The Hood River–White Salmon Interstate Bridge will be closed to all traffic early Friday morning from 12:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. for scheduled maintenance. During this nighttime closure, crews will finalize preventive maintenance on wire ropes, install a new expansion joint on the south end of the bridge, performing guardrail repairs, locating and verifying electrical wiring. For updates, please visit portofhoodriver.com.
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MCCAC Taking LIEAP Applications
Mid-Columbia Community Action is now taking appointments for those in Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman counties who want to apply for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program. MCCAC Executive Director Leslie Naramore says they received word on Tuesday that funding for the program has been released, and they can resume setting up appointments. Naramore says it’s difficult at this point to say how many people they will be able to help this year. The Low Income Energy Assistance Program provides funds to help those who struggle to pay for heat during the winter. For an appointment call Mid-Columbia Community Action at 541-298-5131. If you are a senior citizen or disabled, mention that so you are prioritized within the program.
Klickitat County Chooses Takos As Interim P.A.
Klickitat County Commissioners tapped County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Alex Takos as the interim Prosecuting Attorney in the wake of the recent resignation of David Quesnel Takos told the Commission with the assistance of fellow Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Rebecca Cranston, he will keep the office moving while the Commission considers more permanent moves. The Commission is taking applications for the permanent replacement until December 19. That selection will hold the office through the end of next year, with the Prosecuting Attorney position on the 2026 ballot. In other business, Commissioners approved both the 2026 County Budget and Six-Year Transportation Plan.
TD Watershed Bill Passes House, Heads To Senate
A bill to transfer ownership of 150 acres of Forest Service land within The Dalles’ municipal watershed to the City of The Dalles was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday. It now heads to the Senate for consideration. The City relies on its municipal watershed for 80% of its annual water supply, and owning the acreage will make it easier to expand the size of the Crow Creek Reservoir. Mayor Rich Mays says the transfer will strengthen the City’s ability to protect water quality and improve system management. Oregon Second District Congressman Cliff Bentz said the transfer was one of his highest priorities.
Hood River County Warns Of Scams Using Its Logos
Hood River County is warning residents about scams using County logos to attempt to get people to respond. County Administrator Allison Williams says people should be careful if they receive something that supposedly is from the County, but it’s not. She says among other precautions check the email address it came from, as it will often have a suffix other than the .gov the County uses. Williams encourages people to call the County if they receive anything that appears to be from them, but they are suspicious about it. She notes governments tend to be a target of these kind of scams because of the transparency with which they do business and the accessibility of public documents.
Klickitat County Deputy & Goldendale Business Recover Money After Scam
A Klickitat County Sheriff’s Deputy and a Goldendale business helped an 84-year-old man recover $11,000 in cash that he was being scammed out of. According to the Sheriff’s Office, last week scammers coerced the victim into sending the cash by UPS to a California address which was found to be a vacant rental house used to have victims send packages to. The man realized he had been scammed and contacted the Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Tim Neher reached out to UPS, who directed him to contact S and S Auto Value in Goldendale, where the package was shipped from. Andy Halm of S and S assisted in working with UPS to have the package sent back. It was returned to S and S and the $11,000.00 was recovered and returned. The Sheriff’s Office says the family of the victim were contacted and assisted in ensuring there was no further contact between the victim and the scammers.
Hood River City Stormwater Improvement Plan Presented
Hood River City Councilors received a presentation on a long-considered capital facilities plan for stormwater infrastructure. The study was actually commissioned in 2011 with a draft finished in 2018, but requested updates led to minor updates in 2021 and 2024, but adoption is now planned for early 2026. Stoner Bell of Bell Design Company said they have found 37 projects that are recommended, at total cost of $39 million, to be done over about 20 years. The plan also identifies 33 potential projects that would need to be done by developers in future development areas, with a total cost of $13 million. The City will receive a stormwater rate study at its January 5 meeting.
TD Council Passes Dog Control Ordinance
The Dalles City Council passed a dog control ordinance at their Monday meeting. There were three key changes from the original draft, including aligning dog license terms to rabies inoculation certificates, refined the role of veterinary medical facilities to reduce required monthly reports for the licensing program to a standardized document they already maintain for the Oregon Health Authority, and a sentence to make limits on the number of dogs on a property not apply to kennels already addressed in the municipal land use code. City Manager Matthew Klebes says the hope is the ordinance will stimulate the City’s dog license program. There was some discussion of the leash requirements as well, with City Attorney Jonathan Kara offering refined language to indicate dogs are allowed to run off leash if is allowed by the property owner. License fees will be determined by the Council in January.
December 9 Prep Basketball Scoreboard
Boys Basketball
Caldera 63, Hood River Valley 61: A 23-3 second quarter was the difference as the Wolfpack held off an Eagle comeback in the second half. J.J. Poole scored 14 points and Grant Dunn 12 for HRV, while Carter Garcia paced Caldera with 17.
The Dalles 102, Corbett 56
Stevenson 55, Trout Lake 41
Klickitat-Glenwood 89, Cornerstone Christian 47
Lyle-Wishram 53, Damascus Christian 49
Horizon Christian 51, Central Christian 45
Pilot Rock 57, Sherman 51
Girls Basketball
Hood River Valley 41, Madras 39: The Eagles used a nine-point run to start the fourth quarter to grab the victory. Addi Van Metre had seven of her 11 points in the final period, while Bella Howe scored 10. TaLisa McGill led Madras with 11.
The Dalles 80, Corbett 6
Trout Lake 55, Stevenson 17
Central Christian 59, Horizon Christian 13
Country Christian 45, Dufur 37
Pilot Rock 47, Sherman 24
TD Council Urged To Take Action To Reassure Latino Families
The Dalles City Council heard on Monday night from a large public contingent urging the panel to take some kind of stance to reassure Latino families in the wake of recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity there, including the taking into custody of two people at a local business. One who testified gave three specific suggestions, including having the City issue a public acknowledgement that the incidents are occurring and commit to a coordinated City response, and convene a meeting between municipal leadership, community organizations, and service providers to establish clear procedures and points of contact for families, and develop a comprehensive response plan that includes emergency protocols for minors, coordinated communication strategies, resource guidance, and explicit expectations for trauma-informed conduct by responding officers. Councilor Dan Richardson noted Latino neighbors represent around one-quarter of The Dalles’ population, and without them it would be a dying town. Mayor Rich Mays asked City Manager Matthew Klebes to have ideas on what the City can do by their meeting on January 5.