The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office says it responded on Friday evening to a report of a man in the Odell area who had attempted to lure a pre-teen into a car with him. The Sheriff’s Office says the pre-teen responded appropriately, saying no and immediately running to a place of safety. The male subject left the area prior to the arrival of deputies and has not yet been identified, though the Sheriff’s Office says it is working to do so. The Sheriff’s Office adds it was sharing this information not to cause fear or paranoia, but to let parents know so that they can have good conversations with their kids about how to respond appropriately to strangers. They encourage kids to play in groups, not be out after dark, and talk to them about what they should do if they find themselves around a stranger who is trying to interact with them.
Author: mbailey
Klickitat County Developing STR Code
Klickitat County is working on developing code to legalize short-term rentals in unincorporated areas. County Commission Chair Dan Christopher says STR’s have never actually been legalized in the County, even though they estimate about 490 are currently in operation outside of incorporated cities…but they don’t know where they area. Christopher says they aren’t looking at limits on STR’s at this point, noting they need to actually know how many there are before moving in that direction. Christopher says the STR’s will be required to be in a properly permitted residential structure and have a 14-foot wide driveway for emergency vehicle access. Public hearings will be held on the subject.
Lamprey Returns Increase
Pacific lamprey, an ancient, eel-like fish species, are seeing returns 170 percent higher than the 10-year average at Bonneville Lock and Dam this year. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers biologists say Lamprey numbers are also 252 percent higher than the four-year average. So far, fish counters have tallied 63,863 lampreys moving through the fish ladders during the daytime at Bonneville as of last Monday. The 10-year average daytime fish ladder count total is 41,414. Corps biologists are optimistic about the numbers they’re seeing, crediting ongoing efforts to modify fishways to make them more “lamprey friendly.” Lamprey are also very active at night and pass via special ramp-like lamprey passage structures, so daytime counts are just minimum estimates, and tribal biologists collect many lampreys at Bonneville for upstream transport to tributaries such as the Umatilla, Clearwater and Yakama rivers. So far, most of the Corps’ work has focused on fixing adult lamprey passage at the dams, but agency biologists are also now studying downstream passage of juvenile and larval lamprey at the dams so they can better understand how operations and structures may affect passage and survival of these life stages.
Fake Movie Bill Used At Restaurant
The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office says it received a report Friday of a fake $100 bill used to pay for a restaurant tab. The $100 bill was movie prop money, possibly originating from bills located at Multnomah Falls on August 4th. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office originally reported hikers locating fake $100 bills scattered around Multnomah Falls on that day. On Friday, the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office reported that Red Bluff Tap House in Stevenson reported receiving one of these bills as payment from an unknown patron. They reported the incident to warn other businesses and citizens of the issue. The bills are marked “FOR MOTION PICTURE PURPOSES” and should be reported to law enforcement if located.
CWD Testing Planned For Hunting Season
During the 2023 deer and elk hunting seasons, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will increase sampling efforts for Chronic Wasting Disease throughout the state by providing hunters with quick and easy opportunities to have their harvested animal tested. CWD check stations are mandatory to stop at if you pass one along the highway or interstate while transporting a harvested deer or elk. There will be one open at Celilo Park the weekends of October 8 to 10 and November 4 to 6, operating from 9 a.m. to dusk. Several taxidermy and meat processing businesses have agreed to collect CWD samples from deer or elk they receive from their clients and provide it to ODFW. Successful hunters can also contact some ODFW field offices to have a biologist collect a sample. CWD was detected in northern Idaho in 2021, just 30 miles from the Oregon border. It is always fatal to deer and elk and there is no cure.
Prescribed Burning In Scenic Area Planned
The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area will conduct prescribed burning in the eastern Gorge starting as soon as early this week. This year’s activities will focus on select areas in Klickitat County east of Bingen between Courtney Road and Tracy Hill. The prescribed burns are planned between late September and January, as part of an ongoing fire and fuels management program. The actual day of ignition will be selected when factors such as humidity, wind speed and direction, temperature and moisture levels help ensure a well-controlled fire. Prescribed burning only occurs on days when the Washington State Smoke Management Office determines that weather conditions are met for smoke dispersal, and is used by fire managers to reduce ground vegetation and accumulated woody debris from the forest understory, and help restore historic vegetative landscapes in the eastern Gorge. Prescribed burns also help recycle soil nutrients, improve wildlife habitat and biodiversity, and increase resiliency to the effects of wildfire. Smoke may be visible on Washington State Route 14 and Interstate 84 at times during the prescribed burns. Those with medical conditions may request to be placed on a call list for advance notifications by contacting the National Scenic Area office at 541-308-1700.
NCPHD Recommends Steps To Prevent COVID & Flu
As people spend more time indoors with school starting and weather changing, North Central Public Health District recommends taking protective steps to prevent respiratory illnesses. NCPHD and Hood River County Health Officer Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg says the area is seeing a rise in COVID cases, which is coming with the start of flu season and RSV season. Van Tilburg notes although many do not become seriously ill, certain people are vulnerable to serious life threatening illness from these viral infections. He says the best protection is easy: wash hands, limit exposure to crowds in enclosed spaces, stay home when ill, and get vaccinated. Other protective options include wearing a well-fitted mask in crowded areas, and improving ventilation in your home or work area. Vaccines are available for all three of these infections. An RSV vaccine was approved in May for those 60 and older. The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months and older, as is the updated COVID vaccine, which targets the predominant strain now in circulation. The federal government has also announced that every American household is again eligible to receive four free at-home COVID test kits delivered to their home. For more information, visit covid.gov/tests.
September 22-23 Prep Sports Scoreboard
Football
Hood River Valley 44, Forest Grove 37
The Dalles 15, Fort Vancouver 8
Elma 33, Columbia 8
Seton Catholic 59, Stevenson 0
Enterprise 46, Dufur 28
St. Paul 67, Lyle-Wishram-Klickitat 0
South Wasco 55, Dayville-Monument 26
Goldendale 29, Columbia (Burbank) 15
Cross Country
The Dalles won the boys and tied for the girls team titles at the Bridget Nelson Invitational at Sorosis Park. Alana Casady was second for the Riverhawk girls, while Tyson Long led The Dalles boys with a third place finish.
Boys Soccer
Trout Lake 4, Willamette Valley Christian 0
Girls Soccer
Fort Vancouver 2, Stevenson, 1
King’s Way Christian 1, Columbia 0
Volleyball
Dufur def. Lyle-Wishram 25-11, 25-13, 25-3
Ione-Arlington def. Dufur 25-18, 23-25, 25-15, 25-23
Ione-Arlington def. Lyle-Wishram 25-7, 25-13, 25-2
Spray-Mitchell-Wheeler def. Horizon Christian 25-18, 22-25, 25-20, 25-16
Sherman def. Horizon Christian 25-14, 25-13, 25-11
South Wasco def. Condon 25-14, 25-13, 25-10
South Wasco def. Bickleton 25-12, 25-4, 25-9
Condon def. Trout Lake-Klickitat-Glenwood 25-18, 25-14, 25-13
Girls Water Polo
Hood River Valley 17, Bend 5
OSP Seeks Public Help In Poaching Case In Hood River County
The Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division is seeking public assistance in locating the person or persons responsible for the unlawful waste of two deer in Hood River County. The OSP says on September 3 at about 6:20 in the evening, a trooper responded to a call of a dead buck that was shot and left on Hood River County property not far from Odell. A second deer, a doe, which was also shot and left, was reported that evening in the same area. No meat was salvaged from either deer. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Oregon State Police Dispatch at 1-800-452-7888 or *OSP, or email at TIP@osp.oregon.gov. Reference case number SP23-281043. The Turn in Poachers (TIP) program offers preference points or cash rewards for information leading to an arrest or issuance of a citation, to a suspect, for the unlawful killing of wildlife, and or waste of big game.
MCFR Working With Landowners In Defensible Space Program
Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue was recently awarded a Defensible Space grant from the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office to provide a free service to private landowners within MCFR’s district to perform fuel mitigation work on their property. MCFR’s Josh Beckner says under the program crews can limb up trees, trim brush and clear an area up to 100 feet around buildings and infrastructure. All residents and property owners in MCFR’s protection district are eligible to participate. Priority will be given to those in the Wildland Urban Interface areas on the West, North and East sides of The Dalles. Funds are limited so this program will run until the allotted funding runs out. To learn more, go to mcfr.org.