The snowy and icy conditions of the past week has not helped local businesses during what should be the busiest shopping season of the year.  The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson says while the weather keeps people in town, they tend to stay at home rather than heading downtown to shop.  She said in talking to business owners in the community, shopping was looking up before the storm hit, but now sales are trailing one year ago.  Farquharson does hope that as the weather warms, traffic in local stores will pick up for those final Christmas purchases.

Boys Basketball Sherman 80, Hosanna Christian 73 Cascade Christian 63, Sherman 50 Dufur 76, Klickitat 37 South Wasco 52, Culver 51   Girls Basketball Hosanna Christian 64, Sherman 28 Cascade Christian 35, Sherman 29 Dufur 66, Klickitat 51   Wrestling Hood River Valley finished third at the Larry Owings Invitational in Canby.  Ryan Zeller took first place at 120 pounds, and Patrick Estes was victorious at 182 pounds. Three members of the Hood River Valley girls’ wrestling team won their weight class at a tournament at Fort Vancouver.  Lexie McCafferty won at 110 pounds, Elena Kroll at 130, and Grace Miller at 140.

A 33-year-old Underwood man taken into custody Tuesday evening in Hood River is suspected of shooting out or damaging windows at a number of businesses and private properties from Hood River to The Dalles.  The Oregon State Police say the man had been spotted by an off-duty law enforcement officer consuming alcohol in his vehicle, and was later arrested by an OSP trooper for driving under the influence of intoxicants who also recognized him from previous attempts to locate.  The man was found in possession of .177 caliber pellets…the kind that are believed to have damaged the windows.   The OSP says the suspect confessed to a Tuesday night incident in Hood River where a window had been shot out of a business and employees inside had been at risk of injury.  The man has been charged with criminal mischief, reckless endangering a person, and disorderly conduct, with the possibility of more charges in the future as Hood River and The Dalles police detectives continue to investigate.  Anyone who experienced similar damages or incidents should contact The Dalles or Hood River Police Departments.

Hood River County’s Geographic Information Services Department is set to unveil a new version of its interactive WebMap.  The WebMap is a tool that’s widely used by the community to help people find answers to basic questions related to property, land use or particular geographic places of interest in the county.  County Community Development Director John Roberts says the new version should be easier to use, particularly on mobile devices.  The updated WebMap, based on geographic information technology, will be online and available within the next few weeks.

Cooper Spur Ski Area is opening for the season on Friday, with lifts operating for skiing and snowboarding.  All 50 acres of the ski area will be open, served by the Homestead lift and a beginner rope tow.   Cooper Spur Ski Area is scheduled to operate over the holidays from 9 AM – 5 PM daily from December 17 through January 1.  Cooper Spur will also be offering a tubing tow which is expected to open this weekend.

Boys Basketball Woodburn 66, Hood River Valley 55 The Dalles at Ridgeview, cancelled Columbia 56, Lyle 52 Washougal 55, Stevenson 44 Goldendale 75, Highland 32 South Wasco 44, Monument/Dayville 37 Sunnyside Christian 75, Trout Lake 21   Girls Basketball Hood River Valley 65, Roosevelt 31 Ridgeview at The Dalles, cancelled Highland 54, Goldendale 48 Country Christian 75, Horizon Christian 40 Monument/Dayville 37, South Wasco 36, overtime Sunnyside Christian 71, Trout Lake 12

There was a good turnout for the North Wasco County School District 21 board’s introductory workshop for long range facilities planning.  Superintendent Candy Armstrong says the meeting was designed to be primarily informational, going over a timeline for preparing a potential bond measure for the May ballot.  Armstrong says a panel with 24 community members along with some school personnel will begin on January 10 to hold meetings every three weeks, adding they have an aggressive time line.  Armstrong says after that they will begin to develop options and alternatives, with a community forum planned in March.  The filing date for a bond title in March 16.

The City of Hood River has reached a settlement to its claims revolving around structural failure to some of the renovations done to the tennis courts at Jackson Park in 2013.  The City has been involved in talks with the bond holder for Home Court Construction, which went out of business after the work was done.  City Manager Steve Wheeler says the City will receive $60,000 in the settlement with State Farm Fire and Casualty.  Wheeler says that money, after attorney’s fees, will go toward repairs of the tennis courts.  The original repairs were paid for through a community fundraising effort.

The Northern Wasco County People’s Utility District Board of Directors selected Connie Karp to fill the unexpired term of Director Kenneth Leibham for Subdivision 5.  The board voted 3-1 in favor of selecting Karp.  Bill Lennox also applied for the position.  Karp will be sworn in at the PUD’s regular meeting this Tuesday.  Karp retired from Columbia River Bank in 2008, and has stayed involved in the community through a variety of jobs and volunteer work.  Roger Howe, who was elected in November to the board for Subdivision 1, will be sworn in on January 3.

The Tonkin automobile dealership in The Dalles is not one of the dealerships being sold to Spokane-based Gee Automotive Companies.  Tonkin Subaru/Chevrolet/Buick/GMC General Sales Manager Steve Ross says The Dalles business will continue to be owned by Ed and Brad Tonkin and Scott Seidel.  The Portland Business Journal is reporting that most of the Portland Ron Tonkin Dealerships have been sold to Gee.  Ross said The Dalles operation was not sold, along with a Ferrari location in Wilsonville and dealerships in Reno, Nevada.  The Tonkin name is remaining on the dealerships that are being sold, with Brad Tonkin become platform president for Gee.