Glenwood School District on two-hour delay, no pre-school.

About 60 people, more than half estimated to be from Washington, attended a community meeting on replacement of the Hood River/White Salmon Interstate Bridge.  It was the first public meeting during what will be a two-and-a-half year process to develop an environmental impact statement.  Port of Hood River Bridge Replacement Project Director Kevin Greenwood said he talked to 15 to 20 attendees, and all were in favor or a replacement, but there were also some concerns around tolling and the impact on low income residents, and bridge design.  He says all of the input will go to their consultants so they can look for alternatives and solutions.  Greenwood noted there will be working group meetings once a quarter to discuss the bridge project, and they will be open to the public.

The Dalles City Council approved an increase in rates for The Dalles Disposal for 2019.  Rates will go up 3.3%, mirroring the increase in tipping fee costs at the Wasco County Landfill.  Jim Winterbottom of Waste Connections, which owns both The Dalles Disposal and the landfill, noted the tipping fee increase is based on 85 percent of the consumer price index for the West Coast as called for in their contract with the County.  He said the cost increase for a residential customer with a 32 gallon can would be 13 cents per pick up, while for a larger roll cart the jump is 20 cents per pick up.

As the City of Hood River contemplates its options after the State Court of Appeals remanded its decision to rezone the Morrison Park property for an affordable housing project, Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation continue to work on community engagement efforts around the proposed development.  Executive Director Joel Madsen says they plan another community meeting on the subject next week, noting the organization will take up the City’s decisions as they are made.  Madsen said organization leadership doesn’t want to just put the project aside, and it’s still worth looking at.  The next community meeting on the proposed development will be next Wednesday (December 19) at 5:30 p.m. at the Waucoma Center in Hood River.

Wasco County Commissioners will hold a worksession Wednesday morning on doing revisions to its community planning assistance for wildfires.  The work becomes all the more timely in the wake of a difficult summer fire season.  Commission Chair Steve Kramer hopes the interface between the different agencies involved in fire protection will be at the forefront of this effort.  The worksession will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the Deschutes Room of the Wasco County Courthouse.

Boys Basketball

Goldendale 60, Columbia 58

Girls Basketball

Goldendale 50, Columbia 16

A traffic stop one week ago in Odell resulted in the suspect being taken custody after a deputy fired his weapon.  According to the Oregon State Police, a patrol sergeant with the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office attempted to pull over a vehicle on December 3 for traffic infractions but the driver did not stop, instead continuing north and eventually driving into an orchard on Chamberlain Drive.  About 400 yards into the orchard the driver stopped and quickly exited the vehicle with a black object in his hand.  The deputy gave verbal commands and fired one shot, missing the subject, who eventually complied with the officer and was taken into custody.  The subject, a 27-year-old from Odell, was arrested and charged with Driving Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance, felony attempting to elude police, and no operator’s license.  The use of force by the deputy is under investigation, with officers from the Hood River Police Department, Hood River County Sheriff’s Office, Wasco County Sheriff’s Office and the Oregon State Police working on the investigation.

The Port of The Dalles has received three responses to its call for proposals to do a feasibility study of what can be done to help production of value-added food products in the area.  Port Executive Director Andrea Klaas says the contract will be awarded in the middle of this month, and that consultant will be asked to gather information to assess the needs in that area.  The Port received a $32,000 grant from the U.S Department of Agriculture to do the work, and is matching that with its own funds.

Boys Basketball

Hood River Valley 61, LaGrande 56

Hood River Valley 83, Madras 73

Madras 92, The Dalles 70

LaGrande 60, The Dalles 45

Stevenson 79, Irrigon 54

Trout Lake 53, Columbia 37

Trout Lake 59, Horizon Christian 53

Damascus Christian 69, Horizon Christian 60

Sherman 68, Damascus Christian 53

South Wasco 57, Mohawk 34

South Wasco 59, Camas Valley 40

Dufur 53, Powder Valley 48

Dayville-Monument 42, Klickitat-Glenwood 37, OT

Arlington 47, Klickitat-Glenwood 35

Kittitas 77, Lyle-Wishram 45

Goldendale 55, Kiona-Benton 50

River View 67, Goldendale 35

Girls Basketball

Milwaukie 61, Hood River Valley 40

Putnam 55, The Dalles 45

Trout Lake 33, Columbia 31

Stevenson 56, Irrigon 49

South Wasco 43, Mohawk 28

South Wasco 41, Camas Valley 13

Powder Valley 62, Dufur 10

Dayville-Monument 42, Klickitat-Glenwood 39

Klickitat-Glenwood 40, Arlington 16

Kittitas 56, Lyle-Wishram 19

Soap Lake 40, Lyle-Wishram 21

Goldendale 42, Kiona-Benton 32

River View 43, Goldendale 34

Wrestling

The Dalles finished 13^th at the Muilenberg Invitational in LaGrande.  J.R. Scott placed third at 195 pounds while winning 5 out of 6 matches, and Maricio Carrera was sixth at 182.

The Port of Hood River will hold a drop-in style community meeting on Monday night to allow the public to give feedback on the start of plans to replace the aging Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge.  Port Executive Director Michael McElwee says there will be a number of different stations for people to rotate to and ask questions of those involved in the project.  The event will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday in the Best Western Plus Hood River Inn Riverview Room, with a brief overview presentation planned for 6:30.