An electrical failure at The Dalles Wastewater Treatment Plant resulted in the discharge of about 2,100 gallons of fully treated but undisinfected wastewater.  The failure occurred at about 9:07 a.m. Sunday and lasted for about a minute and 20 seconds.   Failure of a motor starter tripped an electrical breaker, shutting down the plant’s ultraviolet light disinfection system.  Plant staff  reset the breaker to bring the system back online by 9:09 a.m.  The failed unit is locked out and will be replaced as soon as possible.  City officials say Oregon Department of Environmental Quality officials have been notified of the event and DEQ guidance is being followed in response to this incident.

Boys Basketball Pendleton 61, Hood River Valley 58 Hermiston 58, The Dalles 49 Castle Rock 72, Stevenson 55 Dufur 60, Ione 27 Horizon Christian 58, Arlington 25 Horizon Christian 54, Dufur 45 Sherman 72, South Wasco 54 South Wasco 76, Condon-Wheeler 17 Sherman 77, Spray-Mitchell 46 Bickleton 49, Klickitat 38 Yakama Tribal 59, Klickitat 42 Yakama Tribal 100, Trout Lake 47 Bickleton 80, Trout Lake 41 Sunnyside Christian 82, Glenwood 18 Sunnyside Christian 59, Lyle-Wishram 40 Granger 75, Goldendale 58   Girls Basketball Hermiston 55, The Dalles 30 Pendleton 71, Hood River Valley 36 Dufur 38, Ione 28 Dufur 33, Horizon Christian 17 Arlington 48, Horizon Christian 27 South Wasco 52, Sherman 44 Condon-Wheeler 55, South Wasco 26 Sherman 40, Spray-Mitchell 30 Bickleton 64, Klickitat 20 Bickleton 62, Trout Lake 37 Trout Lake 42, Yakama Tribal 39 Yakama Tribal 55, Klilckitat 37 Sunnyside Christian 69, Lyle-Wishram 38 Granger 62, Goldendale 21   Wrestling Hood River Valley finished second to Hermiston in the Oregon City Invitational.  The Eagles had two first place finishers:  Jason Shaner at 120 pounds, and Christian Marquez at 132.

Oregon Senate Minority Leader Ted Ferrioli says he isn’t sure all Democrats in that chamber will vote for to implement the low-carbon fuel standard.  Ferrioli says Republicans have attached a minority report to what came out of the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee this week that calls for the issue to be referred to voters.  The John Day Republican assumes all the members of his party will vote against the standard, but he isn’t sure majority Democrats will vote for it.  Critics of the standard say it would raise fuel prices without bringing a noticeable reduction in global carbon emissions.  Proponents say price increases would be minimal, and it would spur investments in new technology.  

Wrestling Hood River Valley 66, The Dalles 12   Girls Basketball Columbia 51, Seton Catholic 27:  CHS finishes third in the Trico League, and will begin play in the Southwest Washington 1A District tourney next Friday on the road. Castle Rock 42, Stevenson 24

Oregon 52nd District State Representative Mark Johnson says the on-going controversy swirling around Governor John Kitzhaber and fiancée Cylvia Hayes is becoming a major distraction in the Legislature.  Johnson, a Hood River Republican who has worked closely with the Democrat Governor on education issues, says without an effective chief executive to help manage and direct the legislative process it can become chaotic.  Johnson said on Mid-Columbia Today Thursday morning he doesn’t think Kitzhaber can still draw people to the middle in the manner he did to get the “Grand Bargain” for PERS reform passed in 2013.  The Oregonian called for Kitzhaber’s resignation in an editorial on Wednesday.  Johnson thinks the only thing that would spur a resignation would be findings that would clearly point to the Governor acting outside the law.

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden joined Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski to introduce a bill encouraging continued research and development of the potential uses of commercial unmanned aerial systems.   The bill would lift restrictions on unmanned aerial systems research that make it harder for universities and other research institutions to partner with private companies.  It would also expand aeronautical research as defined by the Federal Aviation Administration to include natural resources and meteorological research.  The bill also directs the FAA to implement procedures to allow for safe, beyond-line-of-sight flights to conduct this research.  Oregon is home to three UAS test ranges, including on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation and airspace outside Pendleton and Tillamook.  Congressman Don Young of Alaska introduced a similar version of the bill in the House of Representatives.    

Former Oregon Second District Congressman Wes Cooley has died in Bend.  He was 82 years old.  Cooley was elected to Congress in 1994, but served only one term as he became embroiled in allegations that he lied about his military service in the state voters’ pamphlet, withdrawing from a re-election bid in 1996 under pressure from fellow Republicans and eventually accepting a plea agreement and sentenced to probation for lying in an official document.  In December 2012 he was sentenced in California to a year and a day in prison for hiding income from the Internal Revenue Service, and had to pay back three-point-five million dollars to victims for his role in an alleged investment scheme involving the sale of stock in an Internet startup company.

Hood River Police arrested a juvenile male early Wednesday morning on charges resulting from 22 people reporting having their vehicles and property vandalized by graffiti.  Police Chief Neal Holste says gold spray paint was used on both vehicles and homes.  Holste says Safeway employees were the first to report vandalism to their vehicles, and officers later found several more vehicles with similar vandalism in the neighborhood south of the supermarket, while other victims contacted police later that morning with similar damage to their homes and cars.  Police estimate total damage at between $7,000 and $8,000.  The suspect was lodged at NORCOR’s juvenile facility in The Dalles where he is awaiting arraignment.  Holste says anyone who thinks they may have been a victim of this vandalism spree and has not yet reported it should call Hood River Police at 541-386-2121.

The White Salmon City Council approved installing surveillance cameras at the City’s Park and Ride lot adjacent to the Hood River Interstate Bridge.   Mayor David Poucher says they have had some vandalism problems in the lot over the years, and felt cameras could be useful to help solve problems.  Cost of the cameras is estimated at around $6,000.

Wasco County Commissioners are retaining an outside accounting firm to investigate procedural deficiencies found in a recently released financial audit.  Reading from a prepared statement, Commission Chair Scott Hege says the audit report issued last week identified various deficiencies in the policies and practices within the County Treasurer’s office.  He said “while the audit report does not evidence wrongdoing, it underscores weaknesses in procedures involving petty cash, bank reconciliations, and the reconciliation of tax deposits.”  The County has contracted with the accounting firm of Pauly, Rogers, and Co. of Tigard to conduct the investigation, with a report expected by the end of February.  Hege says the firm will assist the County in devising policies and procedures to resolve the weaknesses.  He added County officials will not comment further until the accounting firm issues its report.