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Hood River County Election Returns as of May 22 at 5:30 a.m.

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Hood River County Commission Dist. 4

Chad Muenzer                         1,049 63%

Albert Nance                            336

Brian Merz                               275

 

14-77 Hood River Valley Parks & Rec Operating Levy

No                                  4,588 62.1%

Yes                                 2,797 37.9%

 

14-80 Hood River Valley Parks & Rec Bond Measure

No                                  5,036 68%

Yes                                 2.364 32%

 

Westside Fire Local Option

Yes                                 1,426 61.8%

No                                  880    38.2%

 

3rd Congressional District Democratic

Maxine Dexter                30,585        50.7%

Susheela Jayapal             17,156        28.5%

Eddy Morales                 8,515           14.1%

Michael Jonas                 1,471

Nolan Bylenga               1,188

Rachel Lydia Rand                   610

Ricardo Barajas              438

 

3rd Congressional District Republican

Joanna Harbour              8,565 53.4%

Gary Dye                       4,494 27.9%

Teresa Orwig                  2,813 17.5%

Victim Of Thursday Fire Identified

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The Dalles Police Department has identified the victim of a house fire on Thursday.  Police say 68-year-old Bruce Kelly Meredith died in the fire at 814 West 18th Street.  The fire occurred just after 8 a.m. Thursday morning, with crews finding a thick dark column of smoke coming from the home, which was fully involved in the fire.  An investigation by Mid-Columbia Fire & Rescue, The Dalles Police Department, Oregon State Police, and the Oregon State Fire Marshal determined the fire was caused by the use of a heat lamp in the basement sleeping area of the structure.

The Dalles, D-21, Port Of Arlington Receive EPA Brownfield Grants

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The City of The Dalles, North Wasco County School District 21, and the Port of Arlington are among the recipients of Environmental Protection Agency grans to expedite assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites.  The City of The Dalles will receive $500,000 targeted to the Westside and Downtown Historic areas to conduct environmental site assessments and cleanup alternative evaluations, develop site-specific reuse plans and an area-wide plan, and conduct community engagement activities. D-21 will also receive $500,000 for clean up of the 13-acre site of the former Chenowith Middle School, which has sat vacant since 2009.  The Port of Arlington Environmental Sentry Corporation has been selected to receive $780,000 to clean up the former Condon Grade School.  The 3.2-acre cleanup site was used as a school for just over one hundred years and has been vacant since it closed at the end of the 2021-2022 school year.

Klickitat County To Wait A Week For Dallesport Sewer Plant Decision

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Klickitat County Commissioners decided to table for one week a decision on whether to increase wastewater rates for customers of the Dallesport sewer plant.  Commissioners left the record open for written comments through Friday so the board can deliberate on the subject at their meeting this coming Tuesday.  The panel heard testimony at their meeting this week about a number of issues including criticism of Klickitat PUD’s maintenance of the plant.  But Commissioner Jacob Anderson pointed out the subject at hand is about the rate increase and what it should be, and Commissioner Dan Christopher noted people probably need more time to look at the proposals.  The County’s Public Works Department has indicated some of the equipment in the Dallesport treatment plant is at the end of its life and will need replacement that will need to be paid for.

HR County Votes To Resume Parkdale Planning Process

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The Hood River County Commission voted unanimously to resume the process of developing a revised unincorporated community plan for Parkdale.  The process was paused in February to consider the condition and potential for upgrades of the Parkdale Wastewater Treatment Plant, and to get interpretation of state rules on how to allow for less expensive housing types when infrastructure like sanitary sewer is limited.  County Planning Director Eric Walker noted meetings with the Parkdale Sanitary District Board found that panel felt with a recently developed facility plan and upgrades, there was not a compelling reason to expand further, and Oregon Land Conservation Development representatives felt the County could include additional opportunities for more affordable housing types in the plan.  The Commission authorized staff to move forward with a draft Parkdale plan, which is expected to get a public hearing before the County Planning Commission in July.

 

HR Schools To Study Student Smartphone & Tablet Use

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The Hood River County School District is going to take a look at how its students are using smartphones and tablets, both in their education and at a personal level.  Superintendent Bill Newton says they sent out a survey last week to families, staff, and 6th to 12th grade students to get their thoughts.  Newton says they will have a district board worksession on the topic on June 18.  The goal is to line out common expectations for the next school year around the use of district-provided technology by students, and personal cell phones as well.

OHA Director Visits The Gorge

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Oregon Health Authority Director Dr. Sejal Hathi met with health leaders and partners in Hood River and The Dalles as part of a series of visits around the state to hear about community health needs.  Hathi said she was most struck by a culture of innovation and collaboration for solving health challenges in the area.  Key themes from the meetings with local health leaders were familiar, including difficulties surrounding health workforce shortages, the need for comprehensive behavioral health supports, and concerns about the loss of COVID-19 pandemic federal funding.

 

 

Injured Hiker Rescued Near Silver Star Mountain Summit

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An injured hiker was rescued after falling on Friday afternoon from Ed’s Loop Trail near the summit of Silver Star Mountain.  The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office says 22-year-old Kylie Knitz of Woodland fell 25-feet from the designated trail, injured her arm, and was unable to climb up the steep embankment where she came to rest.  Members of the Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue and the Volcano Rescue teams helped get the woman off the mountain with assistance of a fixed wing aircraft from the Portland Police Bureau Air Support Unit.  The Sheriff’s Office says Knitz was safely recovered and taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries.

Port of HR Seeks 30-Day Notice For Span Lifts

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The Port of Hood River is seeking a 30-day notice requirement for lifts of the span of the Interstate Bridge.  Port Executive Director Kevin Greenwood says they very rarely get requests from ship traffic to raise the lift, only one-to-two a year.  So the Port is working with the Coast Guard to get the 30-day notification requirement, which would eliminate the need for regular maintenance lifts.  Instead, testing would be done when a lift has been requested.  Greenwood added the Port is converting its 30-year capital improvement plan for the bridge down to an eight-year plan as plans accelerate for a new bridge to be completed in 2029.

 

Cherry Fest Parade Success Brings New Issues

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Last month’s Northwest Cherry Festival parade in The Dalles was a big success, and one of the longest ever.  But with the growth comes new issues that The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce is working with City officials and the Kiwanis Club to address for future parades.  Chamber CEO Lisa Farquharson says one is space to lineup, and another is to deal with congestion at the starting point of 6th and Webber.  Farquharson said they are making changes to their parade applications to address safety concerns that arose during the Cherry Festival event.  The Chamber takes applications for four parades each year.