There are only two filings so far for the mayoral and City Council seats that will be on this November’s ballot.  Rich Mays is the only candidate to file for Mayor, as incumbent Steve Lawrence has already announced he will not seek re-election, while Chip Wood has filed for Council position one representing the western portion of the City, a seat currently held by Tim McGlothlin.  The other Council positions that will be on the ballot are the at-large seat occupied by Taner Elliott and position three representing the east side of the City held at this time by Russ Brown.  Those who would like to run for one of the positions must file by August 28.  Information packets are available at the City Clerk’s office in The Dalles City Hall.

The new president of Columbia Gorge Community College has been on the job for about a month and is getting settled into the position.  Marta Yera Cronin says the first order of business has been conversations to learn about what is working at the college, and how she can help move the school forward.  One of the areas she plans to emphasize is growth, particularly in online offerings.  Cronin says they are looking at all the programs CGCC offers, and then see how they translate online, noting online teaching is a good fit for some subjects but not for others.

Irrigation districts in the Hood River Valley are asking water users to reduce their consumption by 15 percent to help alleviate the potential for shortages later in the summer.  Warm temperatures in May led to faster than normal snow melt which irrigation districts would normally use during the hot summer months.  Les Perkins of Farmers Irrigation District says voluntary cutbacks right now can keep water flowing later in the summer.  Farmers is working on an expansion of Kingsley Reservoir that will allow them to capture more early run off when there is an early snow melt.

A Grass Valley man died in a motorcycle accident Wednesday morning on westbound Interstate 84 just west of Mosier.  According to the Oregon State Police, a preliminary investigation revealed 60-year-old Mike Layton Wallace was traveling westbound in the slow lane at or just below the speed limit.  A witness who was following Wallace observed him reaching back towards a saddle bag along the left rear side of the motorcycle when he lost control and began to wobble back and forth.  Wallace was ejected off the motorcycle and came to rest along the shoulder.  The motorcycle traveled under its own power before stopping along the center median about 1,000 feet from Wallace.  Officers and medical personnel arriving at the scene determined Wallace had succumbed to injuries sustained in the accident.

The Oregon State Police has released details of an Interstate 84 traffic stop on Monday that resulted in the driver of the vehicle shooting himself in the head.  The OSP says at about 1:10 Monday afternoon a trooper stopped a reported reckless driver on eastbound Interstate 84 at milepost 103 in Sherman County.  After stopping, the 42 year old male driver exited the vehicle armed with a handgun.  The trooper asked the driver to drop the gun, but the driver continued to walk to the rear of his vehicle and shot himself in the head, collapsing in the ditch and out of sight.  The trooper held cover over the subject until his backup officers arrived, who then approached the subject and rendered medical care.  The driver was transported to the hospital in The Dalles and eventually flown by air ambulance to a Portland area hospital, where he continues to receive medical care.  His condition is unknown.

Local, state, and federal partners will hold two open houses early next week to connect those impacted by the Substation Fire with relevant information to assist in recovery.  Information will be available on rebuilding lost homes and structures, working with insurance claims on crop and other property losses, technical and financial information on post-crop management, and other resources.  The first open house will be Monday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center in The Dalles.  Another will take place on Tuesday from 4 p.m.to 7 p.m. at Sherman High School in Moro.

Day three of the Hood River County Fair brings the annual 4-H/F-F-A Livestock Auction.  Fair Manager Clara Rice says it is the big finish to a full year of learning for the youth involved in raising the animals, and the community support every year is appreciated.  The Auction begins at 4:30 Friday at the 4-H/F-F-A livestock barns.  The headline performers on stage on Friday will be Faraones del Norte at 7 p.m. and LaTropa Chicana at 9:30.  Saturday’s big concert starts with Brewer’s Grade at 7 p.m., followed by national country music artist Craig Morgan at 8:15.

White Salmon’s annual Art and Wine Fusion event will be Saturday afternoon and evening in Rhinegarten Park.  The event showcases local artisans and crafts people along with fifteen wineries, many from the Gorge region.  Mt. Adams Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tammara Tippel says they are taking steps to keep things cool in the park during the event, bringing in tents and misters to add to the shade trees in the park.  The event runs from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday in Rhinegarten Park.  For ticket information, go to artwinefusion.com.

The Hood River City Council has approved going ahead with a $100,000 study of utility rates and improvements that need to be made in water, wastewater, and stormwater systems.  City Manager Steve Wheeler says they need to update their capital improvement project list, and while they have a sequence of projects planned in their budget, they’ve learned often times it falls off a bit.  The outcome will be an updated list of projects, what they cost, and when the City can do them.  Wheeler expects it will take about a year to put together.

Officials have issued more public use fire restrictions for the Mt. Hood National Forest due to very dry and hot weather conditions.  All campfires are now prohibited across the Mt. Hood National Forest, including developed campgrounds.  Target shooting, ATV use, and smoking outside enclosed buildings or vehicles are prohibited on National Forest lands encompassing the entire Mt. Hood National Forest until these restrictions are lifted.  OHV use will be prohibited in the McCubbins, La Dee, and Rock Creek OHV areas.  Forest Service crews have extinguished over 60 abandoned campfires across the Forest and have responded to multiple human caused wildfires so far this summer.