The holidays are always a busy time of year for FISH Food Bank in Hood River County, and it’s the first holiday season in the recently constructed facility on Tucker Road.  Marianne Durkan says this is the time of the year when they receive the bulk of their monetary donations.  She adds while a number of holiday food drives are on-going, they are dealing with Oregon Food Bank shortages.  FISH Food Bank is open to take food donations at its location on 1130 Tucker Road in Hood River on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon.  Monetary donations can be made on-line at fish-food-bank.com.

Girls Basketball The Dalles 50, Sheldon 49:  The Riverhawks used a stellar defensive effort to knock off the fourth-ranked team in Class 6-A.  The Dalles held the Irish to a 28.6 percent shooting night from the field, and gave up no field goals in the final 6:23 of the game.  Ileana Telles led a balanced Riverhawk offense with 11 points.  Autumn Baumgartner scored 20 to lead Sheldon. Wahkiakum 61, Stevenson 36 Heppner 49, Sherman 32   Boys Basketball Gresham 68, Hood River Valley 66:  Jack Gradis’ three-pointer as time expired gave the Gophers the win in a game that featured wild momentum swings throughout the night.  Tyrone Stintzi had scored for the Eagles seconds before Gradis made the game-winner.  Gresham led by 17 points late in the first half, but HRV came back to take a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter.   Then it was the Gophers grabbing a four-point lead in the fourth before the Eagles came back to briefly take the lead before Gradis nailed the winning shot.  Gradis led Gresham with 16 points, while Dallas Buckley topped Hood River with 17. LaCenter 65, Stevenson 23 Heppner 64, Sherman 54

The Dalles City Council decided it will hold a town hall meeting in February to discuss with the community what kind of options they have in regard to legalized recreational marijuana sales and production, and whether there would be support for putting an opt-out measure on the ballot in November.  Councilors discussed pros and cons of putting the issue to the voters, with some saying the public should have the final decision, but others noting deciding to opt-out will still leave them with the same potential costs of legalized marijuana use without the revenue from sales and production.  Mayor Steve Lawrence said he hoped a town hall can give a true sense of what the community wants to do.  In 2014, 51 percent of voters in The Dalles opposed Measure 91 that legalized recreational marijuana in Oregon.

The Dalles City Council approved a pay raise retroactive to July 1 for the City’s police captain and sergeant’s positions after not raising the salaries for those positions at the start of the fiscal year.  Councilors made the move after receiving documentation that The Dalles was paying below what other municipalities do for similar positions, and being told by City Police Chief Jay Waterbury that he had received very few applications from current officers for a recently vacant sergeant’s position, with a big reason being the very small pay increase from a patrol officers position with a substantial increase in duties.    Councilor Russ Brown said if the panel had the data about other cities rate of pay for the positions back in June, they would have approved the raises then.

The project to relocate the outfall pipe in the Columbia River from Hood River’s wastewater treatment plant will enter a key phase in the latter part of the month.  City Manager Steve Wheeler says in-water work is about to get underway, with the window for that kind of work continuing into early March.  The complete project should wrap up in the spring.  The move was necessitated by changes in river flows as the result of debris flows during a 2006 storm.  The City received a low interest loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture loan to do the work.

The Hood River County School District is in the midst of doing community polling that will help determine the kind of bond measure it will seek in May.  School board members are in the midst of deciding how much to seek to do deferred maintenance and add space to ease crowding in schools particularly in the lower valley, with the major decision revolving around whether to build a new elementary school either on the current May Street School site or on land on Sherman Street, or to expand Westside Elementary.  Superintendent Dan Goldman says once the polling is done, decisions will be made in January.  The measure would be on the May 17 primary election ballot.

Boys Basketball The Dalles 90, Woodburn 86 (2 OT):  The Riverhawks win their first game this season, snapping a three-game losing streak. Girls Basketball LaCenter 84, Stevenson 32

The Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Division is asking for the public’s help for information to identify whoever was responsible for the unlawful killing of 15 to 20 Coot Ducks near Government Cove in Cascade Locks.  The OSP was notified by a Hood River County Sheriff’s Deputy about the coot ducks floating dead near Government Cove on November 12.  There was no evidence at the scene to determine the cause of death, but examination of four of the ducks by the Oregon Department of Fish Wildlife determined the ducks were killed by a small caliber weapon, possibly a .17 caliber rifle or pellet gun.  Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact OSP Senior Trooper Thaddeus Routson at The Dalles Patrol Office at 541-296-9646, or go through the Turn in Poachers hotline at 1-800-452-7888.   Information may be kept anonymous.

Hood River County Commissioners will be picking a search firm to find a replacement for retiring Administrator David Meriwether this month.  County Commission Chair Ron Rivers says a committee has narrowed down the possible firms to conduct the search to two.  Rivers says they do have the advantage of having plenty of time to assemble candidates and make a selection.  Meriwether will be retiring at the end of the fiscal year on June 30.  

The Port of The Dalles is searching for an outside party to manage the operations of its marina.  Port Executive Director Andrea Klaas says with the Port’s small four-person staff, it is difficult for them to manage the Marina, noting they have 90 tenants at any one time.  The Port’s strategic plan calls for finding management for the Marina by the end of 2016.  Klaas notes the Port will continue to own the Marina.