The Washington State Senate has unanimously approved two of 14th District Rep. Gina Mosbrucker’s bills to address the state’s fentanyl crisis. Both bills were amended and must receive final House approval before being sent to the governor. House Bill 2396, also known as “Ivan’s Law,” outlines specific requirements for the state Department of Health, including consideration of the phrase, “Not even once” when designing public outreach campaigns on the danger of fentanyl. House Bill 1635 would create a model program in Washington for the training and certification of dogs to detect fentanyl. Under the amended bill, the state’s Criminal Justice Training Commission must develop model standards for training and certification of fentanyl-detecting dogs by July 1, 2025. The measure also needs final House approval before being sent to the governor. The 2024 session is scheduled to end Thursday.
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Dog Mountain Trail Permits Available March 13
The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area will release Dog Mountain Trail System permits on March 13 at www.recreation.gov. Permits will be required on weekends from April 27 through June 16, including Memorial Day on Monday, May 27. The permit system was put in place in 2018 to ensure public safety near the Dog Mountain Trailhead and adjacent Highway 14 during peak wildflower season. A permit is included when visitors take the free Dog Mountain shuttle from the Skamania County Fairgrounds in Stevenson. Seats are available on a first come, first served basis. Each permit is good for one individual on the day it is issued. The shuttle runs about every half hour from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekends and Memorial Day. Additional information about shuttle operations can be found at https://www.ridecatbus.org/dog-mountain-shuttle/. Anyone using the parking lot at the Dog Mountain Trailhead will need to reserve one permit for each vehicle at www.recreation.gov. There is a $2.00 non-refundable administrative fee. The permit is only valid for the date reserved and does not guarantee a parking space at Dog Mountain Trailhead. Those using the parking area must also pay $5 per day and vehicle, with annual passes such as the Northwest Forest Pass and other interagency senior, military, and Every Kid in a Park passes accepted as alternate forms of payment.
Port of HR Plans Intermittent Single-Lane Bridge Closures In April
The Port of Hood River says intermittent single-lane closures of the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge will begin on Monday, April 8th, and continue through April 12th, between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. each day. The closures will also take place April 15th through the 19th during the same hours. Crews will be conducting welding repairs on the bridge deck this spring to address increased deck fractures due to heavy truck loads. Flaggers will direct traffic on the bridge. Drivers should expect delays of approximately 15 minutes during these hours. Due to the narrow lanes on the bridge, drivers are strongly advised to proceed slowly and cautiously to ensure the safety of workers. Additionally, they should refrain from directly looking at the welding arc light when passing through the work zone.
Disaster Movie Marathon Planned To Get Input On Hazards Plan
The City of The Dalles and Wasco County are hosting a disaster movie marathon at Columbia Cinemas on Wednesday, March 13 to encourage people to give input as the City and County revising their Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan. The plan update is done every five years to help the community prepare and respond to disasters. City and County officials say the Disaster Movie Marathon is a fun way to start a conversation, and they will have a short survey available to help them find out how aware people are of local natural disasters and how they believe the community can prepare to meet these challenges. The movie marathon begins March 13 at 11 a.m. at Columbia Cinemas in The Dalles.
Weight Limit On Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Drops Friday
The weight limit on the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge will be lowered as of Friday. Port of Hood River Commissioners made the decision in December to decrease the load rating back to 32 tons. That was in the aftermath of over 150 hours of steel grate welding during the early November bridge closures, and engineers acknowledging there had been significant degradation of the steel decking requiring a return to load restrictions. Port officials say it’s being done to ensure the bridge remains operable until the new bridge open in Fall 2029. The updated load rating will affect most classes of trucks, with 24 tons for Type 3 vehicles, 32 tons for Type 3S2 and Type 3-3, 22 tons for the SU4, 24 tons for the SU5, and 25 tons for the SU6 and SU7.
Humane Society To Take Over Animal Shelter In The Dalles
There will be a change in animal shelter operations in Wasco County. The Central Oregon Animal Friends Board that governs Home At Last Animal Shelter in The Dalles says it is tentatively planning to step away from shelter operations on March 10, turning it over to the Columbia Gorge Humane Society. A transition process is underway. The Columbia Gorge Humane Society is 90% funded by community donations, and plans to seek support from the community as they move forward with this changeover. The Humane Society is planning a stakeholder’s event in April and to announce plans for a community spay and neuter program. Those interested in volunteering, donating supplies, or making a donation, visit Columbiagorgehs.org.
Mosbrucker DV Supervision Bill Passes Senate
The Washington State Senate gave unanimous approval Tuesday to a bill by 14th District Rep. Gina Mosbrucker that would ensure the Department of Corrections supervises repeat domestic violence offenders and protects survivors from being stalked and abused. House Bill 2048 would close a loophole in state law that has allowed felony domestic violent repeat offenders upon release from prison to go after their victims because they have had no supervision. The bill would remove the words “pleaded and proven” as a requirement before the supervision of domestic violent offenders could be enacted. The measure would also require an audit of DOC supervisory obligations concerning specified domestic violence offenses. The audit and report would cover between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2024, and identify the number of individuals under court-ordered supervision, the number of individuals for whom supervision was ordered but has not occurred, and the reason why DOC did not undertake supervision. A report would be due to the Legislature by Dec. 1. The bill passed the House and Senate unanimously. It now goes to the governor for his signature.
Tucker Road Gas Line Relocation To Run Through March 8
Work to relocate a NW Natural gas line at the intersection of Tucker Road and Orchard Road south of Hood River is now expected to continue through next Friday, March 8. NW Natural indicated the project schedule has been extended due to delays associated with inclement weather. Tucker Road through the construction area is closed during work hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, except for emergency vehicles, school buses, local residents and businesses. Traffic will detour at Barker Road for eastbound traffic on Tucker Road, and at Guignard Road for southbound traffic on Tucker Road. Other detour routes are available at Indian Creek Road for northbound Tucker Road and Brookside Drive for southbound Tucker Road traffic. NW Natural is relocating the gas line at Nobi’s Corner to accommodate an Oregon Department of Transportation project later this summer.
Waters Bill For Fish Barrier Sponsorship Headed To Govenor
The Washington State Senate unanimously approved a bipartisan bill from 17th District Rep. Kevin Waters on Wednesday that would give a boost to the state’s efforts to remove fish barriers in Washington. House Bill 2045 would facilitate the removal of fish barriers on lands owned by local governments by creating the “Adopt a Fish Barrier” program, through which local governments may receive private donations. The Stevenson Republican’s legislation would coordinate with current fish barrier programs to pair donations with grant applications already in progress. The Recreation and Conservation Office would keep a list of projects suited to receiving private donations so a person could choose to which project they donate. Donations of $10,000 or more would be recognized with a sign at the corrected barrier. Donations of $100,000 or more would also receive a plaque signed by the governor with their name, the location of the project, the amount and year of the donation, and the fish species benefitting from their donation. House Bill 2045 now heads to the governor’s desk to await his signature.
Madsen Talks Housing With HR City Council
Mid-Columbia Housing Authority and Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation Executive Director Joel Madsen gave a presentation on the agency’s efforts to Hood River City Councilors. Madsen says they are always looking to partner with local governments, and expand their relationship with the City of Hood River to reach both of their goals. He also noted there has never been as much attention to housing at all governmental levels as there is now, and that is a huge opportunity in many ways, so advocacy from local governments is important. Madsen noted the housing market is not working for many people at various economic levels.