We’ll have continuous local and national election coverage tonight beginning at 8:00 p.m. on KIHR AM 1340/98.3 FM and Newsradio 1300/103.9 FM, and updates on our other stations. For Oregon election results go to http://results.oregonvotes.gov/ For Washington election results go to http://results.vote.wa.gov/results/current/klickitat/ or http://results.vote.wa.gov/results/current/skamania/

Time is ticking down for ballots to be returned in the state of Oregon.  Ballots must be in county election offices or in official drop boxes by Tuesday at 8 p.m.  In Hood River County, ballots can be taken to the County Admininstration Building on 601 State Street in Hood River or to the drop box at Cascade Locks City Hall.  In Wasco County, take ballots to the Courthouse on 511 Washington or the drop box at Maupin City Hall.  The local ballot in Wasco County is highlighted by a three-way race for Mayor and two contested City Council races in The Dalles, plus other local elections in smaller communities.  In Hood River County, there are four candidates running for three seats on the Hood River City Council, plus a crowded ballot for municipal positions in Cascade Locks.  The statewide ballot has a number of offices on it including the race for Governor, legislative seats, and Congressional seats, plus ballot measures, the most notable of which is Measure 97 calling for a tax on the sales of companies doing over $25 million worth of business in Oregon each year.

In Washington, ballots must only be postmarked by Tuesday to be counted.  Much like in Oregon, there are local offices populating the ballots in Klickitat and Skamania counties.  That includes a contested race for a seat on the Klickitat County Commission and two in Skamania County, along with 14th District legislative votes.  There are also statewide votes for Governor, U.S. Senate, and various Congressional positions.  Highlighting ballot measures:  Initiative 732 to impose a carbon emissions tax on fossil fuels, and Initiative 1433 to increase the state minimum wage over the next four years.

North Wasco County School District 21 has undertaken a geotechnical survey of the current district administration office property across from and west of the Wahtonka campus.  It’s part of the district’s study of potential sites for new school construction in preparation for a future bond measure.  D-21 Chief Financial Officer Randy Anderson says the property is on a knoll, and the survey is to determine if that land would be useful for a new high school campus if the district opted to do that.  Test holes were dug last week, and results of the survey are expected later this week.

A special Hood River City Council meeting on Monday night to consider operating license requirements for short-term rentals was cancelled due to Council member absences.  City officials say there has been concern expressed about the timeline for existing non-conforming STRs to establish their grandfathered status within deadlines set by ordinance, but while release of final application documents and licensure requirements are pending City Council adoption of rules, to begin the process of grandfathering an application to verify and establish prior existing nonconforming short-term rental use has been developed.  The form is available on the City’s webpage and at City Hall.  Completion of the form by December 12 will validate a claim of pre-existing non-conforming short-term rental use, but would not exempt STR’s from future licensing requirements.

A CenturyLink spokesperson says services impacted by what the company had termed an “equipment issue” in the Gorge were restored late Monday afternoon.  Skamania and Klickitat counties both reported their 9-1-1 services were restored at around 1:30 p.m., while Hood River and Wasco counties did so just before 5 p.m.  Emergency phone communications at 9-1-1 centers in the region and phone service throughout the area was scrambled because of the issue that some law enforcement officials described as a failure of a major CenturyLink fiber terminal in the area.  CenturyLink spokesperson Rachel Montemayor said in an e-mail to Bicoastal Media shortly after 4 p.m. that “all services previously impacted have now been restored,” but did not elaborate on what caused the outage.  In a post on its website, Gorge Networks said the problem had impacted some wireless, wireline, and broadband carriers in the Gorge, and caused widespread telephone network/DSL outages for multiple carriers in the Gorge.

Oregon Class 5A Girls Water Polo First Round Hood River Valley 21, South Albany 2:  The Eagles will meet Sandy in a semi-final next Friday at 12:10 in Corvallis.   Oregon Class 5A Boys Water Polo First Round Ashland 10, Hood River Valley 7   Friday Schedule Oregon Class 5A Volleyball Quarterfinal:  Marist def. Hood River Vallev 25-11, 25-20, 25-13 Oregon Class 1A Football First Round:  Triad at Sherman, 6 p.m. Oregon Class 1A Football First Round:  Falls City at Dufur, 7 p.m. SW Washington Class 1A Football District:  Columbia at Montesano, 7 p.m.   Saturday Schedule Oregon Class 5A Cross Country Championships:  Hood River Valley & The Dalles at Lane Community College in Eugene, girls at 1:15 p.m., boys at 1:50 p.m. Washington Class 1A Cross Country Championships:  Columbia, Goldendale, and Stevenson at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco, girls at 10:30 a.m., boys at noon   Oregon Class 5A Boys Soccer Quarterfinal:  LaSalle at Hood River Valley, 1 p.m.   Oregon Class 5A Volleyball Consolation:  Hood River Valley vs. LaSalle at Liberty HS, 8 a.m. Southwest Washington Class 1A Volleyball Tournament:  Columbia vs. King’s Way Christian at Castle Rock, 10 a.m. SCAC District Volleyball Tournament:  Goldendale vs. Naches Valley at Kiona-Benton, noon  

Ballots continue to be returned to election offices in the Gorge at a good pace.  Hood River County reports a 48.3 percent return rate, while Wasco County is at 44.9 percent.  Local election officials remind people who have not voted by now to take their ballots to official drop boxes to ensure they are in hand by the Tuesday’s 8 p.m. deadline.  Hood River County voters can go to the County Administration Building at 601 State Street in Hood River or Cascade Locks City Hall, while Wasco County ballots can be taken to the County Courthouse at 511 Washington in The Dalles or to Maupin City Hall.  Throughout Oregon over one million ballots have been returned entering Friday, 200,000 more than at the same time in 2012.  In Washington, 41 percent of ballots have been returned in Skamania County, just over 33 percent in Klickitat County, and over one-point-five million statewide.  Washington law requires ballots to be postmarked by the end of Tuesday.

Two people were injured in a car and motorcycle accident Thursday afternoon on Washington Highway 14 about two miles west of North Bonneville.  According to the Washington State Patrol, a car driven by a 54-year-old woman from Helix, Oregon was westbound on Highway 14 and turned left in front of an eastbound motorcycle operated by a 53-year-old Stevenson man, resulting in the accident.  Both people were transported to Peace Health Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver for treatment of injuries. The driver of the car was cited for negligent driving in the second degree.

Recreational coho salmon and steelhead fishing will reopen at 12:01 a.m. Saturday on the mainstem Columbia River from the mouth at Buoy 10 upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge at Pasco.  Oregon and Washington fishery managers opted to reopen the coho and steelhead fisheries. which were closed along with Chinook salmon retention on October 22 to allow wild Snake River Chinook to move upstream.  Recent fish passage data at Bonneville and Ice Harbor dams indicate the Chinook migration is now essentially complete.  The Columbia River coho and steelhead fisheries are expected to proceed without any significant impact on remaining Chinook returns.  The bag limit under the new rules is up to two adult salmonids, and may include one hatchery steelhead.  Chinook retention remains closed through December 31.