Drivers who use the Hood River–White Salmon Bridge should prepare for several overnight closures beginning in mid-August. The Hood River–White Salmon Bridge Authority says the closures are needed for geotechnical exploration near the Washington shoreline as part of the Bridge Replacement Project. Crews will lower drilling equipment from the existing bridge, complete the testing, and then retrieve the equipment using a process designed to protect the bridge. The Port of Hood River says the bridge will be closed from 11:30 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. August 17th through the 19th, August 26th and 27th, August 31st through September 3rd, and September 8th through the 10th. The final closure in each window will end at 5:00 the following morning. Officials say the work could be finished sooner than expected, so not all scheduled closure nights may be needed. Motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and use an alternate route during the overnight closure periods.
Category: Uncategorized
Newhouse Joins In Letter Seeking H-2A Changes
Washington Congressman Dan Newhouse is urging the Trump Administration to make changes to the H-2A agricultural guest worker program, saying delays and outdated regulations are hurting farmers and ranchers across the country. Newhouse led a letter signed by six Republican Senators and ten Representatives to the Departments of Labor, State, and Homeland Security, calling for faster visa processing and regulatory reforms to help agricultural employers fill critical jobs. The lawmakers say lengthy processing times are delaying workers needed for planting and harvest, while current rules leave year-round livestock and dairy operations unable to use the program because it is limited to seasonal work. The letter also asks federal agencies to create a faster track for employers and returning workers with strong compliance records, provide clearer wage guidance, and allow greater flexibility for employers to update approved job sites. Newhouse says dependable access to a legal agricultural workforce is essential to the nation’s food supply and rural economy, and he’s calling on the administration to act quickly before future growing seasons are affected.
Little Buck Fire Efforts Continue
Mop up continues on the Little Buck Fire about six miles northeast of Shaniko, concentrating on edges with heavier fuels. The fire is estimated at 43,818 acres and is 50 percent contained. Northwest Complex Incident Management Team 10 Operations Section Chief Pete Suver says infrared shows isolated hot spots within the fire, always in juniper. He also noted gridding has secured the Big Hollow drainage. The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office has reduced several evacuation levels. Young Life remains at Level 2, or “Be Set.” Evacuation levels for Shaniko, Highway 97 from Shaniko to the Sherman County line, Antelope, Bennett Road, and Clarno have all been lowered from Level 2 to Level 1, or “Be Ready.” The Level 1 evacuation zone from Upper Tubs Road to Cold Camp Road has been lifted. The other fires in the Hay Creek Complex are fully contained.
Grasshopper Fire At More Than 21,000 Acres
Firefighters continue battling the Grasshopper Fire in the Mount Hood National Forest, which has now burned more than 21,100 acres and remains zero percent contained. On Wednesday, crews strengthened firelines protecting the Pine Hollow and Sportsman Park communities and completed a successful burnout operation along Forest Road 27 to help secure the fire’s edge. Firefighters also quickly contained several small spot fires that developed on the eastern side of the blaze. Today, work includes constructing indirect handline on the northwest side, securing the Badger Creek area to the east, improving firelines along Forest Road 27, strengthening containment on the southern flank, and continuing mop-up operations on the western edge. Nearly 400 personnel are assigned to the incident.
Gorge Recovery To Open Saturday
Gorge Recovery, a peer-led Recovery Community Organization looking to serve individuals and families impacted by substance use throughout the Gorge, will open its doors for the first time Saturday afternoon. Executive Director Ari Gardner says the non-profit seeks to provide a safe space for those looking to seek services and find recovery. Gardner says the social portion of the facility provides a recovery community center to allow people to connect with others and be a safe space to continue their effort. Gorge Recovery has moved into a building in the Port of The Dalles at 3729 Klindt Drive. They will be open this Saturday from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., and then Tuesdays through Saturdays during those same hours.
Land Trust Working Toward New Homes In Carson
Work continues to develop fourteen single-family homes on seven acres in Carson near Wind River Middle School. Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation owns the land and created the Carson Community Land Trust to build the homes which will be sold to first-time homebuyers earning at or below 80% of Skamania County’s Area Median Income. CCHC Housing Resource Center Manager Liz Wilber says under the land trust model, the buyer purchases the home while the trust retains ownership of the property to keep the homes affordable. Wilber says they have already received 70 inquiries about the houses and have two sources of funding from the Washington Department of Commerce, and they have a goal of starting to sell homes a year from now. Details are available at carsoncommunitylandtrust.com.
Prep Football Officials Needed
The Mid-Columbia Football Officials Association is looking for more people to help staff middle and high school games this fall. There continues to be a need for officials in all kinds of youth sports. The MCFOA’s Robert Jamack says they are short in numbers. He says becoming an official is a great way to stay involved in sports, help support young people, make some money, and enjoy the camaraderie with other officials. The association is holding its first meeting this evening (Wednesday) at 6 p.m. at Spooky’s in The Dalles, and newcomers are welcome. You can also get information on how to get involved in officiating any high school sport at osaa.org.
Little Buck Fire Control Lines Hold, Containment 50%
Control lines on the Little Buck Fire about six miles northeast of Shaniko have held despite several days of windy conditions. The 36,025 acre fire now has a containment figure of 50%. On Tuesday, fire personnel extinguished more heat along the lines constructed to stop the fire’s run on Saturday. In some areas with more vegetation, line construction with dozers and other heavy equipment created piles of juniper, sage and other woody debris. Fire burned under the piles, requiring skidgines, engines and hand crews to coordinate pulling apart the piles to extinguish buried heat. Firefighters continue to locate and cool buried heat near the edges of the fire. The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office has reduced several evacuation levels. Shaniko, Highway 97 from Shaniko to the Sherman County line, Antelope, Bennett Road, Young Life, and Clarno have been lowered from Level 3 “Go Now” to Level 2 “Be Set.” The area from Upper Tubs Road to Cold Camp Road has also been reduced from Level 2 to Level 1 “Get Ready.”
Grasshopper Fire At 18,136 Acres
Officials on the Grasshopper Fire in Wasco County in the Mount Hood National Forest say firefighters held the existing line that protects Pine Hollow and Sportsman Park in spite of significant winds on Tuesday, even though it did spread northward to Jordan Butte, with acreage now at 18,136. There remains no containment figure. On Wednesday, firefighters will continue to complete line on Forest Road 27, working to pinch off the eastern flank of the fire. The completed line along the south side of the fire will begin mop up. Additional scouting for fire line location in the vicinity of Forest Road 2730 is underway. The Emergency Conflagration Act was invoked Wednesday afternoon for the fire. The Oregon State Fire Marshal is mobilizing an incident management team and assigning task forces to protect nearby communities and critical infrastructure. California Interagency Incident Management Team 6 assumed command of the fire Wednesday morning. Level 3, or “Go Now,” evacuations remain in effect for Sportsman Park, Pine Hollow, Wamic, and the Grasshopper Advisory Zone in the Mount Hood National Forest. Level 2 “Get Set” evacuations remain in place for Smock Road, White River Crossing, Badger Creek, Shadybrook Road, Shell Rock, Fifteenmile Creek and Tygh Valley. Sportsman’s Paradise, Camp Baldwin, and Rail Hollow are on Level 1 “Be Ready.”
The Dalles Council Approves Latest Archaeology Amendment
The Dalles City Council has approved a fifth contract amendment with Archaeological Investigations Northwest for the First Street Streetscape project.
The nearly $147,000 amendment will pay for documentation and monitoring of previously unidentified archaeological features uncovered during excavation for a new retaining wall. Community Development Director Joshua Chandler told councilors most of the planned excavation has now been completed, reducing the likelihood of additional discoveries.
The Oregon Regional Solutions program helped secure expedited permits through the State Historic Preservation Office and reduce some project costs. Even so, archaeological expenses for the project have now more than doubled. Officials say details about the discoveries are being withheld to discourage artifact theft.