With the Mid-Columbia Council of Governments board deciding to divest itself of the four remaining services it offers, now the process of where those services go will begin.  MCCOG interim executive director David Meriwether is emphasizing those services will not be interrupted while that process take place, however long that takes.  In the case of three of MCCOG’s service areas, senior services, workforce development, and transportation, the state of Oregon will be involved in putting out requests for proposals to find new entities to be providers.  The cities and counties involved will make the determination on how they want to handle building code services.  Hood River County has not used MCCOG for building code operations.

The Columbia Gorge Community College Board of Education will be talking about finding an interim president for the school at their next meeting on September 12.  Two weeks ago the college reached a separation with current CGCC President Frank Toda in which he will leave the position on September 29.  Board Chair Stu Watson says they will be looking at different options, noting they have received a number of inquiries about the interim position and the college’s executive leadership team will also have suggestions for moving forward.  The interim selection will fill the president’s chair until a permanent replacement is selected.  That search is also getting underway.  The September 12 meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the CGCC campus in The Dalles.

The Indian Creek Fire in the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness has grown by 21 acres since Monday to 356 acres.  The growth has occurred on the southwest edge of the fire.  On Tuesday smoke from other fires in the region made visibility too poor for Super Scoopers to fly and drop water on the Indian Creek Fire.   Helicopters were able to work on the fire part of the day.  The smoky conditions also kept the fire quiet, with little acreage gain.  Two firefighters hiked fourteen miles of the Eagle Creek Trail from the Indian Springs Campground down to the trailhead near Interstate 84.  They took photos for documentation, checked fire activity on the parts of Indian Creek Fire visible from the trail, and watched for spot fires on the eastern side of Eagle Creek.  With the smoke limiting visibility and fire activity, the fire was not showing many signs of heat.

Kingsley Reservoir Campground and Staging Area will close on Tuesday, and won’t reopen again until May of 2019.   Farmers Irrigation District will begin expansion work on the reservoir next week, and will continue through next year.  That will raise the Kingsley Reservoir Dam by twelve feet to expand the reservoir and increase capacity for future irrigation needs in the Hood River Valley.  That means the existing campground will be flooded by the expanded reservoir.  The Hood River County Forestry Department is currently in the midst of planning a new campground for the site.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica and mobile education center arrived in Goldendale Wednesday.  It was escorted to the Klickitat County Fairgrounds to be set up for its opening to visitors Thursday.  Dubbed “The Wall That Heals,” it is a half-scale traveling replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.  An opening ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. Thursday.  The exhibit will be open to visitors 24 hours a day until closing ceremonies at 3 p.m. on Sunday.  There is no charge for admission.

Volleyball Hood River Valley def. Redmond 25-8, 25-14, 25-16:  Hannah McNerney had eight aces and 10 assists while Emily Curtis recorded six aces and 12 assists as the Eagles won their home opener. Heppner def. Dufur 25-12, 25-18, 25-12 Vernonia def. Dufur 25-17, 25-16, 25-20   Boys Soccer The Dalles 9, Redmond 1:  The Riverhawks grabbed a 3-0 lead at the half, and cruised in to the victory.

Hood River City Councilors have asked municipal staff to provide more information before they make a decision on a request from Key Development to lower the City’s in-lieu of fee for residential parking in the Central Business District to allow the developer to move forward with a proposed mixed use development on State Street that would include 71 market rate apartments along with commercial space.  City Manager Steve Wheeler says the Council wants to research downtown parking issues that have been discussed for years to help determine a course of action.  Wheeler says the issue will be discussed again at their next meeting on September 11.  Key Development’s proposal is in a pre-application review phase, and a formal land use application has not been received.

The Dalles City Council is planning to hold a discussion about tourism promotion and the use of transient room tax revenues during the fall.  Mayor Steve Lawrence says they will be inviting community members involved in tourism and the general public to take part in the discussion, adding the goal won’t be to reach a conclusion.  Lawrence says the Council will synthesize the results of the discussion and look toward further steps.  He adds as TRT dollars grow, there is a question of whether some of that money should be used in areas other than tourism.

Fire officials have updated the size of the Indian Creek Fire in the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness today to 345 acres.  Mount Hood National Forest officials say bucket drops and Super Scooper aircraft will continue to be used as needed to check fire spread, as hot and dry weather is increasing fire activity.   Fire crews continue to identify control opportunities and contingencies for future actions if fire activity increases and the fire begins to encroach on the Management Action Points.  A Type 2 Initial Attack crew will be doing some work to improve contingency lines.  The fire is burning in a steep canyon with 75% slopes along with at least eight inches of timber litter and duff on top of loose rock, making it unsafe for firefighters to take direct action.

The Klickitat County Department of Public Health is advising that air quality in smoke impacted regions of the area may be unhealthy for sensitive groups.  Air quality is generally at its poorest in the mornings and evenings.  The Department notes smoke advisories provide generalized regional information only, and air quality conditions may change rapidly and vary greatly throughout the Mid-Columbia.  More people than average may have breathing problems or have worsened symptoms of existing asthma or lung disease.  Sensitive groups include people with heart or lung disease, asthma, diabetes, infants, children, adults older than 65, pregnant women, or who have had a stroke.  They should limit time spent outdoors.  Excessive heat may also make these conditions worse.  For specific medical advice please contact your physician.