With winter, bald eagles and other raptors have made their annual arrival to the area around The Dalles Lock and Dam.   Park ranger Amber Tilton explains the eagles return every winter as the Columbia River provides a good source of fish, and the area is secluded, quiet, and dark, leaving the birds undisturbed.  The dam’s Seufert Park is open daily from dawn to dusk, and The Dalles Lock and Dam Visitors Center is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.  The annual Eagle Watch event will take place on Saturday, January 19.  Tilton notes operations at The Dalles Lock and Dam continue in spite of the partial federal government shutdown, as the Army Corps of Engineers is a part of the Defense Department.

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden has introduced a bill requiring sitting presidents and presidential nominees to release their tax returns to the public.  Wyden first introduced the legislation in May 2016 after then-presidential candidate Donald Trump would not release his tax returns.   The U.S. tax code grants the Chairman of the Finance Committee and the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee authority to obtain the president’s tax returns from the Treasury Department, and House Democrats reportedly plan to use this authority to demand Trump’s tax returns, but Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has not said whether he would comply.  The Presidential Tax Transparency Act would require sitting presidents to release their most recent 3 years of tax returns to the Office of Government Ethics and requires candidates to release returns within 15 days of becoming the nominee at a party convention to the Federal Election Commission.  If the sitting president or future candidates refuse to comply, the Treasury Secretary will be required to provide the returns for public release.

Boys Basketball St. Helens 64, Hood River Valley 45:  The Eagles fall to .500 on the year at 5-5 with the loss after having won two straight to end December.

With the New Year, the Next Door’s youth mentoring programs became Gorge Youth Mentoring.  The programs had previously been known as Big Brothers Big Sisters and Mentor 4 Success, but the Next Door decided to leave Big Brothers Big Sisters after determining they could no longer meet the financial requirements of the national organization to use that name.  Justine Ziegler of the Next Door says streamlining to one locally based program should allow them to better use their resources.  Now there will only be one application process, with Gorge Youth Mentoring matching youngsters in all age ranges with adult mentors.

A number of different governmental agencies in Hood River, Klickitat, and Wasco counties are being invited to take part in a “poverty simulation” this spring.  Belinda Ballah of the Hood River County Prevention Department says her office received a grant to help in the planning for bringing the simulation to the area.  Ballah says the simulation session takes about four hours in total, and she hopes the counties both individually and together can come up with ways to help those dealing with poverty access the services they need in a better and simpler manner.  Exact dates for each of the simulation sessions in each county are still being set.  Those that would like to take part can call the Hood River County Prevention Department at 541-386-2500.

In an effort to tackle the affordable housing crisis, Oregon could end single-family zoning this legislative session.   Oregon would be the first state to do so if lawmakers who support the idea succeed.  Willamette Week reports Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek is drafting legislation that requires cities with more than 10,000 residents to allow up to four homes to be built on parcels currently zoned exclusively for single-family housing.  1000 Friends of Oregon deputy director Mary Kyle McCurdy says such a proposal could meet the needs of more Oregon families in the places where affordability is an issue.  In December, Minneapolis became the first major city to eliminate single-family zoning.  Portland is considering a similar plan.  The city has the fourth-highest percentage of single-family home occupancy in the nation.

Boys Basketball The Dalles 52, Crescent Valley 50:  Josh Nisbet’s game winner at the buzzer got the Riverhawks past the Raiders.  Nisbet scored 20 points, while Jacob Hernandez finished with 13. Hood River Valley 75, Centennial 68 Horizon Christian 42, Joseph 31 Dufur 78, Echo 49 North Clackamas Christian 53, South Wasco 52 Helix-Griswold 47, Klickitat-Glenwood 37 Lyle-Wishram 71, Dayton-Waitsburg 32   Girls Basketball Putnam 59, Hood River Valley 38 The Dalles 55, Sprague 35:  Ellie Codding led the Riverhawks with 19 points. Fort Vancouver at Columbia, 7 p.m. Echo 51, Dufur 43 South Wasco 34, North Clackamas Christian 24 Klickitat-Glenwood 57, Long Creek-Ukiah 30 Helix-Griswold 45, Trout Lake 36 Dayton-Waitsburg 55, Lyle-Wishram 32   Wrestling Two The Dalles High School wrestlers reached the semi-finals in day one of the Adrian Irwin Tournament in Redmond.  Steven Preston at 154 pounds and J.R. Scott at 197 each won one match by decision and one by fall to lead the Riverhawks into 13th place heading into the final day of the 19-school tournament.

As the Christmas presents under the tree get unwrapped this holiday season, it’s important to keep in mind what can be recycled and what cannot.  Jim Winterbottom of Waste Connections says the basic Christmas wrapping paper can be recycled, but some of the glossier stuff has to go in the trash.  Ribbons and bows are not recyclable, so they should go in the garbage if you don’t keep them for re-use.  Winterbottom adds Hood River Garbage and The Dalles Disposal pickup will take place as normal on Monday both Christmas and New Year’s week, but those scheduled for Tuesday through Friday will be delayed one day.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initiated its oil spill prevention protocol after 192 gallons of hydraulic turbine oil discharged into the Columbia River downstream of The Dalles Lock and Dam.  The leak was discovered on Tuesday, when a low sump oil alarm for one the dam’s turbines was received by the Control Room.  Upon discovery of the discharge of oil, operators removed the unit from service, isolated the unit from the river, and deployed absorbent pads.  The Corps will be investigating the cause and will continue to monitor the waters downstream and prepare to clean up any sheens.  The Corps has notified the National Response Center, Oregon and Washington emergency management offices, Columbia Riverkeeper and the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission.

Boys Basketball Columbia 45, Highland 31:  Jacob Lockman and Chandlor Bucklin scored 11 points each, as the Bruins used a 19-6 first quarter to take control of the game. Sherman 73, Ione 35 Kittitas 90, Lyle-Wishram 55   Girls Basketball Stevenson 67, Kalama 53:  Katie Rathgeber scored 18 points and added eight rebounds and seven steals.  The Bulldogs pulled away with a 21-5 third period run. Highland 54, Columbia 45:  Chloe Clifford tallied 18 points for the Bruins. Ione 51, Sherman 20 Kittitas 52, Lyle-Wishram 20   Swimming Girls Hood River Valley 98, Pendleton 72:  Faith Ocheskey won two individual events to lead HRV to the win.   Boys Pendleton 82, Hood River Valley 70:  The Eagles’ Chad Klaas and Luke Southall won two events apiece.