The Hood River Valley Residents Committee has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Portland seeking to force the U.S. Forest Service to quicken the pace of action on a land swap in the Mount Hood National Forest approved by Congress that was to have been finished five years ago.  The land swap was negotiated by the Residents Committee, Mt. Hood Meadows, and others to protect the forestland, and The Oregonian reports they are seeking judicial action to force the Forest Service to complete the deal.  In exchange for 120 acres of developable national forest land near Government Camp on the mountain’s southwestern slope, Mt. Hood Meadows agreed to abort plans for a resort on Cooper Spur and turn its 770-acre land holdings over to the Forest Service.  The 2009 legislation gave the Forest Service 16 months to complete the trade, but numerous delays have held it up, most recently over some environmental protections.  A Mount Hood National Forest spokesperson says legal processes have kept progress slow.  

The Oak Canyon Fire southeast of Dufur is now 90 percent contained.  It has burned 930 acres since it ignited Friday evening, and is burning in light grasses, brush and some juniper on private lands.   Fire line has nearly been completed around the fire area and crews will continue to work into the evening and tomorrow securing those lines.  Two 20-person crews are working the fire in addition to five rappellers, six engines, four helicopters and two Single Engine Air Tankers.  Aerial resources supported the crews on the ground in addition to helping to keep the fire out of the Deschutes River basin.   The fire is human caused, but an exact cause has not yet been released.

The Hood River City Council will be talking about developing a list of water and sewer capital projects.  City Manager Steve Wheeler says they will be looking at five-year short-term and 20-year long-term projects.  Wheeler notes while the City just completed the major water line project last year, there are a number of smaller items that need to be addressed within an older system, including replacing lead joints on older pipes.  Another item on the water list is maintaining the structural integrity of the municipal reservoir.  For the sewer system, a capacity analysis and replacement of undersized pipe are on the list.

The Klickitat County Commission is closing in on having a public hearing to discuss allowing ATV’s to be used on some rural roads.  Commissioner Rex Johnston says they have been examining the possibility for some time, noting a number of different agencies have been involved in developing a potential ordinance, including public works, the Sheriff’s office, and the prosecuting attorney’s office.  The ATV use would primarily be on roads with a 35 mile per hour speed limit or less.  Johnston is unsure when hearings will take place, adding the plan is to hold one on both sides of the county.

The left lanes of eastbound and westbound Interstate 84 will be closed in the western part of the Gorge over the next three weeks as the Oregon Department Of Transportation begins a project to replace median barriers.  Closure of the westbound and eastbound left lanes on an 18 mile stretch of I-84 between Cascade Locks and Hood River is scheduled to begin this morning.   The lanes will re-open by 6 p.m. Thursday.  The schedule will repeat Monday through Thursday over the next two weeks, with at least one lane open at all times.  Similar closures will be needed after Labor Day to finish the project, which is scheduled for completion by November.  The work is being carried out in advance of the 2016 paving project on I-84 from Cascade Locks to Hood River.

A fire is burning in grass and brush on Bureau of Land Management land nine miles southeast of Dufur.  The Oak Canyon Fire has burned 930 acres in light fuels on mostly private land, with no containment reported, and is believed to have been human-caused.  The fire is active with wind driven runs.  31 people are fighting the fire, with four helicopters and six engines, as firefighters work to keep the blaze out of the Deschutes River basin.  There are some high use campgrounds and day use areas threatened by the fire.  Meanwhile, the 488 Fire in the Zigzag Ranger District of the Mount Hood National Forest remains at 11 acres.  Line has been constructed around that fire, but it is not yet considered contained.  An illegal campfire is believed to have started that fire, but no cause has been determined yet.

A 33-year-old Underwood man was transported by LifeFlight to Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland after a motor vehicle accident on Highway 14 east of Bingen late Thursday night.  According to the Washington State Patrol, the car driven by Andres Sosa Segura was westbound on Highway 14 about three miles east of Bingen and went over the center line, colliding with an on-coming semi-truck and trailer driven by Miguel Salgado of San Luis, Arizona.  The accident occurred just before 11:30 p.m. Thursday.  Salgado was uninjured, but the WSP says both vehicles were totaled.  There was no information on the extent of Segura’s injuries.  The WSP reported that charges in the accident are pending.

Wasco County residents are being urged to sign up for the Citizen Alert system, which sends out emergency notifications by phone, text, and e-mail.  County Emergency Management Director Kristy Beachamp says listed landlines are already registered for the reverse 9-1-1 system, but cell phones must be enrolled in the system by the owner.  Registration can be made through the Wasco County website.  Hood River and Klickitat counties have similar Citizen Alert systems.   Hood River County use the County website to sign up, while in Klickitat County go to klickitatemergencymanagement.com.

Wasco County emergency management officials reminded residents to be prepared for wildfire at a community briefing Wednesday evening.  Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue Chief Bob Palmer says we are about five weeks ahead of normal in regard to fire season, with several small fires in the region over the course of the last month.  Palmer emphasized the need for homeowners in the urban-wildland interface to have good defensible space.  Wasco County Emergency Manager Kristy Beachamp is reminding residents to sign up for the county’s Citizen Alert system, which distributes emergency notices to subscribers.  Landline phones with listed numbers are automatically registered, but to sign up cell phones go to the Wasco County website.

The Oregon Small Business Development Center at Columbia Gorge Community College is offering a nine-month small business management program.  Center director Rick Leibowitz says it is designed for the current small business owner with at least one year of experience with a curriculum of typical small business issues, including marketing, understanding financial reports, managing personnel, and customer service.  It also includes one-on-one meetings with an SBDC counselor to confidentially discuss how to apply the program’s lessons to the particular business.  Classes will be once a month in The Dalles, and three hours in length.  Space will be limited, for sign-up information call 541-506-6120.