The Dalles City Council voted to not provide the Blue Zones Project with additional funds during the current fiscal year, but left the door open to reconsider the issue in January and for the 2019-20 fiscal year.  Members of the Blue Zones Project, a three-year effort designed to promote healthier lifestyles in The Dalles, had asked for $50,000 in this fiscal year and the same amount in 19-20 to help close a funding gap.  City officials had already said Blue Zones should come back for next year’s request during the upcoming budget process, and Councilor Tim McGlothlin moved to provide $20,000 for the current fiscal year, which was supported by fellow Councilor Darcy Long-Curtiss.  But Taner Elliott and Russ Brown both voted no, with each expressing support for Blue Zones but concerned about going outside of established processes.  With Linda Miller absent, Mayor Steve Lawrence became a tiebreaker, and his abstention became essentially a no vote.  Lawrence did say he’d like to see how Blue Zones fundraising efforts go and come back to the issue in early 2019.  Blue Zones is under a deadline from Oregon Healthiest State, which is carrying over some of the financial debt, to get more funding commitments by March.

The Dalles Mayor Steve Lawrence says the City has told Wasco County officials they will work them to find a solution to the on-going question of how building code services will be delivered.  Wasco County had told the state it would turn that duty over to them on October 31, but rescinded that when the state said they would not establish an office in The Dalles.  Lawrence notes the state has also said counties must have ownership of the program rather than cities, but they will work with them.  There is four million dollars in reserve money available from the building codes program when it was administered by the Mid-Columbia Council of Governments, but Lawrence also points out that Sherman, Gilliam, and Wheeler counties were involved with that, and an audit would be needed to determined how those should be broken out.  Lawrence added the possibility remains those three counties could be a part of a local solution.

Oregon Class 1A Special District 7 Boys Soccer Playoff Horizon Christian 2, Damascus Christian 1 (penalty kicks):  The Hawks won the match by taking the penalty kick shootout 3-2.  Horizon meets Crosshill Christian in the district final.   Boys Soccer Regular Season Trout Lake 3, Riverside Christian 1   Volleyball Hood River Valley def. Sisters 25-21, 25-22, 25-23:  The Eagles used the match to get ready for a first round match in the state Class 5A tournament on Saturday.

Klickitat County Commissioners are still looking into the feasibility of acquiring the Simcoe Mountains property from private ownership.  County Commissioner Jim Sizemore says they have taken staff from Congresswoman’s Jamie Herrera-Beutler’s office on a tour of the area, hoping to get support for funding at the federal level, and they will look to the state as well.  Sizemore noted the land has been on the market for some time, and there does not appear to be much private interest in it.  He adds the County feels if the land is going to end up in some kinds of public ownership, it would be best for that to occur at the local level and keep it as a working landscape for timber, grazing, hunting, and hiking.

North Wasco County School District 21 has placed a staff member at Chenowith Elementary School on paid administrative leave following a reported incident during recess at the school on Thursday.  According to a statement from D-21 Director of Human Resources Brian Schimel, two students reported a staff member had pulled or pushed one or more students during recess.  The statement indicates the staff member was placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, and there is an on-going police investigation as well.  

Football Hood River Valley 51, Milwaukie 13:  HRV scored 28 third quarter points to blow the game open, and will host Forest Grove in a game to reach the Class 5A state playoffs on Friday night. North Marion 40, The Dalles 18:  The Riverhawks finished their season with a 2-6 record. Stevenson 48, King’s Way Christian 7:  The Bulldogs can clinch the Trico League title with a win at home over Columbia on Friday. LaCenter 35, Columbia 28:  LaCenter pulled into a tie for second in the Trico with CHS. Echo 51, South Wasco 6 Highland 15, Goldendale 14   Volleyball Big Sky Conference Tournament Championship South Wasco def. Sherman 3 sets to 1:  South Wasco gets a bye in round one of the Class 1A playoffs, while Sherman will host Damascus Christian on Wednesday at 6 p.m.   Third Place Echo def. Dufur 3 sets to 2   Boys Soccer Trout Lake 3, Prescott 2   Today’s Schedule Volleyball Sisters at Hood River Valley, 5 p.m.   Boys Soccer Oregon Class 1A Special District 7 Playoffs Horizon Christian at Damascus Christian   Boys Soccer Regular Season Riverside Christian at Trout Lake, 4 p.m.   Washington Class 2A Volleyball Play-In Lyle-Wishram vs. White Swan at Waitsburg, 4:30 p.m. Winner vs. Dayton-Waitsburg, 6 p.m.  

Hood River Police are investigating a shooting that took place early Friday morning.  Police say 32-year-old Demarea Brisco of Salem was taken by Life Flight to a Portland area hospital.  Officers responded to the area of 930 Sieverkropp Drive just after midnight when neighbors reported hearing several gunshots.  Police found Brisco on the ground with at least one gunshot wound.  No arrests have been made at this time, and the incident is still under investigation.  Hood River Police Department is asking anyone who may have information in relation to this case to call 541-387-5257.  The Hood River and Wasco County Sheriff’s Offices and Oregon State Police are assisting in the investigation.

The Wasco County Commission has pulled back a notification that it would turn over building codes administration to the state on October 31 after they were informed by the state a local office would not be set up.  Commissioner Scott Hege says the state is still encouraging building codes be handled at the local level, so the County will continue discussions on the matter until at least the end of the year, and perhaps longer.  More discussion of the building code options will give the City of The Dalles more time to consider whether or not it can take on the services.

The Port of Hood River is preparing a plan for public involvement as an environmental impact statement for replacement of the Interstate Bridge takes place.  Port Executive Director Michael McElwee says the consulting firm Enviroissues has already begun interviews with stakeholders, and a major public meeting is being planned for November.  He adds another element of the effort came from discussions with various Washington public agencies, with agreement to have a working group involving public and private stakeholders that would meet regularly and kept up to date on the project.  McElwee says a substantial percentage of the budget for development of the EIS is earmarked for public outreach.

Volleyball Hood River Valley def. The Dalles 25-18, 25-20, 19-25, 25-17:  HRV nails down second in the Intermountain Conference with the win. Castle Rock def. Columbia 25-16, 25-22, 25-22 Seton Catholic def. Stevenson 18-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-22, 16-14 Goldendale def. Highland 25-12, 25-11, 25-12   Boys Soccer Hood River Valley 5, Redmond 0:  The Eagles moved past The Dalles into second in the IMC. Ridgeview 2, The Dalles 1   Girls Soccer Hood River Valley 3, Redmond 0:  HRV is now in second place in the Intermountain Conference. Ridgeview 2, The Dalles 0 Highland 5, Goldendale 1   Cross Country The Dalles won the boys’ team title and finished second to Enterprise in the girls’ race at the Kyle Burnside Wildhorse Invitational in Pendleton.  Emma Mullins of The Dalles won the girls’ race in a time of 19:13.9, while teammate Hanna Ziegenhagen was ninth.  Sam Alvarez finished fourth in the boys’ run for the Riverhawks while Friedrich Stelzer was ninth.   Goldendale won both the boys and girls races in a dual meet with Royal.  Lucas Anderson, Sterling Beasley, and Corbin Riley finished 1-2-3 for the Timberwolf boys, while Ellie Rising and Abby Hedges ran 1-2 for the Goldendale girls.