Tuesday is the deadline to either mail a ballot or drop it off in a designated drop box for the election in Washington that features numerous municipal and school board offices.  For a complete list of drop box locations, go to either klickitatcounty.org or skamaniacounty.org.  The drop boxes are open until 8 p.m. Tuesday.  There are a handful of contested races in both counties.

Football Putnam 55, The Dalles 41 Goldendale 60, White Swan 8 Tenino 52, Columbia 8   Oregon Class 1A District 2 Football Crossover at Eastern Oregon University Elgin 80, Lyle-Klickitat-Wishram 6 Adrian 62, Dufur 6   Oregon Class 1A Volleyball Second Round Damascus Christian def. South Wasco 25-15, 25-16, 25-9   Washington Class 2B District 4 Volleyball Tournament Stevenson def. Forks 3-2 Toulte Lake def. Stevenson 3-0:  The Bulldogs face Winlock in a loser-out game on Wednesday at 5:30 in Onalaska.   Cross Country Goldendale won the boys’ team title at the Eastern Washington Athletic Conference Championships in Pasco with three of the top six finishers.  Alden Williams of the Timberwolves was second while Issac Call was third and Sean Henrikson sixth.  In the girls’ race, Lexi Williams was the top Goldendale finisher in eleventh.   Columbia’s Ella Zimmerman finished 12^th at Washington Class 1A District 1-4 girls’ championships at South Whidbey High School, as the Bruins finished ninth in the team standings.   Stevenson won the girls’ Class 2B/1B District 4 championships at Rainer.  Isabella Spencer led the Bulldogs’ with a third place finish, while Sofia Spencer was eighth.  Stevenson was tenth in the boys’ competition.

Boys Soccer Hood River Valley 3, The Dalles 3 Horizon Christian 2, Southwest Christian 1   Girls Soccer The Dalles 2, Hood River Valley 2 Castle Rock 4, Columbia 0 Goldendale 2, Mabton 1   Cross Country Camden Uffelman finished fourth to lead Columbia to a third place finish at the boys’ Class 1A & 2A District 4 meet at Lewis River Golf Course in Woodland.  August Lorincz finished ninth for the Bruins.   Football Onalaska 60, Stevenson 0   Volleyball Castle Rock def. Columbia 3-1

Two area groups have received Rural Opportunity Initiative grants from Business Oregon.  Mid-Columbia Economic Development District will use the funds to continue to expand its ecosystem mapping efforts, increase connectivity and accessibility to small business resources, and develop an inclusive entrepreneurial culture that is welcoming to all members of the community.  Maupin Works will launch an entrepreneurial hub, offering co-working space, community building events, and co-located resources to small businesses and entrepreneurs in South Wasco County.  The Rural Opportunity Initiative is Business Oregon’s effort to empower rural communities to support entrepreneurs and small business growth, through financing, innovative partnerships, network expansion, capacity support, and access to business development resources.

The Oregon law enforcement moratorium for expired vehicle registration, driver licenses and ID cards will end December 31, and Department of Motor Vehicles officials say if you need to renew, do it as soon as you can – before an expected rush at the end of the year.  Starting in November, DMV will mail about 300,000 Oregon residents who have expired vehicle registrations, urging them to renew before the end of the year.  This mailing is in addition to the regular reminder DMV sends a few weeks before your vehicle’s tags expire.  DMV will not also send a second reminder for expired licenses, permits and ID cards.  The current moratorium, passed by the 2021 Legislature, is the last of a series of grace periods giving Oregonians more time to renew at DMV during COVID-19 restrictions.

The Hood River County Christmas Project has started to take registration for families in need during the holiday season.  Bruce Holmson of the Christmas Project says they are once again taking registrations online, and will once again be providing food and gift cards to those in need.  Last year 891 families received assistance from the Christmas Project, and Holmson expects a similar number will apply this year.  Eligible families need to meet state of Oregon low-income eligibility requirements.  To register, or to donate or volunteer, go to hoodrivercountychristmasproject.com or call 541-490-9581.

The Oregon Health Authority reports that 80% of Oregonians 18 and older have had at least one dose in a vaccination series against COVID-19.  The Centers for Disease Control’s percentage of adults who’ve received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine is slightly higher than the number and percentage reported on Oregon’s vaccination dashboard.  The CDC’s data include vaccinations delivered through federal installations and facilities, such as the Veteran’s Administration.  Overall, Oregon has delivered at least on dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to 68 percent of all residents, with children below 12 remaining ineligible for a vaccine.  Oregon has fully vaccinated 63 percent of all residents and ranks 12^th in the nation for the percentage of residents who are fully protected.  Health experts estimate that Oregon and other states remain below the level of “herd immunity” required to extinguish viral transmission, and experts continue to urge people who are unvaccinated to get immunized.

The Columbia Gorge Community College Foundation has received a $12,000 grant from the Union Pacific Foundation’s “Community Ties Giving Program” to provide critical new equipment for CGCC students enrolled in Advanced Manufacturing & Metals Fabrication.  The grant allows the college to obtain oxy-acetylene tanks and a transport cart for gas welding classes.  CGCC Advanced Manufacturing lead instructor Robert Wells-Clark says the UP grant allows the school to train students to fit into the modern railroad industry.  He adds that industry has extremely competitive wages and excellent benefits.

Most Oregonians who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits will receive emergency allotments in November.  The federal government has approved emergency allotments every month since March 2020.  This gives SNAP recipients additional support during the COVID-19 pandemic.  In November, approximately 398,400 SNAP households will receive approximately $63 million in extra food benefits in addition to their regular SNAP benefits.  Emergency allotments will be available on Nov. 11 for current SNAP households.  New SNAP households will receive the emergency allotments Nov. 30 or Dec. 2.  SNAP recipients do not have to take any action to receive these supplemental benefits as they will be issued directly on their EBT cards.

NW Natural customers in Oregon will be seeing an increase in their bills this winter.  New rates recently approved by the Public Utility Commission of Oregon include the annual Purchased Gas Adjustment to true-up the prior year’s gas purchases and project the cost of natural gas for the year ahead.  The changes are driven by multiple factors, including economy-wide supply and demand impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with higher prices experienced during last winter’s heating season.  Starting November 1, NW Natural customers in Oregon can expect to see new rates on monthly bills starting November 1.  Rates for residential customers in Oregon will be about $7.50 more a month for customers using an average of 54 therms per month.  Rates for small-commercial customers in Oregon will be about $36.21 more a month for customers using an average of 242 therms per month.  Mitigating this increase, NW Natural’s sales customers could see a one-time bill credit in February, which would equate to an approximate $35 credit on the average residential customer’s bill and an approximate $165 credit on the average small-commercial customer’s bill.