Hood River’s waterfront area has been used for years by freight companies as a place to park and transfer their trucks and trailers, but how long that can remain the case is an open question.  The Port of Hood River currently has contracts with several freight companies to park trucks and trailers on Port roadways, but Port Executive Director Michael McElwee says with the increase in development and recreational use in the waterfront area, he’s not sure those arrangements will be feasible in the future.  McElwee gave Port Commissioners a report on the issue after talking to various stakeholders, and it indicates that it would be difficult to find a replacement location in Hood River, which could result in shippers having to make deliveries more frequently and increase costs.

The Port of Hood River has closed the westernmost section of Portway Avenue, the gravel road known locally as “The Hook Road,” due to several trees downed by high winds in the past 24 hours.  All paved sections of Portway Avenue remain open, but the gravel section will be closed to all vehicle traffic until further notice.  The pedestrian path that runs along the gravel road will also be closed until the downed trees can be removed.  Meanwhile, Pacific Power reported a handful of outages this morning after a tree fell onto a power line in the Westcliff area.

The Ice Fountain Water District has lifted a boil water order in the Barrett Drive and Country Club Road area.  District Manager Mark Beam said all tests on the water came back clean, allowing the boil order to be lifted.  The boil water order had been put in place after a fire hydrant was hit on Alameda Road, causing those customers to lose water pressure for a time.  Under state law, the district was required to put the boil order in place because of the disruption in service.  Those with questions should call the Ice Fountain Water District at 541-386-4299.

The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help as it continues to investigate the disappearance of a man that they believe was victim of foul play.  The whereabouts of 55-year-old William “Bill” Sutton remains unknown.  Deputies responded on October 9 to an area just north of Stevenson on a report of suspicious circumstances, and found a dispersed camp site and signs of an assault.  Sutton had been camping in the area with a group of transients before moving to that location.  The Sheriff’s Office says because of the condition of the camp and evidence found at the scene, they believe Sutton likely died of homicidal violence.       Anyone who may have been in the area of Blue Lake Road in Skamania County on or about the weekend of October 6^th to the 9^th or may have seen anything suspicious after those dates is asked to call the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office at 509-427-9490.

Boys Basketball

Arlington 55, Dufur 54

Mabton 66,  Lyle-Wishram 62

Girls Basketball

Stevenson 64, Columbia 47:  Kaitlyn Wenz had 18 points and eight rebounds to lead the Bulldogs.  Stevenson moved to 5-1 in the Trico League and stays within a game of first place King’s Way Christian.

Dufur 36, Arlington 27

Damascus Christian 33, Trout Lake 13

Mabton 66, Lyle-Wishram 12

Wrestling

The Dalles 36, Madras 33

The Dalles 42, Sisters 29:  The Riverhawks win two in a double dual at Sisters.

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden held a town hall meeting attended by about 60 people at the Hood River Middle School Auditorium.  Wyden fielded questions on a number of topics, most notably the status of the partial government shutdown now into its fifth week.  The Democrat said the fairest way out of the standoff over President Donald Trump’s desire for a border wall is to return to an agreement Senators reached before the shutdown began, voting on the spending bills needed to reopen the government, and then once that is done hold a separate debate on border security.   Wyden added if the President decides to open the government, there would be a debate on border security and he believes there would be some kind of border security package that would spend the money in an effective way, but Wyden also said all of the immigration experts he has been advised by say a wall doesn’t make sense.  He also said in the counties he has visited the last four to five days, citizens have consistently said the government must be opened first, regardless if they voted for or against Trump in 2016.

Washington 14th District State Representative Gina Mosbrucker is supportive of the efforts of Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz to create a ten-year plan to strengthen how the state can prevent and respond to wildfires, but whether the money can be nailed down for it is a question.  Franz has released a ten-year plan as part of her 55 million dollar budget request to the Legislature to improve the state’s firefighting capabilities.  Mosbrucker says whether it can happen depends on the dollars.  Franz would like to add 30 full-time and 40 seasonal firefighters to the Department of Natural Resources, and take other measures.

Skyline Hospital in White Salmon will hold a public forum this coming Monday evening to provide an update on the hospital’s exploration of a possible affiliation with a larger health system.  The public will be given the opportunity to ask questions.  Skyline Hospital board chair Les Dewey says they want to be transparent with the community as they explore the option of affiliation.  The forum will be at 5:30 Monday evening (January 28) in the hospital’s downstairs meeting space.

The Wasco County Cultural Trust has announced its 2019 grant recipients.  Those receiving funds this year include The Dalles Wasco County Library for its artist residency program, the Dufur School District for its Storytellers program, St. Mary’s Academy to bring the Missoula Children’s Theater to the school to produce King Arthur’s Quest, Shannon Zilka for the Columbia Gorge Old Time Social, the Masqueraders for its youth theatre, and NORCOR’s Drumming for Youth program.  The funds are provided through a grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust.

Boys Basketball

Crane 63, South Wasco 41

Powder Valley 36, Horizon Christian 33

Girls Basketball

Crane 66, South Wasco 25