Dedication of Highway 35 as the Nisei World War II Veterans Memorial Highway will take place on Saturday.  A dedication ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Wy’east Middle School Performing Arts Center, with the unveiling of one of the four signs to be placed on the highway to mark the dedication will take place at about 3 p.m. at the viewpoint just south of Hood River.  Historian Linda Tamura says the selection of Highway 35 is of special significance, with about 250 Japanese-American families living in the Hood River Valley and farming since the early 1900’s.  Tamura noted they have identified 433 Nisei veterans in Oregon, of which 58 are from Hood River.  They are among the 33,000 Nisei soldiers who served during World War II.

Two people are dead after a single vehicle automobile accident discovered Wednesday evening on Highway 293 near milepost 8 in south Wasco County.  According to the Oregon State Police, a preliminary investigation revealed a car that had been reported stolen earlier in the day from Fossil was southbound and for unknown reasons left the roadway going down an embankment where it crashed into a tree.  The adult male driver and a female passenger were declared deceased at the scene by emergency personnel.  Troopers are attempting to identify both occupants.  The crash was reported to emergency personnel by a landowner who found the vehicle on his property.  It is unknown when the crash happened.  

The Wasco County Fair and Rodeo is just a week away.  It gets underway next Thursday at the fairgrounds in Tygh Valley.  Preparations for the fair were delayed slightly by the fairgrounds being used as a fire camp last week during the nearby Miller Road Fire, but fair manager Zach Harvey says they will have everything ready for next week.  This year’s fair will feature a combination of expanded entertainment attractions and long-time favorite activities.  For detailed information go to the Wasco County Fair and Rodeo Facebook page.

Columbia Gorge Community College will participate for the second consecutive year in the Metallica Scholars program.  The CGCC Foundation matched the award to offer $100,000 in scholarships for students enrolled in career-technology training.  Funds are also used to purchase toolkits for students in construction trades and advanced manufacturing.  Funded by Metallica’s All Within My Hands foundation and led by the American Association of Community Colleges, the Metallica Scholars Initiative directly supports students while elevating the importance of career and technical education.  This year there are ten more colleges being added to the program, with an investment of $1.8 million.  To learn more about the program at CGCC, go to cgcc.edu.

Providence Health System will be bringing its Better Outcomes thru Bridges behavioral health program to Hood River this fall. Program manager Becky Wilkinson explains the program works with patients dealing with homelessness, substance abuse, and mental health issues after they leave the hospital.  She says the program is person-centered. letting the patient drive their care rather than telling them what to do.  Wilkinson said they have found that approach has led to many of their clients making the decision to seek help on their own.  Wilkinson says they will be hiring two staff members for the program in Hood River, an outreach specialist that is essential a case manager and a peer support specialist.

 Washington Gorge Action Programs received a surprise $25,000 donation from First Interstate Bank this week.  The funds are part of the bank’s Believe in Local campaign and will help support a new Mobile Food Bank set to launch in September to serve less populated areas.  WAGAP was nominated by local First Interstate employee Maria Pike and selected from a pool of over 400 nominees thanks to its alignment with the Bank’s philanthropic goals.  Bingen First Interstate employees have been volunteering at the Food Bank since January.  WAGAP is one of forty nonprofit organizations across First Interstate’s recently expanded 14-state footprint will receive a $25,000 donation to support their work.

Wasco County Commissioners are pleased the Oregon Department of Forestry decided to pull back a Wildfire Risk Map for revision and to do a better job of public outreach before putting it into practice.  But they also emphasized at a meeting this week the need for people to protect their properties from wildfire.  Commissioner Steve Kramer says it’s important for the public to be involved, and for state officials to listen.  Commissioner Scott Hege added it is important for property owners to keep their properties defensible from wildfire.

Cruise The Gorge weekend will take place in The Dalles this weekend.  The Neon Cruise on Friday evening will once again be an open cruise and begin around 7 p.m. in downtown The Dalles.  Then on Saturday the car show will take place in downtown The Dalles from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Steve Hudson of the Mid-Columbia Car Club says the show will be centered on the 1st Street parking lot.  Those wishing to register for the car show can do so at midcolumbiacarclub.org.

The Hood River County Health Department is planning to have vaccination pop-up events at some school registration events later this month.  The department’s Daron Ryan says they plan to have COVID-19 vaccines and other immunizations as well.  It’s part of encouraging parents to get their children the shots required for school attendance in Oregon.  Ryan says the health department plans to be at registrations at Wy’east and Hood River middle schools on August 24 and 25.  Those who would like more information can call the Hood River County Health Department at 541-386-1115.

The Wasco County Commission voted to proceed with the purchase of 154 acres west of Chenowith Creek for $1.5 million.  Formerly owned by Bert Hodges, Commissioner Scott Hege said the County has been looking at the property for a number of years.  Hege says the purchase is a long-term vision…with the potential of using part of the land for an athletic complex to replace Kramer Field rather than on 35 acres in the Port area the County is to receive from Google as has been proposed by Mid-Columbia Medical Center.   The acreage from Google could then be used to create jobs.  Hege says there are plenty of hurdles to use of the land, with most of it in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, noting recreational facilities are not prohibited in the NSA.  He added the purchase is being made with the future growth of the community in mind.