12
Wednesday,March3,2021
Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
With snowcat’s help,
officers track down
suspect on forest road
report
■ Staff
Columbia Gorge News
pursuit as I believed she was
going to continue driving
recklessly,” he said in his log
report.
A lengthy pursuit by OSP
The driver went west on
cruiser, county SUV, and
Eightmile Road, north onto
snowcat resulted in the
arrest Feb. 26 of a 52-year-old Walston Grade Road, and
Madras woman in the snowy back south on Pine Hollow
forested area about five miles Road towards Eightmile
Road. Swiger lost visual of the
off Eightmile Road.
Jeep on Pine Hollow Road
Trooper Jonathan Swiger
was heading south on US 197 and began checking the area
near milepost 12 at 2:55 a.m. for the vehicle. He saw fresh
Crestline Construction crews work in early 2020 to replace water main lines in the downtown core of
tracks in the gravel heading
when a black Jeep Wrangler
White Salmon. The City of White Salmon recently approved closing the project, and secured a USDA
heading northbound crossed west on Eightmile Road,
loan that funded the project with a $2.73 million water revenue bond.
White Salmon Enterprise photo/file into his lane, nearly crashing Walston Grade, and Pleasant
Ridge Road and followed the
into him head-on, Swiger
reported in an OSP log entry. tracks to the forest boundary.
The tracks continued west
The Jeep Wrangler then
nearly crashed head on into into the Mt. Hood National
Forest on USFS Road 4440.
a log truck that was behind
Wasco County Deputy Ray
Swiger, he reported. He
turned around and overtook Randall arrived and Swiger
told him the OSP vehicle did
the Jeep at milepost 7, the
driver of the Jeep was travel- not have enough clearance to
continue.
ing approximately 85 miles
About five miles from the
per hour before turning west
onto Eightmile Road. Swiger forest boundary, Randall’s
SUV got stuck in the snow
activated emergency lights
and siren but the driver kept and the tracks continued.
By Jacob Bertram
Columbia Gorge News
“I know this area very
original terms and conditions going at approximately 60
contributing $266,739.68
well and suspected the
to show a decrease in the
mph, failing to drive within
from its own coffers.
driver was also stuck a short
bond’s interest rate, amorti-
her lane, Swiger reported.
During the meeting,
The City of White Salmon
distance from us,” Swiger
“Due to the reckless
Councilor Jan Ransier ques- zation factor, and principal
approved the closing of
said. A snowcat driver from
driving I observed prior to
United States Department
tioned why the meeting was amount, which cut the city’s
attempting to stop the driver, the Columbia Gorge Power
of Agriculture (USDA) loan
agreed-upon monthly pay-
labeled as a special meet-
Sledders responded to assist
I decided to engage in a
documents and acknowl-
ments by just over 65-per-
ing, to which City Clerk Jan
cent. The city was originally
edged the Jewett Street Water Brending said it was about
timing, saying if the action
approved for a $3.19 million
Main Improvement project
bond.
as complete during a special had waited until the Mar.
3 council meeting, the city
The approval of such ac-
meeting of the city council
would have had to pay more tion items mark the culmina-
last Thursday.
As part of the final closing in interest due to the different tion of a years-long effort to
closing deadlines with USDA replace water main lines that
process, White Salmon City
and North Cascade Bank, the run along Jewett Boulevard
Councilors unanimously
city’s interim financier.
approved a resolution and
in White Salmon’s downtown
“So the timing here is very core. The project saw 12-inch
ordinance issuing a water
revenue bond in the amount tricky,” said Brending. “It’s
water mains replace thinner
not uncommon to have a
of $2,731,000. The bond will
rural areas.
lines, which were nearing the
By Kirby Neumann-Rea
Columbia Gorge News
special meeting, particularly end of their service life and
then be used to secure the
“Our previous efforts to
USDA loan and pay back the for these USDA loans.”
bring these issues to your
had been historically a source
The issuance of a water
principal payments on the
of leaks. The replacement of
State Sen. Chuck Thomsen attention have gone unac-
USDA loan which funded the revenue bond replaces the
those mains with larger ones (R-Pine Grove) said he and
knowledged. Thus, we are
interim financing with a per- help for fire flow, according
water main project.
fellow Republicans will be
protesting today’s floor ses-
The bond has a lifetime
to project documents, and
in attendance as scheduled,
manent financing solution,
sion. In this show of solidarity
of 40 years and will bear a
decrease water pressure,
virtually or in-person, when
said Scott McJannet, repre-
with Oregonians who are
1.75-percent interest rate on sentative with K&L Gates,
which city officials cited as
the Oregon Legislature’s work being failed by the current
the unpaid principal amount, which prepared the bond
a health hazard to City staff
week starts March 1.
direction of your policies, we
which the city will pay back
working on the system, and
Thomsen described as
hope this action conveys the
paperwork.
monthly, according to the
exasperate the leaks.
symbolic the one-day walk-
importance of these issues.”
“It’s a very clean reso-
ordinance.
Additional fire hydrants
Thomsen has booked a
lution and USDA came
out on Thursday by 11 State
In total, the project, with
motel room for two or three
through very nicely this week were installed along Jewett
Senators. The Hood River
construction performed by
nights per week in March as
adjusting down the payment boulevard and pressure-re-
County legislator character-
Crestline Construction and
the Senate and House mem-
schedule and the interest
ducing valve systems were in- ized the walkout as being
project management by
rate, so you’re well-packaged stalled on Jewett Boulevard,
a statement about what
bers move to a twice-weekly
Walla Walla-based Anderson in,” said McJannet. In council Vine street, and Oak street.
the GOP feels is excessive
schedule.
Perry & Associates, under-
documents, an email from a
executive authority by the
Through February, the
USDA representative shows
Democratic Gov. Kate Brown legislators were scheduled to
went six change orders and
regarding COVID regulations. hold business one day a week
had a final price-tag just shy that the USDA office for Rural
Development amended the
“We’d (Republicans) like
at the Capitol, on alternat-
of $3 million, with the city
to help out but they have
ing days in order to reduce
taken that power away. It was the number of legislators
a one-day deal just to make
and their staff needed to
a point,” Thomsen said. He
be present in the building.
added that “everyone was
Eastern Oregon legislators
doing committee work, they have not been expected to be
just didn’t show up for the 11 physically present, due to the
a.m. roll call.”
coronavirus and the restrict-
According to a story in
ed working conditions and
Series begins
the Portland newspaper The schedules that come with it.
posts and other material.”
7-8 a.m.
Oregonian, the 11 absent
Takeaways from these
“The most
Where quorums are need-
Friday, March 5
GOP Senate caucus members ed, the “close-in” legislators
sessions include making
popular
signed a letter to the gover-
professional-level multime-
posts on
— Willamette Valley and
The Dalles Area Chamber
social media dia pieces in less than two
Portland — have shown up
of Commerce has teamed
nor in which they insisted
are pictures
to make sure of quorums, he
up with the Small Business
minutes, adding depth and
she “immediately reopen
and videos,
said.
Development Center at
interest to your boring social schools because science
and with a
Thomsen said he has been
Columbia Gorge Community
media posts, transforming
says it’s safe,” and increase
few easy (and ordinary photos into works of the amount of COVID-19
to the Capitol only once since
College to bring national-
Beth Z
free!) tech
the session started, a day he
art, and creating infographics vaccines available to older
ly-known speaker Beth Z
tools, you can transform your for little to no cost.
preferred to make personal
Oregonians, especially in
to The Dalles. She will be
messages into share-worthy
Sign up at thedallescham-
presenting “29 Tech Tools
graphics that will put your
to Create Cool Content for
ber.com/nerdy-z-virtual-
organization out in front,”
Social Media.”
event. For more information,
Anyone interested is invit- said a press release. “This ac- contact The Dalles Area
tion-packed session will give Chamber of Commerce at
ed to sign up for a two-part
session for $10 (usually $39). you dozens of sites and apps 541-296-2231 or marketing@
that will help you elevate the thedalleschamber.com.
The series is scheduled for
quality of your social media
March 5 and March 12 from
White Salmon accepts
water main project
as complete
■
and the operators located
the Jeep and driver about a
mile west of where Swiger
and Randall were stuck.
They were picked up by the
snowcat and provided a ride
to the Jeep’s location. The
driver was attempting to get
the Jeep unstuck by driving
it back and forth. The driver
was taken into custody with-
out incident, Swiger said.
“The driver admitted the
reason she attempted to
elude was because she knew
she had a warrant for her
arrest. The driver told me
the reason she crossed into
my lane was she fell asleep,”
he reported. The snowcat
operators hooked up to the
Jeep and transported officers
and arrestee to USFS Road
44 where they were met by
Wasco Deputy Nolan Ward,
who transported the driver
and lodged Jody Lee Speck,
50, at NORCOR on charges of
attempting to elude, reckless
endangering, reckless driv-
ing, and the parole violation.
The Jeep, which was a rental,
was towed for safe keeping.
The snowcat operators took
the officers back to the stuck
patrol SUV and pulled it out.
Chuck Thomsen: one-
day GOP walkout ‘just
to make a point’
■
Nationally-known speaker
comes (virtually) to TD
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phone or Zoom.
As of this week, the Senate
will gather Wednesday and
Thursday and the House
on Monday and Tuesday,
according to Thomsen.
Legislators have conduct-
ed business remotely, and
Thomsen, a pear orchardist,
attempts to maintain distinct
“Salem” hours while working
from home. He joked that it
does not always work, saying,
“Everyone expects me to do
two full-time jobs,” since he is
present at the Eastside Road
ranch almost all the time.
Thomsen also said he
has been surprised and
disappointed at the lack of
apparent participation via
Zoom in the business of the
Legislature by rural residents.
“It’s really difficult working
bills virtually. The lobby’s not
involved, agencies are not
necessarily involved,” he said.
“We had 300 people sign up
to talk about one gun bill and
we made it through between
50-100 and that’s all the time
we had.
"You don’t get all that
public testimony. I thought
more people would get in on
Zoom, and it would be easier
for the Pendleton or Ontario
people to go on, but I’m see-
ing less public input.”
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