Klickitat County Emergency Management says the Horsethief Butte Fire in south central Klickitat County is now considered 50 percent contained, and has burned 8,000 acres.  Nearly 300 people who were forced from their homes Sunday evening by the fast-growing wildfire have been allowed to return to their homes, with the evacuation advisory reduced to Level 1.  Highway 14 through the fire area was reopened this morning, but for firefighter safety the public is asked to use alternate travel routes between Highways 197 and 97.  No homes have been lost, but an undetermined number of outbuildings have been lost or damaged.  This morning the Southeast Washington Management Team took command of the fire and is working with resources from the state Department of Natural Resources, Forest Service, and local fire districts to contain the fire.  The plan for today is to establish control lines, conduct mop-up activities and provide an accurate fire perimeter to determine the jurisdictions that are affected by the fire.  Strong, gusty winds and dry ground conditions led to extreme fire growth Sunday afternoon.  The fire started at 12:10 p.m. Sunday.  DNR fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.  The Red Cross shelter at My Father’s House Church at 207 S Klickitat St in Goldendale is still open to provide services and information.

Lila May, the little girl who touched the heart of Hood River and the Gorge during her battle with stage IV neuroblastoma, passed away over the weekend.  Lila May’s mother Heidi Hall posted the news on her Facebook page.  The post said Lila May passed away on Saturday, days after the family had returned from a trip to Hawaii.  Lila May had been diagnosed with neuroblastoma when she was 17 months old.  Her story drew support from local residents and many others as she endured countless medical procedures for the majority of her life.  Last month, the community celebrated her fifth birthday with a party that was attended by what was estimated to be over one-thousand guests.  A celebration of Lila May’s life will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the Hood River Middle School Auditorium.  Arrangements are being handled through Gardner Funeral Home in White Salmon.

Longtime local reporter Rodger Nichols has filed for the Wasco County Commission seat on the May 2016 ballot.  Nichols is seeking Position 2 currently held by Steve Kramer.  Nichols has spent 42 years in Wasco County media, most notably with The Dalles Chronicle and current employer Haystack Broadcasting.  He has been the County’s representative on the Columbia River Gorge Commission since 2011.  Nichols says he decided to run after a number of people approached him about concerns with deteriorating relationships with neighboring counties, increases in legal costs, and transparency issues.  Nichols added he made his last on-air appearance with Haystack Broadcasting on September  3 due to Federal Communications Commission rules that require broadcast stations to provide matching time to other candidates for the same position for any on-air appearance.  Nichols did say he will continue to interview, gather, and write news, but will not appear on-air.

Football Hood River Valley 46, Madison 20 Fort Vancouver 34, The Dalles 20 Columbia 13, Washougal 0 Hoquiam 62, Stevenson 7 Dufur 58, Triangle Lake 8 Mapleton 36, South Wasco 14 Naselle 24, Lyle 18 Goldendale 26, River View 14 Crane 52, Sherman 22   Boys Soccer Hood River Valley 3, Mac-Hi 1   Cross Country Hood River Valley won both the boys and girls varsity titles at the Tillamook Invitational.  Justin Crosswhite won the boys’ race, while Daisy Dolan led the HRV girls with a third place finish.   The Dalles girls’ were third and the boys fourth at the Tualatin Invitational.  Jony Nelson finished eighth for the Riverhawk boys, while Emily Morin was ninth in the girls’ race.

Hood River’s Patrick Hiller won the overall men’s title and Stefanie Bergh of White Salmon the women’s title of the Olympic Triathlon Division of the Aluminum Man Triathlon in The Dalles over the weekend.  Dan Silvernail of West Linn was second among the men while Philip Evans of Mosier was third.  Trisha Kepple of Boise was second among the women, with Mary Ford of Spokane third.  In the Sprint Triathlon, Collin Bundy of Vancouver was the men’s winner, with Matt Sherrell and David Walker of Hood River finishing second and third.  Hood River’s Emily Alcott won the women’s sprint, followed by Carrie Suiter of Eugene and Ferra Barnes of Portland.  Olympic Duathlon winners were Mark Sather of Wilsonville and Tamara Fuller of Vancouver.

Hood River County Commissioners plan to hold a meeting on the findings of a study of short-term rental housing in unincorporated areas later this month.  County Administrator David Meriwether says the analysis of the amount of short-term rental properties in the County should be finished very soon.  Meriwether says when Commissioners meet they will receive recommendations from the County Community Development Department on how they should proceed.  The meeting is planned for September 30 at 6 p.m. in the County Administration Building.

Mount Hood Meadows announced Monday it is restructuring to grow its year-round business.  Mt. Hood Meadows Chief Operating Officer Jake Bolland says the company is actively developing products, services and experiences to complement its traditional winter recreation business.  The company recently modified its logo, removing the term “ski resort” to signify its intention to deliver services experiences 365 days a year.   Bolland said the company’s new brand statement is “Your Mountain Home”.  Bolland said three vice president positions are being created in the reorganization, with Steve Warila named VP for Mountain Operations and Planning, Jeremy Riss tabbed for Resort and Commercial Operations, and Matt Troskey in Administration.  All three were already with Meadows.  Meadows Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Matthew Drake says the new leadership supports the company’s vision to diversify.

The executive board of the group YouthThink has sent letters to the Wasco County Commisson and The Dalles City Council, asking the two bodies send a measure to voters that would have the City and County prohibit licensing of recreational marijuana facilities.  The group asks for an ordinance to be put in place by October 1 to prevent any facilities being grandfathered in, specifically medical marijuana facilities that the state will allow to sell recreational marijuana beginning on that date.  YouthThink representatives point out Measure 91 legalizing recreational marijuana in the state failed in both The Dalles and Wasco County last November with 51 percent saying no.  They also are concerned with current marijuana use and perception data of the County’s adolescent population indicating higher use rates than the state average.  Wasco County already has two town hall meetings planned for September 17 at 6 p.m. at Dufur School and September 21 at 5:30 p.m. at the Mosier Senior Center.

A fire burning on private and Bureau of Land Management southeast of Maupin near Bakeoven Creek is now at 60 percent containment.  The Oven Fire has burned 1,100 acres in short grass and brush, and was human caused, but no specifics have been announced at this point.  No residences or structures are threatened by the fire about two miles southeast of Maupin, and fire control efforts have gone well.  The fire started on Wednesday at about 3 p.m.  91 people are assigned to the fire, including two hand crews, three helicopters, and five engines.

Boys Soccer Hood River Valley 3, Putnam 0:  Andres Baeza, Joel Garcia, and Antonio Bustos scored the goals for HRV. St. Helens 6, The Dalles 0   Girls Soccer Hood River Valley 2, Putnam 0:  The Eagles won their third straight game to start the season, with goals by Cielo Rivera and Claire Davies. St. Helens 3, The Dalles 1 Wapato 9, Goldendale 0   Volleyball King’s Way Christian def. Columbia 25-19, 25-14, 25-21 Washougal def. Stevenson 24-26, 26-24, 25-9, 25-23:  Madison Krog had 27 assists for the Bulldogs, while Sawyer Schroder had 12 kills. River View def. Goldendale 25-19, 14-25, 14-25, 25-22, 16-14:  Ocean Bryan finished with 13 kills and 15 digs for the Timberwolves.