The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office looking for a woman reported as missing and endangered by her family.  According to the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office, Brenda Lee Symons was in the Stevenson area for the past few days visiting her brother.  He reported coming home from work and finding Symons and her truck missing.  Symons had never been to the Stevenson area prior to this visit.  The Sheriff’s Office says Symons was recently released from a Bend hospital where she was being treated for an unknown mental health issue.  Symons is five-feet-four-inches tall, weighing 220 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.  The truck is a two-tone maroon and silver 1998 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab with a silver diamond plate truck box and an Oregon Crater Lake license plate of CK66334.  If you have any information on Symons or her vehicle please contact the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office at 509-427-9490.

Klickitat County’s ten-year economic development plan was approved by the County’s Economic Development Association.  A consultant, TIP Strategies, had been working on the plan for past eight months.  County Commission Chair Jim Sizemore, who is a part of the economic development group’s board, says the plan is robust and ambitious, and will require “a lot of work” from everyone involved in putting it together.  The plan divides the County into three areas.  It focuses on supporting and expanding the high-tech industry in the western part of the County, with an emphasis on developing affordable housing options.  The central part of the County targets clean technology, while the east end continues a move from dry-land to irrigated agriculture, in large part with the growth of vineyards in that area.

Oregon Class 5A Softball First Round Hood River Valley 3, LaSalle 2:  Lauren Decker’s single brought home the game winner in the bottom of the seventh inning to cap a comeback that sends HRV to the quarterfinals.  Hannah McNerney had tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with a home run.  HRV moves on to play at Pendleton on Friday.  The Eagles and the Buckaroos have split four previous meetings this season.  Game time will be at 4:30.   Oregon Class 5A Baseball First Round Dallas 5, Hood River Valley 2:  The Dragons used a four-run third inning to end the Eagles’ string of state finals appearances at three.  Treve Earhart’s two-run double brought home the go-ahead runs, while Jaret Stewart retired 16 of the last 18 batters he faced to earn the win on the mound.  Jacob Smith drove in the HRV runs on a second inning single.   Oregon Class 2A/1A Baseball First Round Dufur 8, Bandon 5:  The Rangers move on to a quarterfinal game with Umpqua Valley Christian at 4:30 on Friday at Quinton Street Park in The Dalles. Sherman 11, Knappa 4:  The Huskies will visit Knappa for a quarterfinal game on Friday at 4:30 p.m.   Washington Class 1-A Golf Tournament at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco Goldendale’s Luke Gerchack finished in a tie for 26^th in the boys tournament and Emily Hurst tied for 32^nd in the girls’ tourney.  

Four contested White Salmon City Council seats will highlight this year’s election in Klickitat County.  Each race has two candidates.  Ashley Post and Ben Burger are seeking to fill the remaining two years of an unexpired term in position one, incumbent Jason Sabourin is challenged by Jason Hartmann for position three, Amy Martin and Dan Caldwell are running for position four, and Maurice Tunstall, Jr. and Marla Keethler are the candidates for position five.  There will be a contest for Mayor of Bingen, with incumbent Betty Barnes and Clinton Bryan filing for election.  One Goldendale City Council seat has multiple candidates, with Justin Leigh and Terry Luth seeking position seven.  In Skamania County, incumbent Amy Weissfeld looks to retain her seat on the Stevenson City Council, opposed by Bradlee Seehafer for position two.

White Salmon Mayor David Poucher has challenged his city’s pool committee to raise the remaining money needed to start construction on a new swimming pool this year.  The City has confirmed donations of $700,000, and another $300,000 is needed to break ground.  Poucher is hoping the additional money can be raised by July 4.  The pool being considered by White Salmon would be basic with no therapy or splash pool, and is estimated to cost about $1,500,000.  White Salmon has been using a pool constructed in Tonasket as an example.  Those wishing to donate can call White Salmon City Hall at 509-493-1133, extension 205.

The Dalles City Council has approved the municipal budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year.  Mayor Steve Lawrence says the budget was approved by the Council with minimal changes.  The main discussion point surrounded raises for a pair of administrative offices.  By consensus, the Council decided previously approved increases for the City Manager and City Attorney would become effective on July 1.  The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce accepted the City’s offer of $215,140 for the 2017-18 Community Marketing budget, which was about $20,000 less than what the Chamber had requested.  Lawrence made the counter offer at a City Council meeting earlier this month on the basis of the City moving cruise ship services to the Main Street program.  In their acceptance, the Chamber noted the dollar amount is less than the budget approved in 2013-14, which did not have any allocations related to the cruise ships.

By a five-to-two vote, Hood River City Councilors voted in favor of changing the zoning of Morrison Park from open space/public facilities to high density residential, opening up the possibility the land could be developed for housing.  Councilors made the decision after months of work at the planning commission level and receiving voluminous amounts of testimony both for and against the zone change for the five-and-a-third acre property on Wasco and 20th Streets.  In the end, the majority of Councilors felt the land’s potential for development of workforce housing, and the need for it in the City, trumped the desire to preserve the land as open space.  Councilors Susan Johnson and Peter Cornelison voted against the zone change.

The Dalles City Council decided not to approve a change in its marijuana business ordinance to allow for a reduction in the required minimum distance between such establishments from 1,000 feet to 500 feet with a conditional use permit, sending the issue back to the municipal planning staff to try to come up with another revised rule.  The issue came about when the City received two applications for marijuana-related businesses that were within 1,000 feet of each other, but separated by Interstate 84.  Mayor Steve Lawrence, who supported the proposed ordinance change, noted Councilors were given the opportunity to give Planning Director Steve Harris direction of how to address the topic, and particularly the two applications involved.  Most indicated they wanted to find a way to allow both applicants to operate.  Staff will be researching the options and will report back to Council.

The Hood River City Council and Planning Commission received an update from the consultants working on the Westside Area Concept Plan,as it nears reaching draft form and moving to public hearings this summer.  Councilors and planning commissioners were told by the consulting group that they are nearing a recommendation on the scope of housing that would be more than a standard buildout but not the maximum numbers that were under consideration.  In addition, they are leaning toward recommending a new north-south road connecting from Wine Country Way west of Mt. Adams Avenue to May Street.  City Manager Steve Wheeler says the consultants will now go back and finalize the draft report, and it should go to the Planning Commission in July or August.  City officials have been targeting getting the plan finished, expecting substantial growth in the Westside area in the coming years.

The Northern Wasco County Aquatic Center in The Dalles will open this weekend.  The pool will open on Saturday.  Weekend hours include a family play swim and lap swim from noon to 1 p.m., and open play swim from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.  Weekdays include the family play and lap swims from noon to 1 p.m., open play swims from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., plus a 50 meter lap swim from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., and also swim lessons in the mornings and late afternoons.  Complete schedule and activity information is available at nwprd.org.