The Wasco County Commission has decided to inform the state of Oregon that it will officially relinquish administration of building codes to the state on October 31.  The wait until October 31 is to allow the City of The Dalles time to decide whether it wants to take over those operations. County Commissioner Scott Hege says the decision to give the notification is to provide some certainty to all involved, as the state has been operating building codes on a temporary basis since the Mid-Colulmbia Council of Governments was dissolved.  The City did not close the door on taking on the program at a recent meeting, but did express concern over start-up costs, and whether reserves for the program when it was MCCOG could be used for that purpose.

Boys Soccer Horizon Christian 8, C.S. Lewis Academy 0   Volleyball Lyle-Wishram def. Bickleton 25-14, 25-10, 25-12

The Sherman County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday morning that a grass fire that started near Biggs Junction is 100 percent contained.  The fire burned an estimated 5,000 acres as high winds quickly pushed in to the southeast after it started Tuesday afternoon.  The fire began near Biggs Junction and jumped Highway 97, causing the road to be closed in the early evening hours between Biggs and Wasco.  The fire burned toward Scott Canyon.  There are still spot fires in already burned areas.  The Sherman County Sheriff’s Office reported no evacuation advisories were issued, indicating on its Facebook page that residents in the area of the fire were aware of what was taking place.  There are no reports of any structures being damaged as a result of the fire.  There was also a fire on Tuesday evening off Interstate 84 near Taylor Lakes west of The Dalles, but it was quickly contained.

The Next Door is continuing its capital campaign to pay for and renovate its new building in The Dalles that it acquired from the Mid-Columbia Council of Governments.  The Next Door’s Justine Ziegler says they want to do renovations to the building on Kelly Avenue that would include establishing new services in Wasco County, including an alternative school for foster children.  Ziegler noted unlike Klahre House in Hood River, which accepts students from around the state, this would be on a smaller scale and targeted towards local youth.  The goal of the capital campaign is to raise $780,000, but Ziegler notes they are seeking grant opportunities for a significant part of that total.  

Work to remove hazard trees near Multnomah Falls will continue through the week, continuing to limit access to the lower viewing platform and trail to Benson Bridge at Multnomah Falls.  The interagency efforts will protect facilities and improve public safety by felling trees near the falls that were burned and damaged by the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire.  Visitors are encouraged to call the U.S. Forest Service Information Center at Multnomah Falls Lodge at (503) 695-2372 to check the current status of the lower viewing platform before heading out.  Multnomah Falls Lodge remains open during the work.  Current estimates suggest that west end hiking trails on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area may reopen by the end of 2018. This includes Larch Mountain (up to the junction with Wahkeena Falls), Wakheena Falls, Angels Rest, Devil’s Rest, Vista Point, and the Return Trail.

Girls Soccer Hood River Valley 5, Pendleton 1:  Laura Delatorre scored a pair of goals as the Eagles won their third straight Intermountain Conference game. The Dalles 1, Redmond 0:  Ali Andrade scored late in the second half to lift the Riverhawks to the win. Columbia 2, Castle Rock 2 Stevenson 2, Seton Catholic 1 LaSalle (Yakima) 12, Goldendale 0   Boys Soccer Hood River Valley 1, Pendleton 0 The Dalles 8, Redmond 4   Volleyball Stevenson def. Seton Catholic 25-22, 19-25, 25-14, 25-13 Castle Rock def. Columbia 3 sets to 0 Dufur def. Mitchell-Spray 25-13, 25-14, 25-22 South Wasco def. Ione 27-25, 25-22, 25-12 LaSalle (Yakima) def. Goldendale 25-17, 25-22, 25-21   Boys Water Polo Reynolds 12, Hood River Valley 10   Girls Water Polo Hood River Valley 13, Reynolds 9

North Wasco County School District 21 is seeking passage of a measure that would issue a series of bonds totaling up to 235 million dollars over 20 years to build a new high school and three elementary schools.  The impact on property taxes would be $2.99 per one-thousand dollars of assessed property value, with properties in the former The Dalles School District 12 seeing a jump of $1.34 from their current rate as the bond that build The Dalles Middle School is retired in 2021.  Phil Brady, a member of the Strong Community Schools Committee, says the need isn’t just strictly educational, but also to attract businesses that have passed The Dalles by because of concerns about the schools.  The bond measure is on the November ballot.

It was a busy weekend for Skamania County Search and Rescue crews.  On Saturday evening, the Volcano Rescue Team helped bring a 53-year-old woman from Dallas, Texas who had sustained a possible broken ankle down from a trail on Mt. St. Helens.  On Sunday morning, a critically injured climber at Big Creek Falls was brought back to the top of the falls by ropes, taken to the Pine Creek Ranger Station, and then transported by LifeFlight to a Portland hospital.  Undersheriff Pat Bond had no update on the condition of the 72-year-old man from Washougal.  And on Sunday afternoon a 56-year-old Port Orchard woman who had been reported overdue to return from picking mushrooms in the Willard area was located and found to be healthy.

Gorge Works is seeking host employers throughout the Columbia Gorge for its summer 2019 internship season.  The internship program to help businesses identify candidates for skilled employment, provide internship opportunities allowing for the exploration of local career options, and promote the Gorge as an excellent place to live and work began this past year.  Employers in the program need to be able to hire a candidate full-time at (at least) minimum wage for nine weeks starting in mid-June 2019.  They also need to have an employee willing to mentor the intern and have office or other work space to house an intern.  Gorge Works takes care of other details including marketing internships to potential applicants, receiving and organizing applications, and coordinating weekly professional development workshops.  For more information go to gorgeworks.com or contact Kathy Ursprung at the Port of The Dalles at (541) 298-4148.

The countdown to Hood River Valley Harvest Festival is underway, with downtown Hood River’s First Friday this weekend featuring a harvest theme.  Hood River County Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Janet Davis says there will be different events at various merchants.  There will be a pie contest associated with the events.  First Friday activities will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. this Friday in downtown Hood River.