The White Salmon City Council has voted to ban single-use carryout plastic bags, but Mayor David Poucher says he is considering vetoing the ordinance because of a clause requiring retailers to charge no less than ten cents per paper bag.  Poucher has until October 11 to make a decision, and emphasizes he is in favor of a plastic bag ban.  The Mayor says he doesn’t think the City should enter into an agreement with private industry to require a minimum charge for any item, but he acknowledged that the majority of testimony was in favor of it, and he won’t veto the ordinance unless he gets input from citizens asking him to do it.  Poucher cannot veto only the ten-cent charge but leave the rest of the ordinance in place.  All four of the councilors present at the meeting voted for the ordinance, and if the Mayor vetoes it that could be overridden by a vote of four of the five Council members.  Poucher says he has never vetoed an ordinance in his nearly 12 years as Mayor.

Wasco County Commissioners have authorized staff to proceed toward re-establishing a resident sheriff’s deputy to be based in the southern part of the County.  Sheriff Lane Magill has been proposing placing a resident deputy in that area to improve response times to emergency calls along with developing relationships that result in more proactive policing.  County Commissioner Scott Hege says there was a resident deputy in years past, and it’s a good idea to bring it back.  Hege noted Magill has found funding for the position so it would not require general fund dollars.

Fire management personnel on the Hood River and Barlow Ranger Districts of the Mt. Hood National Forest anticipate the start of fall pile burning season to begin next week and to continue over the next several weeks or months, depending on conditions.  Pile burning will take place at various locations throughout both districts and would occur when adequate moisture is present.   East Zone fire managers plan to treat over 2,800 acres of slash piles this fall as conditions permit.  The slash to be burned is the result of hazardous fuels reduction projects, timber sales, and other miscellaneous project work.  Ignitions will cease early in the afternoon each day to allow piles and fuels to burn down prior to evening inversions, reducing smoke impacts to the area.  Smoke may be visible in the vicinity during ignition operations and for a short time after lighting has been completed.  More information is available at the Mt. Hood National Forest Facebook page, Twitter feed, or website.

Cross Country

Columbia came out on top while Stevenson was fourth in the boys’ portion of a Trico League cross country meet in White Salmon.  The Bruins were led by Dylan Beneventi in third and Jacob Lockman in fourth.  Abiy LaCombe of Stevenson finished eighth.  In the girls’ race, Columbia finished third behind winner Seton Catholic.  Isabella Spencer of Stevenson finished fourth, while Columbia was paced by Joules Hope in sixth.

Klickitat County Commissioners continue to work towards starting construction on a new County Services Building in Goldendale in 2020.  Commissioners talked with County Treasurer Greg Gallagher this week about funding options for the facility that would replace a number of annexes the County currently uses.  Commissioner David Sauter says they are currently looking at a 20-year bond to fund the project.  Sauter says their plan is to break ground in the spring of 2020, so they will start the bonding process in January.  Estimated cost of the project, including acquiring property to replace parking lost to the new building, is $20,000,000.

Columbia Gorge Community College, The Dalles-Wasco County and Hood River County library districts, and other local partners are embarking on the “Big Read” this month.  The community read effort is centered around the novel “Into the Beautiful North,” the story of a 19-year-old Mexican woman battling drug dealers in her hometown near the U.S.-Mexico border.  A month of events kicks off with a presentation by author and Pulitzer Prize nominee Luis Urrea Friday evening at 5 p.m. in The Dalles Civic Auditorium.  CGCC’s Dan Spatz says “Into the Beautiful North” was chosen because the issues in the book strike close to home with the dream of opportunity in America represented in the story.   Free copies of the book, in English and Spanish, are available at local libraries and at Klindt’s Booksellers in The Dalles.  A month-long event schedule is on The Dalles-Wasco County Library website.  The Big Read is being made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Hood River County Community ID program is underway.  The Next Door is administering the program for the County, which would provide a form of local government issued identification for any County resident who wants one.  Lorena Sprager of The Next Door says the idea for the card came from findings in a 2017 community-wide needs assessment showing the need for a sense of community and belonging that stretched across demographic sectors.  The card can be used for identification purposes on a local level, but cannot be used in place of state and federal identification and licenses.  Cost is $20, and it is good for two years.  No county funds or tax dollars are being used for the program.  Information is available at nextdoorinc.org.

The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office is warning citizens about someone claiming to be a deputy and calling people seeking personal or financial information.  According to a Sheriff’s Office Facebook post, the person says they are deputy with the last name of Reed or Reese, but the Sheriff’s Office does not employ a deputy with that name.  The Sheriff’s Office also says they would never call a person and ask to verify personal financial information.  They advise if you receive a call from someone claiming to be this deputy, do not provide any kind of personal financial information to them.

The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and Gifford Pinchot National Forest will host a firewood cutting event at Tracy Hill, near White Salmon, over the next two weekends.  The event serves dual purposes, providing valid permit-holders with firewood while removing flammable woody materials from National Forest System lands that were treated as part of fuels management activities.  The wood includes seasoned Douglas-fir in a range of sizes, easily accessible from decks and other piles of pre-cut rounds.  Wood quantities are limited and not guaranteed.  Gifford Pinchot National Forest firewood permits, which cost $10 per cord, are required, and are available at the Mt. Adams Ranger Station in Trout Lake, Home Valley Store, Wind River Market in Carson, and Main St. Convenience Store in Stevenson.  Gates to the site will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the next two weekends.  Scenic Area officials say this is a great opportunity in particular for people with disabilities and military veterans to acquire firewood for winter.

Boys Soccer

Hood River Valley 8, Crook County 2

The Dalles 2, Pendleton 1:  Jordan Buettner scored in the first half and Alex Gutierrez in the second half to led the Riverhawks to the win.  Jaime Castro made key saves late in the match to preserve the win.

 

Girls Soccer

The Dalles 3, Pendleton 0:  Brenda Chavez, Kendall Webber, and Vivian Harrah all scored as the Riverhawks won their second straight Intermountain Conference match.

Hood River Valley 10, Crook County 0

King’s Way Christian 4, Columbia 0

Castle Rock 2, Stevenson 1

 

Volleyball

The Dalles def. Redmond 17-25, 26-24, 20-25, 25-20, 15-11

Pendleton def. Hood River Valley 25-14, 27-25, 26-24

Castle Rock def. Stevenson 3 games to 0

King’s Way Christian def. Columbia 3 games to 0

Dufur def. Mitchell-Spray 25-13, 13-25, 25-5, 25-8

Sherman def. Ione-Arlington 3 games to 2