Metered parking is coming to the Port of Hood River waterfront area in 2016.  The growth of the waterfront and its multiple uses are increasing the parking challenges in the area, and City Manager Steve Wheeler says they are collaborating with the Port, which owns some of the roads, to develop a better situation.  Wheeler indicated the most likely areas for metered parking on First Street and the east side of Portway Avenue.  Rates are likely to be similar to those in the downtown area.  Wheeler says those are being looked at, as those rates have not been raised from the current 75 cents per hour since July 2008.

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden will hold town hall meetings in Wasco…Sherman…and Hood River counties during the first week of January.  Wyden will hold the meetings on January 5 at 9:15 a.m. at The Dalles High School Auditorium, January 6 at 10 a.m. at Sherman High School and later that day at 1:30 at Hood River Valley High School.  Wyden noted he will hold the 750th town hall of his tenure in the Senate on January 5 at 1:30 at Wheeler High School in Fossil.

Hood River County will be closing the gates of forest roads in the Northwest area of the County Forest on Thursday, and they will remained locked until about April 1.  Gates being closed are located at Post Canyon Road just to the north of Post Flats Staging Area, and on Riordan Hill Road about a quarter-mile to the west of Family Man Staging Area and near Binns Hill Road.  Gates on upper Riordan Hill Road that accesses the Viento Ridge area and across Forest Road # 2400 north of Lower Kingsley Reservoir were closed and locked last week.  The gate closings are an effort to block vehicular traffic and protect the County’s road system during a time of year when it is most vulnerable to damage.

YouthThink has been awarded a $10,000 American Medical Association Foundation Healthy Living Grant to educate youth about prescription medication safety.  YouthThink is one of ten national organizations chosen to support prescription medication safety through the Healthy Living Grant Program.  The project entitled “Just the Facts” has been designed to comprehensively educate people on prescription medication safety and enhance the efforts of proper prescription drug use and decreasing the rate of prescription medication misuse.  The strategy focuses on youth age five to eighteen with an additional environmental effort of assisting adults as they help kids understand the benefits of prescription medications and also the dangers when used improperly.  An emphasis will be placed on prescription drugs that are opioids and stimulants.   The program will also focus on the dangers of mixing medications with alcohol.

Girls Basketball Woodburn 39, Hood River Valley 35 Stevenson 45, Lyle-Wishram 40   Boys Basketball Lyle-Wishram 61, Stevenson 58

Hood River County Commissioners have approved updates to the codes for farm and forest zones, including revisions they had requested to deal with agri-tourism events on farm lands.  The changes set up three different levels of events, starting with a one-time event for 50 people that could be permitted by the planning director, and moving on to needing a conditional use permit for larger multi-day events or a series of up to six events on a minimum of ten acres of land.  County Administrator David Meriwether says people need to ask if they are considering agri-tourism events.  In other business, County Commissioners approved a less than one percent rate increase for Hood River Garbage, and issued letters of support for irrigation districts seeking grants to do improvement projects.

The Dalles-Wasco County Library breaks ground on the John and Jean Thomas Children’s Wing on Wednesday morning.  Corliss Marsh of the Library Foundation says members of the Thomas family will take part in the ceremony.  Marsh says the new 24-hundred foot wing will provide the library much more room to conduct children’s activities.  Construction is expected to be completed sometime this coming summer.  The groundbreaking starts at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

As the City of The Dalles establishes its goals for 2016, work on the Dog River water pipeline remains at the top of the list.  Mayor Steve Lawrence says it remains his top priority because it loses a million gallons of water a day during peak flow.  Lawrence says construction is unlikely to take place in 2016, but he would like to clear many of the hurdles leading up to that point, including permitting and design.  Cost of the project would be eight million dollars.

After the holidays it will be time for small business owners to gather their financial records and prepare for tax time.  But it can also be a time to develop plans to improve the business for 2016.  Rick Leibovitz of the Columbia Gorge Community College Small Business Development Center says the end of year tax exercise can be used to help create better performance.  Leibovitz adds business owners should consider going over their long-term plan once a quarter, and create a time budget to help determine how much time to spend on various tasks to help keep the business moving forward.

Girls Basketball The Dalles 63, Ridgeview 40:  Brooke McCall scored 18 points and converted on four three-pointers as the Riverhawks ran their record to 5-2 on the season.  The Dalles used a big second quarter to take a 22 point lead at halftime. St. Helens 64, Hood River Valley 53 Stevenson 47, Riverside 44 Nixyaawii 62, Dufur 25 Lyle-Wishram 50, Wahluke 23   Boys Basketball The Dalles 75, Mac-Hi 42:  The Riverhawks win their second game in seven this season. Stevenson 50, Riverside 39 Nixyaawii 62, Dufur 52 Stanfield 59, Horizon Christian 42 Wahluke 60, Lyle-Wishram 44