Weekend of March 7-8, 2020   B3
The Dalles Chronicle
TheDallesChronicle.com
Habitat for Humanity
Cougar killed in TD
Livestock
losses spurred
removal
Columbia Gorge Habitat for Humanity recently broke ground on their 31st home. Future homeown-
er Joni Long, and her two boys, turned over the ceremonial first shovels of dirt along with Habitat
Executive Director Chad Krause and Board President Don Wanzek. CGHH provides decent and af-
fordable homes in Hood River, Wasco and Klickitat counties. Volunteers are invited and help build
this home, no experience needed: a licensed crew will teach you how to build. For more information,
contact Director@ColumbiaGorgeHabitat.org.
Contributed photo
New prepaid card improves access
The launch of the new and
improved ABLE Visa Prepaid
Card by the Oregon ABLE
Savings Plan and the ABLE
for ALL Savings Plan has
been met with enthusiasm
from the disability commu-
nity. Starting in December,
ABLE program savers were
given the opportunity to sign
up for the enhanced card,
with nearly 150 account
holders and their families
opting to gain access to their
ABLE funds on the go.
“Three years after the
launch of the Oregon ABLE
and national ABLE for ALL
Savings Plans, thousands of
Oregonians experiencing
disabilities are now on the
path to financial security,”
said Treasurer Tobias Read.
“The launch of the new ABLE
Prepaid Card is the latest step
to improving the services
Oregon State Treasury offers to
the disability community and a
key part of our efforts to ensure
that all Oregonians have access
to a simple and secure means
to save for their future.”
The new ABLE Visa
Prepaid Card enables
cardholders to easily control
their spending by loading the
card with as little or as much
as they’d like to spend, up to
$20,000. The expense track-
ing process has been simpli-
fied, allowing cardholders to
easily sort, filter and catego-
rize their expenditures. Just
like ABLE accounts, prepaid
card funds do not impact
benefits eligibility.
True Link Financial, Inc.,
the new card provider, is a
California-based financial
services company offering
custom debit cards. An
innovator in the invest-
ment space, True Link has
developed fraud-detection
algorithms that prevent com-
mon types of financial abuse.
Cardholders now have access
to custom features, includ-
ing the ability to set up SMS
alerts and restrictions on
certain spending categories.
“We’re proud to be able to
offer our account holders im-
proved flexibility and greater
control over how and where
they spend their ABLE funds,”
said Michael Parker, execu-
tive director for the Oregon
Treasury Savings Network.
“ABLE accounts give savers
the independence to take
control of their financial
future, and with the conve-
nience of the new prepaid
card they can also enjoy
peace of mind knowing that
their money is protected.”
Oregon ABLE is a
state-sponsored savings pro-
gram that allows people with
disabilities and their families
to save money for day-to-day
expenses and future needs
without disqualifying them
from critical state and federal
benefits. Learn more at www.
oregonABLEsavings.com.
Ride
locate the cougar.
The cougar killed was an
adult female in good body
condition.
The landowner who shot
the cougar coordinated
with ODFW and the Wasco
A landowner shot and
County Sheriff’s Office. The
killed a cougar that had
killed several goats March shooting occurred just out-
2 in a neighborhood on
side city limits, as only law
the southern edge of The
enforcement can discharge
Dalles, according to a
a firearm within city limits.
press release from Oregon
Under state law, land-
Department of Fish and
owners may kill cougars
Wildlife.
causing livestock damage
The cougar killed five
without a permit, but
goats in close proximity
ODFW must be notified. The
to houses in two separate
cougar’s carcass must also
incidents (Feb. 26 and
be checked in to an ODFW
March 1) at neighboring
office within 10 days so
residences. The cougar was biologists can take samples
also seen multiple times in to determine its sex and age
the area in the days before for population modeling
it was killed.
The animal had been
shot at by one of the
landowners who lost goats,
but returned another night
before being killed on
March 2.
Cougar sightings and
activity sometimes occur
in this part of The Dalles
due to its location near
forested habitat. However,
the multiple sightings
and livestock killings near
residences caused concern
for local wildlife managers,
who also made attempts to
THE DALLES CHRONICLE (ISSN 0747-3443)
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riodical postage is paid at The Dalles, Ore-
gon. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to THE DALLES CHRONICLE, P.O. Box 1910,
The Dalles, OR 97058.
efforts.
Oregon is home to more
than 6,000 cougars of all age
classes. For more informa-
tion on cougars in Oregon,
visit www.dfw.state.or.us/
wildlife/living_with/cou-
gars.asp.
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