The Hood River County School District says it is happy with the U.S. Department of Education’s announcement to states that it will award Fiscal Year 2025 funding that had been withheld last month pending review. District Superintendent Bill Newton says he was relieved the grants are now expected to be awarded, adding it provides clarity and stability as the district’s budget and staffing plans are finalized. Items supported by the grants include migrant education programs, teacher and leader preparation, English learning for immigrant children and youth, student support and academic enrichment, and the third year of the EXCEL after-school program. Migrant education funding reached 435 students in 2024-25, approximately 11% of district enrollment, and about 300 students at Parkdale, Mid-Valley, and Cascade Locks elementary schools, and Wy’east Middle School are served by the EXCEL program, which is in the third year of a five-year grant.
Burdoin Fire At 90% Containment
Containment of the 10,675 acre Burdoin Fire has moved up to 90%. Complex Incident Management Team Northwest 13 officials say firefighters have secured containment lines along the Klickitat River and are working their way northwest along Silvas Creek, while suppression repair continues in most areas of the fire. Aviation and other fire resources assisted the Gifford Pinchot National Forest with several initial attack responses Thursday. The Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office announced it had reduced all evacuation advisories by one level. Previously Level 2 areas have dropped to Level 1, and areas formerly in Level 1 have seen their advisories rescinded completely. All local roads within the fire area remain for local access only. The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area has lifted closure orders for Balfour-Klickitat, Lyle Trailhead, Klickitat Milepost 1, and Klickitat Wild and Scenic River recreation sites. The Catherine Creek Recreation Area and Coyote Wall Trailhead remain closed to the public. The American Red Cross will be distributing supplies to those whose homes were destroyed or significantly damaged in the Burdoin Fire on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. at White Salmon’s Grace Baptist Church and the Lyle Celebration Center. Supplies available include rakes, shovels, Tyvek suits, bottled water, tarps, work gloves, safety goggles, trash bags, KN95 masks, storage totes, hand sanitizer, and cleanup kits.
Hatchery Steelhead Retention Extended On The Columbia River
Fishery managers from Oregon and Washington have extended hatchery steelhead retention for recreational anglers on the mainstem Columbia River downstream of The Dalles Dam. Steelhead retention was initially planned to be closed in this area beginning Friday, but the season was extended through August 31. Retention of one hatchery steelhead is now allowed in the daily adult salmon/steelhead bag limit for the mainstem Columbia River from the Buoy 10 line upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco. Passage of steelhead through Bonneville Dam as of Wednesday had already surpassed the preseason forecasted total return. Passage is typically only 30% complete through this date.
Truck Driver Arrested For Reckless Driving On Highway 97
A truck driver was arrested Wednesday evening in Sherman County for reckless driving on Highway 97. According to the Sherman County Sheriff’s Office, it received a report of southbound semi-truck and trailer near milepost 6. The caller said the truck was observed illegally passing a slower-moving vehicle in a clearly marked no-passing zone while navigating a blind corner. A northbound vehicle narrowly avoided a head-on collision with the semi by braking abruptly and veering completely off the roadway, and a witness traveling behind the semi-truck reported that the suspect driver appeared to make no effort to avoid the near collision. Sheriff’s deputies located the semi-truck near milepost 14 on Highway 97, stopped it, and took the driver, identified as a Sacramento man, into custody on one count of reckless driving and three counts of reckless endangerment.
Line Work Continues On Burdoin Fire
Firefighters continue to work on securing and widening lines on the Burdoin Fire. Along the west side of Silvas Creek down to the Klickitat River, an unmanned aircraft system is still detecting heat signatures in rough terrain. Crews have started backhauling hoses and pumps from Catherine and Major creeks. Dixon Creek is now in repair and patrol status, and lines are fully secured around Canyon Road, but crews continue to work on extinguishing heat in some interior pockets. At the east end of the fire, crews are still working in timbered areas to widen containment lines up to 250 feet. Fire size has been reduced to 10,675 acres, reflecting a deduction of the two interior islands that did not burn. Containment is at 79%.
Benefit Events For Fire Victims
Mid-Columbia Community Action is now accepting furniture donations for Rowena Fire victims along with general client housing transitions. Specific needs at this time include a large sturdy recliner for a client with specific mobility needs, and a queen bed frame and side-by-side washer/dryer set for a couple. If you are interested in donating furniture or household items, email mstarrett@mccac.com or call 541-965-8402. The Lyle Lions Club announced their monthly pancake breakfast this Saturday will be a fundraiser for victims of fires in Klickitat County. The breakfast will be from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday at the Lyle Lions Community Center on 5th Street and Highway 14.
Bridge Lift On Friday
The Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge will be fully closed to all traffic Friday from 11 a.m. to approximately 1 p.m. to allow a bridge lift for marine traffic. Port officials say this closure is required under U.S. Coast Guard regulations, which mandate the bridge open upon receiving at least 12 hours’ notice from river traffic. The Port indicates it plans to reopen the bridge by 1 p.m. on Friday, but unforeseen circumstances or delays could extend the closure.
Remains Found In Storage Locker
Human remains have been found in an abandoned storage locker in The Dalles. The Dalles Police Department says it received a call Tuesday morning from a person who had purchased an abandoned storage locker at 2640 West 6th, and found within it a container that appeared to possibly contain human remains. The Columbia Gorge Major Crimes Team along with an Oregon State Police Crime Laboratory response team executed a search warrant to recover the remains. The Dalles Police Chief Tom Worthy says the Oregon State Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy and determine the identity of the deceased. He also cautioned against speculating or drawing any conclusions based on what little is known so far.
Burdoin Fire Containment At 72%
Containment for the Burdoin Fire has moved up to 72%. Complex Incident Management Northwest Team 13 Section Operations Chief Jesse Stone says crews are continuing to secure containment lines in the Dixon Creek, Silvas Creek, and Klickitat River areas. Areas along Highway 14 remain in patrol status. To the north, with the Snyder Creek Fire fully contained, management of that fire has been returned to the local unit of the Washington Department of Natural Resources.
Evac Advisories For Snyder Canyon Rescinded
The Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office has rescinded all evacuation orders for the Snyder Canyon Fire. All evacuation orders for the Burdoin Fire remain in effect at this time. Evacuation maps are available on the Klickitat County Emergency Management Facebook page. Late Tuesday afternoon there was a fire in eastern Klickitat County. The vegetation fire along Old Highway 8 near Sundale was reported just after 4:30 p.m., and led to the road being closed and evacuation advisories for a brief time. Fire crews were able to stop the fire after a little over an hour, allowing the advisories to be rescinded.