Washington Gorge Action Programs continues looking for a replacement for their most affordable supplier of proteins and fresh foods that discontinued service to rural counties in the state. WAGAP Executive Director Leslie Naramore says they’ve been scrambling to find a new source, noting the foods that were being provided are expensive to acquire. In the interim, WAGAP Associate Director Jennifer Pauletto says they are working with other partners to provide a replacement. Naramore says they also receive fresh foods from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and local suppliers.
Klickitat County Commission Adopts New Model Decommissioning Plan
Klickitat County Commissioners this week adopted its findings supporting a new model decommissioning plan for solar and wind projects in the County. Commissioner David Sauter noted it took some time to get to this plan, as every topic seemed to bring a new set of questions for the panel to address. In the end the Commission made four major changes from the current model decommissioning document, including removing an option for a parent company to make financial guarantees, removing scrap value credits, and tightening language on returning land to the condition it was in prior to a renewable energy project. Sauter also said a security bond must now be in place before any construction begins. The model acts as a template for individual decommissioning agreements the County enters into for renewable energy projects.
New Drop Off Points For NCPHD Coat Drive
North Central Public Health District’s first-ever coat drive has added two more drop-off points for donations of coats for men and women in all sizes. Now, in addition to dropping off coats at the district office on 419 E. 7th St., donors can bring clean, new or gently used adult coats to La Michoacana, at 1210 Kelly Ave., and Grocery Outlet, at 1300 W. 6th St. All locations are in The Dalles. The coats are being given to Mid-Columbia Community Action Council. They are also asking for donations of new clean adult socks. The coat drive will conclude January 31.
Polar Plunge Entries Being Accepted
Entries for Central Klickitat County Parks and Recreation District’s 17th annual Polar Plunge are being taken. The plunge into the Columbia River on New Year’s morning at 10 a.m. will take place in the Columbia River at Maryhill State Park. Funds raised by the Polar Plunge go towards providing children’s swimming lessons at the district’s pool in Goldendale. For registration information, go to centralklickitatparksandrecreation.com.
December 14 Prep Basketball Roundup
Boys Basketball
Hood River Valley 72, Canby 59: HRV used a dominant first half to win the Northwest Oregon Conference opener for both teams. The Eagles led by as many as 32 points on the way to a 45-16 halftime lead, and the Cougars got no closer than 12 the rest of the night. Sawyer Clemett had 17 points and Zak Poole 16 to lead HRV.
Spray-Mitchell-Wheeler 56, Sherman 46
Girls Basketball
Canby 63, Hood River Valley 44: Allie Mead scored 28 points as the fourth-ranked Cougars gradually pulled away from the Eagles. Marina Castaneda scored 27 to lead Hood River.
Montesano 62, Columbia 33
Sherman 20, Spray-Mitchell-Wheeler 16
St. Paul 51, Trout Lake 31
MCMC And Adventist Health Approve Affiliation Agreement
Mid-Columbia Medical Center and Adventist Health announced they have approved an affiliation agreement for MCMC to join Adventist’s Oregon Network…pending regulatory and state review.
MCMC Chief Executive Officer Dennis Knox says the affiliation agreement must go through the Oregon Health Authority’s Health Care Market Oversight process that was established by the Legislature in 2021….with a preliminary review expected to take up to 30 days.
Under the agreement…MCMC’s legal board of directors will be comprised of the Adventist Health Board of Directors…and MCMC will also have a community board including all of the trustees on its board at the time of closing of the affiliation along with MCMC physicians and other community members appointed by Adventist Health.
In their announcement today…MCMC reiterated that Adventist Health hs committed $100 million to finance MCMC’s strategic capital needs.
Pending the final regulatory and state approvals…MCMC will become part of Adventist Health’s Oregon Network…which includes other medical centers in Portland and Tillamook plus 47 other clinics.
HR County Health Department Says Respiratory Illness Is Circulating
The Hood River County Health Department says respiratory illnesses are going around the community. Flu, COVID-19, and RSV are all being seen. The department’s Daron Ryan says area hospitals are all operating at near maximum capacity, so their goal is to do as much as possible to keep people out of the hospital. Towards that goal, Ryan says the health department recommends wearing face masks in crowded indoor spaces and practicing social distancing. Ryan does add with the ability of RSV and flu viruses to be able to live on hard surfaces for several hours, it’s important to disinfect surfaces.
TD City Council Holds Goal Setting Session
The Dalles City Council and its staff recently held its goal-setting session for the upcoming year. Mayor Rich Mays says with a new City Manager in Matthew Klebes and other new staff members, it was an important session to go through to get set for 2023. Many of the priorities involve working with other agencies. Councilors listed taking steps to deal with houselessness, allocation of Google funds, codes enforcement, and a new franchise agreement with Spectrum as critical projects for the upcoming year. Q-Life’s downtown wi-fi, transient room tax funds, and downtown odor were placed in a significant projects list, while there was a large list grouped into a desirable projects category.
December 13 Prep Sports Roundup
Boys Basketball
Cascade 67, The Dalles 54
Stevenson 61, Goldendale 51
Sherman 79, Gilchrest 33
Condon 52, Lyle-Wishram 12
Mannahouse Academy 69, Horizon Christian 25
South Wasco 86, Stanfield 70
Girls Basketball
Condon 57, Lyle-Wishram 16
Mannahouse Academy 23, Horizon Christian 17
Stanfield 69, South Wasco 39
Wrestling
Rainier 42, Columbia 24
Riverside 48, Columbia 28
TD Council Gives Consensus On OMI Contract
The Dalles City Council gave its consensus for Public Works to pursue a new 15-year contract with Operations Management International to continue to manage the municipal wastewater treatment plant under the same formula for determining the management fee as in previous contracts. OMI gave the City the option to move from the current system of determining the management fee on an annual basis based upon a formula using the Consumer Price Index to a “cost plus” contract under which the management would be a fixed 18.5 percent of the direct cost each year. City Public Works Director Dave Anderson recommended staying with the current format, noting not all direct cost increases lead to a proportionate jump in management cost. Anderson says they will negotiate the contract with the intent of bringing it back to the Council in February or March. OMI has managed the plant for the past 30 years.