An incident earlier this week in which a man drove towards a Hood River County Sheriff’s deputy has resulted in the driver facing charges.  According to the Oregon State Police, Hood River County Sheriff’s Deputy George Economou was checking on a vehicle parked at the Mitchell Point Trailhead just after 1:30 Monday morning when the operator backed out of a parking stall as Economou walked toward the vehicle and drove toward the deputy, who was outside of his vehicle.  Economou fired several rounds from his weapon towards the vehicle, but it continued and hit the patrol car before going about 15 yards down an embankment, where the driver was taken into custody without further incident.  50-year-old Lonnie Stinnett of Garibaldi was not injured, and was taken to the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility in The Dalles on driving under the influence of a controlled substance, reckless driving, and recklessly endangering another person.  Economou was not injured.  The Columbia Gorge Major Crimes Team, which includes members from the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office, Hood River Police Department, Wasco County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oregon State Police, conducted the investigation.

Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden and Idaho Republican Mike Crapo led a bipartisan group of their Senate colleagues in requesting funding to modernize firefighting assets so the U.S. Forest Service can respond in a cost-effective manner to devastating wildfires.  In letters to Senate Committee on Appropriations leadership and the U.S. Forest Service, the senators say a modern, highly capable large air tanker and water-scooper fleet has proven to be one of the most effective immediate responses to limit the expansion of wildfires into uncontrollable mega-fires.  The available aircraft doing this today continue to be retired ex-military/ex-civil aircraft, repurposed for air tanker operations and flown by small private contract firms.  Wyden and Crapo say to ensure the Forest Service can most effectively fight wildfires, Congress must immediately act to invest in modern firefighting assets.  Wyden and Crapo were joined in sending the letters by a bipartisan group of seven other senators, including Oregon’s Jeff Merkley and Washington’s Maria Cantwell.

Oregonians who don’t have coverage through their employer have six weeks to sign up for health insurance.  The open enrollment period began November 1st and runs through December 15th.  The Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace is helping people find out where to apply and whether they might be eligible for financial assistance. It can also point people to local, in-person help.  Marketplace communication manager Elizabeth Cronen says people should check their income eligibility, because getting that subsidy can bring down premiums.  People who aren’t covered through their workplace could qualify for subsidies.  The Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace can also guide people who are enrolling in the Oregon Health Plan, the state’s version of Medicaid.

Oregon Elections Director Steve Trout says while Independent Party candidate Patrick Starnes may have announced this week he is leaving the race for Governor and has endorsed Democrat incumbent Kate Brown, but he can’t officially withdraw.  In a YouTube video, Trout says the deadline to withdraw as a candidate was August 31, and that has long past, so all votes cast for Starnes will be counted for him.  Trout points out that voters who have already returned their ballots cannot make a change at this time, but those who have already marked their ballot for Starnes but have not returned it have a couple of options.  One is to call their County election office and ask for a replacement ballot, or clearly mark on your ballot who you want to receive your vote for governor by crossing out Starnes’ name, mark your choice, and circling or putting arrows around your choice to make it clear.  Trout adds votes for Starnes will not be counted for Brown, even though he has endorsed her.

The Youth Empowerment Shelter in The Dalles will hold a “Reach Out” event on Saturday at Wahtonka Community School.  The shelter provides a safe place for youth in crisis, working with them on relational development and plans to reach their potential.  Executive Director Gary Casady says Saturday’s event is designed to be a fun and informational meeting.  Saturday’s “Reach Out” event begins at 6 p.m. at Wahtonka Community School.

The Hood River/White Salmon Interstate Bridge will have a scheduled closure at 4:00 a.m. Friday for a lift of the bridge lift span.  The closure is needed for maintenance to the lift span gates and motor systems.  The closure is expected to last up to 30 minutes.

Oregon Class 5A Girls Soccer Tournament North Eugene 4, The Dalles 0:  The Highlanders scored all of their goals in the first 15 minutes of the game. Willamette 6, Hood River Valley 0:  Briana Kubli tallied a hat trick to lead the Wolverines.   Southwest Washington Class 1A District Volleyball Tournament First Round:  Elma def. Columbia 3 sets to 1 Second Round:  Columbia def. Montesano 3 sets to 1:  The Bruins face King’s Way Christian on Saturday morning in Castle Rock at 10 a.m., needing to win two matches to advance to the state tournament.

Mid-Columbia Community Action is currently taking applications from seniors and people with disabilities for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program.  The program uses federal funds to provide assistance with winter heating bills through a one-time payment that goes directly to the utility.  Community Action Executive Director Jim Slusher says they sent notifications to past clients in October.  If a senior or disabled person in Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman counties have not received a notification and believe they may be eligible for assistance, call CAP.  In The Dalles the number for Community Action is 541-298-5131, while in Hood River it is 541-386-4027.  Slusher says they will begin to take calls from the general population to schedule appointments on December 3.

The studded tire season in Oregon begins Thursday.  But both the Oregon and Washington state transportation departments encourage drivers to consider other types of traction tires or chains.  ODOT’s latest study in 2014 concluded studded tires annually cause about $8.5 million in damage to state highways.  Other types of traction tires are available, with those that meet Rubber Manufacturers Association standards for use in severe snow conditions carrying a special symbol on the tire sidewall showing a three-peaked mountain and snowflake.  ODOT claims they work about as well as studded tires on ice, and better than studded or regular tiers in most other winter conditions.

Columbia Gorge Community College has received a $12,900 contribution from the Union Pacific Foundation to purchase additional “stick” welders and more advanced equipment used in alloy welding for the CGCC welding lab.  The grant will enable the college to increase the number of students receiving basic and advanced welding instruction. Coursework includes manufacturing processes, blueprint reading and computer-aided design.  The Dalles High School instructor Robert Clark teaches the class, which is open to area high school students as well as students enrolled at CGCC.  The CGCC welding lab opened in 2014 as part of the Fort Dalles Readiness Center, with Sherman County providing an initial $100,000 contribution to open the welding lab.