The Union Street Undercrossing in The Dalles will be closed to all traffic at times until further notice due to a combination of snow melt and rain elevating the Columbia River, causing it to overtop its banks in some locations and leading to water at the undercrossing to be deep enough to be hazardous to vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians.  According to the Corps of Engineers, which operates the dams, the high water level of the Bonneville Pool is necessary for flood control due to recent rain and snow melt.  When necessary, Union Street northbound will be closed to through traffic at the railroad tracks, and will be completely closed north of the Hattenhauer access road.  Intermittent access to Lewis and Clark Festival Park will be open as river levels allow.  Approaching the undercrossing from the west side, West 1^st Street will be closed to through traffic at Terminal Way and will be completely closed beyond the employee access to the Oregon Cherry Growers Riverside facility.  Motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians are encouraged to use Webber Street as an alternate route to access West 1st Street and the west section of the Riverfront Trail during times the underpass is closed.  The closure may be periodic and sometimes sustained for several days during the spring water runoff times.

The Wild Cherry Fruit Fly has made its first appearance of the season in the region.  Oregon State University Extension says a fruit fly was caught in a baited trap this past weekend at the Mid-Columbia Agricultural Research and Extension Center.  Traps are set at the Center, Dallesport, and The Dalles.  All sites are about 2 weeks behind the past two years, and the 10-year average.  Adult female flies require seven to ten days after emergence to become sexually mature.  Sprays should target egg-laying females to prevent fruit injury.  Fallen or unharvested fruit can be a resource for late season infestation, and in those circumstances, orchardists may need to consider a post-harvest spray to prevent problems the following year.

One Community Health has partnered with the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Primary Care Association in opening two COVID Test-to-Treat centers for OCH patients and individuals from underserved communities with plans to expand access in the coming months to the entire Columbia Gorge community.  OCH’s Test-to-Treat centers are located outside OCH’s existing clinics in Hood River and The Dalles and are staffed by providers, pharmacists, medical assistants, and nurses.  The Test-to-Treat centers offer “one-stop shopping” for COVID services, including rapid diagnostic COVID testing, an evaluation by a medical provider, and if appropriate, the anti-viral treatments Paxlovid or Molnupiravir will be prescribed and provided on-site, with no need to go to a separate pharmacy location.  OCH was approached by the OHA and Oregon Primary Care Association to serve as a pilot site for the Oregon Test-to-Treat Program to help improve access and treatment for communities disproportionately impacted by COVID.  For more information on OCH’s Test-to-Treat Program go to onecommunityhealth.org or call 541-386-6380.

Zora Richardson of The Dalles will be heading to Mobile, Alabama on Monday to participate in the 65th Distinguished Young Women National Finals later in the month.  Richardson is one of 50 representatives competing for over $150,000 in cash scholarships and the opportunity to represent the program as the Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2022.  During her two weeks in Mobile, Richardson will participate in team building activities, complete community service projects, interact with the Gulf Coast community through various events and engage in many hours of rehearsal in preparation for the three-night scholarship competition.  If selected as the program’s overall winner, Richardson will spend the next year representing Distinguished Young Women across the country through various appearances and promoting the program’s national outreach initiative of Be Your Best Self, which is designed to combat major issues facing children today including childhood obesity and high school dropout rates, as well as encourage young people to take an active interest in their communities through service.  Richardson is a 2022 graduate of The Dalles High School and the daughter of Judy and Dan Richardson.

The Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District has a wide range of summer day camps available for kids this summer.  Full-week day camps will be available throughout July and August, while there will also be shorter duration sports camps and some specialty camps available to youngsters, particularly in the elementary and middle school ages.  District Recreation Supervisor Jaime Rivera says they have the ability to make sure the camps are available to anyone regardless of a family’s financial situation.  Descriptions of the camps and registration information is available at hoodriverparksandrec.org.

Staff shortages at DMV offices will require the agency to close the office in The Dalles for a midday break starting Monday.  The Dalles DMV will close from 12:30 to 2 p.m. daily until DMV can restore staff levels there.  This allows for the customers in the lobby by 12:30 to be served, and then for staff to take their break.  The Dalles office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays except Wednesdays when it opens at 10 a.m.  DMV is entering the busy summer season with a statewide staff shortage averaging about 20% among its 60 field offices.  As a result, DMV has temporarily closed six small offices and reduced hours at 10 others across the state at least for the summer.  Normally, DMV would lend staff from the Hood River office to The Dalles location, but Hood River is short on staff too.  DMV officials encourage people to go online to DMV2U.Oregon.gov.  

A resident of The Dalles was sentenced to federal prison Tuesday for transporting and possessing thousands of images depicting child sexual abuse.  27-year-old Nickolas K. Parsons was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison and 10 years’ supervised release.  According to federal court documents, in late 2019, as part of an ongoing investigation, officers identified a Twitter user who sent two links to child pornography via MEGA, an encrypted online file sharing service.  Investigators traced the user’s Twitter account to Parsons’ residence in The Dalles where, in March 2020, they executed a federal search warrant.  After seizing his mobile phone, Parsons admitted to viewing child pornography online and provided investigators with his MEGA account information.  The account was later found to contain thousands of files containing child pornography.  On June 9, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a two-count indictment charging Parsons with transporting and possessing child pornography and he plead guilty to both charges in February of this year.

Plans for a 72-Hour closure of the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate bridge this weekend has been pushed back two weeks due to rain in the weather forecast.  A statement from the Port of Hood River says that since the work must be conducted in dry conditions, Port contractor Granite Construction has notified the Port that they will use the rain delay option provided for in their contract to do the work.  The closure will now take place beginning at 12:01 a.m. the morning of Friday, June 24 through 11:59 p.m. the night of Sunday, June 26.  The planned work is to repair the approach ramps on both sides of the bridge.

The Dalles Police investigated an individual shooting an airsoft-type gun towards students at The Dalles Middle School on Tuesday afternoon.  In a statement, The Dalles Police indicated they received a call at about 1:17 p.m. of a person dressed in dark clothing shooting an airsoft-type gun toward the students, and were able to identify a subject thought to be responsible and detained him for investigation.  The statement says legal process paperwork was served to the individual for disorderly conduct in the second degree, reckless endangering, and harassment, and seized an orange and grey air gun as evidence.  Police say several Middle School students were struck by projectiles, however no injuries were reported.  Police added the school was not placed in lockdown since the individual departed the area and officers were quickly able to respond and control the scene.

The Urban League of Portland will conduct a “community conversation” on community-shaped budgets on Thursday at the Best Western Hood River Inn.  Hood River Mayor Kate McBride and The Next Door Executive Director Janet Hamada will take part in the event.  Urban League Director of Advocacy and Public Policy Jennifer Parrish Taylor used the topic of affordable housing to describe what community-shaped budgeting takes into account going beyond allocating resources, noting the need to continue to engage the community so they hold governments accountable.  The discussion will take place Thursday at noon at the Best Western Hood River Inn as part of the Rotary Club’s meeting.  To register or take part virtually, go to ulpdx.org.