Two of the victims in Friday’s shooting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport have ties to The Dalles.  The Miami Herald reports 70-year-old Shirley Timmons died in the shooting, while her husband Steve Timmons was wounded and at last report was in a coma in a south Florida hospital.  The Herald says Steve Timmons is retired from Northwest Aluminum in The Dalles, where the radio stations of AVC Communications in Cambridge, Ohio says he reached the position of vice-president.  They were living in Senecaville, Ohio, and were to celebrate their 51st wedding anniversary on January 28.  The couple was on their way to a family cruise leaving from Fort Lauderdale.

A couple of Port of The Dalles properties that have stood vacant may be about to be occupied soon.  Port Executive Director Andrea Klaas says three lots on Klindt Drive near the Port offices have been on the market for a number of years, but there has been strong interest in two of them.  She expects a building on one of the lots will be a 14,000 square foot space that should be ready in spring, and another project is in the development stage.  Klaas notes the Port is seeking commonality in businesses in the community that can help them tap into an industry that can support all of those businesses.

Hood River County officials are beginning to enter into their budget process for the 2017-18 fiscal year.  County Administrator Jeff Hecksel says staff has begun its work, with staffing requests being put in for initial review.  He says in the end the budget will probably remain status quo.  County Commission Chair Ron Rivers says he plans to bring up the possibility of creating new revenue streams for the County at the Commission’s goal-setting session later this month.

A couple of Port of The Dalles properties that have stood vacant may be about to be occupied soon.  Port Executive Director Andrea Klaas says three lots on Klindt Drive near the Port offices have been on the market for a number of years, but there has been strong interest in two of them.  She expects a building on one of the lots will be a 14,000 square foot space that should be ready in spring, and another project is in the development stage.  Klaas notes the Port is seeking commonality in businesses in the community that can help them tap into an industry that can support all of those businesses.

Boys Basketball Dufur 70, South Wasco 34 Sherman 71, Horizon Christian 45 Sherman 78, Ione 25 Bickleton 61, Trout Lake 34 Yakama Tribal 82, Klickitat 45 Sunnyside Christian 87, Lyle 30 Goldendale 61, Cle Elum-Roslyn 40   Girls Basketball Seton Catholic 45, Columbia 28 Castle Rock 51, Stevenson 49 South Wasco 35, Dufur 28 Horizon Christian 62, Sherman 33 Sherman 54, Ione 45 Bickleton 56, Trout Lake 46 Yakama Tribal 65, Klickitat 37 Sunnyside Christian 63, Lyle 16 Cle Elum-Roslyn 72, Goldendale 34   Wrestling Hood River Valley finished eighth out of 16 teams at the Don York Invitational at Cleveland High School in Portland.  Chad Muenzer, Jason Shaner, and Justin Wilson won their weight classes for the Eagles.

Tonight’s The Dalles City Council meeting postponed to January 16 at 5:30 p.m. Columbia Gorge Community College campuses in The Dalles and Hood River will be closed. Mid-Columbia Senior Center and The Dalles Meals on Wheels is closed. Aging in The Gorge Alliance meeting is cancelled. One Community Health in Hood River and The Dalles closed. Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation District offices are closed. Depression & anxiety program at White Salmon 7th Day Adventist Church postponed to Feb. 13. No Skamania County Public Transit. Tuesday’s Columbia River Gorge Commission meeting is cancelled.

Chenowith Elementary School was cleared for about an hour today after smoke was detected in a classroom.  North Wasco County School District 21 Superintendent Candy Armstrong says students and staff were evacuated to the Wahtonka Campus Gym at about 11:15 a.m.  Mid-Columbia Fire & Rescue along with District Maintenance staff responded and found an issue with the heater in classroom 17 caused the smoke.  Students remained at Wahtonka Campus until the building was cleared, and returned to the building at 12:10 p.m.  The classroom has radiant heat, and Armstong says maintenance staff will ensure adequate and safe heat in the room until the repair can be made.  

The Hood River County School District will make up the two full days of classes that were cancelled due to inclement weather in December.  The district will make up the missed days on January 27 and June 14.  The January 27 date was pre-planned in case of a school closure within the first semester of the school year.  June 14 is now the final planned day of school in the Hood River district.  However, there could be additional make up days if more school days are lost due to weather.

Boys Basketball Corbett 41, Hood River Valley 39:  The Eagles lost for a second straight night by a very close margin, falling to 3-7 on the season. Stevenson 54, Castle Rock 44:  Austin Brannan scored 22 points to lead the Bulldogs to the victory in their Trico League opener. Seton Catholic 80, Columbia 63:  Seton Catholic had five players score in double figures on the way to the win.  William Gross led CHS with 17 points.   Girls Basketball Hood River Valley 60, Corbett 45:  The Eagles took the lead with an 11 point run in the first half, and Corbett never got closer than five points of the Eagles after that.  Emily Curtis topped HRV with 18 points, while Hannah McNerney and Lauren Orr tallied 11 apiece.

The Oregon Department of Transportation says it will close Interstate 84 east of Troutdale if road conditions become unsafe during this weekend’s anticipated winter storm, and will keep it closed until it’s safe again for traffic.  An ODOT spokesperson says crews have been pre-treating area roads with deicer – magnesium chloride with rust inhibitor – in anticipation of the storm.  He adds will deploy as appropriate all available tools in its winter arsenal, including plows, sand, salt and deicer.  He also points out the more traffic stays off the road, the quicker roads can be cleared.  If you do drive, slow down, allow plenty of stopping distance and watch out for pedestrians and bicyclists because stopping distances are so much longer.