Amy Schlappi has been named the new Executive Director of Columbia Area Transit. 2021.  The Hood River County Transportation District board says Schlappi will work alongside current Executive Director Patty Fink until she retires in July.  Schlappi has been CAT’s Planning & Development Manager since October of 2019, helping shape and expand the transportation system in Hood River County, executing projects like the GOrge Pass, and assisting in the development of an expanded Gorge-wide transportation system in partnership with other Gorge transportation providers.  As Schlappi assumes the Directorship, she will be responsible for managing day-to-day operations, executing a new Transit Master Plan, and leading policy development and planning the transportation system.

Boys Basketball The Dalles 69, Estacada 51:  Tristan Bass lead the Hawks with 21 points, Styles DeLeon had 15, Henry Begay 11 and Cooper Cummings added 10 points in the victory.   Girls Basketball Estacada 37, The Dalles 35  

Hood River County Commissioners next week will discuss about where to move on any kind of community plan for Odell.  County Commission Chair Mike Oates said the County’s request to the Department of Land Conservation and Development to discuss the rule that prevents putting an urban growth boundary within ten miles of another boundary on its worksession agenda, but they didn’t do so.  Oates says the Commission and Community Development Director Eric Walker will discuss where to go from here.  Oates notes the County’s tight land supply for housing makes the Mid-Valley a good location for affordable housing.  The Commission meets next Tuesday, January 18.

A 45-year-old man died when his vehicle was struck by a falling boulder on Highway 14 near Doug’s Beach on Friday.  According to the Washington State Patrol, the vehicle driven by Stephan Becker of Portland was traveling westbound on Highway 14 when it was struck by a boulder falling down the adjacent hill.  That caused the vehicle to rotate and roll, coming to rest in the eastbound lane.  Becker was declared deceased at the scene.  The accident occurred just after noon on Friday.

Boys Basketball Hood River Valley 89, Columbia 53 South Wasco 60, Horizon Christian 37 Echo 102, Sherman 50 Condon 67, Sherman 42 Goldendale 71, Granger 63 Goldendale 56, Highland 48   Girls Basketball South Wasco 53, Horizon Christian 39 Echo 55, Sherman 25 Condon 43, Sherman 37 Granger 54, Goldendale 49 Goldendale 55, Highland 47   Boys Wrestling Bryce Waddell won the 126 pound division for Goldendale at the Jeremiah Schmunk Invitational in Warden, helping the Timberwolves to a sixth place team finish.   Girls Wrestling Goldendale’s Kali Watson finished third at 135 pounds at the Kelso Invitational.

Klickitat County Fire District 3’s Station 32 at Cherry Lane experienced a catastrophic roof failure on Thursday.  Nobody was inside the building at the time of collapse, but there was a 1985 GMC reserve fire engine that has sustained significant damage.  Fire District 3 has been in the process of fulfilling a Capital Improvement Bond measure passed in 2018 to improve facilities and firefighter safety, so the building is currently in ‘construction phase’ and all internal contents were removed except for the engine, which was there to protect it from freezing while contract personnel were able to work around it.  Service to Snowden is still in place as part of the district’s previous construction plans.

Klickitat PUD reports most of the snow on trees and its equipment is clearing, and they’re hopeful in means they will not see continued damage to their electric system and be able restore existing power outages.  Cowlitz PUD has sent crews to help with the restoration of power.  A crew started in Trout Lake Friday morning and will move south along the Highway 141 corridor.  Another will be rebuilding structures and putting wire back on the transmission line to Glenwood, which may not be finished until Saturday.  Once the line is re-energized, they will tackle other issues in Glenwood.  A crew is also addressing outages in White Salmon, and then will move up into Snowden.  The goal is to get all of Klickitat PUD’s main lines restored, but it is likely smaller outages will not be restored until Saturday.  High winds forecast for the Gorge Monday does leave a concern of trees being blown down and hindering work.

North Central Public Health District’s COVID-19 vaccine clinic that was cancelled on Thursday due to the weather conditions has been rescheduled for Tuesday at The Dalles Civic Auditorium. Those who had an appointment on Thursday and want to keep it in the original time slot can simply show up at the Civic on Tuesday at that designated time. Those who want to cancel an appointment, or change to a different time or date, can do so through the booking link in the confirmation email or by calling North Central Public Health District at 541-506-2600. The original clinic hours were from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. but the Tuesday event at the Civic will run from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. To book an appointment go to NCPHD.org or call 541-506-2600.

All lanes of Interstate 84 are now open in both directions after a debris slide forced closure of the freeway Thursday morning between Troutdale and Hood River. The Oregon Department of Transportation says smaller slides continue in the Gorge, and the agency will monitor the freeway.  The I-84 closure occurred this morning as a result of both a debris slide at milepost 37 west of Cascade Locks, and a jackknified truck at milepost 53 in the eastbound lanes between Hood River and Cascade Locks.  The truck was removed in the morning, but cleanup on the slide continued into the early evening.      

The Hood River County Health Department’s Health Officer says there is widespread COVID-19 transmission in the County, like the rest of the nation. In a Facebook video this afternoon, Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg says they don’t have a good idea on exact numbers because of the large number of home COVID tests that aren’t reported to the County. Van Tilburg says the Omicron variant is likely the dominant variant in Oregon, adding it will probably be a less severe stage of the pandemic because of the availability of vaccines. He did say a big reason is that COVID vaccines are very effective against the variant. He added those with the most serious illnesses from Omicron are for the most part unvaccinated. Van Tilburg emphasized the importance of boosters, noting how immunity through vaccines can dissipate over time.