Both The Dalles and Hood River City Councils will meet on Monday night.  The Dalles Council agenda includes discussion of a proposed improvement plan for the West 2nd and Cherry Heights intersection.  The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in The Dalles City Hall.  In Hood River, the Council agenda includes a report from City Planning Director Dustin Nilsen on a Streets and Pedestrian framework plan for the Westside Area Concept Plan, and an update on the downtown parking study.  That meeting will start at 6 p.m. on Monday in Hood River City Hall.

Recreational fishermen will have two days in September to get out on the Columbia River to catch and retain white sturgeon under rules approved by the Oregon and Washington departments of fish and wildlife.  The two-day recreational fishery will take place on consecutive Saturdays – September 21 and 28.  The effective area is the Columbia River from the Wauna power lines, which cross the Columbia River about 40 miles from the river mouth, upstream to the fishing deadlines at Bonneville Dam.  Recreational fishermen will head to the water this year with an overall harvest guideline of 1,230 fish for the two days.  The white sturgeon fishery is guideline-driven, meaning managers may close the season early if the harvest guideline is expected to be exceeded.  The bag limit is one legal-sized white sturgeon per day and up to two for the year.

Volleyball

South Wasco def. Heppner 25-27, 21-25, 25-20, 25-20, 15-13

Irrigon def. South Wasco 25-23, 25-14, 25-16

The 58th annual Huckleberry Festival is this weekend in Bingen.  The event centered in Daubenspeck Park once again includes plenty of entertainment, food, and events for the kids.  And one of the festival organizers, Chris Connolly, says the huckleberries will be there, including the always popular pies.  The festival will be open Friday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  The annual Huckleberry Festival parade through Bingen will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, with Ryan Kreps of RADCOMP Technologies serving as grand marshal.

The Oregon Department of Forestry is reducing fire prevention restrictions for lands within the Central Oregon District as of Thursday.  Lands affected include private, county, and municipal lands inside the Central Oregon District Protection Boundary that includes Wasco, Hood River, and Sherman counties.  ODF officials say the lessened restrictions reflect a reduced potential for large fire growth based on current fuel conditions, improved humidity recovery, shorter burn periods typical in fall, and the current weather forecast for cooler temperatures and increased precipitation.  Industrial Fire Precaution Level for Wasco and Hood River counties remains at Level 2.  Burn bans and local county or fire department restrictions remain in effect.  High risk activities identified in the Regulated Use Closure will be restricted between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. 

The Dalles and Wasco County road crews will paint the center and side lines on most high traffic streets throughout the community Monday through Wednesday of next week.  Work will begin at 7:00 a.m. each day, weather permitting.  Motorists are asked to watch for the crews and avoid driving on the wet paint.  The paint truck will be preceded and followed by warning vehicles, with signs calling attention to the wet paint.  The trucks will be spaced according to the necessary drying time of the paint.  Attempting to pass or drive between the trucks will result in a messy striping job and paint damage to the motorist’s vehicle.  In recent years, paint with low “volatile organic chemicals” has been used in order to protect the environment, but it is slower to dry, taking about 4 minutes, so extra precautions are needed to give the paint time to dry.

Oregon and Washington fisheries managers from Oregon and Washington say recreational Chinook salmon retention in the Columbia River between Warrior Rock and Bonneville Dam will close effective Friday morning at 12:01 a.m., three days earlier than originally scheduled.  The states decided to close the fishery early after reviewing harvest data that indicated recreational fishermen in that river section have already surpassed their preseason Chinook salmon harvest guideline by approximately 40 percent.  Other sections of the lower Columbia River closed to Chinook retention in August.  Chinook retention remains open between Bonneville and McNary dams.  In the meantime, Coho salmon returns appear to be strong and offer potential for additional recreational fishing opportunity.

Boys Soccer

Parkrose 3, The Dalles 1:  The Broncos scored twice in the space of two minutes late in the first half to pull ahead in the season opener for both teams.   Andy Lopez had given the Riverhawks the lead on a penalty kick in the 16^th minute.  The Broncos scored the insurance goal in the 70^th minute of the game.

Two farms in Wasco County and one in Hood River County are being honored this year by the Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program.  Oregon Century Farm or Ranch status is given out by the Oregon Farm Bureau Foundation for Education for remaining operational and within the same family for at least 100 years.  The Wasco County farms being honored are the Kaser Family Farm and Ellett’s Green Ridge Tree Farm, while the Fletcher Family Farm of Hood River County is also receiving the acknowledgement.  Award winners receive a certificate signed by the Governor and Director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture.  Historic roadside signs are imprinted with the founder’s name and the year the ranch or farm was established.

North Wasco County School District 21 officials say the fire alarm system at The Dalles High School is currently inoperable and being repaired.  D-21 officials report they have established a fire watch through the building around the clock.  If there is a fire or an evacuation is ordered, a siren will sound through the school’s public address system with a statement to evacuate the building.  An evacuation notice would also go out to classroom phones.  Students would evacuate the building and proceed to their designated rally point as directed by their classroom teacher.  The district says Mid-Columbia Fire & Rescue is aware of the situation.  Those with questions can contact The Dalles High School at 541-506-3400.