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WEATHER
100 IN THE DALLES THURS-
DAY AND FRIDAY; MODER-
ATE HUMIDITY IN GORGE
HOME and
GARDEN
hg
The Columbia Gorge
News will be delivered
Thursday next week,
rather than Wednesday,
due to the
Labor Day holiday.
Special Section: Home and Garden,
INSIDE
Columbia Gorge News
HOOD RIVER | THE DALLES | WHITE SALMON
Wednesday,September2,2020 Volume1,Issue22
White River Fire grows
Wildfire declared
a ‘conflagration’
by Gov. Brown
■ By Mark Gibson
Columbia Gorge News
The White River Fire grew rapidly
at the end of the week, forcing ad-
ditional evacuations and threaten-
ing several communities in south
Wasco County.
As of Monday morning, the fire
had consumed 10,000 acres and
was 10 percent contained, accord-
ing to incident command.
Due to the worsening weath-
er conditions on Friday, Wasco
County Defense Board Chief in
consensus with Oregon State Fire
Marshal requested Mutual Aid,
which brought three additional task
Forces to fight the fire and protect
residences. These three Task Forces
consisted of Hood River, Skamania,
Klickitat and Wasco County fire de-
partments. Wasco County agencies
include Mid-Columbia Fire and
Rescue, Dufur Fire and Mosier Fire.
With these additional resources Fire
Teams prevented the fire from over-
taking the structures and residences
in Pine Grove. No structures were
lost at the White River Fire.
The fire is burning in private,
state, and federal land. Three-
hundred homes in and around
the communities of Pine Grove,
Sportsman’s Paradise, and Maupin
were at risk, as well as Bonneville
Power Administration power lines,
Wasco Electric high transmission
An aircraft drops fire retardant along Smock Road outside of Wamic as firefight-
lines, Pine Grove water supply,
SeeFIRE,page2
ers work to contain the White River Fire.
Photo courtesy Wasco County Sheriff’s Office
$1.00
HR Man
sentenced
on federal
charges
A Hood River man was sen-
tenced to federal prison last week
for his role in a conspiracy to
traffic marijuana grown in Hood
River and Portland to Florida,
and launder the proceeds back to
Oregon, according to U.S. Attorney
Billy J. Williams.
On Aug. 14, Cole William
Griffiths, 32, was sentenced to two
years in federal prison and five
years’ supervised release.
According to court documents,
in April 2018, following several
months of investigation, author-
ities executed a search warrant
SeeFELON,page14
COVID-19
Wasco
County
sees drop
in cases
Graciela Gomez in front of her Cascade Locks fruit stand, underneath Bridge of the Gods. Her cabin is also known as “East West."
Kirby Neumann-Rea photo
TALKING CENSUS
In Cascade Locks, a family fruit
stand and social forum
‘This is really, really important'
says advocate Graciella Gomez
■ By Kirby Neumann-Rea
Columbia Gorge News
The latest Census score at
Gracie’s Fruit is 72 yes, 11 no.
“Have you responded to the U.S.
Census?” Gomez asks everyone
who comes to purchase pears,
peaches and plums from her stand
beneath Cascade Locks, which she
has operated for nine years. On the
corner of her awning she keeps a
tally on a white board, prominently
displayed along with the www.
wecountoregon.com website.
The Census, held every 10 years,
is on a shortened timeline through
mid-September to collect infor-
mation that is used to determine
how tax money is spent and how
political representation is appor-
tioned. Anyone who has not taken
the census can do so online, via the
families, and a lot of times we start
a conversations, yes with these
questions.”
Asked if she is convincing people.
Gomez said, “A lot of them.”
wecountoregon website.
She displays whiteboards with
On behalf of “the count,” Gomez
has created a forum for one-on-one census-question tallies dating to
March.
discussions. Gomez, a Hood River
“It’s a lot of days and it’s about
resident, has worked in many ways
how important it is to do it,” Gomez
over the last 30 years to advocate
for immigrants and the community, said.
One thing Gomez stresses to
and has found one more way to
people about the Census is that
raise awareness of a social need.
there is no citizenship question on
Over carefully-arranged stacks
it, despite last year’s attempt by the
of fruit, “Many people say, ‘I’m so
Trump Administration to add it,
busy with the COVID, and I don’t
“It’s a lot of fear in the commu-
even have time.’
nity about a lot of issues, and a lot
“I say, ‘Well, the COVID is right
now. But then we need the money of people don’t understand how
important is the Census,” Gomez
for our kids,” Gomez said.
said. “It’s a lot of work to tell them
“A lot of people say ‘yes' and a
why and to convince them ‘don’t be
lot of them say ‘I don’t believe in
that.’ I say ‘why not?’” she said. “And scared.’ And time to heal.
“I say, ‘Let’s get together and
they say that’s all government crap.
keep going, because this is really,
And I tell them this is the money
really important’.”
we earned, and we need it for the
The Gomez fruit stand will
remain open a few more weeks.
Gomez also works as a health pro-
moter with The Next Door, Inc., and
delivers food to families in the need
throughout the Gorge
Gomez provides hand sanitizer
and masks to her friends at the food
stands near hers at Bridge of the
Gods, including Native Americans
selling salmon.
The cabin at Gracie’s Fruit may
be familiar to some. The food truck,
owned by Riverside Grill/ Hood
River Inn Best Western Plus, was
hand-painted with words and im-
ages several years ago by May Street
School students, under direction of
artist-in-residence Alison Fox and
Riverside Chef Mark DeResta.
“They let me use it this year to be
more comfortable,” Gomez said.
“Chuck Hinman brought it and
put it here for me,” Gomez said,
referring to the long-time general
manager at Hood River Inn. “He’s
my angel. He really is.”
Wasco County has seen a steady
drop in COVID-19 cases over the
past three weeks, and recently
went five days without a positive
case.
“It looks very good to have
in-person learning in some of
the schools in Wasco County in
September, and if we continue
on this trend, in all of them by
October,” said Dr. Mimi McDonell,
health officer for North Central
Public Health District.
The schools all having worked
hard to develop their plans in
accordance with the Oregon
Department of Education’s Ready
Schools Safe Learners Blueprints,
and they will be implementing
many policies and procedures
related to those blueprints.
Local schools with less than 250
students have different criteria to
meet to allow in-person learning
than schools with more than 250
students.
Under-250 schools are the
elementary and high school in
Maupin, Mosier Community
School, Dufur School and St.
Mary’s Academy in The Dalles and
Riverbend Community School
(formerly Wahtonka Charter
School). Dufur School can fully
separate grade groups and is con-
sidered under 250.
Over-250 schools are
Chenowith, Colonel Wright and
Dry Hollow elementaries in The
Dalles as well as the middle school
and high school in The Dalles.
Under-250 schools can go
to in-person learning once no
SeeCOVID,page11
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