Two Carson residents were arrested after a search of a home found a large amount of narcotics. According to the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office, 37-year-old William Konoske III and 29-year-old Erika Essex of Carson were both taken into custody and transported to the Skamania County Correctional Facility on a variety of charges. The Sheriff’s Office says the search of the home on the 100 block of Fuller Road yielded over 200 fentanyl pills, heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, over $1,000 in cash, and packaging materials. The Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is on-going and further arrests could be made.
Succession Planning Class Set For March 13
Farm succession planning will be the focus of a class next Monday that will be held by Oregon State University Extension Wasco County and the Oregon Agricultural Trust. OSU Extension’s Jacob Powell says planning for the future of family farms is one of the most difficult issues ag operators face, adding it starts with having a good farm management plan. The class will begin at 1 p.m. on March 13 at the Columbia Gorge Community College Building 2 Third Floor Lecture Hall in The Dalles, and will cover dispute resolution, obstacles, options, and more. To pre-register, call OSU Extension at 541-298-3581, or go to the OSU Extension Wasco County Facebook page.
March 3-4 Prep Sports Roundup
Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association Championships at Hoodoo
Hood River Valley’s Emily Teets finished third in the girls’ combined after a fifth place finish in the slalom. In the boys’ combined, HRV’s Lars Welch was ninth and Thorsen Welch was 12th. Cooper Klindt of The Dalles was 15th.
Oregon Class 5A Boys Basketball First Round
Cascade 70, The Dalles 31: Cascade used a 20-5 run in the second quarter to break the game open. Spencer Horne had nine points, 12 rebounds, six assists and seven steals to lead the Cougars into the state tournament.
CGCC Selects Group To Search For New President
Columbia Gorge Community College board members have selected the Association of Community College Trustees to help recruit the institution’s next president. The group is a non-profit based in Washington, D.C, and has conducted search processes for over 750 community colleges. Current CGCC President Dr. Marta Yera Cronin will step down in June to become president of Delaware County Community College in Pennsylvania. The college board will appoint a broad-based, representative search committee to review applications, interview semifinalists, and identify final candidates for consideration by the full board. Finalists will participate in open forums at the college, probably in early June. All employees, students, and community members will be invited. CGCC’s website, cgcc.edu, will provide updates on a dedicated web page.
OHA Lifting Mask Requirement In Health Care Settings April 3
The Oregon Health Authority announced that workers, patients and visitors in health care settings will no longer be required to wear masks starting April 3. The mask requirement has been in effect since August 2021. In addition, an executive order that gave hospitals flexibility to respond to surges in respiratory infections will expire on Monday. The decision to end statewide health care mask requirements aligns with decisions in other states, including Washington. State epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger said the lifting of Oregon’s health care mask requirement stems from data in recent weeks showing overall decreases in circulation of the three respiratory pathogens that triggered a surge in visits to hospital emergency departments and intensive care units last fall. He added the month-long lead-up to the ending of Oregon’s health care mask requirement gives the health care system time to prepare for the change. The OHA advises people at higher risk for severe disease, or who live with someone at higher risk, should still consider wearing masks in health care or any settings. Some health care settings may continue to require masks even after the requirement is lifted.
March 2 Prep Sports Roundup
Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association Championships at Hoodoo
Hood River Valley’s Emily Teets finished third in the girls’ giant slalom. Teets finished her two runs a little over one-and-a-half seconds behind winner Kaitlynn Ping of Jesuit. HRV’s Zoe Mortenson was 17th, and Lucy Booth of The Dalles was 18th. In the boys’ slalom, the Eagles’ Lars Welch was ninth and Thorsen Welch 15th, with Cooper Klindt of The Dalles in 20th. Friday’s competition includes the girls’ slalom and the boys’ giant slalom.
Saturday Schedule
Oregon Class 5A Boys Basketball First Round
The Dalles at Cascade, 5 p.m.
Subject Captured After Domestic Incident
Law enforcement captured an armed subject west of The Dalles on Tuesday night after a domestic incident in which at least one shot was fired. According to The Dalles Police Department, the suspect fled in a vehicle and when the vehicle became disabled tried to escape on foot with a firearm in hand as he was confronted by officers. The police statement said the subject was controlled by use of a Taser, handcuffed, and arrested. Police charged the man with multiple crimes including unlawful use of a weapon, felon in possession of a firearm, eluding police, reckless endangering of another person, DUII, hit and run, and reckless driving. Several arrest warrants were served on the suspect as well. The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office and the Oregon State Police assisted in the capture.
Hood River County Reads Starts Saturday
The 17th annual Hood River County Reads kicks off on Saturday. This year’s book is rough house, a memoir by local author Tina Ontiveros that tells the story of her experiences as a young girls growing up in Northwest logging camps and working class towns amidst intergenerational trauma and poverty. Bonnie Withers from the Friends of the Hood River County Library says their goal is to bring books to the community that can spark discussion. Free copies of the book will be given out at a kickoff event Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Hood River Library, and it will also be distributed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cascade Locks and Parkdale libraries. Events are planned through mid-April, and more information is available at hoodriverlibrary.org.
Mosbrucker Bill For Missing Persons Tools Passes House
The Washington State House unanimously approval a bill authored by Goldendale Representative Gina Mosbrucker that would provide additional tools and resources to help locate and recover all missing persons in Washington. House Bill 1512 is also known as the “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Persons and Lucian Act,” and is the result of a recommendation from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force and the Office of the Attorney General. It is also named after Lucian Munguia, a four-year-old Yakima boy with autism who was reported missing on Sept. 10, and whose body was discovered nearly three months later in the Yakima River. The bill would require the Office of the Attorney General to publish and maintain on its website a “Missing Persons Toolkit” that contains regularly updated information related to locating and recovering missing persons. It also directs the Attorney General’s office to publish the toolkit in the top 10 languages spoken in Washington. The bill passed 96-0. It now goes to the Senate for further consideration.
Cessation Classes Available Free Of Charge
North Central Public Health District and the Hood River County Prevention Department are offering free tobacco cessation classes along with free nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges for those taking the classes. The cessation classes are funded by revenue from voter-approved Measure 108 that took effect in 2022, which raised the tobacco tax by $2 a pack. North Central Public Health District says in Wasco and Sherman counties nearly 15 percent of adults smoke, and over 44 percent of them tried to quit in the previous year. To sign up in Wasco and Sherman counties, go to ncphd.org or call 541-506-2609. In Hood River County, go to hoodriverprevents.com.