The 32nd Annual Hood River Valley Harvest Festival is this weekend.  The event is once again headquartered at the Waterfront…and will feature local produce, food products, arts and crafts, and wine, cider, and beer tasting.  Live music is planned throughout the weekend, and the kids zone has been expanded this year to include a bouncy house and face painting.  The Festival will be open from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.  Admission is $6 per day for adults, with kids 12 and under free.  Seniors and active military will be admitted for $3 on Friday and $5 Saturday and Sunday.

There is a water line break on the 700 block of East Jewett Boulevard in White Salmon.  City officials indicate all water on the south side of Jewett is off until repairs are made.  Crews are on the scene and working on the problem.

After a morning of robust discussion, Wasco County Commissioners have given the go-ahead to proceed with the concept of a property transfer of the Home At Last Humane Society animal shelter property to that organization.  The topic has been long debated, as Home At Last has pushed to acquire the property to better position itself for grant funding.  Wasco County Commission Chair Scott Hege said everyone is trying to get to the same place and help Home At Last.  Hege says the County has some conditions for transferring the property, including ensuring the County and the City of The Dalles continue to have the sheltering function Home At Last has provided, maintaining the revenue from cell phone towers on the land, and not allowing the use of the property as collateral on loans.  An agreement would also include a reversionary clause to return the property to the County should Home At Last cease to operate.  Hege noted there is no timeline to complete a property transfer, but added the issue has been discussed for some time, so he would like to see it proceed as quickly as possible.

The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office continues to ask the public for help as they try to locate a Portland man who has been missing for 40 days.  Joseph Ronald Sizemore has been missing since being contacted on September 7 by deputies for a motorist assist at approximately mile post 17 on the Washougal River Road in rural Skamania County.   Undersheriff Dave Cox says Sizemore is mentally disabled and schizophrenic.  He is described by family as a white male adult, 5’8” and 250 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.  If anyone has seen Sizemore, they are requested to immediately contact the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office at (509) 427-9490 extension 0, or call 9-1-1.  

The Hood River Urban Renewal Agency voted to collect $36,000 in additional tax increment to allow the State Street restroom project to proceed.  Estimates for the project came in at $256,000, over the $220,000 originally budgeted for it.  The additional funding will allow the restrooms to be located at Third and State to remain in its original design.  Urban Renewal board members also decided to work with the group Art of Community on developing a piece of public art for the facility.  The restrooms are part of the overall State Street urban renewal plan.  In addition, painting of the final lift of State Street is set for next week.

Boys Soccer Hood River Valley 6,  The Dalles 0:  Andres Baeza registered a hat trick as the Eagles stayed unbeaten on the season at 11-0.  Gio Magana tallied two goals and Manuel Mozqueda added another, while Marco Cuevas and Travis Running shared the shutout in goal.   Girls Soccer Hood River Valley 3, The Dalles 0:  Mona Diaz, Claire Davies, and Sindy Magana all scored for the Eagles as they took over first place in the Columbia River Conference.  HRV has won all three of its league games, while The Dalles has won two of three. LaCenter 5, Columbia 2 Castle Rock 4, Stevenson 0   Volleyball Hermiston def. The Dalles 22-25, 21-25, 15-25, 15-22, 15-9 Pendleton def. Hood River Valley 23-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-20 King’s Way Christian def. Columbia 25-12, 25-18, 25-18 LaCenter def. Stevenson 25-13, 25-21, 25-15 Dufur def. Horizon Christian 25-9, 25-6, 25-8 and 25-3, 25-5, 25-8 (they played two matches) Sherman def. South Wasco 3 games to 2 Sunnyside Christian def. Klickitat 25-22, 21-25, 25-19, 29-27 Goldendale def. Highland 25-20, 25-15, 25-19

The Dalles City Council directed municipal staff to bring a resolution to their October 27 meeting that would establish a tax on recreational marijuana should voters pass a measure to legalize it in the November election.  A number of cities and counties in Oregon have been passing similar measures before the election, as Measure 91 gives the state the exclusive right to tax marijuana.  That has local governments trying to establish a tax before the law would take effect.  The Dalles Council is looking at a resolution similar to one passed in Ashland, which did not establish an actual tax rate.  City officials have not indicated a percentage at this point.  As examples, Tigard and Central Point established five percent taxes on gross sales of medical marijuana, moving up to 10 percent for recreational marijuana.  The Council will consider the resolution on October 27.

With a split vote, Hood River County Commissioners did not approve an ordinance to impose a tax on the production and sale of marijuana and marijuana infused products within the County.  The vote ended in a two-two tie, with Commission Chair Ron Rivers and Karen Joplin in favor of the ordinance, and Maui Meyer and Les Perkins against.  A fifth commissioner, Bob Benton, was not at the meeting.  Rivers after the meeting expressed his hope Measure 91 does not pass.  Commissioners did extend a moratorium on medical marijuana facilities in unincorporated areas of the County for another six months.

A 29-year-old Hood River man is facing murder and manslaughter charges in the death of a woman with whom he had a child.  Miguel Angel Qunitana-Soto was arraigned in Hood River County Circuit Court.  23-year-old Cecilia Campuzano-Ortiz was found dead in her apartment in Hood River last week after police responded to a welfare check after friends and co-workers said she had not been seen for several days.  According to the October 11 and 15 Hood River News, Quintana-Soto was arrested a day after the discovery for violating a no-contact order that was part of his probation for a September 2013 conviction for assaulting Campuzano-Ortiz last summer.  Quintana-Soto was arraigned by video from the NORCOR regional jail, and is being represented by Portland attorney Clayton Lance.  His next court appearance is set for November 3.

The Chenoweth Business Park at the western end of The Dalles is nearing completion.  Port of The Dalles Executive Director Andrea Klaas says some detail work may extend into the spring, but the basics should be done in the next few weeks.  Klaas says they have received a number of inquiries about the park from potential businesses, particularly from within the food industry.  Another sector with interest involves advanced manufacturing businesses that support other industries in the Northwest.  26 lots have been developed on 60 acres, with a minimum size of one acre.