February 15 is the deadline for school children to be up to date in Oregon on required vaccinations. Daron Ryan of the Hood River County Health Department says letters will go out to families at the start of February, but she encourages people not to wait to ensure their children are not excluded from classes after February 15. Ryan says there are no new vaccinations this year on the list required for attendance at Oregon public schools, but letters sent to parents will outline which vaccinations a child needs.
Author: mbailey
Hood River Rotary Ski Night Monday At Meadows
Hood River Rotary Club will hold its annual ski night at Mount Hood Meadows on Monday. It’s an annual event that Club President Tanner Hall says benefits a wide range of charitable activities the club undertakes, including providing dictionaries to Hood River County School District fifth graders. Rotary provides scholarships to local students, built the Hood River Skate Park, helps FISH Food Bank, and is involved in other projects. Ski Night is from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday. To get tickets, go to skihood.com.
January 11 Prep Sports Roundup
Boys Basketball
Horizon Christian 64, Lyle-Wishram 46
Girls Basketball
Columbia 54, Stevenson 32
Horizon Christian 38, Lyle-Wishram 18
Wrestling
Wilsonville 37, Hood River Valley 31: Connor Tennant had the lone win by fall for HRV, as the Wildcats pulled out a close win. In girls’ matches, Lauraine Smith and Karol Najera had wins by fall for the Eagles.
Port of HR To Ask City For Single Property URA For Lot 1
The Port of Hood River Commission has authorized approaching the City about establishing a formation of a single-property Urban Renewal District for Development of Waterfront Lot 1. That would allow the City to close out the current 109-acre Waterfront Urban Renewal District, while the Lot 1 URA would only be nine acres in size. Consultant Elaine Howard told the Commission she feels it’s the best solution available to allow the Port to move forward on public improvements for the property west of the Nichols Basin. If the City agrees to the single-property district, it would generate $1.7 million in tax increment financing over ten years to pay off Lot 1 project costs the Port would incur upfront. The city would be able to use the majority of the current Waterfront acreage for a potential new urban renewal area on the West Side.
HR Health Department Website Revamped
The Hood River County Health Department’s website has been revamped. The department’s Daron Ryan says they have been adding content, and will be continue to do so. It includes information on all of the services the department provides. The site can be accessed at the main Hood River County website…hoodrivercounty.gov…by using the drop down departments menu and clicking on Health Department.
Port of HR To Ask City For Single Property URA For Lot 1
The Port of Hood River Commission has authorized approaching the City about establishing a formation of a single-property Urban Renewal District for Development of Waterfront Lot 1. That would allow the City to close out the current 109-acre Waterfront Urban Renewal District, while the Lot 1 URA would only be nine acres in size. Consultant Elaine Howard told the Commission she feels it’s the best solution available to allow the Port to move forward on public improvements for the property west of the Nichols Basin. If the City agrees to the single-property district, it would generate $1.7 million in tax increment financing over ten years to pay off Lot 1 project costs the Port would incur upfront. The city would be able to use the majority of the current Waterfront acreage for a potential new urban renewal area on the West Side.
Anderson Gives Update On Dog River Project
The Dalles City Council got an update on the Dog River Pipeline project during their first meeting of 2023. Public Works Director Dave Anderson says progress was good before winter weather settled in, noting nearly 6,000 feet of pipe was constructed and is in service. The project site is currently under snow, and work will resume in the spring. Anderson gave the update as the Council awarded the last contract for the project, to construct fish screening and passages systems at the intake of the new pipeline. Dog River has coastal resident cutthroat trout in it, designated as a sensitive species in Oregon.
Mayors Continue Tradition At HR Council Meeting
It was a fairly quick first meeting of the year for the Hood River City Council, highlighted by the swearing in of new Councilors Grant Polson and Doug Stepina along with Mayor Paul Blackburn. Blackburn returns to the post he left four years ago when his family moved out of the area. Outgoing Mayor Kate McBride continued what has become a Hood River tradition, giving Blackburn a book of Robert’s Rules of Order that former Mayor Arthur Babitz initially gave Blackburn ten years ago with small piece of advice written into it, who then gave it to McBride with another line when she took the gavel. In returning to Blackburn, McBride said she wrote “diverse opinions make balanced government.” Blackburn was initially mayor from 2014 to 2019.
Merkley Town Halls Scheduled For Friday
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley will host a trio of town halls in the region on Friday. He will start at Rufus City Hall at 10:30 Friday morning, move on to the Fort Dalles Readiness Center at 1 p.m., and finish up at Hood River Middle School at 4 p.m. Merkley’s office says the Senator will update constituents on his work in Washington D.C. at all three town halls, along with answering questions and inviting suggestions on dealing with the challenges facing Oregon and America.
Trafficking Walk Planned Wednesday
The Mid-Columbia Human Trafficking Task Force will hold a Human Trafficking Awareness Walk on Wednesday in The Dalles. Task Force Coordinator Shannon-Marie O’Brien says trafficking happens in this area, in the form of movement via Interstate 84 in the Gorge and Highway 97 to the Bend area, the purchasing of sex, and labor trafficking. O’Brien says the walk is part of their attempt to educate people about the existence of human trafficking in this area. Those who would like to take part in the walk can meet at HAVEN on 420 East 3rd in The Dalles at 11 a.m. Wednesday. The walk will take place at noon.