Listen Live

Category: Uncategorized

Hood River Sheriff’s Office Seeks Robbery Suspect

Posted on by mbailey

The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an armed robbery that took place on Friday at Marco Sports in the 1000 block of Highway 218.  According to the Sheriff’s Office, witnesses reported a male subject had entered the business brandishing a handgun, ordering patrons and employees to the ground in fluent Spanish.  The suspect left on foot southbound with cash that he had stolen from the business.  No one was injured in the robbery.  The suspect is described as a tall, large, Latino male, over 200 pounds, in his 20’s or 30’s, who spoke Spanish in a deep voice, with what witnesses believed may have been an accent from the State of Jalisco.  He was wearing a black Nike hoodie pulled tightly around his face with a black and white bandana, black Nike pants, and black and white Nike shoes.  The Sheriff’s Office is asking that anyone with information in this case contact the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at 541-387-7077.

 

Food Bank Moves Into New Home

Posted on by mbailey

The Columbia Gorge Food Bank has settled into its new home at 3525 Crates Way in The Dalles.  Construction of the Community Food Center began with the 2020 purchase of a shell of a warehouse that was renovated to be a state-of-the-art food bank that began to distribute food to the first of 46 community partners in the early days of this year.  It includes over 1,000 square feet of refrigerated storage and more than 600 square feet of freezer space.  Completing construction of the food bank’s offices, flex space, and learning kitchen will take place over the next few months.  A grand opening for the center is expected to take place in early spring.

State Grant To Increase Naloxone Availability

Posted on by mbailey

YouthThink and a number of other organizations have received a state grant to make Naloxone more available in Wasco County.  Naloxone is a medication used to reverse or reduce the effects of opioids.  Law enforcement in Wasco County already carry Naloxone kits while on duty.  YouthThink’s Debby Jones says they want make access to Naloxone easier.  Jones says they hope to roll out the project in March.  She adds partners in Wasco, Hood River, and Sherman counties are looking at doing a fentanyl awareness campaign to educate people about what that drug actually is, the dangers of it, and dispelling myths about it.

Parkdale Nursery Receives Grant For Tree Seedling Production

Posted on by mbailey

The Oregon Department of Forestry says Lava Nursery in Parkdale is one of 10 tree nurseries across the state receiving a total of over $4.4 million this year to help them increase their ability to produce badly needed seedlings.  The seedlings are needed to help reforest millions of acres deforested in recent years by wildfire, disease and pests.  The money was given to ODF after passage by the Oregon Legislature in 2021 of a bill was a response to the devastating 2020 wildfires which burned a million acres of forest.  Lava Nursery received $458,000.  Nurseries are using the funds to invest in everything from adding irrigation to building new greenhouses and seedbed space as well as storage facilities for storing seedling trees.  To qualify for a grant, a nursery had to have experience growing high-quality commercial conifer trees for reforestation in Oregon, including Douglas-fir, grand fir, noble fir, western red cedar, ponderosa pine and others.

Harris Bill For Educator Reprimand Removal Passes House

Posted on by mbailey

The Washington State House on Monday unanimously passed legislation from 17th District Rep. Paul Harris that would give educators with a reprimand an opportunity for redemption.  House Bill 1113 would require the Professional Educator Standards Board to adopt rules for reviewing and vacating reprimands issued to certificated professional educators that did not involve a student.  Currently, there is no process in place to vacate a reprimand on an educator’s certificate.  Harris noted the policy does would not include teachers with reprimands involving students, but educators with minor infractions would be given an opportunity to clear their record.  HB 1113 would not require the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to notify eligible people, but it would direct the OSPI to report to the Legislature the number of people with a certificate or permit who have submitted a petition to have a reprimand vacated under the PESB rules.  The OSPI would also be required to report the number of people who had a reprimand vacated under the PESB rules.  The bill now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

 

Waters Introduces First Bill

Posted on by mbailey

Washington State 17th District Rep. Kevin Waters introduced his first bill as a freshman legislator, which would give many of Washington’s smaller businesses a boost in their hiring efforts.  House Bill 1730 would allow, under specific and limited circumstances, youth between the ages of 18 to 21 to be employed in establishments traditionally classified as off-limits to persons under the age of 21.  The Republican from Stevenson says the bill would make it legal for anyone at least 18-years-old to perform services unrelated to the sale or service of alcohol to enter and remain on premises, but only to carry out the duties of their employment as a dishwasher, cook, chef, sanitation specialist, or other kitchen staff.  The individual could not perform any services or work in the bar, lounge, or dining area of the licensed premises, and a supervisor over the age of 21 must be present at all times.  HB 1730 has been referred to the House Regulated Substance and Gaming Committee, and is scheduled for a hearing on Thursday.

 

 

Human Remains From 1964 Identified

Posted on by mbailey

Human remains found on the Sherman County side of the John Day River in March of 1989 have been identified through modern DNA testing methods as those of a man reported missing after a large flooding event in 1964.  The Oregon State Police says the remains have been identified as those of David West, Jr., who disappeared after trying to cross the John Day River during a flood in 1964.  West was known to cross the John Day often to feed cattle, to the point of building a makeshift cable car across the river to assist in navigating the waters.  On the day of the flood, West was thought to be feeding cattle near Ashwood.  A friend who went to check on him saw the cable car had been washed away, a large tree that held the cable was uprooted, West’s dog was injured on the bank of the river, and West himself was never heard from again.  The Oregon Medical Examiner’s Office had held the remains found in 1989, and recently a private DNA lab was able to reveal the name of two biological relatives of West, and they provided samples that confirmed the identification.

MCFR Responds To Travel Trailer Fire

Posted on by mbailey

Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue says a travel trailer fire led to minor damage to a residence on Saturday evening.  According to MCFR, the fire was reported in the vicinity of Ideal Trailer Park in The Dalles shortly after 8:20 on Saturday evening.  Firefighters found a 28-foot travel trailer with smoke showing and flames exposed to a nearby residence.  Crews established a water supply and deployed handlines to protect the exposed residence and knock down the trailer fire.  The trailer sustained smoke, heat, and water damage, while damage to the residence was minor.  There were no injuries.  MCFR said the probable cause of the fire appeared to be an electrical malfunction in the wiring.

Cherry Day Wednesday; Hort Meeting Thursday

Posted on by mbailey

It’s a busy time for the Mid-Columbia tree-fruit industry, with OSU Extension’s annual Cherry Day set for Wednesday in The Dalles followed by the Winter Horticultural Meeting on Thursday in Hood River.  OSU Extension’s Ashley Thompson says they will discuss a variety of topics at the meeting, including entomology, horticulture, legislative updates, and technology.  Both meetings carry with them two pesticide credits for producers if they stay for the whole session.  Cherry Day begins at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, and the Winter Horticultural meeting starts Thursday morning at 8 a.m. at the Best Western Hood River Inn.

 

Helfrich Appointed To Housing Production Panel

Posted on by mbailey

Oregon State 52nd District Representative Jeff Helfrich has been appointed to the Governor’s Housing Production Advisory Council.  Helfrich was tabbed to the panel by House Speaker Dan Rayfield, and is also the vice-chair of the House Housing and Homelessness Committee.  Helfrich says his goal is to see new housing started sooner rather than later, adding there is a need to clear red tape that builders and developers must work through to start a project.  In addition, Helfrich says every region of Oregon unique, so flexibility is needed to allow local jurisdictions to move ahead with solutions that are right for them.

Adblock Detected

We have detected that you are using an adblock in your browser’s plugin to disable advertising from loading on our website.

Your Experience is very important to us, and your Ad Blocker enabled will cause our site not to perform as expected.  Turn off the Ad Blocker or add our site to your exceptions.  After you turn off or add exception please refresh the site or click ok.

Please note: Clicking OK below will NOT disable your ad blocker. You will need to make that change within the ad blocker's settings.

OK