A Georgia man was injured after the semi-truck he was driving went down an embankment just north of the Biggs Bridge on Saturday afternoon. According to the Washington State Patrol, the truck driven by 32-year-old Larry White of Lithonia, Georgia scraped the guardrail on northbound Highway 97 at milepost 1. The scrape popped the front tire, and the semi traveled through the guardrail, and over the embankment. The semi came to rest in the westbound lane of the Old Maryhill Highway. The WSP says White was transported to Klickitat Valley Hospital in Goldendale for treatment of injuries.
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Hood River Bridge Expected To Reopen Sunday Afternoon To Passenger Vehicles; No Semis Until Full Repair Takes Place
Update: The Port expects to open the bridge to passenger vehicles by 2 p.m. Electronic tolling will be implemented, and traffic control personnel will be stationed at both entrances around the clock to ensure compliance.
The Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge should be reopened to passenger vehicle traffic sometime today (June 30), but will remain closed to freight trucks until repairs to damage to six overhead portal braces can take place. During a meeting of the Port of Hood River Commission this morning, Port Executive Director Kevin Greenwood said the bridge will be reopened to passenger vehicle traffic once they are able to communicate with state transportation departments and get 24/7 monitoring for truck traffic in place, which he expected to be arranged by late this afternoon. Justin Doornink of engineering firm HDR said the closure to truck traffic is to ensure there isn’t another accidental strike to the overhead braces while they are in a damaged state. HDR is doing the design for the repair while Kiewit Construction, which is the contractor working on the project to build a new bridge, will do the repairs. Kiewit’s John Brestin said design work and discussions with suppliers and fabricators is underway, and he expects the repair work to start after the upcoming holiday weekend after July 8 and take about a week. That will require nighttime closures of the bridge. The repairs should take about a week to complete once they get underway. The bridge was damaged and closed on Thursday after a semi-truck with a flatbed trailer carrying a large excavator with a boom on the back sliced through a number of beams for the bridge’s lift span.
Zaragoza Indicted On Murder Charge
The suspect in a shooting in The Dalles early Saturday morning has been indicted by a Wasco County Grand Jury on second degree murder and other charges. District Attorney Matthew Ellis says 23-year-old Noe Zaragoza, Jr. was indicted after he waived extradition from Vancouver, where he was being held after being taken into custody in Clark County for the shooting death of 41-year-old Michael Boyer Ellis says early last Saturday morning Zaragoza allegedly entered the Walnut Street Center Market and engaged in a confrontation with a patron. During that altercation, Boyer’s wife, Mariah Herrnandez stepped into defend that person, and Zaragoza pulled a firearm and pointed it at Hernandez, who then slapped the firearm. Ellis says Zaragoza then struck Hernandez in the side of the face with firearm, and when Boyer stepped in to defend his wife, Zargoza shot Boyer twice before fleeing. Zaragoza was arrested at a Camas hotel later that day, and a firearm was located in the room. Along with second degree murder charge, Zaragoza was also indicted on two counts of unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm, menacing, and assault in the fourth degree. Zaragoza is currently in custody at NORCOR, and will be arraigned on Monday.
Hood River Bridge Beams Damaged In Semi-Truck Accident; Closed To Traffic Indefinitely
Port of Hood River Executive Director Kevin Greenwood says this morning that an engineering recommendation for the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge will be made at 1 p.m. this afternoon. The bridge remains closed after a semi-truck with a flatbed trailer carrying a large excavator with a boom on the back sliced through a number of beams for the lift span of the bridge on Thursday. Greenwood says engineers are allowing the American Cruise Line ship and other vessels to travel under the bridge, but the lift will remain inoperable for the foreseeable future. Greenwood says the semi approached the lift from the north at about 11:45 Thursday morning, but the bucket on the back of the excavator was not fully down, and its joints started slicing through the upper members of the bridge above the travel lanes. Greenwood added there is no danger of the lift span falling into the river, as it has supports underneath it as well. There were no injuries in the accident.
Containment Of Long Bend Fire At 60%
Firefighters have increased containment to 60% on the 1,024-acre Long Bend Fire. The fire is located approximately two miles southwest of Maupin on the west side of the Deschutes River. Firefighters continue to identify and extinguish sources of heat within the fire perimeter to further secure control lines. Most of the remaining heat is still along Wapinitia Creek so crews and aircraft were focusing their efforts in that area again today. Crews will also continue to patrol the flanks of the fire that are contained to ensure the fire stays within the established containment lines. A Central Oregon Type 3 Incident Management Team will transition command of the fire scene to a Type 4 Incident Commander at 6 a.m. tomorrow. The fire started the afternoon of Saturday, June 22. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
More Parking Planned For Hood River Waterfront
Parking on Hood River’s waterfront this summer is proving to be both popular and scarce. Port of Hood River Executive Director Kevin Greenwood says they are seeing plenty of traffic as the summer is getting underway, so the Port is working with the City to create two new parking lots at the waterfront, including one by the Maritime Building, and another on Lot 5 behind the Ryan’s Juice facility. Greenwood says recreation users take up most of the parking in the waterfront area. This is also the second year of metered street parking in the Waterfront area.
WAGAP Leadership Transition
This is a time of transition for Washington Gorge Action Programs. Long-time executive director Leslie Naramore is stepping out of the role at the end of the month, and current associate executive director Jennifer Pauletto will move into the role. Pauletto says the transition should be smooth, with Naramore preparing her since she arrived there. Juan Reyes will become the new associate executive director. WAGAP serves as the Community Action program provider in both Klickitat and Skamania counties.
Applications To Fill Vacant HR Council Position Due Monday
Applications to fill the vacant Hood River City Council position to fill the term of the late Tim Counihan are being taken through Monday at 5 p.m. The applications are available at City Hall or on the City’s website, cityofhoodriver.gov. The appointee will serve the remaining two-and-a-half years of the term. The City Council will conduct interviews on July 22.
HR Council Delays Waterfront Stormwater Relocation Bid
The Hood River City Council delayed going out for bid on Phase 3 of the Waterfront Stormwater Relocation Project after receiving a new cost estimate that increased by $900,000 from previous estimates. Matt Huxley of project manager Tetra Tech said the jump from $1.6 million to $2.5 million was due to having a completed design and increases in unit prices. Councilors were not pleased with the increase, but whether there is another option is questionable. One possibility is changing from multiple filter locations to a single filter system on property between the railroad track and Interstate 84, which Huxley says might cost less but could be difficult to maintain long-term because of access issues. City staff will come back with more information about the single filter system at the next Council meeting, and then a decision on how to proceed will be made.
TD Council Moves Ahead With Phase 1 Of Municipal Wi-Fi Rebuild
The Dalles City Council voted to move ahead with a rebuilding of the municipal wi-fi system. A wide-ranging system was deployed in 2011, but it hasn’t had any significant investment in the last seven years, leading it to become outdated, lacking security updates and proving unreliable for users. City Special Projects Coordinator Ann Moorhead says this project would focus on outdoor public areas and reducing coverage over commercial areas. The first phase will dismantle the existing system and install wi-fi access at 2nd & Federal, City Park, the Cruise Ship Dock, Lewis & Clark Festival Park, Thompson Park, and Sorosis Park, at a cost of just over $142,000. A second phase estimated to cost about $56,000 when funds are secured, and would include Firehouse Park, Kramer Field, Quinton Street Ballpark, and the Fort Dalles Museum.