Al Barton has been tabbed as the new permanent executive director of Mid-Columbia Center for Living.  The Tri-County Mental Health Board made the selection.  Barton has been acting as the interim director since July of last year.  He began his career at Center for Living in 2008 as a Clinical Supervisor before becoming a Clinical Services Manager in 2009.  Prior to assuming the interim executive director position, Barton served as the agency’s deputy director for five years.  Before joining Center for Living, Barton held the Executive Director position and Director of Needs Assessment and Outpatient Services at Piney Ridge Center, a psychiatric residential health facility in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  He has worked in correctional, developmental disabilities and residential settings.

Mid-Columbia Economic Development District is recruiting for openings on two Oregon-focused lending boards staffed by the organization, including the Oregon Investment Board and Mount Hood Economic Alliance.  The Oregon Investment Board is responsible for providing grants and loans to advance economic development interests on the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area.  The Mount Hood Economic Alliance is a gap financer and provides loans to small businesses in Clackamas, Hood River, and Wasco Counties.  For both boards, desired qualifications for new board members include a background in business management, finance or economic and community development; residence in the county noted; and an interest in the future of economic development for the region.  Interest forms are available at mcedd.org.

Dedication of Oregon Highway 35 as the Oregon Nisei Veterans World War II Memorial Highway will take place in August.  Governor Kate Brown signed the bill passed by the Oregon Legislature this past session to dedicate the highway between Hood River and Government Camp in honor of the state’s Japanese American World War II veterans.  A dedication ceremony will be held at the Wy’East Middle School performing arts center on August 13 at 1 p.m., with Nisei dignitaries, former Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, and local legislators participating.  A sign reveal will be held at the Highway 35 viewpoint two miles south of Hood River after the ceremony at around 3 p.m.  Tax-deductible donations are being accepted to support this project online at pdxjacl.org/niseivetshwy, or by mailing a designated check payment made out to American Legion Post 22, at P.O. Box 1803 in Hood River, zip code 97031.

A broken portion of John Day Lock and Dam’s upstream navigation lock gate has slowed Columbia River traffic.  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers technicians found the damage to a lower guide wheel on Monday, and closed the lock to river traffic.  Engineers and operations staff initiated limited lockage’s Tuesday evening in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard.  Corps Portland District commander Col. Mike Helton says they are unsure what caused the damage.  Locks at Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day dams in February each year to make repairs, complete inspections and perform maintenance.  However, the Corps says aging infrastructure, wear and tear, and other issues have caused unexpected outages in recent years: in 2019, the Bonneville Lock needed emergency repairs for a sill block, and in 2021, district officials shut down The Dalles Lock for emergency repairs to a miter gate.  Portland District locks on the Columbia River pass 10 million of the 50.5 million tons of commerce shipped annually in the nation.

Local fire crews dealt with a couple of small fires in the region on Tuesday afternoon.  There was a two-acre fire near Wamic at Dodson Road and Three Mile Road just after 1 p.m. Tuesday.  It was lined by crews in about half-an-hour.  Wamic, Tygh Valley, Dufur, and Oregon Department of Forestry firefighters responded.  In Klickitat County, crews responded to a small fire at the bottom of McCready Road near Alderdale.  It occurred around 5:30 p.m. near the Columbia River, and brush crews were able to quickly contain it.

East Scenic Drive in The Dalles is closed except to local traffic as work on structural improvements began Wednesday.  Large drilling equipment and steel beams will be in the roadway.  The work will take approximately one month to complete, with the street closed to thru traffic for the duration of the work.  Those with questions can call Kenny Kempf of Crestline Construction at 541-506-4000.

With the start of the school year just a month away, officials are needed for school sports of all kinds.  Robert Jamack of the Mid-Columbia Football Officials Association says his sport needs another ten officials to be able to fully meet the staffing requirements for all the games scheduled in the area.  He says among the best things about being officials are the people you work with, and providing a service to the student-athletes.  Those who are interested in becoming a sports official can go to newofficials.org.

The Coalition for Preventing Abuse in Klickitat County will hold a series of classes designed around promoting healthy development and reducing risky behavior for children as they enter their teenage years.  Coalition coordinator Sunday Sutton says the five-session program called Guiding Good Choices is designed to help strengthen the bonds between children and their parents, noting the ages from nine to 14 can be very risky, as youth begin to take more guidance from their peer group.  The free program will take place on Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. each evening at Father’s House Fellowship in Goldendale.  For information go to cpakc.org or call 509-281-2330.  

The Dalles City Council approved a contract with Tank Industry Consultants to design repairs of the roof of the Sorosis Reservoir.  Recent inspections found significant deterioration and metal loss on many of the 68-year-old reservoir’s interior roof rafters and bolts due to corrosion.  Until the Vista Reservoir was completed eight years ago, the Sorosis Reservoir could not be taken offline for repairs.  Public Works Director Dave Anderson says the structure of the tank has been compromised.  Water demands prevent the reservoir from being taken offline in the summer.  The contract with TIC is for over $199,000, and a construction contract will be bid in the fall.

The Hood River City Council has chosen to use Oregon Health Authority administrative rules for psilocybin manufacturing and service centers that were approved under Measure 109 in Oregon two years ago.  Councilors could have chosen to have the City develop its own time, manner, and place restrictions, or referred to the voters in November a measure to either prohibit the psilocybin centers in Hood River or place a two-year moratorium on them.  Councilor Megan Saunders felt the OHA rules under development will be sufficient.  The vote to adopt the OHA rules was 6-1, with Erick Haynie opposing.  He wanted to refer the issue to voters for a prohibition or moratorium.  OHA will start processing psilocybin applications at the start of 2023.