Wasco County Commissioners have approved the annual burn ban and a ban on the use of all fireworks in unincorporated areas of the County beginning on Monday. The County joins the Oregon Department of Forestry and county fire districts in issuing the burn ban, which will coincide with the start of fire season in the ODF Central Oregon District. The fireworks ban for unincorporated portions of Wasco County mirrors a similar measure adopted by the City of The Dalles. It does not prohibit fireworks displays permitted by the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office. This is the third consecutive year that the County Commission has approved the fireworks ban.
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Pride Month Events Planned
The Columbia Gorge Pride Alliance has a full slate of events going on this month to commemorate Pride Month. Alliance Coordinator Kit Clasen says Pride will be a focus of First Friday in Downtown Hood River this Friday. A Pride observance will take place on June 15 at Teo Park in Stevenson, events are planned in White Salmon on June 22, and there will be a resource fair and march on June 29 at Lewis & Clark Festival Park in The Dalles. For a complete list of Pride events in the Columbia Gorge, go to Columbia Gorge Pride Alliance Facebook or Instagram pages.
Hood River City & County Talk Housing And Annexation
The Hood River City Council and County Commission held a joint meeting to discuss housing and annexation issues, and it served to underline how many barriers there are to creating more housing opportunities of various kinds. While much of the talk centered on whether annexation of large amounts of the urban growth area at the various steps the governmental bodies could take to stimulate housing development, City Planner Dustin Nilsen pointed out they have been processing a number of multi-family housing applications, but they stall out because of economic realities. County and City officials plan to have a strategic annexation discussion. They also talked about work on updates to the urban growth management agreement, but staff capacity and fiscal limitations mean in might be another budget cycle before that can happen. The two bodies also planned to get together again in about three months, once staff has information to add to the discussion.
Wasco County Receives Fire Prevention Grant
Wasco County has been awarded a $5.9 million grant through the federal Community Wildfire Defense Grant program. The $5.9 million grant will be used for various projects, including road side and hazard tree treatments, defensible space buffers, property level risk assessments, and community education, in addition to recruitment for a countywide Wildfire Coordinator to support ongoing efforts. Grant partners include the Wamic Rural Fire Protection District, Juniper Flat Rural Fire Protection District, Tygh Valley Rural Fire Protection District, Oregon Department of Forestry, Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District, Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue, Oregon State Fire Marshal, and OSU Extension Fire Program. The Community Wildfire Defense Grant program is a federal initiative aimed at supporting communities in their efforts to prevent, mitigate, and respond to wildfires. The program provides funding to local governments for projects that improve the safety and resilience of communities at risk of wildfire.
Summer Columbia River Fishing Seasons Set
Oregon and Washington fishery managers have finalized preseason planning for 2024 Columbia River summer recreational salmon and steelhead fisheries. For the summer season, retention of adult hatchery Chinook, hatchery steelhead, and sockeye will open June 16 from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco. Adult Chinook retention will only be open from June 16th to the 19th in the area downstream of Bonneville Dam and from June 16th to 30th upstream of Bonneville Dam. However, the sockeye return is forecast to be about 20 percent higher than last year’s actual return and the retention of sockeye and hatchery steelhead is expected to remain open through the end of July. The preseason forecast of upriver summer steelhead is slightly higher than last year’s return but still represents a poor return relative to historic levels, so anglers will see conservative retention regulations again in 2024. Hatchery steelhead retention will be allowed June 16th to July 31st from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to The Dalles Dam and June 16th through August 31 from The Dalles Dam upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco with a reduced bag limit of one fish.
Port of Hood River Warns Of Text Scam
The Port of Hood River says scammers are targeting residents in Klickitat and Hood River Counties with text messages pretending to be from the Port collecting overdue toll charges. The messages include a link to pay the toll to avoid overdue charges. The Port of Hood River says it does not text drivers for outstanding toll amounts. The port mails invoices to customers who cross without paying when the toll booth is closed, and it will send texts to BreezeBy customers who have opted into receiving text messages, but those texts do not include links. If you have any questions regarding a text message that appears to be from the Port of Hood River, please contact the Port at 541-386-1645. The FBI became aware of this kind of tolling scam taking place around the country in March and has received more than 2,000 complaints since then. The scam seems to have started in the Midwest, with the Illinois Tollway being one of the first tolling agencies to report the problem.
HR-WS Bridge Authority Gets Investment Grade Credit Rating
The effort to fund construction of a new Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge received another boost this week. The Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority received an Investment Grade credit rating. Authority board member Jacob Anderson says this paves the way to qualify for a low-interest federal loan that will provide the approximately $70 million of local match anticipated to be needed to complete the funding stack for the project. About $360 million of the necessary $520 million in funds have been put together to this point. The authority is aiming for work on the new bridge to begin in 2025.
Joint City/County Meetings Planned In Both Hood River & The Dalles
Joint City Council and County Commission meetings are planned in both The Dalles and Hood River next week. On Monday, the Hood River City Council will host the Hood River County Commission for a joint meeting at City Hall beginning at 4 p.m. The agenda will feature a discussion of issues related to annexation, and updates on current housing initiatives and projects. Then on Wednesday, the Wasco County Commission and The Dalles City Council will get together at 1:30 p.m. in the Commission’s new meeting room on 401 East 3rd. Those panels will discuss policy for use of certain Strategic Investment Program funds that Google will pay as a result of agreements reached in 2021 for development of two new data centers.
The Dalles Police Seek Public Help For Information On Assault
The Dalles Police are asking the public for information related to an assault in the area of the 3000 block of Klindt Drive late Wednesday night. According to a police statement, the victim was a 65 year old woman who reported being assaulted near her residence on Wednesday night at about 11:30pm. The department says the victim was injured in the assault and only limited details about the attacker were available. If you were in the area of the 3000 block of Klindt Drive on Wednesday night around 11:30 and saw anything suspicious, please contact The Dalles Police at 541-296-2613 and ask for Sgt. Nagamatsu. Any detail can be helpful. Police added there is no reason to believe that there is an ongoing threat of any kind.
Applications Available For Hood River Council Vacancy
Applications are now being taken to fill the vacancy of the Hood River City Council left by the passing of Tim Counihan. City Manager Abigail Elder says applications are available now at City Hall or online at cityofhoodriver.gov, and will be taken through July 1. Candidates must include in their filing a resume describing their background and a statement of why they want to be considered for appointment. Councilors are eligible for a monthly stipend equivalent to 10% of the Area Median Income as the result of a resolution approved by the Council on Tuesday. In addition, a stipend for childcare cost incurred by a City Councilor while attending public meetings is available. The City will also provide a laptop or I-Pad for Council-related business.