Hood River County has been informed it will be protected under terms of the recently approved Private Forest Accord between private landowners and environmental groups. County Commission Chair Mike Oates says the accord calls for changing forest practice rules in a way that expands protections for fish and amphibians, and protect private forest land owners from lawsuits. But the accord rules were going to apply to county and state-owned lands without the lawsuit protections. Oates says they were told last week Hood River County will be able to opt-in to the protections as well. Oates notes the regulations under the accord won’t have a large impact on the County’s forest practices, but it does put minimums in where the County would always evaluate each site individually.
Author: mbailey
Klickitat PUD To Hold Rate Hearing Tuesday
Klickitat PUD will be holding a 2023 budget and electric rate hearing Tuesday, with staff presenting a proposal for electric rate increases designed to increase rate revenues by 4.5% effective with the start of the New Year. These increases will vary by rate class, with residential and small general service rate revenues to increase by 2.5%. Klickitat PUD has not increased electric rates since 2019. The PUD says customers are using more power than is available from our McNary hydro-electric project, and from BPA at BPA’s lowest preference rate. The utility purchases the additional power needed at prices heavily influenced by the wholesale power market, and those market prices are increasing, a trend expected to continue. The hearing will be at 3 p.m. Tuesday at the PUD office in Goldendale. The proposal details are available at klickitatpud.com.
Hood River City Council Meeting Postponed One Week
Tonight’s scheduled Hood River City Council meeting has been pushed back a week. It will now be held next Monday night, December 19, at 5:30 p.m. in Hood River City Hall. It will be the only meeting of the month, with the second cancelled due to the Christmas holiday. The Dalles City Council will meet at 6 p.m. this evening in their chambers in The Dalles City Hall.
Underwood CD Tree Of Heaven Control Program Underway
Underwood Conservation District is in the midst of a program to control Tree of Heaven in the area. District Director Tova Tillinghast says it can look nice, but it can also take over yards and lots very quickly sending out roots underground and taking over native habitats and riparian areas. Tree of Heaven is native to Asia, and is the preferred host of the Spotted Lanternfly, a piercing, sucking insect that could threatened local agricultural crops like cherries and grapes. A Zoom workshop on Tree of Heaven is planned for Thursday at 6 pm. For information on how to register, go to ucdwa.org.
CAT Announces New Program For Veterans
Columbia Area Transit has announced a new program for Veterans. The Go Vets Columbia Gorge program provides Veterans with transit opportunities through free fares and passes, along with travel training on how best to use the transit system. All Veterans are eligible for the Go Vets Columbia Gorge program that includes a book-in-advance medical shuttle to the Portland metro area, Dial-a-Ride in Hood River and Wasco counties, the annual Gorge Pass, and Wasco County Shuttle Services. To take part in the Go Vets Columbia Gorge program call (541) 386-4202 to set appointment to discuss your travel needs and goals., or contact your Veteran Services Office for more information in Hood River or The Dalles.
December 9-10 Prep Sports Roundup
Boys Basketball
Stevenson 55, Kalama 49
Horizon Christian 60, Dayville-Monument 35
Horizon Christian 55, Condon 45
South Wasco 90, Central Christian 20
South Wasco 86, Elkton 79, 2 OT
Heppner 59, Dufur 29
Girls Basketball
South Wasco 44, Ione-Arlington 38
South Wasco 38, Elkton 22
Heppner 49, Dufur 31
Dayville-Monument 27, Horizon Christian 25
Vernonia 37, Horizon Christian 11
Wrestling
The Dalles’ Julian Morehouse won the 170 pound division at the Rick Sanders Invitational at Lincoln High School in Portland. Morehouse won both the semi-final and final match by fall. The Riverhawks were 11th in the team standings. In the girls’ portion of the meet, The Dalles’ Maisie Bandal-Ramirez won the 130 pound division with victories by fall in her final two matches.
Kali Watson won the 135 pound division to lead Goldendale to a fifth place finish in the girls’ half of the Tony Saldivar Ironman in Granger. Matthew Gray’s third place finish at 145 pounds helped the Timberwolves to an eighth place finish in the boys’ portion of the tournament.
Columbia’s Jessica Polkinghorn was second at the 155 pounds at the Safeway Girls Buckle Classic in LaGrande
December 6 Prep Sports Roundup
Boys Basketball
Heritage 72, Hood River Valley 70: Zak Poole scored 22 points to lead the Eagles, who dropped their fourth straight game to start the season.
Stevenson 59, Lyle-Wishram 15: The Bulldogs scored the game’s first 31 points, and held the Cougars without a field goal until the second half.
Sherman 57, Central Christian 38
Riverside Christian 78, Goldendale 61
Girls Basketball
Heritage 57, Hood River Valley 51: Heritage’s Keanna Salavea scored 41 points. HRV was led by Marina Castaneda’s 18.
Camas 78, Columbia 15
Stevenson 48, Lyle-Wishram 14
Goldendale 69, Riverside Christian 11
Boys Wrestling
Columbia 40, Heritage 23
Goldendale 36, Columbia 30: Joshua Steele and Sawyer Muehlbauer won two matches apiece for CHS.
Highway 197 Bridge Reopens
The Highway 197 Bridge at The Dalles reopened just before 2 p.m. Monday after its planned morning reopening following a weekend closure was delayed due to complications in the deck replacement process over the weekend. According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, a part of the bridge was damaged while removing one of the old bridge deck sections, and had to be repaired before any work could continue or traffic go over it. The repairs included welding, which was complicated by cold and snowy weather. In addition, ODOT officials say while they were expecting snow, the conditions were icier than predicted…causing delays in the transport of the new bridge deck pieces from the fabrication yard in Washington to the bridge itself.
ELFF Food Drive Tuesday
Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue will hold its annual ELFF Food Drive Tuesday evening. The food drive will be held at Fire Station 1 at 1400 West 8th in The Dalles from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday. MCFR’s Fred Coleman says visitors will take a driving tour through ELFF Drive and see decorated fire trucks and other displays. All donations of non-perishable food or cash donations go directly to local food pantries. Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue is partnering with the Salvation Army, St. Vincent dePaul, and The Dalles Lions to put on the food drive.
CCA Looks To Community Input In Developing Strategic Plan
Hood River’s Columbia Center for the Arts is embarking on a community process to develop a five-year strategic business plan. CCA was seriously impacted by the pandemic, nearly spending down an operational reserve fund of about $250,000 and suspending operations. CCA board president Genevieve Scholl says they are planning community outreach meetings in January in an effort to make sure the plan is informed by what the community wants. The organization’s major asset is its ownership of the building itself on Cascade Avenue. Scholl expects a schedule of outreach meetings will be released soon.