beams for the lift span of the bridge on Thursday.   Greenwood says engineers are allowing the American Cruise Line ship and other vessels to travel under the bridge, but the lift will remain inoperable for the foreseeable future. Greenwood says the semi approached the lift from the north at about 11:45 Thursday morning, but the bucket on the back of the excavator was not fully down, and its joints started slicing through the upper members of the bridge above the travel lanes.  Greenwood added there is no danger of the lift span falling into the river, as it has supports underneath it as well.  There were no injuries in the accident.

 

 

Containment Of Long Bend Fire At 60%

Posted on by mbailey

Firefighters have increased containment to 60% on the 1,024-acre Long Bend Fire.   The fire is located approximately two miles southwest of Maupin on the west side of the Deschutes River.  Firefighters continue to identify and extinguish sources of heat within the fire perimeter to further secure control lines.  Most of the remaining heat is still along Wapinitia Creek so crews and aircraft were focusing their efforts in that area again today.  Crews will also continue to patrol the flanks of the fire that are contained to ensure the fire stays within the established containment lines.  A Central Oregon Type 3 Incident Management Team will transition command of the fire scene to a Type 4 Incident Commander at 6 a.m. tomorrow.  The fire started the afternoon of Saturday, June 22.  The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

More Parking Planned For Hood River Waterfront

Posted on by mbailey

Parking on Hood River’s waterfront this summer is proving to be both popular and scarce.  Port of Hood River Executive Director Kevin Greenwood says they are seeing plenty of traffic as the summer is getting underway, so the Port is working with the City to create two new parking lots at the waterfront, including one by the Maritime Building, and another on Lot 5 behind the Ryan’s Juice facility.  Greenwood says recreation users take up most of the parking in the waterfront area.  This is also the second year of metered street parking in the Waterfront area.

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