6
Columbia Gorge News
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
www.columbiagorgenews.com
Puncture
Vine
control
advised
Armed subject shoots
out street lamps in HR
At approximately 3:17 a.m.,
Hood River Police officers
responded to a nuisance call
regarding a subject yelling
and throwing fireworks in the
100 block of E. State Street.
Hood River Police responded
to the area and found a male,
later identified as Herbert
Victor Blount, 38, of Tyrone,
Ga., running with a shotgun.
Blount began running
through downtown while
police attempted to give him
verbal commands, said a
press release. Blount contin-
ued to fire multiple rounds at
streetlights as he ran away.
Police officers, with assis-
tance from the Hood River
County Sheriff’s Office and
Oregon State Police, began
searching for Blount.
Law enforcement officers
located Blount near Sherman
and Seventh Street; he
continued to fire rounds, and
one deputy was hit by shot-
gun pellets. The deputy was
not injured, said the press
release. There were also no
injuries to the general public
reported.
Police and deputies lost
sight of Blount and organized
a widespread search as more
resources came on scene.
Personnel from The Dalles
City Police and Sherman
County Sheriff’s Office
assisted as well.
Blount was located by a
sheriff’s office airplane on
the Indian Creek Trail at
5:41 a.m. Blount was found
deceased from an apparent
self-inflicted gunshot wound.
No shots were fired by law
enforcement during this
incident.
Those with information
related to the incident are
asked to call Hood River
Police Detective Erin Mason
at 541-387-5256.
This is an ongoing
investigation.
A shattered street lamp globe lays in pieces on the side-
walk in Hood River.
Photo courtesy William Cotter
City of The Dalles Codes
Enforcement is addressing proper-
ties with puncture vine, commonly
known as goat head, in violation of
The Dalles Municipal Code.
City codes enforcement officer
advises property owners to not mow
or use a weed trimmer to remove
puncture vine as it will spread seeds
and increase growth of this noxious
vegetation.
When removing puncture vine,
dig up plants carefully, bag them
carefully and dispose of them in
the trash. Spraying with chemical
control for puncture vine will reduce
spreading.
Scenic Waterway
Since the spring, tour boats have resumed operations on the
Columbia River, and on-shore excursions to Gorge museums,
restaurants and other entertainment are now back as well.
Above, an American Cruise Line ship is met by a quartet of buses
while docked at the Port of Hood River in a panorama by Mark B.
Gibson, Columbia Gorge News. American Cruise Lines offer three
cruise itineraries as far upstream as Clarkston, Wash. One also
includes the Snake River. At right, the Queen of the West heads
downstream past The Dalles July 4, with St. Peter’s Landmark and
Mount Hood in the background. Queen of the West is also oper-
ated by American Cruise Lines and has been renovated with up-
grades to passenger staterooms, lounges, galley and the engine
room.
Photo Courtesy Gary Elkinton
School board passes 2026 Strategic Plan
Trisha Walker
■ By Columbia
Gorge News
continued collaboration and
work throughout the school
year,” said Superintendent
Six of the seven Hood
Rich Polkinghorn.
River County School Board
A recording of the work
members met at Parkdale
session is available for public
Elementary July 14 for its
viewing at www.youtube.
regularly scheduled board
com/watch?v=uBaVxdaz-ow.
meeting. The board unan-
The board later approved
imously elected Chrissy
adoption of the plan by a
Reitz as new chair and Julia
4-1 vote — voting “aye” were
Garcia-Ramirez to continue
Garcia-Ramirez, Corinda
as vice chair for the coming
Hankins Elliott, Reitz and
school year.
The meeting was a first for Brandi Sheppard; voting
“nay” was Kelly, with Hosford
Jen Kelly, at large member,
and Barb Hosford, position 2. abstaining.
Polkinghorn said the
Pre-meeting, the board
Vision 2020 strategic plan
spent time in executive
had been sunsetted at the
session discussing the 2026
Strategic Plan, which was up end of the 2020 school year.
Work on the 2026 plan began
for a vote that evening.
in October with a task force
“We had a great work
of school administrators, and
session today and I want to
then opened up for input by
take a moment to thank the
district stakeholders staff,
board for robust conversa-
students and parent groups.
tion and engagement as we
dug in on some pretty tough From March until May, those
ideas were developed into
topics — equity, planning,
seven goals, each with action
facilities, goal setting and
how to operate effectively as steps: Identify, target and
a board. I look forward to our close opportunity and access
Call your locally owned independent mortgage broker today.
Mike
Ellsworth
Ron Kurahara
Lorena
Salgado
Mike Ellsworth
Rachel
Lorena Herman
Salgado
Ron
Kurahara
James
Nygren
541-490-2832
541-490-4077
541-806-0107
541-490-2832
541-380-1440
541-806-0107
541-490-4077
541-892-8808
nmls nmls
114033
38028
nmls nmls
1216376
114033
nmls nmls
1837820
1216376
nmls nmls
38028
1691008
11 3rd Street, Suite 101, Hood River
541-436-4706
Company Nmls #1851593
hoodrivermortgage.com
gaps; graduate students from
high school ready for college,
career and community
success; implement rele-
vant, rigorous and engaging
learning opportunities;
establish high expectations
for academic and personal
growth for every student;
strengthen partnerships with
families and the community;
prioritize health and safety
as a critical component of
school success; and develop
a highlight qualified, diverse
and culturally proficient
workforce.
“I just want to say thank
you to everyone who was
involved in this strategic
planning, I know that it in-
volves not only staff from the
district but volunteers; there
were representatives from the
divisiveness among families
and students in our district
and my goal is for inclu-
siveness of everyone in our
district regardless of their
politics, skin color, culture, or
what have you. My goal is to
establish transparency and
maintain respect and trust
from all of our stakeholders.”
“There’s some things I’ve
been studying the last six
months that put me forward
into the motion of abstaining
my vote today — that may
have surprised you, but I
know the work that’s being
done is incredible, but I just
think we can be better,” said
Hosford. “And so that was my
vote. It has nothing to do with
content, it has a lot to do with
where I am, representing
my constituents here in the
board,” said Garcia-Ramirez.
“It takes a lot of work and
looking at every single piece
and everything we do in
the district, so I just want to
commend you and thank
you for that work.” She then
moved to approve the plan
as presented; Hankins Elliott
seconded the motion.
Later, Kelly said, “My
voting no was not the way I
wanted to start out my school
board career, but I felt like
I had to do it for a number
of reasons … I believe we’re
on the right track and we’re
doing good things. I vot-
ed no, however, because I
think the plan uses some
politically loaded terms and
ideology and I believe their
inclusion is unnecessary and
will propagate unnecessary
valley.”
Said Reitz, “It was really
hard to end last year without
having a new plan in place
because I really felt we kind
of were floating and it was
time, it had been five years.
And we’ve changed, a lot, in
five years. We should have
new and updated goals, and
places we want to be. So
thank you to your whole staff
and everyone who partici-
pated in creating the strategic
plan that I think is really
exciting for our district and
the kids in our community. It
really addresses the special
needs of every single one of
our kids that, unfortunately,
sometimes in education in
the past, not everybody did
get to have that individual-
ized thought.”
Hiring
Hiring
Wilkins,
Kaiser,
Compeve
wages Olsen Inc.
Paid Time Off
Compensaon
and benets include:
Medical/Dental/Vision/Prescripon
Insurance Offered
Compeve wages
Life Insurance
Paid Time Off
401K Tradional/Roth
Medical/Dental/Vision/Prescripon
Up to 4% 401K company
Insurance Offered
contribuon match
Life Insurance
401K Tradional/Roth
Up to 4% 401K company
contribuon match
Wilkins, Kaiser, Olsen Inc. is an
Equal Opportunity Employer
WKO lumber facility in Carson, Washington is
WKO lumber
facility in Carson,
expanding produco
expanding
production.
We are Washington
looking to is fill
We
are
looking
to
ll
mulple
posions
in
our
mutiple positions in our fast paced lumber fast
mill paced lumber m
for for day
shifts. If If interested
interested in in
any
day and
and night
night shis.
any
of of
these posions ple
these
positions
please
apply:
apply: lumber facility in Carson, Washington is expanding produco
WKO
We are looking to ll mulple posions in our fast paced lumber m
Forkli Driver
Forklift
Driver
for
day and
night shis. If interested in any of these posions plea
Log Yard Operator/ Equipment Operator
Log Yard Operator/ Equipment Operator
apply:
Millwright/Mechanic
Millwright/Mechanic
Forkli
Driver
Chain Puller
Chain Puller
Log
Yard
Cleanup Operator/ Equipment Operator
Cleanup
Millwright/Mechanic
job
Chain
Puller
Full
descriptions
and
required
application
ffi
be
Cleanup
can
obtained at
Job main
posngs
can located
also be at
found
on Wind
Indeed.com
the
office
2022
River Hwy.
Carson, WA 98610
ffi
•
•
•
•
•
Job
can also
also be be found
found
Indeed.com
Job postings
posngs can
on on
Indeed.com