The left lanes of eastbound and westbound Interstate 84 will be closed in the western part of the Gorge over the next three weeks as the Oregon Department Of Transportation begins a project to replace median barriers.  Closure of the westbound and eastbound left lanes on an 18 mile stretch of I-84 between Cascade Locks and Hood River is scheduled to begin this morning.   The lanes will re-open by 6 p.m. Thursday.  The schedule will repeat Monday through Thursday over the next two weeks, with at least one lane open at all times.  Similar closures will be needed after Labor Day to finish the project, which is scheduled for completion by November.  The work is being carried out in advance of the 2016 paving project on I-84 from Cascade Locks to Hood River.

A fire is burning in grass and brush on Bureau of Land Management land nine miles southeast of Dufur.  The Oak Canyon Fire has burned 930 acres in light fuels on mostly private land, with no containment reported, and is believed to have been human-caused.  The fire is active with wind driven runs.  31 people are fighting the fire, with four helicopters and six engines, as firefighters work to keep the blaze out of the Deschutes River basin.  There are some high use campgrounds and day use areas threatened by the fire.  Meanwhile, the 488 Fire in the Zigzag Ranger District of the Mount Hood National Forest remains at 11 acres.  Line has been constructed around that fire, but it is not yet considered contained.  An illegal campfire is believed to have started that fire, but no cause has been determined yet.

A 33-year-old Underwood man was transported by LifeFlight to Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland after a motor vehicle accident on Highway 14 east of Bingen late Thursday night.  According to the Washington State Patrol, the car driven by Andres Sosa Segura was westbound on Highway 14 about three miles east of Bingen and went over the center line, colliding with an on-coming semi-truck and trailer driven by Miguel Salgado of San Luis, Arizona.  The accident occurred just before 11:30 p.m. Thursday.  Salgado was uninjured, but the WSP says both vehicles were totaled.  There was no information on the extent of Segura’s injuries.  The WSP reported that charges in the accident are pending.

Wasco County residents are being urged to sign up for the Citizen Alert system, which sends out emergency notifications by phone, text, and e-mail.  County Emergency Management Director Kristy Beachamp says listed landlines are already registered for the reverse 9-1-1 system, but cell phones must be enrolled in the system by the owner.  Registration can be made through the Wasco County website.  Hood River and Klickitat counties have similar Citizen Alert systems.   Hood River County use the County website to sign up, while in Klickitat County go to klickitatemergencymanagement.com.

Wasco County emergency management officials reminded residents to be prepared for wildfire at a community briefing Wednesday evening.  Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue Chief Bob Palmer says we are about five weeks ahead of normal in regard to fire season, with several small fires in the region over the course of the last month.  Palmer emphasized the need for homeowners in the urban-wildland interface to have good defensible space.  Wasco County Emergency Manager Kristy Beachamp is reminding residents to sign up for the county’s Citizen Alert system, which distributes emergency notices to subscribers.  Landline phones with listed numbers are automatically registered, but to sign up cell phones go to the Wasco County website.

The Oregon Small Business Development Center at Columbia Gorge Community College is offering a nine-month small business management program.  Center director Rick Leibowitz says it is designed for the current small business owner with at least one year of experience with a curriculum of typical small business issues, including marketing, understanding financial reports, managing personnel, and customer service.  It also includes one-on-one meetings with an SBDC counselor to confidentially discuss how to apply the program’s lessons to the particular business.  Classes will be once a month in The Dalles, and three hours in length.  Space will be limited, for sign-up information call 541-506-6120.

The Hood River County Fair continues in Odell.  Thursday is Senior Day at the fair, with Hood River County seniors admitted for just five dollars.  The 204th Army Band from Vancouver will perform Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on the Griffith Stage.  Friday features the annual 4-H/F-F-A Livestock Auction, a core event of the fair that culminates a year of work for area youngsters.  The buyers’ barbecue will begin Friday at 4 p.m., with the auction starting at 4:30 p.m.  Saturday brings headliner Gloriana to the Griffith Stage at 8:15 p.m.

A Clackamas County man died in a Tuesday evening motorcycle accident on Highway 216 near Maupin.  According to the Oregon State Police, a 2008 motorcycle operated by 48-year-old Guy Medgin of Mulino was traveling westbound on Highway 216 near milepost 14 west of Maupin when he failed to negotiate a curve.  Medgin was ejected from his motorcycle and was pronounced deceased upon arrival of emergency crews.  According to a witness, Medgin had been traveling at a high rate of speed just prior to the crash.  The OSP was assisted by the Wasco County District Attorney’s Office and the Wasco County Sheriff’s Department.  The investigation is continuing.

Hood River County Commissioners and Planning Commissioners met this week to discuss the planning panel’s work on a comprehensive update on exclusive farm use and forest zones in the County’s land use plan. The two bodies got together to discuss where the planning group is at and get on common ground before a public hearing process.  County Administrator David Meriwether says there is no large philosophical gap between the two bodies.  There are some questions to be addressed on the level of non-specifically farm and forest activities would be allowed.  A hearings process on the update is set to start at the Planning Commission level in August, and will eventually go to the County Commission.

The Hood River County Fair begins its four-day run Wednesday in Odell, and will continue through Saturday.  Fair Manager Clara Rice says they have moved some things around, in particular creating an area in the fairgrounds park where most of the children’s activities will take place.  In addition art, photography, handicraft, hobby, and ceramics exhibits have moved from the Gold Gym to the Blue Gym. That will make room for the 50-Plus Expo planned for Thursday during Senior Day, featuring speakers and exhibits geared to those 50 and older.  The fair opens Wednesday at noon, with carnival rides operating at 1 p.m.