A 30-year-old White Salmon motorcyclist was injured in an accident on Saturday on Highway 141 alternate just west of the White Salmon city limits.  According to the Washington State Patrol, Ryan Lawson was southbound on 141 alternate near milepost 6 when a northbound pickup truck driven by a 41-year-old Carson man crossed over the center line.  Lawson made an evasive maneuver and laid the motorcycle down.  The motorcycle eventually came to rest against a tree off the roadway.  The WSP says Lawson was taken to Skyline Hospital for treatment of undisclosed injuries.  

At their meeting Thursday night, the D-21 School District Board voted to move forward and place a bond measure on the November ballot that would replace all of the District’s Schools. According to D-21 Chief Financial Officer Randy Anderson, the total of $235 million would be spread out over approximately 20 years. In other board news, Kathy Ursprung was re-elected as Board Chair and John Nelson is the Vice Chair. Also, School Board Zone 1 Member Bethany Studebaker moved into Zone 5, which was open. So she was named the Zone 5 Board Member and Zone 1 is now open.  

Fire crews are getting close to 100% containment on the Memaloose Park Fire. Incident Commander Kyle Nairns thinks they will reach that goal by end of shift today. The final mapping shows the fire at 74 acres. A drone was used this morning to survey the fire area and find hot spots. The westbound Memaloose Rest Area reopened this morning after repairs were completed. Memaloose Park is also open to visitors. The fire was human caused and the investigation continues.  

Fire crews made significant progress Sunday mopping up flames and heat inside the perimeter of the Memaloose Park Fire, increasing the containment level to 70%. That work will continue today. Incident Commander Kyle Nairns said the heat and afternoon wind Sunday tested the containment lines, but the lines held and Nairns said they didn’t see any fire activity that concerned them. Lines will be tested again today with afternoon heat and wind. Crews will continue working the next few days until the fire is 100% contained. GPS mapping of the perimeter Sunday showed the fire at 74 acres. Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill lifted all evacuations in the Rowena area, as of 8 this morning. Memaloose State Park is currently closed to new campers entering the campground and the westbound I-84 Memaloose Rest Area will remain closed until repairs can be made to the electrical system that was damaged in the fire. The fire was human caused and is under investigation.  

After working all day Saturday and Saturday night, the 65-acre Memaloose Park Fire was 35% contained as of Sunday morning. Firefighters on Saturday were able to complete a fireline around the perimeter of the fire. Sunday’s work includes mopping up heat and flames inside the fire area. Firefighters systematically grid the fire, digging into the ground to expose burning material in the ground and douse it. Firefighters are supported by a Type 2 Helicopter dropping water on flames. Firefighters from Mosier Fire Department, Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area continue in the effort by providing water tenders, fire engines and firefighters. Brian Reel, Acting Unit Forester for The Dalles says “This is an early season fire, we will be mopping-up 100% so we can focus efforts on future fires as we continue into the heart of the fire season”. Because of the hard work, Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill has changed the Level 2 evacuation notice (get set) to Level 1 (get ready) in the Rowena Dell Area. Highway 30 reopened late Saturday. Memaloose State Park is currently closed to new campers entering the campground. The fire was human caused and is under investigation.  

Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill dropped the evacuation advisory for Rowena Dell as the result of the Memaloose Park Fire from Level 2 “get set” to Level 1 “be ready.”  In a Facebook post, he cited the “great progress” fire crews made Friday night and Saturday.  The 65-acre Memaloose Park remained at 25% containment heading into the evening.  Oregon Department of Forestry incident commander Gordon Foster called the fire a “dirty burn” with unburned fuels within the fire perimeter slowing efforts to fully contain the fire.  Firefighters worked on Saturday to strengthen existing containment lines, and overnight tasks included continuing mop-up activities and looking for area of heat and flames. Friday evening the fire burned through the westbound Memaloose Rest Area, managed by Oregon Travel Experience, causing minor damage to one of the buildings and burning the power transformer for the site.  The westbound rest area will remain closed until the electrical unit can be repaired.  The eastbound rest area is open.  No other buildings were damaged by the fire. The fire burned lands within Memaloose State Park, Oregon Travel Experience’s Memaloose Rest Area, and private lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry, Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue protection, and some lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service.  The fire is human caused and under investigation.  

Fishery managers from Oregon and Washington announced that retention of adult Chinook will close effective Saturday and continue through July 31.  The effective area is the mainstem Columbia River from Bonneville Dam upstream to the Oregon/Washington border.  The action was approved after reviewing the latest run forecast, which biologists recently downgraded from 67,300 to 44,000 adult fish.  The two states previously closed adult Chinook retention in the lower Columbia downstream of Bonneville for the month of July.  The Columbia remains open to retention of sockeye salmon and hatchery steelhead, with a bag limit of two adult fish.  All sockeye are considered adults and must be recorded as adults on the combined angling tag.

Heather Hendrixson has been selected to serve as the new manager of the Hood River Soil and Water Conservation District.  She replaces Jordan Kim, and the job has been restructured to also include duties handled by current financial manager Anne Saxby, who also plans to step down at the end of July.  Hendrixson joins the Hood River SWCD after leaving a position with The Nature Conservancy in Klamath Falls.  She has worked in the Klamath Basin for almost 15 years in fishery management, land stewardship, restoration, and collaborative partnership building.  Hendrixson begins work in her new position on Monday.

The new location for the Cascade Locks Library opened today.  The library had been closed for two weeks while it moved from Cascade Locks City Hall to a space about three times the size in Cascade Locks Elementary School.  Hood River County Library District Director Rachael Fox says the additional space provides a variety of benefits, including more defined adult, kids, and teen areas, plus a bigger space for programs, presentations, and community gatherings.  A grand opening event for the new Cascade Locks Library is planned for Saturday evening at 5:30 p.m.

Columbia Gorge Community College has assumed operations of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Adult/Dislocated Worker program, joining the WIOA Youth program CGCC began managing in 2017.  The programs were previously administered by Mid-Columbia Council of Governments and are contracted through the East Cascades Workforce Investment Board.  The WIOA Adult/Dislocated Worker program is a partnership with WorkSource Oregon.  CGCC’s Career Advisors are available onsite at WorkSource The Dalles and Worksource Hood River (located on the Indian Creek Campus).  At both centers, staff assist job seekers with career guidance and skill development.  Free workshops include resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, computer skills, and networking.  The WIOA service region encompasses Hood River, Gilliam, Sherman, Wasco, and Wheeler counties.  Contact WorkSource The Dalles, (541) 296-5345, or WorkSource Hood River, (541) 386-6300, for more information.