Business in The Dalles this holiday season appears to fairly brisk.  The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson doesn’t have any hard data at this point, but says this year’s holiday retail season is being helped by better weather than last year, and parking over the weekend was scarce.  Farquharson says this is an important season for retail businesses, particularly after losing a big part of September revenue due to the impacts of the Eagle Creek Fire.

There will be intermittent, single-lane closures on the Hood River/White Salmon Interstate Bridge between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday for repairs to roadway lights.  Port crews and Gorge Electric contract crews will be on the bridge making the repairs.  Bridge users are encouraged to plan for up to 25 minute delays during those hours.

Boys Basketball The Dalles 70, St. Helens 67:  Dakota Murr had 23 points and Josh Nisbet 22 as the Riverhawks improve to 4-2 on the season. Mountain View (WA) 93, Stevenson 62 Goldendale 52, Cle Elum-Roslyn 51 LaSalle (Yakima) 69, Goldendale 48   Ranger Tournament at Dufur Semi-Final:  Perrydale 68, Klickitat 49 Semi-Final:  Dufur 54, North Lake 29 Third Place:  North Lake 51, Klickitat 42 Championship:  Perrydale 49, Dufur 48   Triad Christmas Classic at Klamath Falls Semi-Final:  Horizon Christian 51, Powers 37 Championship:  Triad 55, Horizon Christian 27   Holiday Hoops Classic at Hosanna Christian (Klamath Falls) Semi-Final:  Sherman 59, Hosanna Christian 42 Championship:  Cascade Christian 55, Sherman 49   Girls Basketball Hood River Valley 51, Ridgeview 39:  The Eagles made 9 out of 13 free throws down the stretch to hold off the Ravens.  HRV used a 19-2 second quarter run to take the lead they never relinquished.  Lauren Orr scored 18 points and Emily Curtis 17 for the Eagles. St. Helens 45, The Dalles 39 Cle Elum-Roslyn 65, Goldendale 22 LaSalle (Yakima) 74 , Goldendale 14   Ranger Tournament at Dufur Semi-Final:  Perrydale 49, Klickitat 26 Semi-Final:  Dufur 52, North Lake 24 Third Place:  North Lake 40, Klickitat 28 Championship:  Perrydale 51, Dufur 34   Triad Christmas Classic at Klamath Falls Semi-Final:  Prairie City 32, Horizon Christian 21 Third Place:  Triad 51, Horizon Christian 31   Holiday Hoops Classic at Hosanna Christian (Klamath Falls) Semi-Final:  Hosanna Christian 64, Sherman 33 Third Place:  Cascade Christian 55, Sherman 23   Wrestling Hood River Valley finished ninth at the Liberty Tournament in Hillsboro.  Jason Shaner won five straight matches to win the 132 pound division. The Dalles finished ninth at the Adrian Irwin Invitational at Ridgeview.  Steven Preston of the Riverhawks finished second in the 145 pound division.   Swimming Hood River Valley’s girls were fifth and the boys sixth at the Bend Swimming for Giving Classic.  The Eagles’ Allison Burke was second in the girls’ 500-yard freestyle and Chad Klaas second in the boys’ 100 butterfly.

A judge has denied motions made by the Northern Oregon Corrections Facility to dismiss a lawsuit by four citizens claiming NORCOR is violating state law by allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees to be held there, but did remove Wasco County as a defendant in the lawsuit.  A spokesperson in NORCOR attorney Will Carey’s office said they received the ruling from Wasco County Circuit Judge John Wolf Friday.  Plaintiffs claim the sanctuary law passed by the Oregon Legislature in 1987 prohibits state resources from being used to apprehend and detect people in the country illegal.  During Thursday’s NORCOR board meeting, Carey explained the motion he filed was based on interpretation of that statute, saying the detainees are housed by contract with the Federal Marshal’s office, and they don’t detect or apprehend any of them.  Carey’s spokesperson said today they “remain optimistic” about the eventual outcome of the case.

Boys Basketball Ridgeview 71, Hood River Valley 67 (overtime):  The Ravens outscored the Eagles 13-9 in the extra session to grab the win.  HRV’s three-game winning streak was snapped with the loss. Horizon Christian 64, Trinity Lutheran 62:  The Hawks with their first game at the Triad Tournament in Klamath Falls, and will play Powers today.   Girls Basketball Hudson’s Bay 51, Stevenson 45:  Katie Rathgeber led the Bulldogs with 17 points. Horizon Christian 49, Powers 29:  The Hawks advance in the Triad tourney to meet Prairie City today.   Wrestling Hood River Valley 51, Madras 27:  Jason Shaner, Blake Willis, and Jonathan Garcia grab victories by fall for the Eagles.  HRV also got wins in girls’ matches from Alexis McCafferty, Monique Verduzco, and Perla Gomes. Zillah 72, Goldendale 6 Granger 42, Goldendale 30  

The Klickitat County Department of Emergency Management is seeking citizen volunteers to assist in staffing the Emergency Operations Center in Goldendale during large-scale emergencies and exercises.  Department Director Jeff King says volunteers can serve as public information officers, provide logistical support to field operations, plan for multiple-day operations, track financial activities related to the incident or event for possible future reimbursement by the Federal government, and other tasks.  Emergency Management Volunteers will be meeting one Tuesday night per month starting in January, with the first meeting scheduled for January 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Emergency Operations Center on the ground floor of the Emergency Management Building at 199 Industrial Way in Goldendale.  For more information call 509-773-0582.

The Northern Oregon Corrections Facilities board released its response to a scathing Disability Rights Oregon report on NORCOR’s Juvenile Detention Center released last week, calling DRO’s claim of the facility as inhumane “totally irresponsible.”  In a letter approved during the board’s Thursday meeting, NORCOR acknowledges there are areas of the juvenile facility that require improvement and have been changed, but they also deemed various aspects of the DRO report “exaggerated or inaccurate.”  The letter says contrary to the findings in the report, youth at NORCOR receive initial and regular screenings for self-harm behavior, those removed from group settings for unsafe or disruptive behavior have access to educational resources and mental health and medical staff, consistent family visitation is encouraged, and there is a documented 5.5 hours of education daily.  NORCOR board chair Rod Runyon thinks the facility is on the right road, noting he had talked to representatives of various counties that contract to send youth to the facility, and in one conversation told them he was “well-satisfied about our people, our staff, the director of the juvenile side, that we’re doing all the things and where we need to make corrections we’re getting them done.”  Juvenile directors in the four NORCOR counties met with administrator Bryan Brandenburg to go over changes, and the Oregon Youth Authority was to tour the center Thursday.  At the meeting, Brandenburg said an audit of the adult jail at NORCOR has passed 306 of 309 standards in an Oregon State Sheriff’s Association audit, and Sherman County Sheriff and OSSA board member Brad Lohrey said it one of the best jail audits he had ever heard.

Columbia Gorge Community College is talking with business and industry representatives about what they need the school to do to provide a trained workforce in the region.  Three CGCC board members and six faculty members have been doing site visits.  CGCC Community Outreach Director Dan Spatz says they are talking about responsive programs the college can look at for various vocational needs.  The question then becomes:  is the need in any particular area large enough to attract the number of students necessary to sustain a program?  Spatz says this will be an on-going effort, noting given the ever-changing skill needs of area businesses the college has to remain flexible.

Gilliam County Sheriff Gary Bettencourt has been tabbed by the Oregon State Sheriff”s Association as its 2017 Sheriff of the Year.  The organization cited Bettencourt for his work as a leader within that group, and for his understanding and commitment to dealing with mental health issues.  He has represented the state sheriff’s organization on numerous committees on the topic  The OSSA also noted Bettencourt for his work for injured deputies and their families, involvement with the Western States Sheriffs Association, and understanding the importance of a consolidated voice when it comes to issues with federal entities and travel management plans.

Klickitat County Commissioners met with Washington 14th District State Senator Curtis King and Representative Gina McCabe to discuss their concerns for the 2018 legislative session.  Commissioners were in particular concerned about whether a capital budget will be passed after the 2017 session failed to produce one.  The legislators indicated they expected one to pass, with King pointing out with Democrats now holding majorities in both chambers it is difficult for Republicans like himself and McCabe to able to give any kind of guarantees.  Commissioner David Sauter said the county doesn’t have any specific projects they are awaiting on capital budget funding for, but many cities and agencies in Klickitat County do.  Sauter adds the County has been backfilling funding for some programs that are typically funded by the state capital budget.  Commissioners also re-affirmed their desire for the Legislature to deal with the Hirst decision from the Washington State Supreme Court in 2016 that increased regulations on water rights.