The Hood River County Christmas Project is gearing up for its 95th year of providing food and toy baskets to those in need during the holidays.  The Christmas Project’s Bruce Holmson says sign-ups will begin next week.  Holmson says basket recipients must live in Hood River County, and meet low-income requirements in the state of Oregon.  Last year 480 families in Hood River County received the food and toy boxes.  Sign-ups will be at held at various locations through early December.  For a complete schedule of registration locations and times, and to learn how you can donate or volunteer, go online to hoodrivercountychristmasproject.com.

Oregon 59th District State Representative John Huffman has formally resigned from the Legislature.  The Dalles Republican had indicated earlier he was seeking a position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and wouldn’t seek re-election.  Huffman announced his resignation in an October 28 letter to Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson.  Huffman had been in Legislature for 10 years.  Republican precinct committee persons in House District 59 must now nominate three to five candidates to fill the vacancy.  County commissioners from Wasco, Wheeler, Jefferson and Deschutes counties will then vote to appoint one of those nominees to fill the remainder of Huffman’s term, which expires at the end of 2018.   The process must take place within 30 days of the resignation date.

Oregon Second District Congressman Greg Walden is applauding passage of the Resilient Federal Forests Act in the House.  The bill would provide federal land management agencies tools to increase the pace, scale and cost efficiency of forest management projects without sacrificing environmental protections.  In a floor speech, Walden said better forest management is needed to reduce the intensity of wildfire, and he believes it will be achieved through this legislation.  The bill now awaits action in the Senate.

The Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District is taking public concerns about the condition of the Hood River Aquatic Center.  A recent engineers’ assessment put the remaining serviceable use life of the pool at three-to-five years.  Plaster fragmentation of pool tanks, brittle pipes, inefficient and outdated systems, and a deteriorating tent-style enclosure are among the major issues facing the Aquatic Center.  Director Mark Hickox says the district is starting the process of finding out the direction the public wants to go in.  The pool feasibility study is online at hoodriverparksandrec.org.  Hickox indicated public meetings on the issue will begin in the coming months.

Oregon Class 5A Boys Soccer Tournament First Round Hood River Valley 4, Silverton 1:  Robby Running scored three goals in the second half, including two in the space of one minute to blow the game open.  Westley Carter scored the Eagles’ first goal six minutes into the first half, but the underdog Foxes were able to stay with the Eagles until Running’s flurry.  Silverton’s lone goal came in the game’s final minute.  HRV will host Woodburn, a 2-1 winner over Ashland, in a quarterfinal match on Saturday at Henderson Stadium.   Greater Columbia League District Tournament Semi-Final Klickitat-Glenwood def. Yakama Tribal (no score reported)   Final Sunnyside Christian def. Klickitat-Glenwood 25-19, 25-10, 25-21:  Klickitat-Glenwood moves on to a crossover game with a team from District 4 on Saturday.

With winter approaching, the Low Income Energy Assistance Program for Wasco, Hood River, and Sherman counties is underway.  Mid-Columbia Community Action handles the distribution of one-time payments of federal funds to help pay the energy bills of those who qualify for the assistance.  Community Action executive director Jim Slusher says they have about the same amount of money to distribute as last year, noting that wasn’t enough to help all those who qualified.  Seniors and those with disabilities get first priority, and Community Action is currently processing applications from those groups.  Those who are seniors or have a disability and think they may qualify for energy payment assistance but have not received an application should call Community Action in The Dalles at 541-298-5131 or Hood River at 541-386-4027.  The general public will be able to make appointments to apply for the program beginning on December 1.

The Next Door is offering a training program called “Protect Our Children” that looks to train people on how to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse.  The program was put together by the Ford Family Foundation.  Lupita Munoz of The Next Door says it is targeted toward anyone in the community that wants to help prevent the sexual abuse of children.  Trainings are planned at Next Door offices in The Dalles on November 15 and Hood River on November 16 at 5:30 both evenings, with dinner and child care provided.  Munoz says organizations can also request trainings be brought to them in Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam, and Wheeler counties.  For information call 541-399-6518.

The studded tire season in Oregon began Wednesday.  It will run through March 31.  The Oregon Department of Transportation continues to encourage drivers to consider other types of traction tires or chains.  A study completed in 2014 concluded studded tires cause about $8.5 million in damage each year on state highways.  Traction tires that meet Rubber Manufacturers Association standards for use in severe snow conditions and carry a special symbol on the tire sidewall showing a three-peaked mountain and snowflake.   They work about as well as studded tires on ice, but work better than studded tires or regular tires in most other winter conditions, while causing no more damage to road surfaces than regular tires.

Oregon Class 5-A Girls Soccer Tournament First Round Hillsboro 1, Hood River Valley 0, overtime:  Madison Ellsworth’s goal in the 92^nd minute gave the Spartans the win.  Ellsworth used her left foot to drill a shot from 30 yards out in to the top left corner of the net.  The Spartans had controlled most of the match, outshooting HRV 14-2.  The Eagles finish the season at 9-4-2.   Southwest Washington Class 1A District Girls Soccer Tournament First Round Elma 5, Stevenson 0   SCAC Volleyball Tournament First Round Goldendale def. Kiona-Benton 22-25, 25-27, 25-23, 25-16, 15-13:  The Timberwolves advance to meet LaSalle on Saturday at Granger.

Having heard from about 900 Wasco County residents during a summer of taking input, the effort to update the County’s comprehensive land use plan moves into a new phase.  County long-range planner Kelly Howsley Glover says a work plan based on the public feedback is being submitted to the state for final approval.  Once they get that green light, Glover says they’ll be headed back to the public for a series of workshops.  Glover notes the next phase will focus in on specific issues and details, unlike the first round which involved more visioning.  She adds they anticipate the state will approve the work plan sometime in the winter months.  Public input is still being taken at wasco2040.com.