The Dalles City Council discussed what to do with $1.6 million in American Rescue Plan funds.  It’s the first of two installments that will be coming from the federal government over the next two years.  Mayor Rich Mays says the Council is discussing using $400,000 to provide to the Northern Wasco Parks and Recreation District to help restore Sorosis Park.  The district plans to make a similar request of Wasco County.  The Council will consider the use of the funds again at a meeting in late July.

The entire Pacific Northwest congressional delegation has sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting he update them on the status of negotiations for a modernized Columbia River Treaty.   The letter follows 12 months of no formal negotiations taking place with Canada.  In the letter, the delegation states the status quo is not acceptable for the region and “comes at significant economic harm.”  The delegation goes on to say power benefits to Canada must be rebalanced to reflect an equitable sharing of the Treaty’s benefits, adding studies have concluded the U.S. is overpaying Canada for the benefits it receives, and the cost is passed on to their constituents.  The letter says they need to understand the United States strategy, policy positions, and tools available, and provide input to help complete negotiations to modernize the Treaty.

Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation District announced the Northern Wasco Aquatic Center swimming pool will return to a regular schedule on Wednesday, after a shortage of liquid chlorine led to a partial closure.  Open swim hours will return to 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday.  The Dalles Swim Team practice schedule will be back to its regular time of 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays.  Session 2 swim lessons that are set to start Monday are on schedule.  The Splash Pad will open as soon as the district is guaranteed to receive weekly chlorine deliveries.  The district indicates it will post opening dates and times for the Splash Pad once it has that information.

White Salmon’s Fourth of July celebration will take place on Sunday.  The parade will begin at Tohomish and Center streets at 1 p.m., going downtown on Jewett Boulevard and ending at Rheingarten Park.   At the park, there will be a picnic and kids’ games along with live music by the 204th Army Marching Band and Harmony of the Gorge.  Mt. Adams Chamber of Commerce executive director Tammara Tippel says after not being able to have the event in 2020, this year’s is special.  For details on the parade, go to mtadamschamber.com.  

Cooling centers remain open around the region as the heat wave continues.  Hood River County’s cooling center is at the Hood River Fire Station Community Room behind the Hood River Aquatic Center on 1785 Meyer Parkway.  In Wasco County, it will be St. Vincent DePaul on 315 West 3rd in The Dalles.  Both locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today through Tuesday.  The City of White Salmon will operate a cooling shelter in its Fire Hall at 220 NE Church from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and Tuesday.  In Lyle, the Lions Club at 503 State Street is open from noon to 6 p.m. today and Tuesday.  The Klickitat Community Center on 92 Main Street is available as a cooling shelter from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and Tuesday.  Washington Gorge Action Programs will have a cooling center open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. both today and Tuesday at the Hegewald Center in Stevenson.  And in Goldendale, there is a cooling center at the Lutheran Church on 104 East Simcoe open from noon to 7 p.m. through Wednesday.

Klickitat County Commissioners will probably make a decision Tuesday on whether to pursue further legal avenues in the wake of the recent ruling by a panel of three federal Ninth Court of Appeals judges that “Tract D” in the Glenwood area is a part of the Yakama Nation Reservation.  The County can either seek consideration from the full Ninth Circuit panel or the Supreme Court, or accept the ruling from the trio of judges.  Commissioner Jacob Anderson serves as the liaison to the Yakama Tribal Council, and he says relations with the tribe are a key component in the decision making process, along with cost and the likelihood of winning the case.

The Forest Service has closed the Herman Creek Trailhead in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area through July 29.   The closure area includes the Herman Creek Trailhead, Frontage Road, Herman Creek Horse Camp, and the section of Herman Creek Trail between the trailhead and intersection with Herman Bridge Trail.  The campground has a history of active laminated root rot, which is the most damaging root disease of forest trees in Oregon and Washington and one of the most hazardous to people and property in developed sites.  Infected trees can appear sound visually and then fail unexpectedly, placing people and property in danger.  A contractor removed the hazardous trees in 2020 and is now removing slash and debris from the area.  Following the clean-up, the trailhead will open, and the campground will remain closed until additional design and construction work is completed.  During the closure, visitors may access Herman Creek Trail from the Pacific Crest Trail using the Herman Bridge Trail #406E.

There were some fires reported in the region over the weekend, but firefighters were able to bring them under control.  The largest was a fire estimated at 1,000 acres in size on Sunday afternoon about seven miles south of Grass Valley and west of Highway 97.  The Sherman County Sheriff’s Office reports crews were able to knock the main fire down, but there was a flare-up this morning that was quickly put out, and the area will continue to be monitored.  Fire crews and farmers stopped the fire’s progress at Finnegan Road.  There was a nearly seven acre fire on Friday night along Interstate 84 near Rowena at milepost 76.  Two fires were reported over the weekend in the White Salmon area, Friday on Snowden Road and Sunday on Wilkes Road.  On Saturday there was a small fire at the exit 63 on ramp to Interstate 84 in Hood River.

With continued hot temperatures and the potential for stronger winds later in the week, fire officials continue to emphasize the need to be careful in regard to fire, even in urban areas.  Hood River Fire Chief Leonard Damian points out there are a number of wildland-urban interface areas in Hood River and other local communities.  Damian notes topography is another element that adds to fire danger in the Gorge.

Washington 14th District State Representative Gina Mosbrucker has been named to the state’s new Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force.  Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins made the appointment.  The 21-member task force within the Washington attorney general’s office will assess causes behind the high rate of disappearances and murders of Indigenous women and people.  The task force will include tribes and tribal organizations, as well as policymakers at local, state, and federal levels.  Mosbrucker introduced House Bill 2951 in 2018, which created a study to increase state resources for reporting and identifying missing Native American women throughout Washington, and in 2019 the Legislature passed and the governor signed Mosbrucker’s House Bill 1713 to establish two tribal liaison positions within the Washington State Patrol to build relationships between governmental organizations and native communities.