Columbia Gorge Community College is hosting Oregon Book Award winner Omar El Akkad for a reading on Wednesday evening at the school’s lecture hall in building 2 on The Dalles campus. El Akkad’s latest title, What Strange Paradise, was selected as one of the year’s best books by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, and the Globe and Mail, among others. Omar El Akkad is an author and journalist who was born in Egypt, grew up in Qatar, moved to Canada as a teenager, and now lives in the United States. He’s reported from Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, and many other locations around the world. His debut novel, American War, is an international bestseller. His second novel, What Strange Paradise, won the 2021 Giller Prize, the Pacific Northwest Book Award, and the Oregon Book Award in fiction. The reading will be followed by a Q&A, and starts at 6 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Mt. Hood Meadows will open for the winter season Tuesday in the midst of a major winter storm that has dumped nearly a foot and a half of snow the last 24 hours.  It will be a soft opening – with Daisy, Buttercup, Easy Rider chairlifts and the Ballroom Carpet providing access to groomed beginner and intermediate terrain.  The resort opens with a 31 inch snow depth in the base area and close to four feet at mid-mountain.  Storms continue to line up this week with another two feet forecast to fall through Thursday.  Meadows expects to open more lifts and terrain by the weekend, including Mt. Hood Express and possibly Shooting Star Express.  Early season conditions exist and guests are advised to stay on groomed runs and watch for unmarked obstacles.  A preview park with rails and jumps is being built in Shipyard – near the Buttercup lift for early season jibbing.  More parks will be constructed as the resort receives more snow.  The Nordic Center is scheduled to open the season Thursday based on the forecast for more snow and will operate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays.

Snow is forecast in the region this week, and Hood River city officials are reminding residents of parking regulations on City streets when snow plowing needs to take place.  City Manager Abigail Elder says crews would begin plowing when there is three inches or more of snow on the ground.  Cars should be parked on the south and west sides of municipal streets when plowing takes place.  If you live on a Downtown primary street there is no parking on either side of the street between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. during a snow emergency, or if you live on a Heights primary street there is no parking on either side of the street between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.   It is the responsibility of both property owners and tenants to clear sidewalks and fire hydrants of snow and ice.  Complete snow plow procedure information is available on the municipal website, cityofhoodriver.gov.

Members of the Mid-Columbia Houseless Collaborative are continuing their tour of governmental panels in the five-county area, presenting its five-year strategic plan.  Mid-Columbia Community Action’s Kenny LaPoint notes there have been 40 different agencies from governments to non-profits involved in putting together the plan, which he adds is historic in being the first developed on a regional level.  The strategic plan includes four different topics:  shelter, services, housing, and advocacy.  The plan is the first step in the Collaborative’s effort, with implementation efforts including the staffing of a Mid-Columbia Office of Housing Stabilization in coordination with Mid-Columbia Community Action and Washington Gorge Action Programs.

UPDATE:  The Sherman County Sheriff’s Office says the evacuation order has been lifted in Grass Valley, and residents can return to their homes. The Sherman County Sheriff’s Office says teams from the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, hazardous materials clean-up crews are coming today to the site of a fire at a hemp manufacturing plant in Grass Valley.  The town of Grass Valley remains under an evacuation notice this morning as a precaution against potential further explosions and release of toxic fumes from the fire, which occurred Sunday afternoon.  The Sheriff’s Office says once the clean-up teams being brought in today give the all clear, the evacuation notice will be lifted.  The Sheriff’s Office warned in a Facebook post on Sunday the fire could cause chemicals in the manufacturing plant to explode and asked the town to evacuate, telling anyone needing help to call emergency services.  243 people live in the town according to the 2020 census.  The Sheriff’s Office said early Sunday evening on Facebook that the building was still burning and “fully engulfed,” and several small explosions had been heard.  The Sheriff’s Office also indicated five plant employees were injured, with one suffering “significant” burns.

The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for the Annual Distinguished Citizen Awards.  Nominations are open to all community members.  The selected Nominees will be honored at the Annual Banquet on January 19.  Categories include Man of the Year, Woman of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Agricultural Person of the Year, Outstanding Youth, Business of the Year, Educator of the Year, and First Responder of the Year.  The nominee does not need to be a Chamber member or have any Chamber affiliation.  Learn more about the criteria used to pick the winners at TheDallesChamber.com and click the Service Award Nomination Form button.  You can also stop by the Chamber office 404 West 2nd Street, email Events@TheDallesChamber.com, or call 541-296-2231.

The White Salmon Valley School District will be rolling out two levies for voters in February, but school officials say the net result will be a lower tax rate than what property owners are paying now.  One levy would renew the current three-year Replacement Educational Programs and Operations Levy, which pays for 17 percent of the district’s annual budget.  The other is a capital levy for safety improvements to district buildings.  Superintendent Sean McGeeney says thanks to growth in the district, the current rates have been going down.  

Oregon State University Extension in the Mid-Columbia continues to work with other agencies on a Community Response Plan for heavy smoke events.  OSU Extension received an $80,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to put the plan together.  Extension Air Quality and Food Systems Coordinator Livi Plihal says they are a few months away from finishing.  She adds they are about to embark on focus groups, and hope to have the plan wrapped up in early spring.  She says one of the bigger challenges they have is developing the communication systems to disseminate information.  They also plan to have a mock smoke emergency event to test out the plan.  The plan covers the region from Cascade Locks to Maupin.

Klickitat County’s Tuesday evening election update shows Bob Songer will be re-elected to his third term as sheriff.  The latest numbers saw Songer’s lead over challenger Garique Clifford drop slightly to 153, but only an estimated 35 ballots remain to be counted.  Songer now has 5,675 votes, to Clifford’s 5,522.  Klickitat County will issue another update Wednesday.  Skamania County also issued an update Tuesday on its close Sheriff’s race.  Summer Scheyer had a 27-vote lead with 2,964 to 2,937 for David Waymire.  Skamania County estimates only 20 ballots remain to be counted,

The Hood River Urban Renewal Agency board approved a contract with consultant Elaine Howard to study the feasibility of and develop a plan for a Westside Urban Renewal district.  City officials have looked to such a district as a way to prepare the Westside area for residential development as Hood River deals with its housing supply issues.  Board members, which include the Hood River City Council and two Port of Hood River commissioners, asked Howard about her community engagement plans.  She said the first thing she does is to talk organizations in the community to find out how they are engaging it.  Cost of the work will be about $130,000.  City Manager Abigail Elder says the goal is to finish the project by August of next year.