The Dalles City Council received a draft of a housing needs and residential buildable land needs analysis during their meeting Monday evening.  It’s one of three studies the City is having done, including the transportation systems plan that will be done in about a month and a parking study, that could lead to changes in the municipal comprehensive land use plan.  But Mayor Steve Lawrence noted that new City Planning Director Steven Harris advised the Council to be cautious and not move too fast on any changes.  Lawrence added the analysis shows 480 acres of buildable space in The Dalles under the state’s definitions, but that doesn’t mean the land is necessarily available for development for reasons ranging from zoning to ownership.

Washington 14th District State Representative Norm Johnson was one of a dozen House Republicans who voted in favor of a bill to delay the deadline for implementation of a reduction in the amount of money school districts can collect through local property tax levies.  The bill passed 62-35, with majority Democrats joined by the 12 GOP members in favor, and 35 Republicans against.  School districts had faced a four percent reduction in the amount they could collect starting next year, but Johnson said while districts are waiting for the Legislature to hash out a McCleary decision solution for funding basic education they should not have to deal with that cut.  Fellow 14th District Representative Gina McCabe voted no.  Republicans who voted against the measure said they worry the extension would give lawmakers an excuse to kick the can down the road one more year on permanent education funding.

Girls Basketball Hermiston 53, The Dalles 36:  Kenzie Padilla scored 14 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs to the win in the Columbia River Conference opener for both teams.  Brooke McCall and Iliana Telles led the Riverhawks with 10 points apiece. Lyle-Wishram 39, Bickleton 33:  Larissa McConnville lead the Cougars to the win with 13 points. Seton Catholic 38, Columbia 24:  Kathrin Hylton topped the Bruins with 10 points.   Boys Basketball King’s Way Christian 70, Stevenson 58:  King’s Way jumped out to a 19-7 lead in the first quarter to set the pace for the win.  Austin Brannan led Stevenson with 19 points. Columbia 74, Seton Catholic 64 Bickleton 58, Lyle-Wishram 57:  Kyle Underwood of Bickleton scored with one second left in regulation to tie the game, and his team went  on to win.  Elijah McCullough led Lyle-Wishram with 18 points.

The City of The Dalles has hired Angie Wilson as its new Finance Director.  Wilson will be filling the vacancy left by Kate Mast, who retired after ten years in the Finance Director position.  Wilson has nearly 20 years of finance experience in both public and private sectors, including with the Port of The Dalles.  Her first day with the City of The Dalles will be next Wednesday.

Oregon Department of Transportation crews will be working on a pair of bridges in The Dalles area this week that have experienced pavement failures due to the winter weather conditions and increased traffic due to recent storms.  The Interstate 84 westbound bridge at milepost 90 is under a single lane closure through Tuesday or Wednesday as the asphalt concrete pavement surface has been delaminating and leaving deep potholes, so crews will remove all of the asphalt from the bridge, taper the approaches down to the concrete deck, and a new surface will be placed later this spring or summer.  There are similar conditions on The Dalles Bridge into Washington, and asphalt patching will begin Tuesday, with single lane closures during daytime hours leading to ten to 15 minute delays.  In all cases, ODOT asks motorists to slow down as they pass through work areas.

Republic Services will pick up garbage throughout the City of White Salmon on Wednesday.  White Salmon Mayor David Poucher says they are asking to make sure your garbage can is not frozen to a bank of snow or to the ground.  They also probably will not be able to make pickups in alleys, but if you wheel it to the nearest cross street, that would be beneficial.  Poucher adds if your neighbor is having trouble getting their garbage out, please help them do so.

Friends of the Columbia Gorge, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Columbia Riverkeeper filed a motion Monday to intervene in opposition to Union Pacific’s federal lawsuit seeking a ruling that Wasco County and National Scenic Area ordinances cannot stop the railroad’s plans for a second mainline track around Mosier.  All three organizations maintain the issue should be heard by the Columbia River Gorge Commission, where UP has appealed the decision by the Wasco County Commission to deny a permit for the track.  In their motion, the three groups say they have significant interests at stake in the decision and denying their ability to intervene would impair their ability to protect those interests.  In its lawsuit, Union Pacific claims the Interstate Commerce Act pre-empts County and Scenic Area ordinances, and that use of the County’s Scenic Area land use ordinances to stop the expansion is unconstitutional.

The City of Hood River has gone over its overtime budget for public works during the ice and snow storms of the last few weeks, but City officials says they have the money to cover it.  City Manager Steve Wheeler says their resources have been taxed dealing with the snow and ice around the area, often running crews in 12-hour shifts, and that leads to overtime costs.  He said they started the year with a $13,000 overtime budget and they have gone over that, but they do have a $300,000 contingency fund to draw from, so the City is still in good shape.  Wheeler said when it comes to equipment, they try to do double duty through using snow plows attached to dump trucks to deal with this kind of storm.  He also praised public works crews for their work in dealing with the wintry conditions of the past few weeks.

With a new year, there are new tasks for the Klickitat County Commission.  Commissioner Rex Johnston says one of his goals is to find a way to develop more housing on the west end of the County.  As part of that, he says the Commission wants to make sure public works and building and planning departments are communicating to streamline the permitting process, adding they have a number of people who have property that are looking to subdivide but can find it difficult.  Johnston notes the County’s on-going work to revise its strategic plan will be a part of that streamlining effort.

Boys Basketball LaGrande 65, The Dalles 44 Pendleton 69, Hood River Valley 40 Horizon Christian 57, Mitchell-Spray 15 Horizon Christian 75, Ione 48 South Wasco 50, Mitchell-Spray 16 South Wasco 55, Ione 31 Dufur 80, Condon-Wheeler 50 Dufur 64, Arlington 50 Sherman 84, Arlington 49 Sherman 65, Condon-Wheeler 46 Bickleton 57, Trout Lake 44 Sunnyside Christian 73, Lyle-Wishram 23 Klickitat 45, Lyle-Wishram 43 LaSalle 47, Goldendale 37 Zillah 81, Goldendale 34   Girls Basketball Pendleton 51, Hood River Valley 48 The Dalles 45, LaGrande 38 Horizon Christian 70, Mitchell-Spray 17 Horizon Christian 72, Ione 20 South Wasco 43, Ione 28 South Wasco 50, Mitchell-Spray 17 Condon-Wheeler 41, Dufur 40 Arlington 50, Dufur 30 Arlington 55, Sherman 23 Condon-Wheeler 42, Sherman 32 LaSalle 65, Goldendale 32 Zillah 63, Goldendale 16 Sunnyside Christian 77, Lyle-Wishram 14 Yakama Tribal 66, Klickitat 30 Trout Lake 36, Bickleton 26 Yakama Tribal 59, Trout Lake 10