Critics of a plan to build a bottled water plant in Cascade Locks hope to take their case to the voters of Hood River County.  The group Local Water Alliance on Monday announced plans to put a measure on the County ballot.  Spokeswoman Aurora del Val says water shouldn’t be trucked out of state in a time of drought.  She says the group is going to county voters because city and state officials haven’t stopped the plant.  A county elections official says the group would need to collect just under 500 signatures from registered voters.  Their initial filing was turned down after the County ruled it dealt with two separate issues, prohibiting both transport of bottled water and the act of producing commercial bottled water, and the group is appealing in Circuit Court while also filing new measures separating the two.  Cascade Locks City Administrator Gordon Zimmerman says he can’t comment on the proposed ballot measure until lawyers have reviewed it.  But he says the city council views the facility proposed by Nestle as a critical economic boost for the town.

Football Ridgeview 36, Hood River Valley 22 The Dalles 43, Mac-Hi 0 Columbia 32, Fort Vancouver 0 Estacada 40, Stevenson 0 Dufur 44, Hosanna Christian 14 Sherman 60, Ione 28 Arlington 60, South Wasco 0 Goldendale 20, White Swan 0   Boys Soccer Hood River Valley 2, Summit 1   Girls Soccer West Albany 3, Hood River Valley 0   Cross Country The Dalles girls were fifth and the boys ninth at the Oregon City Invitational.  Jony Nelson had the top finish for the Riverhawk boys in 16^th, while Emily Morin topped The Dalles in the girls’ run in 17^th.   Volleyball Horizon Christian def. Firm Foundation 15-25, 25-10, 25-8, 17-25, 15-9 Perrydale def. Dufur 25-27, 20-25, 25-16, 25-16, 15-10 St. Paul def. Dufur 25-10, 25-14, 25-7 South Wasco won two out of three matches in its Redside Tournament, while Sherman split two, Klickitat was 1-2, and Horizon Christian 0-3.

The Port of Hood River has a lot of engineering work taking place on the Interstate Bridge at this time.  Core samples of the concrete piers to determine their condition, seismic analysis to determine points of vulnerability, a check of auxiliary truss connections, and an initial analysis of the impact of overweight trucks on the bridge have either just taken place or are on-going.  Port Executive Director Michael McElwee added there is some state legislation pending that could be helpful.  Repairs to the auxiliary truss connections are slated to take place in the next fiscal year, while the analysis on the impact of overweight trucks on the bridge is to be presented to the Port Commission at their next meeting.

The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lisa Farquharson says tourism in the city seemed to be busier this year.  Farquharson says most of their indicators show an increase in activity, including visits to the Chamber for information and hits on the Chamber’s website.  She said much of the visitation came from the Western region.  Farquharson noted they are still getting large numbers of tourists now, primarily people who do not have children.  She added they are seeing an uptick in international visitors.

Volleyball The Dalles def. Hermiston 25-13, 26-24, 25-15 Culver def. Dufur 25-13, 25-11, 25-23 Goldendale def. Highland 25-11, 25-10, 25-17   Boys Soccer Madras 4, The Dalles 0 Life Christian 1, Horizon Christian 0   Girls Soccer Summit 4, Hood River Valley 0 The Dalles 2, Madras 1 LaCenter 4, Columbia 0  

Cross Country Hood River Valley topped Hermiston for both the boys and girls varsity titles of HRV’s Skip Sparks Invitational.  The Eagles’ Justin Crosswhite, Quinn Fetkenhour, and Jesse Wiley were the top three finishers in the boys’ race, while HRV’s Lauren Robinson and Daisy Dolan finished one-two in the girls’ run.   Columbia won the boys’ race at a Trico League meet at Seton Catholic.  Will Nuckoles and Colin Howe led the Bruins to the win by claiming the top two individual places.  Stevenson was fourth in the team standings, led by a sixth place finish by Jordan Vigil.  CHS was second to LaCenter in the girls’ race, paced by a second place run from Haley Blair.   Volleyball Fort Vancouver def. Columbia 3 games to 1 LaCenter def. Stevenson 25-22, 25-21, 16-25, 25-18 Trinity Lutheran def. South Wasco 25-5, 25-17, 25-20    

Maryhill Museum of Art has received a $1,000,000 grant from the State of Washington to support the repair and replacement of the exterior stucco on the museum’s historic building.   The total cost of the project is estimated at $1,394,000, with the remainder to be raised from private sources.  The state’s grant will allow the museum to properly address the underlying causes of water damage by removing old repairs and applying new solutions to the problems.  The project will repair and replace the exterior stucco on the museum’s historic building, replace decking on the building’s roofs and ramps, and make repairs to the flashing and gutters to prevent further deterioration of the facade.  The entire stucco exterior will be painted in the original historic color, placing the building within its historic context.  Fundraising for the remaining $394,000 is underway, with a goal to secure all of the funding by spring 2016 so work can begin in early summer and be finished by late fall 2016.

Law enforcement personnel from Oregon and Washington will square off in the annual Pig Bowl flag football game on Saturday evening at Sid White Field on the Wahtonka campus in The Dalles.  The game each year raises money for a pair of families in the region in need.  Michael Holloran of the Oregon State Police says the officers play the game as a way to give back to the community.  Those benefiting from this year’s game include Tana Slawson of Goldendale…who is battling a brain tumor, and the family of Lila May Schow of Hood River, who passed away last weekend at the age of five after a three-and-a-half year fight with neuroblastoma.  People can purchase points for their team now and during the game, which starts at 7 p.m. Saturday.  Donations can be made on-line at pigbowl.net.

Klickitat County Commissioners have extended the burn ban in unincorporated areas of the County to October 15.  The original expiration was September 30, but due to the hot and dry nature of this summer, Commissioners decided to add at least two weeks to the ban.  Attended camp fires will be allowed in the Mt. Adams Guler County Park in Trout Lake within the designated eight-foot cleared area with steel fire rings.   The County and the Washington Department of Natural Resources reserves the right to ban at any time all campfires within the Park during periods of extreme fire danger.  The burn ban does not impact incorporated communities in Klickitat County.

Friday is National POW/MIA Recognition Day.  The Mid-Columbia Veterans Memorial Committee will hold a memorial of those service members who were prisoners of war or went missing in action at the Veterans Memorial at Sorosis Point Viewpoint in The Dalles.  It will begin at 6 p.m. Friday.  88,000 Americans remain missing and unaccounted for since World War I, and 138,000 Americans were prisoners of war.