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Health Groups To Join Together

Posted on by mbailey

One Community Health and NorthShore Medical Group, two of the Columbia River Gorge’s primary care groups, are joining together.   Starting in January of 2024, NorthShore Medical Group will become part of One Community Health.  NorthShore was founded in 1974 and One Community Health in 1986.  New health services will become more accessible for people living in Washington as a result of the combination.  Providers, staff, and phone numbers will remain the same.  People with health insurance, as well as those without insurance, will continue to be welcomed as patients.  Both organizations receive federal funding to provide services to all, regardless of insurance status, and offer a comprehensive sliding scale discount program for people without insurance.  New to NorthShore patients will be the opportunity to utilize the sliding scale discount program for insurance plans with high deductibles, copayments, or limited coverage.  Additionally, NorthShore patients will no longer have a Medicare Part B deductible. 

 

Meadows Announces New President/GM & CEO

Posted on by mbailey

Mt. Hood Meadows announced it has named Greg Pack as its new President and General Manager, and Jeremy Riss was named Chief Operating Officer.  The resort says Pack has held many positions in the ski industry for more than 30 years, and has been instrumental in leading company-wide initiatives for guest and team experiences at both Mt. Hood Meadows and Cooper Spur.  In his new role, Pack will continue to focus on long-range planning and development.  Riss joined Mt. Hood Meadows in 1994 as a ski instructor and worked his way up to Vice President, Commercial Operations.  As Chief Operating Officer, he will oversee day-to-day operations of the resorts.

MCCAC Receives Grant To Make Gloria Center A Resiliency Project

Posted on by mbailey

Mid-Columbia Community Action has received a grant from the Oregon Department of Energy to make the Gloria Center that is under construction in The Dalles a community resiliency project.  Community Action Executive Director Kenny LaPoint says a full solar array and battery backup system will be a part of the facility. allowing it to be used as a community center during an emergency.  The Gloria Center being constructed on 2505 West 7th in The Dalles will streamline access to essential services, improve efficiency and sustainability for service providers, and establish a permanent location for Community Action’s non-congregate emergency shelter.       

Electric Vehicle Chargers Installed On CGCC Hood River Campus

Posted on by mbailey

Electric vehicle users will now have access to chargers on the Columbia Gorge Community College campus in Hood River.  PacifiCorp provided the college with up to $55,194 in funding through its e-Mobility program.  The college contracted with equipment provider CharliCharger and Coburn Electric to install four “Level II” chargers in the parking lot of the Hood River campus on the Heights. The chargers are available to college students, staff, faculty and the general public.  Funding for this grant is made possible by the Oregon Clean Fuels Program administered by the state Department of Environmental Quality. PacifiCorp also recently joined other West Coast utilities and agencies to explore how best to provide electric vehicle charging along Interstate 5 for electric trucks to help curb air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Summer Chinook Fishing Closing Saturday

Posted on by mbailey

With the summer Chinook run tracking significantly below pre-season expectations, retention of adult summer Chinook will close on the Columbia River mainstem downstream of Priest Rapids Dam on Saturday. Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon made the decision Wednesday.  Retention of sockeye salmon, hatchery steelhead and jack Chinook remains open from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to the Hwy 395 Bridge at Pasco.  The daily adult bag limit is two adult salmonids, with only one hatchery steelhead, and five hatchery jack salmon.  All sockeye are considered adults.  With summer Chinook abundance lower than expected, the number of fish available to harvest in lower river recreational fisheries decreased by more than half, making a Chinook closure necessary.  Chinook fishing will reopen for fall seasons on Aug. 1

Cooling Kits To Replace Shelters This Summer

Posted on by mbailey

Washington Gorge Action Programs and Mid-Columbia Community Action are shifting away from opening cooling shelters during extreme hot temperatures this summer to distributing cooling kits to those who need them.  WAGAP Associate Director Jennifer Pauletto says their cooling shelters simply weren’t being used.  The cooling kits will include essential items like water, sunscreen, and other supplies as available, along with information to help explain what to do during a heat emergency.  Kits will be available at WAGAP and Mid-Columbia Community Action offices, at WAGAP’s Second Hand Rose thrift store in Bingen, and through other community organizations.  Outreach efforts to distribute the kits are also being planned.

 

Small Fire Tuesday Near Highway 197

Posted on by mbailey

Area firefighters had to deal with a small grass fire on Tuesday afternoon on Highway 197 between Old Dufur and Lambert roads.  Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue crews responded shortly before 3 p.m. and were able to control the fire very quickly.  MCFR Division Chief Jay Wood says with dry and windy conditions, all fires have to be dealt with quickly.  Wood adds this year MCFR has a dedicated crew to responded to wildfires, and numerous agencies help each other throughout the region.

The Dalles Council Approves Moving Toward Watershed Purchase

Posted on by mbailey

The Dalles City Council took the next step toward buying 3,445 acres of land within the municipal watershed, approving moving forward with an over three-year option to make the purchase.  The option agreement with Lupine Forest LLC comes at the cost of $1.  The non-profit Conservation Fund is currently seeking a grant of just over $2 million to supplement $675,000 in City funds to buy the land.  The Dalles Public Works Director Dave Anderson told Councilors owning watershed land makes it easier to protect water quality by controlling timber harvest practices to use selective techniques rather than clearcuts, avoiding herbicide use, and closing the land to public entry except on a permit basis to prevent human-caused fires and illegal dumping.  Anderson notes the City already owns 5,000 acres of its watershed, and this represents the last significant piece of private land in the watershed.

HR Council Seeks More Info For Vehicle Parking Ordinance

Posted on by mbailey

The Hood River City Council has asked staff for more information before continuing toward amending ordinances that deal with vehicle that are parked in the public right-of-way for a long length of time.  Police Chief Neal Holste and City Attorney Dan Kearns made a presentation that included a proposed 72-hour time limit, which is used in a number of other cities.  Kearns says the goal is to have engagement rather than punitive actions, and give officers to opportunity to talk with vehicle owners about their plans.  But Councilors brought up a number of concerns, including whether the length of time is not long enough and how far a vehicle has to be moved.  They are asking information on options for those standards, along with how many neighborhoods in Hood River don’t have off-street parking, and potential rules for boats and recreational vehicles.

TD Council Votes To Restrict Personal Fireworks Use

Posted on by mbailey

The Dalles City Council voted unanimously to restrict the use of personal fireworks with the city limits.  Mayor Rich Mays says the prohibition will be in place until the end of September.  Mays adds they are asking people to use common sense, and noted The Dalles Police Chief Tom Worthy says compliance in years past to the ban has been very good.  The personal fireworks prohibition does not affect the big Fort Dalles Fourth fireworks show on the Columbia River.

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