Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue Chief Bob Palmer says five boathouses were totaled…six more significantly damaged…and ten to eleven were saved with minimal damage from Monday night’s fire at The Dalles Marina.  Palmer says crews arrived shortly after receiving the fire call at 7:10 p.m., and found several boathouses on fire in the B finger of the Marina.  Those crews then began protecting potential exposures…battling winds that came up during the fire.  Palmer said embers from the fire ignited some nearby brush…burning an area about 300 feet long and 75 feet wide alongside Interstate 84.  Fire crews returned to that location today after reports of the brush fire restarting.  Palmer said the Port of The Dalles was able to quickly get contract crews to the Marina to contain debris and hazardous materials resulting from the boats that were damaged in the fire.  The fire is under investigation…with Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office called in to lead that work.  Palmer said one firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion at Mid-Columbia Medical Center.  Last year during the Fourth of July weekend…a fire destroyed a number of houseboats in The Dalles Marina’s D finger.  

Columbia Gorge Community College and the Gorge Community Foundation are teaming up to help bring a visiting authors program to CGCC beginning this fall.  CGCC Foundation Director Wendy Patton says the project will select diverse authors and integrate their work into existing courses.  The visiting authors and other details, including involvement of the wider Gorge community, will be announced in the coming weeks.  The Gorge Community Foundation provided $1500 for the visiting authors program.

The new 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is operational.  The 9-8-8 dialing code connects callers to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a network of local call centers throughout the country.  Oregon Health Authority Behavioral Health Crisis System and 9-8-8 Lead Rusha Grinstead says the hope is the three-digit number is easier to remember than the lifeline’s previous ten-digit number, especially for those in crisis.  In 2020 the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline received nearly 2.4 million calls, and call volume is anticipated to significantly increase with the launch of 9-8-8.

A Klamath Falls man will be riding his mountain bike on the Oregon Timber Trail from Lakeview to Hood River starting on Monday to raise awareness of ovarian cancer.  Mark Shafer’s wife Kelly is an ovarian cancer survivor after being diagnosed with Stage 3C cancer in 2016.  Mark Shafer says he making the ride to promote awareness of the disease and to provide education to women and the health care community, noting the symptoms are bloating, getting full fast, and a need to urinate frequently.  Shafer said if those persist for a couple of weeks, see a doctor.  The ride is scheduled to finish August 25 in Hood River.  To follow Shafer’s trip, go to Teal on 2 Wheels on Facebook.

North Central Public Health District says two dead bats have been found on properties in The Dalles in recent months.  Bats are an important part of the ecosystem and are helpful bug eaters, but they are also the leading cause of rabies deaths in people in the U.S.  NCPHD says most bats do not have rabies, but you can’t tell just by looking at it.  The district is advising to dispose of a dead bat, pick it up with a plastic bag over your hand or use disposable gloves, place both the bat and the plastic bag into another plastic bag, spray with disinfectant, close the bag securely, and dispose of it with your garbage, then thoroughly wash your hands and clothing that comes into contact with the bat.  Dead and observed sick bats can be reported to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife through the agency’s website.  Signs a bat is sick is if it flies during daytime, has difficulty flying or on the ground, or has a white substance on their face or wings.

Al Barton has been tabbed as the new permanent executive director of Mid-Columbia Center for Living.  The Tri-County Mental Health Board made the selection.  Barton has been acting as the interim director since July of last year.  He began his career at Center for Living in 2008 as a Clinical Supervisor before becoming a Clinical Services Manager in 2009.  Prior to assuming the interim executive director position, Barton served as the agency’s deputy director for five years.  Before joining Center for Living, Barton held the Executive Director position and Director of Needs Assessment and Outpatient Services at Piney Ridge Center, a psychiatric residential health facility in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  He has worked in correctional, developmental disabilities and residential settings.

Mid-Columbia Economic Development District is recruiting for openings on two Oregon-focused lending boards staffed by the organization, including the Oregon Investment Board and Mount Hood Economic Alliance.  The Oregon Investment Board is responsible for providing grants and loans to advance economic development interests on the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area.  The Mount Hood Economic Alliance is a gap financer and provides loans to small businesses in Clackamas, Hood River, and Wasco Counties.  For both boards, desired qualifications for new board members include a background in business management, finance or economic and community development; residence in the county noted; and an interest in the future of economic development for the region.  Interest forms are available at mcedd.org.

Dedication of Oregon Highway 35 as the Oregon Nisei Veterans World War II Memorial Highway will take place in August.  Governor Kate Brown signed the bill passed by the Oregon Legislature this past session to dedicate the highway between Hood River and Government Camp in honor of the state’s Japanese American World War II veterans.  A dedication ceremony will be held at the Wy’East Middle School performing arts center on August 13 at 1 p.m., with Nisei dignitaries, former Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, and local legislators participating.  A sign reveal will be held at the Highway 35 viewpoint two miles south of Hood River after the ceremony at around 3 p.m.  Tax-deductible donations are being accepted to support this project online at pdxjacl.org/niseivetshwy, or by mailing a designated check payment made out to American Legion Post 22, at P.O. Box 1803 in Hood River, zip code 97031.

A broken portion of John Day Lock and Dam’s upstream navigation lock gate has slowed Columbia River traffic.  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers technicians found the damage to a lower guide wheel on Monday, and closed the lock to river traffic.  Engineers and operations staff initiated limited lockage’s Tuesday evening in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard.  Corps Portland District commander Col. Mike Helton says they are unsure what caused the damage.  Locks at Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day dams in February each year to make repairs, complete inspections and perform maintenance.  However, the Corps says aging infrastructure, wear and tear, and other issues have caused unexpected outages in recent years: in 2019, the Bonneville Lock needed emergency repairs for a sill block, and in 2021, district officials shut down The Dalles Lock for emergency repairs to a miter gate.  Portland District locks on the Columbia River pass 10 million of the 50.5 million tons of commerce shipped annually in the nation.

Local fire crews dealt with a couple of small fires in the region on Tuesday afternoon.  There was a two-acre fire near Wamic at Dodson Road and Three Mile Road just after 1 p.m. Tuesday.  It was lined by crews in about half-an-hour.  Wamic, Tygh Valley, Dufur, and Oregon Department of Forestry firefighters responded.  In Klickitat County, crews responded to a small fire at the bottom of McCready Road near Alderdale.  It occurred around 5:30 p.m. near the Columbia River, and brush crews were able to quickly contain it.