Evacuation advisories for the Substation Fire have been lifted.  The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office removed all advisories in its jurisdiction Monday morning, and the Sherman County Sheriff’s Office did the same.  The containment level for the Substation Fire nudged up to 92 percent, with a revised size of 78,425 acres.  Monday command of the fire was transferred from a Type 1 to a Type 3 team, which will continue mop up work over the next couple of weeks.  Type 3 incident commander Kenny Gaynor noted smoke will continue to be seen in the interior of the fire perimeter for some time.  Gaynor adds those who see a lot of smoke or flames spreading should call the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center at 541-316-7700.

A family was displaced in a fire Saturday afternoon at the Budget Inn on 118 West 4th in The Dalles.  Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue Division Chief Jay Wood says the fire was electrical in nature.  It started on the outside of the building and went into a sign, and then spread into the wall and attic space.  Firefighters had to open up the wall and the ceiling to make sure fire did not progress any farther.  Wood said they did not have a cause of the fire determined.  The family that was displaced was helped by both MCFR’s benevolence fund and the American Red Cross.  The fire call came in at about 5:45 p.m. on Saturday.

With a prolonged stretch of hot weather forecast in the region this week, health officials are reminding people to be mindful of heat-related illness.  North Central Public Health District Director Teri Thalofer says it’s important for people to stay hydrated and drink plenty of water during these periods of heat.  Avoid alcohol or liquids containing a high amount of sugar.  In addition, stay cool by staying inside air-conditioned locations, don’t rely on a fan as your primary cooling device, avoid direct sunlight, wear lightweight, light-colored clothing, and take cool showers or baths.  

A new “Explore The Dalles” shuttle service debuted on Saturday, and will continue on Saturdays through September 15.  It’s a pilot program launced by The Dalles Chamber of Commerce, the Army Corps of Engineers at The Dalles Dam and Gray Line of Oregon.  This service will connect at Hood River in the morning with the New Columbia Gorge Express and return in the afternoon to connect with the service back to Portland.  The shuttle will operate five loops a day in The Dalles, beginning and ending at the Chamber of Commerce office. The ten stops will include the Fort Dalles Museum, three downtown locations, The Dalles Dam Visitor Center and Dam, Sunshine Mills, and The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center.  The Dalles Dam stop will include tours of the Dam at no charge.  The service will be provided with 35 seat “Park Coaches” with glass top roofs and large picture windows; they are modeled after 1930’s era “National Park Buses” used in Yellowstone and other park locations.

The opening of Hood River’s Children’s Park has been pushed back into August.  City Manager Steve Wheeler says the Poured-In-Place surfacing was put in last week, but there is still some more work to do, including allowing the surfacing to cure.  Officials had hoped to open it this coming Saturday, but Wheeler says he is confident the opening will take place in August.  He added the park could open before a grand opening event takes place.

The Wasco and Sherman County Sheriff’s offices this morning reduced all evacuation advisories related to the Substation Fire to Level 1.  Containment of the Substation Fire has jumped up to 82 percent…with zero fire movement yesterday and acreage reduced to 79,121 due to accurate mapping.  Public Information Officer Kale Casey says the only location with isolated heat are in the Eight Mile Canyon and the Deschutes River Canyon…where there are bigger trees and riparian areas.   The structural damage report has gone up since yesterday’s community meeting…with four secondary buildings added to a list that included four primary residences, four industrial buildings, 48 outbuildings, eight commercial vehicles, and one RV were destroyed, while four primary residences, two industrial buildings, and three outbuildings were damaged.   Fire officials expect to begin the transition back to local authorities today.  Cause of the fire is still under investigation.   Speakers at the community meeting did emphasize people who have suffered damages in the fire should file claims were their insurance companies quickly.   There is a public information line for the Substation Fire:  503-597-8076.   Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill issued a statement Saturday on the investigation into the Substation Fire, emphasizing investigators need all credible information reported to them.   If anyone was traveling on Highway 197 between milepost 1 and milepost 3 on Tuesday at or about 3:30 p.m. and saw anything suspicious, like someone parked on the side of the road or someone throwing something out the window of a car, they are asked to call the a tip line set up by the Oregon State Police at 1-800-452-7888. Magill says any information about vehicles in the area or what was seen directly before or after the fire is important to investigators. Anyone with a dash camera, or cameras on residences or business in that area, are asked to call investigators.   Magill has also asked those returning residents not to clean up their property at this time, as the Sheriff’s Office would like to speak with residents and photograph damaged property. Magill asked for patience as the process could take some time to complete, adding they ask that estimated financial losses be reported when contacted by investigators.   If property owners have not been contacted by the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office, they can call Sgt. Jeff Hall at 541-506-2580.   The Deschutes River has been reopened to boater traffic.  Those who recreate in and around the river should use extreme caution.  Boaters will have to pull off in areas that have recently burned if they plan to camp between Macks Canyon and Heritage Landing.  Black spots may still have hot spots, dangerous stump holes, or rolling material, and avoid standing trees and snags in recently burned areas that may have been weakened and are at risk of falling.  Also, river staff may temporarily hold up water users while helicopters are dipping or flying overhead.  When that happens, stay away from the helicopters.

Hood River County Commissioners have approved a forestland exchange with Farmers Irrigation District.  Under the deal, the County exchanges just over nineteen acres of forestland surrounding Kingsley Reservoir for over 39 acres owned by the irrigation district that will be incorporated into the designated County Forest.  The exchange compensates the County for land, timber and infrastructure which will be flooded and destroyed as a result of Farmers’ reservoir expansion project that is underway.  Commission Chair Ron Rivers says they were able to meet the financial balance required by law for the County to proceed.  In other business the Commission scheduled a hearing for August 6 on whether to put a three percent tax on marijuana sales in the County on the November ballot.  The County has the option to establish the tax, but under state law it must be approved by voters.

An omission on petition sheets has White Salmon, Bingen, and Klickitat County officials taking a new direction to get a Metropolitan Park District to establish and operate a new swimming pool in White Salmon before voters in November.  Mayor David Poucher says they were informed by the County Auditor that petitions signed by over 700 people did not have a required notice about the consequences of knowingly signing the document without being a resident or registered voter.  Poucher says it would be nearly impossible to re-gather those signatures in the three weeks remaining, and he went to the County Commission for another option to get the question to the ballot.  He said Commissioners would put a resolution to put the district on the ballot on an upcoming meeting agenda.  Poucher said the Commission will require the district backers to reach the 725 signatures that would be needed to qualify for the ballot, adding he expects they will reach 1,000.

Paid parking has been in effect on some Port of Hood River owned streets in the Waterfront area, and Port Executive Director Michael McElwee says it is achieving most of the targets set out for it.  McElwee says they are seeing people beginning to understand the system, and the rate of people using it going up.  He adds they are seeing a “vast reduction” in the number of people trying to camp overnight on Port property.  But McElwee says there are adjustments that will need to be made…including signage for different areas of the waterfront, and helping people understand where they can use their waterfront parking pass.

The Dalles Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson is working to find a tourism director to lead the community into its next growth phase in tourism. In past years, Farquharson has served as the tourism director, but funding from the City for the current fiscal year allowed her to seek someone to serve in that role, noting as tourism grows in The Dalles the CEO can’t do both jobs.  Farquharson says they closed applications for the job last week, and will now move on to interviewing finalists for the job.