Wasco County officials continue to seek assistance opportunities for those impacted by wildfires this summer.  County Commissioner Steve Kramer says the County has been working with Nate Stice from the state’s Regional Solutions program to gather as many resources as possible.  Kramer says they are talking with federal officials on a nearly daily basis as more data on fire-related losses come in.  The County has a post-fire resources guide available on its website, wascocounty.org.  County Commissioners will hold a town hall Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. at Dufur City Hall.

A 44-year-old man from Lake Oswego died as the result of a motorcycle accident on Highway 218 near Antelope on Sunday afternoon.  According to the Oregon State Police, an investigation revealed two motorcycles were traveling together northbound on Highway 218 near milepost 11 when one of the motorcyclists, Gabriel Spaccarelli, became distracted and traveled off the roadway and into an adjacent field.  The OSP says Spaccarelli sustained fatal injuries in the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene.  Emergency personnel responded to the accident at about 1:05 Sunday afternoon.

A 22-year-old Parkdale man died in a single vehicle accident early Saturday morning on Highway 281.  According to the Oregon State Police, an investigation showed a pickup truck driven by James Tickner was southbound on Highway 281 when the vehicle left the roadway, went through a ditch and then struck an embankment before crossing over Blackburn Road and coming to rest.  The truck then caught fire.  The OSP says Tickner sustained fatal injuries in the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene.  

Gorgeworks, the community-based internship program rolled out this past year, is gearing up for a bigger second round.  Kathy Ursprung of the Port of The Dalles says they are currently seeking employers as they try to get ten or more internship offerings next summer.  Businesses interested in being part of the Gorgeworks internship program can contact Ursprung through the Port of The Dalles.

Hood River County Commissioners, coming off a series of focus groups on individual areas of the County’s budget, will bring those issues back together with town hall meetings this fall.  The County is dealing with a large budget shortfall, and the Commission is considering revenue measures to fill it.  County Administrator Jeff Hecksel says the focus group sessions went well, and he felt most of the input from those who took part was geared toward finding answers.  The next step will be open house-type meetings that will include solution ideas for people to give their input on.  Hecksel says they hope to have the meetings sometime in the latter part of the fall.

Volleyball Hood River Valley won the Canby Tournament, defeating the host Cougars in the final 27-29, 25-19, 16-14.  The Eagles scored the last three points of the final game to grab the victory.  Katie Kennedy led the Eagles with 13 kills. South Wasco def. Trinity Lutheran 25-12, 25-8, 25-18 LaSalle (Yakima) def. Goldendale 25-18, 25-22, 25-13   Boys Soccer Corvallis 2, Hood River Valley 0 Trout Lake 5, Irrigon 0   Girls Soccer West Albany 6, Hood River Valley 0 Toppenish 10, Goldendale 1   Cross Country The Dalles was the boys’ winner and Hood River Valley won the girls’ run at a five-school meet in Prineville.  The Riverhawks’ Sam Alvarez won the boys’ race with teammates Friedrich Stelzer in third and Gabe Lira in fourth.  HRV’s top finisher was Josh Haynes in sixth.  Frances Dickinson, Brinna Weiseth, and Evelyn Nunez grabbed a 1-2-3 finish for Hood River in the girls’ race, while Emma Mullins of The Dalles was fourth.   Columbia’s boys were second and girls fourth, while both the Trout Lake boys and girls were seventh in the Steve Maas Run-A-Ree at Hudson’s Bay High School.  Trout Lake’s Justin Peck was second and Columbia’s Jacob Lockman third in the boys’ race, while in the girls’ race Joules Hope of CHS was sixth and Joanna Peck was the top Trout Lake finisher in 14th.   Goldendale finished third in the Ellensburg Invitational relays.   Football Pendleton 46, Hood River Valley 0 LaGrande 48, The Dalles 20 Columbia 40, Ilwaco 0 Stevenson 34, Corbett 0 Dufur 56, Arlington 0 Pilot Rock 50, Sherman 0 Lyle-Klickitat-Wishram 76, Oakville 6 Goldendale 40, White Swan 14 South Wasco 55, Triangle Lake 0

Work on a mural depicting a salmon of “Only Slightly Exaggerated” size is getting underway in The Dalles.  The mural will be paid for by Travel Oregon, and is being painted on a building at 723 East 2nd Street by artist Blaine Fontana.  It is part of Travel Oregon’s “Only Slightly Exaggerated” campaign featuring high-energy cinematic animation of the state’s diverse natural features and range of outdoor adventures.  Seven murals are being painted around the state as part of the campaign.  This mural depicts a “slightly exaggerated” sized salmon happily leaping from the Columbia River over river rafters below.  This is the second mural Fontana has been commission to paint in The Dalles, with his recently completed “The Valley Gorge Hub Mural” on 1st Street between Federal and Laughlin.

Volleyball Hood River Valley def. Camas 25-22, 25-22, 23-25, 25-19 Dufur def. Mitchell-Spray 25-11, 25-14, 25-11 South Wasco def. Ione 25-15, 25-13, 26-28, 26-24 Columbia def. Lyle-Wishram 3 sets to 0   Boys Soccer The Dalles 3, Putnam 3:  The Riverhawks came from three goals down to earn the draw.  Reed Twidwell started the rally midway through the second half, with Alex Gutierrez pulling the Riverhawks within a goal.  Andy Lopez scored the tying goal in the game’s waning moments.  The Dalles had lost its first two games of the season. Trout Lake 7, Horizon Christian 3   Girls Soccer Putnam 1, The Dalles 0 LaSalle (Yakima) 10, Goldendale 0

Hood River County Commissioners are facing a decision on how and whether to fund the County’s Veterans Services Office after an attempt to use only state funds in fiscal year 2018-19 was found to be against state statutes.  The County’s original budget application for the office to the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs was rejected, with the state citing a statutory requirement for the county to participate in the operation of the veterans’ service office, and the county contribution may not be decreased from the previous year unless there is an equal percentage decrease in all county offices.  County Administrator Jeff Hecksel says their contribution last year was just over $31,000, but it was eliminated as the County dealt with its budgetary shortfall.  Hecksel says the Commission has the option either to come up with a supplemental appropriation putting the $31,000 into the Veterans’ Services Office budget, or to cease operation of the program.  The Commission will consider the matter at its September 17 meeting.

Hood River’s Children’s Park will reopen on September 22.  Opening of the rebuilt play facility was postponed due to delays in receiving materials needed to finish the park.  Many elements that should have arrived by the June community build were delayed by the manufacturers.  A few more installments need to be made to full complete work on the park, but it has been deemed safe and ready for play.  City Councilor Megan Saunders said the delay did allow City Public Works to complete concrete work to repair a damaged sidewalk around the play area, shore up the hillside to reduce erosion, and clean and repaint the parking lot.  The reopening of the 25-year-old park will be celebrated with a ribbon cutting and community festivities from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on September 22.