The newest member of the Wasco County Commission officially started on the job on Monday.  Kathy Schwartz has been attending Commission meetings since being elected in May, but Monday’s was her first as a member of the board.  Schwartz says since the May election, she’s been working to get ready to take her position.  During Monday’s meeting, Commissioners gave their support to a request from the City of Maupin to the Oregon Community Foundation Board for funding for construction of a new library facility in Maupin.  It would be located within a new Maupin City Hall.

A jackknifed truck closed the westbound lanes of Interstate 84 between Hood River and Cascade Locks for a period of time on Tuesday, and limited it to one lane during the afternoon.  According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, the accident occurred late Tuesday morning near Herman Creek.  The crash pushed median barriers into the eastbound lanes, and for a little over an hour left only the right eastbound lane open.  Both eastbound lanes and one westbound lane had opened, but ODOT said Tuesday afternoon the right hand westbound lane remained closed, and delays should be expected.  There were no injuries reported.

North Wasco County School District 21 is seeking applications to fill two vacancies on the district’s board.  The seats representing Zone 2 and Zone 7 are the positions available.  Superintendent Candy Armstrong says both seats will be on the ballot during the May election.  Zone 7 is the far eastern part of the district, while zone 2 is primarily the agricultural area past Dry Hollow.  Applications and detailed zone descriptions are available on the D-21 website.  For more information call D-21 executive assistant Cindy Miller at 541-506-3420, ext. 1002.

It appears the holiday season was a busy one for Hood River’s retail sector.  Hood River County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Michael Glover says informal signs indicate it was a good holiday season for businesses.  Glover said Hood River benefited from mild weather during the holiday time period.  He notes the type of downtown Hood River has is a draw during the holidays for those who live in metropolitan areas.

The recreational sturgeon season in The Dalles Poo of the Columbia River, defined as The Dalles Dam upstream to John Day Dam, closed Monday under rules announced by fishery managers from Oregon and Washington.  The states decided to close the sturgeon sport fishery based on catch projections which indicate the 135 fish guideline would be achieved by this past Friday.  Catch rates have been high since the season opened New Year’s Day, with an estimated 69 fish kept through January 3.  Sturgeon fishing remains open in the Bonneville and John Day pools, where the guidelines are 325 and 105 fish, respectively.  Retention sturgeon fishing is closed below Bonneville Dam and below Willamette Falls under permanent sport fishing regulations.  Except for specific sanctuaries, catch-and-release sturgeon fishing remains open in all of these waters, even when retention seasons are closed.

Boys Basketball Parkrose 58, Hood River Valley 47 The Dalles 55, St. Helens 47 Seton Catholic 104, Columbia 51 Horizon Christian 70, Dufur 57 Horizon Christian 60, South Wasco 37 Sherman 66, South Wasco 41 Sherman 62, Dufur 43 Sunnyside Christian 68, Trout Lake 42 Lyle-Wishram 72, Mabton 34 DeSales 67, Lyle-Wishram 59 (overtime) Naches Valley 65, Goldendale 40 LaSalle (Yakima) 91, Goldendale 42   Girls Basketball Parkrose 59, Hood River Valley 47 The Dalles 43, St. Helens 33:  Kilee Hoylman scored 12 points and added 13 rebounds as the Riverhawks won for the fifth time in their last six games. Stevenson 56, Columbia 44 South Wasco 47, Sherman 32 Dufur 50, Sherman 27 Sunnyside Christian 64, Trout Lake 26 Mabton 63, Lyle-Wishram 41 DeSales 53, Lyle-Wishram 12 Naches Valley 66, Goldendale 32 LaSalle (Yakima) 76, Goldendale 19   Boys Wrestling Hood River Valley’s Ryan Zeller won the 132 pound division and Steven Preston of The Dalles finished first at 160 as HRV finished sixth and The Dalles ninth at the Don York Tournament at Cleveland High School in Portland.  Preston won all five of his matches by fall, while Zeller won three of five in that manner.  HRV also received second place finishes at 138 from Chad Muenzer and 170 by Timmy Fletcher, while Tristan Keely was third at 152.   J.R. Scott was second at 195 for the Riverhawks.   Girls Wrestling Hood River Valley finished tenth at the 93-school Kelso Girls Invitational.  Elena Kroll took second at 135 pounds and Grace Miller third at 145 to lead the Eagles.  Columbia’s Hailey Johnson was fourth at 120.   Alpine Skiing Hood River Valley had three of the top five individual placers to win the girls team title of Kelsey’s Race, the annual start for Oregon’s high school alpine ski racing season.   Josie Petersen finished second for the Eagles, with Erica Anderson fourth and Paris Nunn fifth.  The Dalles finished 18^th.  HRV took eighth in the boys’ race, topped by a fifth place finish by Chris McElwee.  Louis Redcloud of The Dalles was 14^th.

Both the Hood River County Health Department and North Central Public Health Department say the Oregon Health Authority has confirmed a case of measles in a person who was infectious and spent time in Hood River and The Dalles between December 26 and 31.  The person, who had traveled to the region from out of the country, was diagnosed in a Portland hospital on Wednesday.  No additional cases have been identified, and the Oregon Health Authority is working with local public health agencies to notify individuals of their potential exposures and to inform them of steps to take if they become ill.  Most people who live in the Northwest have been vaccinated against measles, and their risk is low. Risk may be higher for unvaccinated people who were at the Discovery Center in The Dalles on Saturday (December 29) between 1:30 and 4:30 in the afternoon, Doppio Café and Goodwill in Hood River on Sunday (December 30) between noon and 1:00 and the Full Sail Brewery between 1:00 and 2:00, and Fred Meyer in The Dalles on Monday (December 31) between 5:00 and 6:00 in the evening.  Health department officials say they would expect symptoms in anyone newly infected to appear anytime over the next week or two with a rash following initial symptoms.  For information on measles go to the Oregon Health Authority website, or call the Hood River County Health Department at 541-386-1115 or North Central Public Health District at 541-506-2600.

The deadline to report all 2018 big game and turkey tags in Oregon has been extended until April 15 to give hunters more time to report under the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s new licensing system.  The new deadline applies to all 2018 deer, elk, cougar, bear, antelope and turkey tags.  Anyone who purchased one of these tags needs to report—even if they were not successful or didn’t go hunting.  Hunters who fail to report a 2018 deer or elk tag by the new deadline of April 15 will have to pay $25 when they go to purchase their 2020 annual hunting license.  Hunters are encouraged to report online at ODFW’s Licensing page after using the “Verify/Look Up Account” button to find their account in the new licensing system.  Hunters can also report by phone to ODFW’s Licensing Division at 503-947-6101.

GorgeWorks is now accepting applications for its internship and work experience program this summer.  The opportunities are open to anyone over 18, with some available to those as young as 16.  Applicants do not have to currently be part of an education program.  There are currently 16 internships and work experiences available through GorgeWorks this summer.  Application information is available at gorgeworks.com.  The applications are being accepted through February 15.

A mobile museum with a collection of over seven-thousand artifacts related to Black history and culture will be at The Dalles Wasco County Public Library on Tuesday.  The Black History 101 Mobile Museum was started by Khalid el-Hakim as a classroom aid, and evolved into what now tours the country.  The museum showcases historical and contemporary artifacts to illustrate the history and progression of Black culture, with pieces ranging from those connected to slavery, Jim Crow, and civil rights to the emergence and flourishing of Black culture in movements from the Harlem Renaissance to modern-day hip-hop.  The mobile museum will be at The Dalles Library from 11 a.m.to 3 p.m., with el-Hakim giving a talk from noon to 1 p.m.  Admission is free.