Wednesday will be the last day to retain sturgeon in The Dalles Pool, of the mainstem Columbia River from The Dalles Dam upstream to John Day Dam and adjacent tributaries, and Sunday will be the last day to retain sturgeon in the John Day Pool from John Day Dam upstream to McNary Dam and adjacent tributaries. Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon made the decision after determining that harvest guidelines will be reached soon due to higher-than-expected effort and catch rates. Through Tuesday, the projected catch in The Dalles Pool is 184 fish, or 97 percent of the guideline, while in John Day Pool, the projected catch thru Sunday is 101 fish which is 96 percent of the guideline. Fishery managers implemented staggered, three-day-per-week fishing seasons in Bonneville and The Dalles pools this year to try and lengthen the season. A combination of higher effort and good catch rates had sturgeon harvest accruing more quickly than managers originally projected. Catch-and-release sturgeon fishing remains open in the mainstem upstream of Bonneville Dam, except angling for sturgeon is prohibited May 1 to August 31 within sanctuary areas below each of the dam tailraces.
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Corry Tries Again To Curb Governor’s Emergency Powers
Washington State 14th District Rep. Chris Corry has launched a new effort to curb the governor’s emergency powers. House Bill 1535 is co-sponsored by Rep. Peter Abbarno of Centralia, and is identical to House Bill 1772, Corry’s bi-partisan bill from the 2022 legislative session. This bill focuses on emergencies that last longer than 60 days. House Bill 1535 allows the Legislature to pass a concurrent resolution declaring the termination of a state of emergency, and allow the governor or Legislature to call a special session, consistent to vote on a concurrent resolution to extend a state of emergency. If the Legislature is not in session, the SOE may also be terminated in writing by unanimous agreement of all four leaders in the House and Senate. Sixty days after being signed by the governor, unless extended by the Legislature by a concurrent resolution, the SOE would be terminated, and prohibits the governor from reinstating the same or substantively similar SOE when the original has expired.
January 24 Prep Sports Roundup
Boys Basketball
Hood River Valley 76, Hillsboro 42: Sawyer Clemett scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds while Aiden Smith contributed 12 points off the bench to lead the Eagles to the win.
The Dalles 71, Madras 56: The Riverhawks grabbed the road win to move into a tie for second with Estacada in the Tri-Valley Conference.
Horizon Christian 57, Klickitat-Glenwood 35
South Wasco 99, Lyle-Wishram 32
Dufur 66, Trout Lake 30
Girls Basketball
Hillsboro 52, Hood River Valley 32: The Spartans’ Josetta Singh had 16 points and nine rebounds. Julia Rowan had ten points to lead the Eagles.
Madras 46, The Dalles 37: Madras handed the Riverhawks their first Tri-Valley Conference loss of the season.
Columbia 64, Castle Rock 33
King’s Way Christian 48, Stevenson 26
Klickitat-Glenwood 54, Horizon Christian 21
South Wasco 64, Lyle-Wishram 9
Trout Lake 69, Dufur 24
Wrestling
Stevenson 40, Columbia 30: The Bulldogs scored six wins by fall to pull out the dual match victory.
Gorge Artist To Photograph Ukrainian Life Amid War
A Columbia Gorge artist is going to Ukraine for three weeks to photograph the daily lives of Ukrainians amid the war that surrounds them. According to a release from 301 Gallery of Hood River…Scott MacDonald will hand-carry much needed medical equipment to non-governmental organizations on the ground. He plans to leave on Wednesday. According to the statement…when he returns MacDonald will be editing and curating the photos and additional content. He will then seek venues to exhibit and share the photo essay with others. MacDonald is a jewelry artist in Klickitat. A blog about his journey to Ukraine will be at foundwear.com.
TD Council Approves New Density Regulations
The Dalles City Council approved changes to residential density and regulations within the municipal code. The changes came a little less than one year after planning commissioners noted ambiguities in the City’s density rules while hearing an appeal of a permit that was being denied. Community Development Director Joshua Chandler told the Council the changes to the code include a new article on density, restructures multiple articles that reference density, and adjusts the comprehensive plan to reflect those changes. Councilor Dan Richardson said during deliberations the changes tip the scale towards additional density.
City of HR Looking At Surcharge Plan To Incentivize Wastewater Pre-Treat
Hood River City Councilors received a report on a proposed system of charges and surcharges to incentivize industries that produced a large amount of wastewater to pre-treat it before it reaches the municipal treatment plant. Consultant Wayne Heniemann says the goal is to recover the cost of high-strength wastewater treatment and prevent costs from being passed on to other ratepayers. The proposed plan would call for users whose highest day of outflow is less than 65 percent of limits would receive a 10 percent discount…while those above 90 percent would see charges increased from the base by ten percent…and there would be automatic fines for exceeding limits but with opportunities for users to make operational changes before being fined. Heinemann says the City currently has four system users that would be impacted by this plan. City Council will consider the proposal at a future meeting.
Sorosis Reservoir Roof Structure Modifications Approved
The Dalles City Council gave the go-ahead to do roof structure modifications for the Sorosis Reservoir. It will cost about $1.4 million for the project…which became a necessity when deterioration and metal loss on many of the interior roof rafters and bolts due to corrosion was discovered during interior painting of the reservoir. Mayor Rich Mays says this work has impacts on other parts of the municipal water infrastructure…which will need improvements to prepare for Google’s new data centers. Work on the Sorosis Reservoir has to be done in the winter months…and it’s to be completed by April of 2024.
Distinguished Citizen Awards Handed Out
The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce has handed out its Distinguished Citizen awards. Mayor Rich Mays received the Man of the Year award, and Nan Wimmers of Columbia Gorge Real Estate was named Woman of the Year. Scott McKay was selected as Volunteer of the Year, Salvador Rocha Zavala Jr. was named Outstanding Youth of the Year, the Educator of the Year is Ajay Rundell, and Mary Leighton received the Outstanding Agricultural Achievement Award. The Dalles Eagles Lodge received the Excellence in Philanthropy honor, and Bargeway Pub and Catering was named Business of the Year.
City Of HR Continues Work On Rand Road Housing Project
The City of Hood River’s housing project on 780 Rand Road received $3 million in federal money in the recent omnibus spending bill, but there is still a large part of the financial puzzle to be accumulated. City Manager Abigail Elder says they will be applying to the state’s Local Innovation and Fast Track, or LIFT, program again this year after not receiving funds in 2022, and receiving the federal monies can help that effort. Elder says project partners Community Development Partners and Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation continue work on the project while the funds to build it are being sought, doing work with stakeholders on what the development should look like.
Klickitat County Commission Looks To Deal With Priority Items
Klickitat County Commissioners have got a number of priority items to deal with in the next few months. Commissioner Jacob Anderson says many of those tasks involve land use planning. A strategic planning process and a short-term rental ordinance all figure to be a part of the next few months. Anderson notes each commissioner also has the various committees and boards they are a part of to work on as well. In his case, it’s trying to continue progress on a new Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge.