Oregon State Police dispatched a cougar in the Browns Creek area of The Dalles over the weekend after it was repeatedly seen around residences chasing pets and showing no fear of people.  Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Michelle Dennehy says the cougar had been chasing after pets in the area for several days.  Sunday at dusk, it was seen staring at dogs through a fence, and then later in the evening at another residence a woman who stepped out on her porch noticed the cougar laying on her steps less than three feet away, and the cougar did not move or run away.  The same woman went inside her residence and watched the cougar in the yard, about 10 feet away, and the animal simply crouched in tall weeds and stared at her.  The resident contacted Oregon State Police, who came to the home and dispatched the cougar in the backyard with a high caliber rifle the same evening.  Under state wildlife policies, cougars that chase or kill pets, are repeatedly seen around residences and show no fear of people are considered human safety risks, and can be killed to protect public safety.

Due to rainy weather Tuesday, the paving planned for East 10^th Street in The Dalles has been pushed back to Wednesday.  Public Works crews will now be paving East 10^th Street from Thompson Street to the east past Morton Street on Wednesday.  The section of East 10^th to be paved will be closed Tuesday afternoon in preparation for paving, reopen Tuesday evening, and close again on Wednesday from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  Residents on East 10^th Street in the work area will need to plan accordingly to allow for the street closure and no on-street parking during the paving work on Wednesday.  City crews are still scheduled to pave East 12^th Street from Thompson Street to the east past Morton Street on Thursday.  East 12^th Street residents in the work area will need to plan accordingly to allow for no on-street parking and the closure of East 12^th Street on that day from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

A project to reduce the threat of rockfalls on the south side of Interstate 84 west of Hood River gets underway Tuesday.  Work will last until next spring.  The project will mean the eastbound right lane at milepost 61 west of Hood River will be closed until November 21, but there will be no impact on the westbound lanes.  Bicyclists may continue to use the eastbound shoulder during construction but should use caution in the work area.  The project will improve slope stability and install a 12-foot high, 223-foot barrier to reduce the potential for rocks falling onto the highway.  The project will also remove loose rock from the hillside and install rock bolts and horizontal drains to improve long-term slope stability.  In February 2014, a large rockfall at that location blocked the eastbound lanes for five days.

Local photographer Peter Marbach has embarked on a project to document the entire Columbia River, from its source in British Columbia to the mouth in Astoria.  Marbach accepted an invitation from the Oregon Historical Society in Portland to host a solo three month exhibit.  He says part of his inspiration comes from a desire to educate people about the river while the Columbia River Treaty of 1964 is being renegotiated and could lead to salmon runs returning to the headwaters.  Marbach is raising funds for his project through hatchfund.org, a non-profit that supports artists.

Football Eight-Man Classic at Dufur Dufur 30, Hosanna Christian 28   Girls Soccer The Dalles 7, Jefferson 0:  Brooke McCall scored five goals as the Riverhawks won their second straight game.  It was also the second straight game in which a Riverhawk scored five goals, after Giselle Manzo did it on Tuesday against Redmond.  Manzo and Emma Weir each tallied a goal in Thursday’s win.   Boys Soccer Parkrose 5, The Dalles 1   Volleyball Hood River Valley def. David Douglas 25-16, 21-25, 25-20, 25-15 Heppner def. Sherman 25-8, 25-17, 25-17 Echo def. Sherman 25-6, 25-8, 25-8  

The 74th Annual Roy Webster Columbia River Cross Channel Swim is set for Monday morning in Hood River.  All of the 499 available spots on the Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge to go to the Washington side of the river and then jump in to swim back to Oregon have been reserved for months, but Ashley Huckaby-May of the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce says they always have a few no-shows, so people can come down to the Visitors Center in the Marina area early Monday morning to get a stand-by spot.  She recommends arriving by 5 a.m.  The Sternwheeler will leave the dock around 7 a.m. on Labor Day, and swimmers will begin to jump in the water sometime around 7:30 a.m.  

An 18-year-old woman from The Dalles was injured in a motor vehicle accident on Washington Highway 14 east of Bingen on Wednesday morning.  According to the Washington State Patrol, the woman was driving eastbound on Highway 14 about three-and-a-half miles east of Bingen and attempted to pass several vehicles around a corner and lost control.  When she attempted to swerve back into the eastbound lane her car struck a westbound tractor trailer.  The woman was taken first to Skyline Hospital in White Salmon and then Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland with undisclosed injuries.  The truck driver was not hurt.

There will be intermittent closures of both lanes of the Hood River/White Salmon Interstate Bridge Wednesday and Thursday of next week.  Those closures will take place between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.  Port crews and bridge engineers will be conducting live testing of the bridge’s lift span, and technical crews will be installing cameras in the toll plaza.  Each closure is expected be up to 20 minutes in duration.  Bridge users should expect delays of 20 minutes or more during those hours.

Public works crews in The Dalles will be doing some paving next week.  Tuesday paving work will take place on East 10^th Street from Thompson Street to the east past Morton Street.  The section of East 10^th to be paved will be closed to all travel between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., and no on-street parking will be available for that day.  Residents on East 10^th Street in the work area will need to park accordingly Monday to allow for Tuesday’s street closures and paving work.  Then on Thursday crews will be paving East 12^th Street from Thompson Street to the east past Morton Street.  East 12^th Street residents in the work area will need to plan and park accordingly on Wednesday to allow for no on-street parking and the closure of East 12^th Street from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Oregonians planning on leaving for the winter or going away for college prior to ballots being mailed should go their local elections office and update their voter registration with their absentee address to ensure they receive ballots in a timely manner.  Ballots for out of state voters are mailed earlier and ballots are not forwardable.  Out of country and military ballots will be mailed September 23, with out of state ballots mailed October 10.  The last day to register to vote in the November 8 election is October 18, and in-state ballots will be mailed October 19.