The Oregon Department of Forestry is looking for information from anyone who may have seen anything that could have been related to start of last Friday’s small fire at Viento State Park.  Christie Shaw of ODF says there was no conclusive determination of cause.  Shaw says anyone who may have seen something on Friday afternoon leading up to the fire is encouraged to call ODF in The Dalles at 541-296-4626.  The fire was mapped at just over eight-tenths of an acre in size.

The Hood River County Forestry Department says due to unforeseen delays in on-going road construction, Family Man Staging Area, Riordan Hill Forest Road, and nearby recreation trails will continue to be closed weekdays until work is completed and the area is safe to enter.  All trail access points within the area have temporary signage indicating the closure.  Road construction activity affecting Family Man Staging Area access may continue into September.  There is also a temporary road closure from the end of the pavement on Riordan Hill Road to the gate one-quarter mile west of Family Man Staging Area.  Those with questions can contact the County Forestry office at 541-387-6888.

The Hood River Lions Club has unveiled their plans to build a roof over the stage at Jackson Park.  The club’s foundation is funding the project, which is estimated to cost $150,000.  Club member Mike Schend, who for years coordinated the Families In The Park concert series on that stage in his role as Hood River County School District Community Education director, says the free-standing cover will protect the stage from both the heat and the rain.  Schend says the goal is to begin construction on the wood structure in March of 2020 and be finished in May.  This past spring the Lions Club reinforced the walls of the stage with basalt rock.

It’s a busy time for county fairs in the area.  The Sherman County Fair is underway in Moro and will continue through Saturday.  The Wasco County Fair starts Thursday in Tygh Valley, and the fair’s Zach Harvey says that as usual it will be Free Family Day sponsored by The Dalles Disposal.  The Klickitat County Fair is also starting up in Goldendale, and Queen Samantha Demchuk says Thursday features 4-H and F-F-A events along with the kickoff barbecue at 5 p.m.  Both the Wasco and Klickitat County fairs conclude on Sunday.

A group forming a trust to purchase land in White Salmon, Klickitat County, and Hood River County for construction of affordable housing has taken another step forward.  The Big River Land Trust on Monday was notified its incorporation as a non-profit in the state of Washington has been certified, and expects the same in Oregon in the next month.  White Salmon Mayor David Poucher says they aren’t ready yet to take donations, but they are getting closer.  Their goal is to get 40 to 100 units into home ownership “fairly quickly.”  The land trust would retain the property the homes are built on, limiting appreciation on the homes to one-and-a-half percent per year.  Poucher said the target group will be those making between 60 and 120 percent of the median income in the region.

The group Gorge Owned will be starting its “Bridging the Gorge” community conversation series Wednesday in The Dalles.  Gorge Owned executive director Courtney Christenson says it is based on Oregon Humanities’ “Bridging Oregon” series that she was a part of, and she’s says it’s meant to be a reflective conversation about connecting as a community.  The first of the series is Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Odd Fellows Lodge in The Dalles, with others set for September and October in Bingen and The Dalles.  Tickets are $10 per person, and available at through gorgeowned.org.

The Dalles Public Works Department says the sidewalk and the north lane of East 2^nd Street in front of the Recreation building will be closed to all traffic for an unknown amount of time due to work that will be occurring on the building.  The department says the purpose of the closure is to create a safety perimeter around the building.  There is no estimate on when the sidewalk and traffic lane will be reopened.  Adjacent business access will be open while the safety perimeter is in place.

Oregon Second District Congressman Greg Walden announced he will hold town hall meetings in Sherman, Gilliam, and Wasco counties next week.  The Hood River Republican will be in Rufus at Bob’s Texas T-Bone on August 28 at 9 a.m.  He will then move on to the Arlington Fire Hall for another session at 11:15 that morning.  On August 30 Walden will be in Tygh Valley at the Tygh School Community Center for a town hall that will start at 9:30 a.m.

One Community Health is expanding its school-based dental sealant program in the Hood River County School District for the upcoming academic year.  The program receives funding from the Oregon Children’s Dental Health Initiative and both the Oregon Community Foundation and the Columbia Gorge Coordinated Care Organization.  Students receive free sealants at an onsite mobile dental clinic, but parents must sign a form for that to occur.  Sealants are offered to students in grades 1-8 and 14-year-olds in high school.  Opportunities for parents to sign forms for the sealants are taking place tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Wy’east Middle School, Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Hood River Middle School, and on September 2 at Hood River Valley High School.  All eligible students in the district will receive registration forms via their teachers, and can learn more from school secretaries at all Hood River County School District schools.

The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce is once again taking donations from its members and pooling the money to help support the Wasco County 4-H/F-F-A Livestock Auction taking place this Sunday at the County Fair in Tygh Valley.  Chamber CEO Lisa Farquharson says it’s a way for the organization’s members to help the County’s youth, as she takes the Chamber pool to make purchases at the auction.  Last year the pool had about $3,000 for the auction.  Businesses that would like to contribute to the Chamber’s auction pool can call Farquharson by Friday at 541-296-2231.  The Wasco County 4-H/F-F-A Livestock Auction will be Sunday morning at 9:30 in Tygh Valley.