Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue District has put open burn restrictions in effect as of Thursday.  Due to recent fire activity and below average fuel moistures, no outdoor burning of any type is allowed inside The Dalles city limits, and no open pile burning is allowed outside of the city limits.  Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue burn permits will allow the use of burn barrels located outside of The Dalles city limits from dawn to 11 a.m. until the July 1 burn ban take effect.  In addition, on lands protected within the Central Oregon Forest Protection District, smoking while working in or traveling through any operation area is prohibited.  The use of fuse and caps for blasting without prior approval from the forester…and the discharge of an exploding target or tracer ammunition, is also banned.  Contact your local fire department for further information.

In the wake of a meeting two weeks ago involving governmental and corporate officials, the hope is a proposed pump storage project on the Columbia River at the former Goldendale Aluminum site can eventually move from a dream to a reality.  Klickitat PUD is now acting in a facilitation role as energy generation and storage company Rye Development and international energy company National Grid have received federal permits to study the project, which would cost two-point-five billion dollars.  Klickitat PUD General Manager Jim Smith says numbers from National Grid show the project could be an economic boom to Klickitat County and the entire region, starting with large amounts of employment during construction.  A preliminary permit gives Rye and National Grid the ability to study the site and decide if they want to pursue development, which would require a federal license.

The Port of Hood River Commission approved administrative rules governing potential public/private partnerships for a new Hood River Interstate Bridge.  The adoption comes after a process that included two public hearings.  Port Executive Director Michael McElwee says the rules are substantially similar to the Oregon Department of Transportation as called for under a bill that passed in the 2017 Legislature, but the Port Commission did remove the section on unsolicited proposals with the blessing of ODOT and lawmakers.  That means the rules do not allow an unsolicited proposal.  The Port board also approved entering into contract negotiations with WSP Engineering to do the environmental studies related to the bridge.  A selection committee had found WSP Engineering as the highest ranked firm to seek the contract, and McElwee hopes they can wrap up a deal in the couple of weeks.

The White Salmon City Council has approved a contract with a designer to put together three designs and an operation plan for a new swimming pool.  The contract for $25,000 is with W.M. Smith and Associates of Ellensburg, which has built pools for other communities in Washington.  Mayor David Poucher says the designs will allow for expansion in the future.  Poucher said the designs should be ready fairly quickly, probably in less than a month.  Poucher added the current pool is on track to open on June 16, as repairs on the pool’s control room have been made.

There will be a number of high school graduation ceremonies in the area this weekend.  It starts with Hood River Valley High School’s ceremony at the WAAAM museum Friday evening at 6 p.m.  The Dalles High School will conduct its graduation at Amaton Field at 10:30 Saturday morning.  Also on Saturday:  South Wasco High School holds graduation at 10 a.m. in the school gym, Klickitat and Horizon Christian ceremonies are at 2 p.m., and Stevenson High School’s event is at 3 p.m.  Columbia High School will also conduct graduation on Saturday.  Dufur, Sherman, and Lyle seniors graduated last weekend, while Trout Lake High School holds its ceremony next Saturday.

Oregon State University Extension Service is looking for food heroes.  Extension’s Lauren Kraemer says they will be conducting Food Hero Volunteer Training, which is part of a statewide marketing effort to get people to check out fresh, healthy recipes.  She says they want to train people on healthy eating on a budget, food safety, basic nutrition, food resources, and how to give community demonstrations and presentations to pass that knowledge on to others.  The training will take place on June 27 at One Community Health in The Dalles.  To pre-register, call OSU Extension at 541-386-3343.

The Union Street Undercrossing in The Dalles has been reopened to all traffic.  Flood waters have receded from the undercrossing, and the road section that was super saturated has dried.  The Union Street Undercrossing closure and extended drying period of the road section is a normal occurrence during the spring water runoff season.

Emergency speed limits have been placed on Highway 97 at the Little Klickitat River Bridge north of Goldendale after a crack was discovered in the roadway.  Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews will install a temporary steel plate over the southbound lane of the bridge to cover the crack.  That will reduce the speed limit in both directions at the bridge to 35 miles per hour.  The speed limit will remain at 35 until a more comprehensive fix is implemented.

The Dalles Police Department is investigating a call made to Dry Hollow Elementary School by someone claiming to be the parent of a child with instructions on where they child should go after school on Monday, but that person was not the parent.  The Dalles Police Chief Pat Ashmore said in a statement that the school followed existing protocol and believed they had confirmed the identity of the caller, and gave the child directions to the location.  The child’s actual parent located the student, who was unharmed.  Ashmore says it is not known if the incident was the result of a misguided prank or if there was some kind of ill intent, but it is under investigation by local law enforcement.  He added parents should be vigilant but not panic until more information is known about the incident.  There will be additional law enforcement presence at schools in The Dalles at pickup and dropoff times until the end of the school year.  Those who might have any information on the case are asked to call The Dalles Police Department at 541-296-2613.

A ribbon cutting ceremony unveiled the newly renovated STEAM Center at Wy’east Middle School in Odell.  The new area to incorporate hands-on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics education includes a makerspace design and fabrication lab, flex and science labs, a laser cutter and 3-D printer among other tools, and an outdoor learning space still under development.  Hood River County School District Superintendent Dan Goldman called it the district’s “premier learning space” as it integrates the outdoors and a focus on making and problem solving.  The facility was developed through a bond measure passed by district voters in 2016.