The Bingen City Council is taking applications for a new member.  Councilors are looking to fill a position that will run into the 2017 general election.  Mayor Betty Barnes says the time commitment includes two Council meetings a month, and some committee meetings.  Applicants must have lived in Bingen for at least one year and be a registered voter.  For information contact Bingen City Hall at 509-493-2122.

By a 4-1 vote, The Dalles City Council voted to terminate the employment contract of City Manager Nolan Young.  Councilors and Mayor Steve Lawrence would not comment on the termination, saying they could not offer an explanation on a personnel matter.  Lawrence did make a statement after the vote, saying Young had many accomplishments during his over 18 year tenure on the job, including his work on municipal budget matters, the recent negotiations for the third Google enterprise zone agreement that will result in payments to the City and Wasco County of over a million dollars per year for 15 years, and his resilience.  He added that Young had supported him in his office. Lawrence said the search for a new City Manager will now begin, noting the City Charter requires a full-time replacement within six months and they have the resources of the League of Oregon Cities available to them, even though the Council might decide to hire a consulting firm to assist in finding a replacement.  Young did not comment after the vote. Linda Miller made the motion to terminate, seconded by Russ Brown, and Tim McGlothlin and Taner Elliott voted in favor.  Elliott said he hoped people would “remember the past and embrace the future.”  Dan Spatz cast the lone no vote, and he said afterwards he would let the vote speak for itself. The termination will be effective on November 15, but Young is leaving office immediately.  City Clerk Julie Krueger was named interim City Manager, with Councilors noting City Attorney Gene Parker unavailable to take that role at this time due to the death of his wife Dixie.  The termination activated a severance pay agreement included in Young’s 2009 employment agreement, amended to compensate for 80 hours of compensatory time, unused vacation time, and half of his accrued sick leave.  

The Horsethief Butte Fire near Wishram went into the evening at 70 percent containment, and all evacuation advisories have been lifted.  Klickitat County Emergency Management indicated 8,538 acres had burned, and 22 miles of fire line established.  No homes were lost and crews are still assessing the extent of damage to outbuildings.  Washington Department of Natural Resources fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.  The Southeast Washington All Hazards Incident Management Team took command of the fire and is working with resources from Washington State Mobilization, Department of Natural Resources, Forest Service and local fire districts.  Highway 14 through the area reopened late Monday morning.  The grass fire started shortly after noon on Sunday in the area of Oak Creek Road, and quickly spread east.

Klickitat County Emergency Management says the Horsethief Butte Fire in south central Klickitat County is now considered 50 percent contained, and has burned 8,000 acres.  Nearly 300 people who were forced from their homes Sunday evening by the fast-growing wildfire have been allowed to return to their homes, with the evacuation advisory reduced to Level 1.  Highway 14 through the fire area was reopened this morning, but for firefighter safety the public is asked to use alternate travel routes between Highways 197 and 97.  No homes have been lost, but an undetermined number of outbuildings have been lost or damaged.  This morning the Southeast Washington Management Team took command of the fire and is working with resources from the state Department of Natural Resources, Forest Service, and local fire districts to contain the fire.  The plan for today is to establish control lines, conduct mop-up activities and provide an accurate fire perimeter to determine the jurisdictions that are affected by the fire.  Strong, gusty winds and dry ground conditions led to extreme fire growth Sunday afternoon.  The fire started at 12:10 p.m. Sunday.  DNR fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.  The Red Cross shelter at My Father’s House Church at 207 S Klickitat St in Goldendale is still open to provide services and information.

Lila May, the little girl who touched the heart of Hood River and the Gorge during her battle with stage IV neuroblastoma, passed away over the weekend.  Lila May’s mother Heidi Hall posted the news on her Facebook page.  The post said Lila May passed away on Saturday, days after the family had returned from a trip to Hawaii.  Lila May had been diagnosed with neuroblastoma when she was 17 months old.  Her story drew support from local residents and many others as she endured countless medical procedures for the majority of her life.  Last month, the community celebrated her fifth birthday with a party that was attended by what was estimated to be over one-thousand guests.  A celebration of Lila May’s life will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the Hood River Middle School Auditorium.  Arrangements are being handled through Gardner Funeral Home in White Salmon.

Longtime local reporter Rodger Nichols has filed for the Wasco County Commission seat on the May 2016 ballot.  Nichols is seeking Position 2 currently held by Steve Kramer.  Nichols has spent 42 years in Wasco County media, most notably with The Dalles Chronicle and current employer Haystack Broadcasting.  He has been the County’s representative on the Columbia River Gorge Commission since 2011.  Nichols says he decided to run after a number of people approached him about concerns with deteriorating relationships with neighboring counties, increases in legal costs, and transparency issues.  Nichols added he made his last on-air appearance with Haystack Broadcasting on September  3 due to Federal Communications Commission rules that require broadcast stations to provide matching time to other candidates for the same position for any on-air appearance.  Nichols did say he will continue to interview, gather, and write news, but will not appear on-air.

Football Hood River Valley 46, Madison 20 Fort Vancouver 34, The Dalles 20 Columbia 13, Washougal 0 Hoquiam 62, Stevenson 7 Dufur 58, Triangle Lake 8 Mapleton 36, South Wasco 14 Naselle 24, Lyle 18 Goldendale 26, River View 14 Crane 52, Sherman 22   Boys Soccer Hood River Valley 3, Mac-Hi 1   Cross Country Hood River Valley won both the boys and girls varsity titles at the Tillamook Invitational.  Justin Crosswhite won the boys’ race, while Daisy Dolan led the HRV girls with a third place finish.   The Dalles girls’ were third and the boys fourth at the Tualatin Invitational.  Jony Nelson finished eighth for the Riverhawk boys, while Emily Morin was ninth in the girls’ race.

Hood River’s Patrick Hiller won the overall men’s title and Stefanie Bergh of White Salmon the women’s title of the Olympic Triathlon Division of the Aluminum Man Triathlon in The Dalles over the weekend.  Dan Silvernail of West Linn was second among the men while Philip Evans of Mosier was third.  Trisha Kepple of Boise was second among the women, with Mary Ford of Spokane third.  In the Sprint Triathlon, Collin Bundy of Vancouver was the men’s winner, with Matt Sherrell and David Walker of Hood River finishing second and third.  Hood River’s Emily Alcott won the women’s sprint, followed by Carrie Suiter of Eugene and Ferra Barnes of Portland.  Olympic Duathlon winners were Mark Sather of Wilsonville and Tamara Fuller of Vancouver.

Hood River County Commissioners plan to hold a meeting on the findings of a study of short-term rental housing in unincorporated areas later this month.  County Administrator David Meriwether says the analysis of the amount of short-term rental properties in the County should be finished very soon.  Meriwether says when Commissioners meet they will receive recommendations from the County Community Development Department on how they should proceed.  The meeting is planned for September 30 at 6 p.m. in the County Administration Building.

Mount Hood Meadows announced Monday it is restructuring to grow its year-round business.  Mt. Hood Meadows Chief Operating Officer Jake Bolland says the company is actively developing products, services and experiences to complement its traditional winter recreation business.  The company recently modified its logo, removing the term “ski resort” to signify its intention to deliver services experiences 365 days a year.   Bolland said the company’s new brand statement is “Your Mountain Home”.  Bolland said three vice president positions are being created in the reorganization, with Steve Warila named VP for Mountain Operations and Planning, Jeremy Riss tabbed for Resort and Commercial Operations, and Matt Troskey in Administration.  All three were already with Meadows.  Meadows Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Matthew Drake says the new leadership supports the company’s vision to diversify.