A survey by Northern Wasco PUD last week found 38 poles damaged by fires in the Dufur and Tygh Valley this summer.  PUD manager Roger Kline said they felt fortunate there wasn’t more damage to the system, noting loss of the transmission system would have “pretty catastrophic” for anything moving south.  Kline credited hard work in avoiding further fire damage, employing constant diligence and maintenance of the system and doing vegetation management to remove fuels around power poles.

All three seats on The Dalles City Council up for vote in November feature contested races, but only one candidate has filed for the mayoral seat.  Rich Mays is the only candidate for Mayor, as Steve Lawrence had announced earlier he would not seek re-election after six years in that role.  There will be a three-way contest for the at-large position being vacated by Taner Elliott.  Rod Runyon, who was defeated in his bid for re-election to the Wasco County Commission in May, is seeking the seat along with John Fredrick and Brian Stevens.  Two Council incumbents will be challenged in the election.  The vote for position number one representing the west side of the City will see incumbent Tim McGlothlin facing challenger Chip Wood.  And Russ Brown seeks re-election for position three on the east side with opposition from Tiffany Prince.

There will be a total of seven candidates running for three Hood River City Council positions on the November ballot, and only one will be an incumbent.  Peter Cornelison is the lone councilor seeking re-election, with Becky Brun deciding not to look for a second term and Susan Johnson running for Mayor.  As the filing deadline passed yesterday those looking to join the Council included Tim Counihan, Erick Haynie, Jim Klaas, Jessica Metta, Joseph Sheahan, and Brian Towey.  Johnson will be opposing incumbent Paul Blackburn for the mayoral position.

Public meetings are scheduled for this evening in Goldendale and Thursday in White Salmon to discuss the Klickitat County Community Wildfire Protection Plan that has been under development for the past year.  Klickitat County emergency management director Jeff King says this doesn’t just deal with rural areas, but the wildland-urban interface as well.  The committee developing the plan is working on mapping Klickitat County’s wildland urban interface, evaluating strategies for landowners to lessen wildfire potential, improving public knowledge about wildfire risk, and recommending risk mitigation strategies.  The meetings are at 6 p.m. today at the Klickitat PUD office in Goldendale and tomorrow at 6 p.m. at the Pioneer Center in White Salmon.

Volleyball Hood River Valley def. Estacada 25-18, 25-22, 18-25, 25-16:  Katie Kennedy had 14 digs and 14 kills while Emily Curtis added 12 kills to help HRV win its season opener. Sherman def. Trinity Lutheran 25-23, 18-25, 25-11, 22-25, 15-12   Boys Soccer Parkrose 1, The Dalles 0   Girls Soccer The Dalles 8, Parkrose 0    

The effort to replace the Dog River pipeline that delivers water to The Dalles is moving into a new phase.  An environmental assessment is now being prepared for the long-discussed project, and will be put out for public comment.  The Dalles Mayor Steve Lawrence says they don’t yet have a permit from the Forest Service to go ahead with the project, but this step means they are closer than ever to being able to move forward.  Lawrence adds City Public Works Director Dave Anderson is reviewing documents on the assessment, and once that is done there will be a public comment process.

The Hood River City Council has decided to progress to a comprehensive downtown parking study after receiving a technical study that included surveys done during off-peak use in February and peak use in July.  Mayor Paul Blackburn says they will move on to a deeper look at the report as they look to make decisions on whether some kind of parking structure is needed.  The downtown parking advisory committee that is already in place will review proposals that are received and select a consultant to continue the project.

New Hood River City Manager Rachel Fuller is getting acclimated to her new job.  Fuller started on the job a week ago, and will be at her first City Council meeting as manager Monday night.  Fuller says she’s received a warm welcome, and right now she is spending a lot of time learning about how the City operates.  Fuller has spent the past six-and-a-half years as the assistant city manager in Gresham, and before that worked for the City of Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  Monday’s City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m. in Hood River City Hall.  

Klickitat County has run an internship program this summer to help young people develop skills they can use to acquire jobs.  County Commissioner Jim Sizemore says the program was put together in part as a way to help the County develop its own workforce, but it dovetails to help young people learn how to work.  Six high school students from Goldendale were selected to take part this summer to work in six different departments, and Sizemore hopes it will grow to more opportunities next year and expand further west and east.  He notes it is much more difficult for high schoolers to find summer jobs than it was years ago, especially if they are under the age of 18.

It is still unknown as to when the newly renovated Children’s Park in Hood River will finally open.  Mayor Paul Blackburn says they are frustrated about not being able to open it, but they are waiting until a key part arrives, and it is on back order.  Blackburn says they won’t set a date to open until the parts arrive, adding he hopes they will get here in a timely manner.  City Public Works will be able to do the installation once the parts are in hand.