With the hot and dry conditions, Hood River County officials keep a watchful eye on their forestlands. County Administrator Jeff Hecksel notes fire restrictions for the county’s forests and campgrounds are in place, with no open fires allowed. Hecksel notes the County forest is the large asset the County has. Hecksel points out the County forest provides about three million dollars of annual revenue to support county services.
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Highway 14 Work To Lead To Delays At Cape Horn
Travelers along Highway 14 at the west end of Skamania County will need to plan ahead for daytime delays starting this week. Starting Monday, Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews will utilize alternating single lane closures and flaggers as they pave sections of Highway 14 near Cape Horn, between Marble Road at milepost 23.0 and Riverside Drive at milepost 27.5. The single lane closures are scheduled for all of this week and Monday and Tuesday of next week. Pavement improvements include crack sealing, grinding, and leveling ruts, filling potholes and applying lane striping where needed. Expect delays of up to 20 minutes when flaggers are present. Oversized loads wider than 12-feet are restricted from traveling through this area. Because paving work is weather dependent and requires dry, warm weather, it may be paused at any time, due to inclement weather.
Man Arrested & Charged In Harman Murder
An arrest has been made in the stabbing death of a woman near The Dalles in mid-March. Wasco County District Attorney Matthew Ellis and Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill announced that 35-year-old Dan Watson has been arrested for the murder of Amanda Harman. Watson has been charged by the D.A.’s office with murder in the second degree, burglary in the first degree, unlawful use of a weapon, and unauthorized use of a vehicle. Watson is alleged to have stabbed Harmon multiple times at her residence on Ayres Drive outside The Dalles on the evening of March 17, then taking her Kubota RTV to flee the scene. Both Ellis and Magill say that although an arrest has been made, the investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement is still accepting information on the case. An online tip can be submitted through The Dalles City Police website online tip form, Tip 411 https://www.thedalles.org/department/police/programs.php.
Fatal Accident At Highway 97/197 Intersection
One man died in a two-vehicle accident on Thursday afternoon at the intersection of Highways 97 and 197 in southern Wasco County. The Oregon State Police reports its preliminary investigation indicated a northbound pickup truck driven by 81-year-old Frank Lee Serfoss of Ronan, Montana, was pulling a single axle utility trailer and crossed over the paved center median into the southbound lanes. The pickup crashed head-on into a southbound semi-tractor pulling a flatbed operated by 30-year-old Christopher Michael Dalton of Clifton, Arizona. The OSP says Serfoss was declared deceased at the scene, while Dalton sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was treated, but was not transported to a hospital. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. The OSP was assisted by Jefferson County Fire and EMS, South Wasco Fire and Rescue, Life Flight, and ODOT.
Bridge Authority Commissioners Selected
Klickitat and Hood River counties have appointed the first board commissioners for the new Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority, which takes over oversight of the bridge replacement project from the Port of Hood River. Port of Hood River Commissioner Mike Fox, Hood River County Commissioner Arthur Babitz, and Hood River City Council member Grant Polson will represent the Oregon side of the Columbia River, while Klickitat County Commissioner Jacob Anderson, White Salmon Mayor Marla Keethler, and Klickitat County resident Doug Gibson will represent the Washington side. Six alternates were also selected. The authority’s role includes overseeing design and construction of the new bridge and managing operations, maintenance and toll-setting once the new bridge is open. It will have sole access to new toll revenue, as well as decision-making authority over those funds. The authority will also own the new bridge. The existing bridge will remain under the ownership of the Port of Hood River until the new bridge is complete, at which point the old bridge will be demolished. The commissioners will initially serve one-year terms. During this time, the new authority will establish governing processes, including future terms. The bridge authority’s first board meeting will take place on July 10.
Bridge Project Ends Early; Nighttime Closures Cancelled
The Port of Hood River has received notification from contractor Abhe & Svoboda that they have completed work on the steel truss repairs on the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge ahead of schedule. That means all of the remaining nighttime bridge closures of the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge that were scheduled to continue through July 7 have been cancelled. Nighttime bridge closures had been in place five times a week since June 22, when work began. The next major closures of the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge will be in the fall, when the cables for the bridge liftspan will be replaced. That will require the bridge to be closed for a full weekend. The dates for that closure have not yet been announced.
Port of HR Announces Closures For 4th Of July Fireworks
The Port of Hood River will close the Spit area at 8:00 a.m. on July 4 until noon on Wednesday. That’s to allow for setup and cleanup of the annual Fourth of July fireworks show. In addition, access to the Sandbar from the Event Site and the sandy area of the Marina Beach will be closed at 7:00 p.m. on July 4 to all access due to the fireworks display. People planning on watching the fireworks from the Marina and the Waterfront are reminded that the show’s conclusion usually brings very heavy traffic congestion and there will be significant delays in exiting the area. Once the Marina Park parking areas are full, “Closed” signs will be posted at the entrance and additional vehicles will not be allowed into Marina Park. Fireworks of any kind are prohibited on all Port properties, including the Marina and Waterfront areas.
Bingen Point Again Available For 4th Of July Fireworks
The Port of Klickitat along with the cities of White Salmon and Bingen will once again have a safe area for residents to enjoy and use fireworks at Bingen Point on the evening of the Fourth. The Port will permit the discharge and use of fireworks only in designated areas on Bingen Point between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. on July 4. At all other times fireworks are prohibited. Children under 15 should be accompanied by an adult, and emergency services will be in the area. All illegal fireworks will be confiscated.
July 4 White Salmon Parade
White Salmon will hold its annual Fourth of July community parade on Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. Tammara Tippel of the Mt. Adams Chamber of Commerce says this year’s grand marshals are Bob Durham and Jill Vacek. Parade check-in is on Tohomish at Spokes Bike Park, and the parade will follow the regular route through downtown White Salmon. Parade entrants should arrive by 10:25 a.m. for judging.
Federal Funds For Mt Adams Forest Conservation Efforts
The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act provides $8.25 million for forest conservation efforts around Mt. Adams. The appropriation pays for phase 1 of the project, which will conserve 6,378 acres of forests surrounding the town of Trout Lake. Washington U.S. Senator Patty Murray’s Office says the project will support one of the state’s last thriving forestry workforces, supplying 1,409 jobs and feeding three local mills that alone support 300 jobs. The conservation easement will also protect drinking water supply for Trout Lake and critical habitat for fish and wildlife while securing public recreation access. The grant comes from the Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program, which ia administered in partnership with state agencies to protect privately owned conservation easements or land purchases.