Columbia Gorge CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, is looking for volunteers to serve as advocates. CASA works with trained volunteers to advocate for children who are involved in the court system through abuse or neglect, typically in foster care or dependency cases. Executive Director Christopher Janetzko says they currently have a waiting list of about 20 children. He says volunteers receive 38 hours of training. Their next six-week training session starts in mid-February. To sign up to volunteer, go to columbiagorgecasa.org.
Northern Wasco PUD Taking Economic Development Grant Applications
Northern Wasco County PUD is now accepting applications for Economic Development grants through April 13. The PUD Board of Directors allocated $50,000 this year to help fund local economic development projects. No application can be for more than $20,000. Applicants must: document non-profit status; not be a religious affiliated entity; and have not been funded more than twice in any five-year period. Projects shall be for infrastructure or property with a life expectancy of at least five years and are located within the Northern Wasco County PUD service area. Applications must be signed by the property owner. Applications may be obtained at the Northern Wasco County PUD Office located at 2345 River Road in The Dalles, online at nwascopud.org, or by calling 541-298-3302.
January 18 Prep Sports Roundup
Boys Basketball
King’s Way Christian 65, Columbia 28
Seton Catholic 65, Stevenson 39
Boys Wrestling
Centennial 42, Hood River Valley 29: Joel Bronson and Connor Tennant had wins by fall for HRV.
Girls Wrestling
Centennial 36, Hood River Valley 24: HRV’s Karol Najera, Sophia Keolker, and Xiomara Gordian Gomez all scored wins by fall.
Hood River County Commission Gets Carbon Project Overview
Hood River County Commissioners got a report on a carbon retention project to raise revenues generated from the County forestland. Josh Fain of The Climate Trust outlined their proposal they have been working on with the County Forestry Department. Fain says the project revolves around selling carbon credits primarily to companies seeking to offset CO2 emissions that they can’t completely eliminate. Commissioner Les Perkins noted the Hood River County Forest has been considered an attractive location for this kind of effort for a number of years. If the County maintains its current harvest level of 9.5 million board feet per year, Fain said there would be about 1.5 million offsets available over 20 years, and those are currently valued at around $15 per credit. The County Forestry Department will continue discussions with the Climate Trust about moving forward with the project. In other business, Alex Johnson was appointed to the District 4 position on the County Planning Commission.
Wasco County Sheriff Going On Its Own For Marine Patrol
The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office is terminating its agreement with the Oregon State Marine Board to provide equipment for marine patrol services. County Sheriff Lane Magill told County Commissioners that the state agency had become difficult to deal with, and funding levels from the agency were not adequate for what they were required to do. But Magill says marine services are important to the County, and while they are stepping away from the state marine program, he feels his department can do a better job on its own with a training coordinator and a curriculum that can train marine deputies. Magill says they will be getting a boat designed for the small waterways of the area, and they will be partnering with other jurisdictions in the region for responding to calls.
White Salmon School Levy Ballots Go Out Next Week
Ballots will go out next week for a pair of White Salmon Valley School District levies. One is to renew the district’s educational programs and operations levy that accounts for about 17 percent of the district’s annual operating budget, and the other is a capital levy for technology along with critical maintenance and infrastructure upgrades. District Superintendent Sean McGeeney says with continues growth in White Salmon, the tax rates from the levies would actually drop the district’s tax rate from $2.43 per $1,000 of assessed property value to $2.40. The estimated cost for the owner of a $500,000 home is about $1,200 per year.
Mosbrucker Seeks More Transparency For Plea Negotiations
Washington 14th District State Representative Gina Mosbrucker has introduced legislation asking the Sentencing Guideline Commission to research if there is a way to create more transparency for criminal plea negotiations. The Goldendale Republican is a member of that panel. She says while most of the criminal justice system in Washington is very transparent, 92 percent of cases are done in a plea bargain, and constituents ask her why that takes place behind closed doors. Mosbrucker has another bill this session to add four voting members to the Sentencing Guideline Commission to provide more viewpoints, including a tribal member, a minority caucus judge, and an academic voice versed in data on the issues they are working on.
Applications Available For Hardham STEM Scholarship
The Gorge Tech Alliance has opened its application process for the annual Corwin Hardham Memorial Scholarship. It’s open to Gorge high school seniors pursuing post-secondary degrees in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, or math. Eligible students are those from Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Skamania, and Klickitat Counties who are graduating from high school, home school, or receiving a GED in the spring/ summer. Past recipients of this scholarship have gone on to study innovative technologies and to become significant contributors to STEM fields. Applications can be found at crgta.org.
Harris Bill Would Give Reprimanded Educators Second Chance
Washington 17th District State Representative Paul Harris has introduced a bill to give educators who have received a reprimand the opportunity for redemption. House Bill 1113 would require the Professional Educator Standards Board to adopt rules for reviewing and vacating reprimands issued to certificated professional educators. Currently, there is no process in place to vacate a reprimand on an educator’s certificate. Harris says he brought the issue forward last session because he believes people deserve a second chance, and teachers sometime make poor judgments that can result in reprimand on their educator certificate that can limit career opportunities and advancement. The bill received a public hearing on Tuesday in the House Education Committee.
WAGAP Mobile Food Bank Adds Roosevelt Stop
Washington Gorge Action Programs is expanding operations of the Mobile Food Bank in Klickitat County, adding a new route to Roosevelt. The mobile food bank will be at Pueblo Del Rio apartments in Roosevelt from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on the 4th Thursday of every month, beginning January 26. The mobile food bank makes stops the First Thursday of each month at Wishram School from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Dallesport Community Center from noon to 2:00 p.m., and the Lyle Lions Club from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. On the second Thursday of each month it stops at the Skamania General Store from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and in Mill A at the Evergreen Community Church from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Then on the third Thursday of each month in Klickitat County it goes to Mt. Adams Baptist Church in Trout Lake from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and the BZ Corner Community Building from noon to 2:00 p.m. In addition to the Mobile Food Bank, the WAGAP Food Bank Network will retain its permanent locations in Bingen, Goldendale, Klickitat, and Stevenson. The network allows individuals and families in need to receive supplemental food supplies once per month at any of these locations.