Crews were making repairs to the City of White Salmon’s water main from Buck Creek Monday.  White Salmon Mayor David Poucher says parts were picked up from Portland and delivered to the location of the break Monday morning, with the goal to have it fixed late Monday afternoon.  Poucher adds they had a similar pipe break one year ago caused by a manufacturer’s defect near the location of yesterday’s break.  He said this piece of pipe will be tested.  Water conservation measures remain in place until the repairs are finished.  Poucher thanked local residents for reducing water use while the break is dealt with.

Sandra Harris has been named the new principal at The Dalles Middle School.  Harris is currently with the Redmond School District as Administrator for the District’s online educational programs.  Before taking that job last year, Harris was a vice-principal for three years and principal for four years at Redmond’s Obsidian Middle School.  North Wasco County School District 21 Superintendent Candy Armstrong says Harris has 22 years of experience in middle-level education, beginning her career with the Hillsboro School District where she served as classroom teacher, Special Education Coordinator for Middle Level Education, and as Dean of Students.  Harris holds a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and a Master’s degree in Mathematics with an extensive background in Student Assessment and Teacher Evaluation.

It’s still a month away, but the annual Roy Webster Columbia River Cross Channel Swim is already sold out.  Ashley Huckaby May at the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce says last week they filled up the 480 spots available on the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler to make the trek to the Washington side of the Columbia and jump into the river.  May says many of the swimmers are returning to take part again.  The swim take place on Labor Day, September 7.  The Chamber can use volunteers to help operate the swim that morning, to volunteer e-mail events@hoodriver.org.

Fire crews in Bingen dealt with a fire in a sawdust pile in the SDS Lumber yard late Sunday night and early Monday morning.  Bingen Mayor Betty Barnes says the fire was reported at around 11:30 Sunday night.  It was contained in the sawdust pile, but it took some time for crews to go through the pile and find the source of the fire.  It took firefighters well into Monday morning to finish putting out the fire.  Barnes noted a number of other area fire agencies assisted Bingen crews with the incident.

Searchers today found an 87-year-old woman who had become separated from her daughter while picking huckleberries in the Sawtooth Berry fields near Trout Lake.  The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office says Wasco Fujiwara of The Dalles was spotted by a search plane this morning, and a team on horseback brought her to safety.  The Sheriff’s Office reports Fujiwara is in good condition.  Fujiwara became separated from her daughter Thursday afternoon near the 24 Road summit at Surprise Lakes.  Searchers included two dog teams, a Hood River County Sheriff’s Office aircraft, and a private helicopter.

White Salmon City water customers are being asked to limit water use to drinking and operation of toilets after the main water line from Buck Creek ruptured today.  Mayor David Poucher says all of their crews are on the way to the site to make repairs, and all of the City’s water wells have been activated, but those can only provide a third of the water supply that the Buck Creek line provides.  He said to conserve water for any firefighting needs, White Salmon water customers are asked to not wash cars or water lawns until the Buck Creek line can be repaired.  Poucher said they hope to have repairs to get some kind of flow from Buck Creek restored by late this afternoon.

The Port of The Dalles cut the ribbon on its Columbia Gorge Industrial Center in the North Chenoweth area Friday afternoon.  The 60-acre location is certified as shovel-ready by the state.  Quadcopters were being flown on the site along with the ribbon cutting, and Port Commissioner Bob McFadden said the unmanned aerial vehicle industry is one the target markets for the property.  He mentioned the food sector as another opportunity for the Center.  Oregon Congressman Greg Walden and 59th District State Representative John Huffman also spoke to the gathering in attendance.  Huffman spoke in support of the third phase of Google construction now planned for part of the development.

A special Friday night in downtown Hood River.  There will be a fifth birthday party Friday for Lila May Schow, who has been battling neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer.  A large crowd is expected at the Butler Bank Building on 301 Oak Street.  The party is open to the public, and will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Due to limited capacity in the building, there will be activities both inside and outside, with a screen set up outside to show events inside.  Lila May was diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma when she was two, and has undergone numerous medical procedures.  A page to raise money for her family to cover those costs is set up at giveforward.com.

The Dalles City Council and the Wasco County Commission will hold their joint public hearing Monday evening on a proposed enterprise zone agreement with Google.  It would be the third property tax abatement agreement for the company in The Dalles, this one for 23 acres near Taylor Lakes in the new Columbia Gorge Industrial Center.  Under this agreement, Google would make an initial minimum payment of one-point-four-five million dollars and an annual payment for 15 years of one million dollars, with the exact figures to be determined by the size of building that is constructed.  The Dalles Mayor Steve Lawrence says he understands some citizens may not like the concept of the enterprise zone agreements, but it is the system the state of Oregon has set up, and he and other City and County officials in negotiations on the agreement simply tried to get the most they could out of the deal to help the community.  The joint City and County hearing will take place at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Wasco County Courthouse.  The City Council is set to make a decision on the agreement on Tuesday at 5:30 in City Hall, with County Commissioners voting at their regular Wednesday meeting.

The City of White Salmon plans to apply for a state Community Development Block Grant to study their housing situation.  City officials are trying to get out in front of rising home prices making it difficult for those who work in White Salmon to live there.  City Councilors, planning commissioners, and others met to discuss the issue earlier this week.  Mayor David Poucher says they need to learn more to determine effective steps to take.  Poucher points out White Salmon still has a significant amount of acreage that can be used for housing, noting between the City and County’s urban zone there is still about 1,500 acres that can be developed.