The Dalles Public Works Director Dave Anderson says he is confident a proposed water agreement with Google would leave the City in a better position than it currently is in now, adding supply emergencies are covered by the City’s water management and conservation plan.  Anderson says that plan puts the highest priority on providing water to meet public health needs, including residential and home consumption, hospitals, and businesses, and would supersede any industrial need.  The Dalles City Council will discuss the proposed agreement with Google at its meeting this Monday at 5:30 p.m.  Google is seeking the deal as part of plans to eventually build two data centers on the former aluminum plant property it owns.

Mid-Columbia Community Action has a site picked out for a navigation center in The Dalles with multiple agency services, and is working with a development consultant on the project.  Community Action executive director Kenny LaPoint said they are planning to use a 1.3 acre site the organization already owns on West Second Street on land zoned commercial/light industrial.  LaPoint says they have $1.5 million from the state and $500,000 from the City of The Dalles for the project, but they probably need another $500,000 to do the full build, and they will go to the community for some of that.  LaPoint said they don’t have a timeline for development of the navigation center, but they would like to do it in the next 12 to 18 months.

The Barlow Ranger District of the Mt. Hood National Forest says the fire damage closure for the White River Fire has been reduced.  The entire length of Forest Roads 48 and 43 are now open.  In addition, the McCubbins Gulch Off-Highway Vehicle area is open, along with much of the land around McCubbins north of Highway 216.  A smaller area within the White River Fire perimeter will remain closed as fire recovery and salvage work continues.  Also, some roads have winter closures which begin December 1.

A five-county resource directory of organizations and services that offer support to community members is now online.  Hood River County Prevention Department director Belinda Ballah says the directory was developed a couple of years ago in printed form, and it tries to cover anything somebody might need help with.  The guide is available at c-gorge-resourceguide.com.  Ballah adds a new run of printed guides will be available soon.

Washington Class 2B District 4 Girls Soccer First Round Adna 7, Stevenson 0   EWAC Volleyball First Round Goldendale def. Warden 25-15, 25-12, 25-15:  The Timberwolves move on to play Tri-Cities Prep today at 5 p.m. at Granger.

Mid-Columbia Health Foundation’s Festival of Trees is being re-envisioned as a virtual event.  As always, adorned trees will be donated by community members and business to help the Health Foundation raise money in support of local cancer patients and Celilo Cancer Center.  The decorated trees will be prominently displayed at various locations around town and online on Facebook and the Health Foundation web page from Dec. 1 to Dec. 7.  Rather than an auction, money will be raised by way of a direct donation. Each tree will be displayed with a QR code and website address that patrons can use to make a donation online.  Community members and businesses who have been involved with Festival of Trees in the past will receive a brochure in the mail that includes mail-in instructions for their convenience.  At the conclusion of the event, the decorated trees will be donated to local organizations to continue spreading holiday cheer throughout the community.  Proceeds from the 2021 Festival of Trees will support the Celilo Cancer Center Fund and the purchase of a new linear accelerator for radiation therapy.

The Gorge TransLink Alliance is offering its new GOrge Pass for 2022 to provide unlimited travel on transit systems serving Wasco, Hood River, Klickitat, and Skamania counties and the Portland metro area.  Kate Drennan of Mid-Columbia Economic Development District says the pass covers The Link in The Dalles, Columbia Area Transit in Hood River, Mt. Adams Transportation Services in Klickitat County, and Skamania County Transit.  The annual GOrge Pass costs $40 for an adult or $20 for youth under 17.  For purchase information and ride schedules, go to gorgepass.com or call 833-3GO-PASS.

Mid-Columbia Community Action is taking applications for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program in Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman counties as winter draws closer.  Community Action director Kenny LaPoint says they’ve been able to run the program year-round since June of 2020.  Qualification for the program is 60 percent of the area median income based on family size.  To apply, go to mccac.com or call Community Action at 541-298-5131.

Tuesday is the deadline to either mail a ballot or drop it off in a designated drop box for the election in Washington that features numerous municipal and school board offices.  For a complete list of drop box locations, go to either klickitatcounty.org or skamaniacounty.org.  The drop boxes are open until 8 p.m. Tuesday.  There are a handful of contested races in both counties.

Football Putnam 55, The Dalles 41 Goldendale 60, White Swan 8 Tenino 52, Columbia 8   Oregon Class 1A District 2 Football Crossover at Eastern Oregon University Elgin 80, Lyle-Klickitat-Wishram 6 Adrian 62, Dufur 6   Oregon Class 1A Volleyball Second Round Damascus Christian def. South Wasco 25-15, 25-16, 25-9   Washington Class 2B District 4 Volleyball Tournament Stevenson def. Forks 3-2 Toulte Lake def. Stevenson 3-0:  The Bulldogs face Winlock in a loser-out game on Wednesday at 5:30 in Onalaska.   Cross Country Goldendale won the boys’ team title at the Eastern Washington Athletic Conference Championships in Pasco with three of the top six finishers.  Alden Williams of the Timberwolves was second while Issac Call was third and Sean Henrikson sixth.  In the girls’ race, Lexi Williams was the top Goldendale finisher in eleventh.   Columbia’s Ella Zimmerman finished 12^th at Washington Class 1A District 1-4 girls’ championships at South Whidbey High School, as the Bruins finished ninth in the team standings.   Stevenson won the girls’ Class 2B/1B District 4 championships at Rainer.  Isabella Spencer led the Bulldogs’ with a third place finish, while Sofia Spencer was eighth.  Stevenson was tenth in the boys’ competition.