After three weeks of classes, new White Salmon Valley School District Superintendent Sean McGeeney says it has been a successful and safe start to the school year.  McGeeney says it has been better that he expected, and the word that comes to his mind is “joy,” seeing that emotion in classrooms every day.  McGeeney says face coverings are being used by everyone in the classroom with students separated by at least three feet and air filters in the rooms.  He adds they are getting students outside as much as possible.  In addition kindergarten through eighth graders are eating lunch in a six-thousand square foot outdoor pavilion.

Friends of the White Salmon Valley Library’s Community Reads program, KOOBDOOGA, is getting underway.  The group’s Shari Bosler says this year’s book is A River Lost:  The Life and Death of the Columbia by Blaine Harden.  Copies of the book are available at the White Salmon Valley Community Library.  There will be online events taking place every Thursday evening at 6:30 beginning September 30 and continuing through October.  For information on the events and how to take part, go to fvrl.org.

Volleyball Hood River Valley def. Banks 3-2 Corbett def. Columbia 25-20, 25-20, 25-23 Stevenson def. Toledo 3-2 Klickitat-Glenwood def. Horizon Christian 25-9, 25-16, 25-11 Goldendale def. White Swan 25-5, 25-10, 25-16   Girls Soccer Hillsboro 4, Hood River Valley 0 Westside Christian 3, Trout Lake 1   Boys Soccer Corbett 3, Trout Lake 3

The Hood River City Council has offered its City Manager’s position to Beaverton Director of Community Services and Engagement Abigail Elder.  Mayor Kate McBride made the announcement during Monday night’s Council meeting.  Councilors had conducted a second interview with her before the meeting, and McBride said she had reached out to negotiate a contract with her.  Elder was one of three finalists for the position   Elder has 16 years of local government management experience including as Director of the Mayor’s Office and Library Director in Beaverton, Library Manager in Tualatin, Multnomah County Library Administrator, and Circulation Manager for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library.

The Hood River City Council approved asking two firms to submit proposals for development of an affordable housing project on seven acres the City owns off of Rand Road.  Bridge Housing Corporation and Community Development Partners were selected…and municipal senior planner Kevin Liburdy said the two firms have extensive experience developing affordable and attainable housing in Oregon or elsewhere.  Liburdy says they expect to have proposals from the firms and a recommendation developed in October or early November.  Both firms would partner with Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation on the project.

The Dalles City Council has approved a list of projects to use just short of $1.7 million of American Recovery Plan funds the City will receive, but also asked for more details on the two biggest recipients before the money is actually disbursed.  Those include a $650,000 property acquisition fund for which a large part would go toward Mid-Columbia Community Action’s proposed Navigation Center for low-income community members and those experiencing homelessness, and $400,000 to Northern Wasco Parks and Recreation District for rehabilitation of Sorosis Park.  Other areas of funding in the plan include replacing transient room and fuel tax revenue lost in the pandemic, police department security and safety, and downtown economic development.

Progress on clean-up of The Dalles Marina after a major fire in July continues to be slow.  Port of The Dalles Executive Director Andrea Klaas says two boats have been salvaged and removed, but others are more complex to remove from the water.  One is a large boat that is partially lodged under a walkway, so a specialist crew will need to be brought in to pull it out without damaging the docks, and the other boat is in several pieces and will also need special equipment to remove it.  After the boats are removed, Klaas says they will then be addressing removing the eight boat houses that were involved in the fire.  She says the Port of The Dalles Commission will discuss options for the boathouse cleanup at its Wednesday meeting.

Hood River County continues to identify how to use about $4.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds.  The County is still waiting for further federal guidance on what they can and can’t do, but Commission Chair Mike Oates says efforts to end the pandemic remain the top priority, and then providing support for continuing county services.  He says there are needs in Records and Assessment, Budget and Finance, Community Development, and the District Attorney’s office.  The County can also use some of the funds for economic development needs, and Oates says one possibility would be to incentivize child care businesses, noting a lack of available and affordable child care may be keeping some people from re-entering the workforce.

Daytime travelers using Washington Highway 14 about two miles east of Bingen will need to plan for extended delays starting this week.  Beginning at noon Tuesday, contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will fully close the highway for up to 45 minutes at a time, while they work to remove loose, unstable rock from the slope adjacent to the highway between milepost 68 and 69.  Starting Tuesday, work will take place Monday to Thursday for the next three weeks, and delays could occur between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.  Crews will close the highway at the top of each hour and reopen the highway at 45 minutes past the hour to allow traffic in both directions to clear. These extended closures allow crews to complete more work, shortening the project duration and ensuring the safety of travelers below.  The highway will be open during non-working hours and on weekends.

North Central Public Health District reports that between September 1 and September 8, schools in Wasco and Sherman counties reported 19 cases of COVID-19.  The district says school-based cases can be reported among students, staff or volunteers, and none were due to transmission in the school setting.  NCPHD school liaison Janelle Sandoz says the lack of cases from school settings tells her that mitigation efforts that have been in place at schools such as mask use, physical distancing, HEPA filters and good ventilation are working.  The school cases reported include four cases at Sherman County School, three each at Dufur School, Dry Hollow Elementary, and Colonel Wright Elementary, two each at The Dalles High School and The Dalles Middle School, and one each in the South Wasco County School District and Riverbend Community School.  Chenowith Elementary has not had any cases during this timeframe but has students out on quarantine related to cases outside the school.