Hood River County is warning residents about scams using County logos to attempt to get people to respond. County Administrator Allison Williams says people should be careful if they receive something that supposedly is from the County, but it’s not. She says among other precautions check the email address it came from, as it will often have a suffix other than the .gov the County uses. Williams encourages people to call the County if they receive anything that appears to be from them, but they are suspicious about it. She notes governments tend to be a target of these kind of scams because of the transparency with which they do business and the accessibility of public documents.
Klickitat County Deputy & Goldendale Business Recover Money After Scam
A Klickitat County Sheriff’s Deputy and a Goldendale business helped an 84-year-old man recover $11,000 in cash that he was being scammed out of. According to the Sheriff’s Office, last week scammers coerced the victim into sending the cash by UPS to a California address which was found to be a vacant rental house used to have victims send packages to. The man realized he had been scammed and contacted the Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Tim Neher reached out to UPS, who directed him to contact S and S Auto Value in Goldendale, where the package was shipped from. Andy Halm of S and S assisted in working with UPS to have the package sent back. It was returned to S and S and the $11,000.00 was recovered and returned. The Sheriff’s Office says the family of the victim were contacted and assisted in ensuring there was no further contact between the victim and the scammers.
Hood River City Stormwater Improvement Plan Presented
Hood River City Councilors received a presentation on a long-considered capital facilities plan for stormwater infrastructure. The study was actually commissioned in 2011 with a draft finished in 2018, but requested updates led to minor updates in 2021 and 2024, but adoption is now planned for early 2026. Stoner Bell of Bell Design Company said they have found 37 projects that are recommended, at total cost of $39 million, to be done over about 20 years. The plan also identifies 33 potential projects that would need to be done by developers in future development areas, with a total cost of $13 million. The City will receive a stormwater rate study at its January 5 meeting.
TD Council Passes Dog Control Ordinance
The Dalles City Council passed a dog control ordinance at their Monday meeting. There were three key changes from the original draft, including aligning dog license terms to rabies inoculation certificates, refined the role of veterinary medical facilities to reduce required monthly reports for the licensing program to a standardized document they already maintain for the Oregon Health Authority, and a sentence to make limits on the number of dogs on a property not apply to kennels already addressed in the municipal land use code. City Manager Matthew Klebes says the hope is the ordinance will stimulate the City’s dog license program. There was some discussion of the leash requirements as well, with City Attorney Jonathan Kara offering refined language to indicate dogs are allowed to run off leash if is allowed by the property owner. License fees will be determined by the Council in January.
December 9 Prep Basketball Scoreboard
Boys Basketball
Caldera 63, Hood River Valley 61: A 23-3 second quarter was the difference as the Wolfpack held off an Eagle comeback in the second half. J.J. Poole scored 14 points and Grant Dunn 12 for HRV, while Carter Garcia paced Caldera with 17.
The Dalles 102, Corbett 56
Stevenson 55, Trout Lake 41
Klickitat-Glenwood 89, Cornerstone Christian 47
Lyle-Wishram 53, Damascus Christian 49
Horizon Christian 51, Central Christian 45
Pilot Rock 57, Sherman 51
Girls Basketball
Hood River Valley 41, Madras 39: The Eagles used a nine-point run to start the fourth quarter to grab the victory. Addi Van Metre had seven of her 11 points in the final period, while Bella Howe scored 10. TaLisa McGill led Madras with 11.
The Dalles 80, Corbett 6
Trout Lake 55, Stevenson 17
Central Christian 59, Horizon Christian 13
Country Christian 45, Dufur 37
Pilot Rock 47, Sherman 24
TD Council Urged To Take Action To Reassure Latino Families
The Dalles City Council heard on Monday night from a large public contingent urging the panel to take some kind of stance to reassure Latino families in the wake of recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity there, including the taking into custody of two people at a local business. One who testified gave three specific suggestions, including having the City issue a public acknowledgement that the incidents are occurring and commit to a coordinated City response, and convene a meeting between municipal leadership, community organizations, and service providers to establish clear procedures and points of contact for families, and develop a comprehensive response plan that includes emergency protocols for minors, coordinated communication strategies, resource guidance, and explicit expectations for trauma-informed conduct by responding officers. Councilor Dan Richardson noted Latino neighbors represent around one-quarter of The Dalles’ population, and without them it would be a dying town. Mayor Rich Mays asked City Manager Matthew Klebes to have ideas on what the City can do by their meeting on January 5.
HR Council Declares Emergency Over ICE Operations
The Hood River City Council approved having City Manager Abigail Elder issue a declaration of emergency due to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the community. Councilors also asked Elder to prepare information on declaring Hood River to be a sanctuary city, and what can be done to provide more public resources to deal with ICE activities. The emergency declaration will allow for the City to provide financial resources to community partners working with immigrant families. Councilor Gladys Rivera said the City has a responsibility to attempt to uphold the rule of law, and needs to develop a tool kit to respond. Mayor Paul Blackburn did express concern about making Hood River a sanctuary city, noting it could bring more attention from the federal government. Elder said she would present more information on that topic and other potential actions at the Council’s next meeting on January 5.
December 8 Prep Basketball Scoreboard
Boys Basketball
Lyle-Wishram 64, Dufur 51
Columbia 69, Hudson’s Bay 47: The Bruins won for the first time this year in four tries, thanks in large part to a 22-9 surge in the third quarter.
MCCFL Looks For Space For Behavioral Health Resolution Center
The Mid-Columbia Center for Living has pivoted to looking for existing commercial space in The Dalles for a long-discussed behavioral health resolution center rather than looking to develop a larger facility on land owned by Wasco County. The effort to put together the resolution center has met with numerous financial and regulatory hurdles, but MCCFL Executive Director Al Barton says the Oregon Health Authority is still interested in funding the project. He says they have to find the right size for the project: large enough to be financially viable but small enough to be manageable. Barton says there would still be hurdles, most notably staffing such a center.
HRPD Takes Driver Into Custody On DUII Charges
A driver was taken into custody on DUII charges after driving recklessly and endangering pedestrians on the Heights in Hood River on Friday night. According to the Hood River Police Department, several individuals at the intersection of State and 9th flagged down an Officer at around 10 p.m. Friday night and reported a reckless driver had nearly struck them in the crosswalk. The pedestrians described the vehicle as a gray pickup truck traveling south towards Children’s Park. A few minutes later, dispatch received a call reporting a reckless driver nearly hitting two pedestrians at 9th and State, with the callers stating they had followed the suspect vehicle until it pulled into the Hood River ER parking lot. The driver was subsequently taken into custody by police for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. Hood River Police are looking for the two pedestrians who were nearly struck or others who have information regarding this incident. They should contact the Hood River Police Department non-emergency number at 541-386-2711 and request to speak with Sgt. Rivera to provide a statement.