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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 17, 2015)
Special Section Inside ‘S KATE AND D ESTROY ’ W EEKEND E DITION Roller Girls Roll Out A7 Official Newspaper, City of Hood River and Hood River County MLK Day HOOD RIVER, OREGON ■ Vol. 109, No. 5 SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2015 3 Sections, 22 Pages www.hoodrivernews.com CL City Council approves water rights transfer for Nestlé plant Music Man Riverside Church hosts Monday celebration Gorge residents are invited to participate in a musical celebra- tion of the life, work and dreams of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday at 6:30 p.m. The theme of this year’s celebra- tion, sponsored by Gorge Ecumeni- cal Ministries (GEM) is “The Dreams of Martin Luther King Jr. Live On: Building a Community With Justice for All.” The event will feature music from a commu- nity-wide Gospel Choir, directed by local musician Tim Mayer. The musical event will be pre- ceded by a potluck dinner for friends and members of GEM, which will begin at 5 p.m. “On the MLK holiday we will gather to reflect upon and celebrate the spirit-filled, justice-oriented work of King,” said Rev. Vicky Stifter. “We will also lift up the in- justice and unfulfilled dreams that exist in the lives of many in our own community.” In addition to HOLIDAY the music, sever- CLOSURES al area youth will Page A2 share words of inspiration and challeng e and participants will have an opportu- nity to create and share their own “I Have a Dream” message. The MLK events will take place at Riverside Community Church, located at 4th and State Streets in downtown Hood River. They are free of charge and open to the pub- lic. Donations will be accepted to support GEM’s work with children and youth, including Peace Village, an interfaith program that intro- duces children and youth in our communities to the principles and experience of non-violent conflict resolution. 75 cents about it. We’re doing our due dili- gence on it,” explained Rick Kepler, water quality/quantity manager for ODFW. “We haven’t made any deci- sions on it. We have to have more in- By BEN MITCHELL ternal discussions.” News staff writer Cascade Locks has been trying to Cascade Locks took another step get the Nestlé plant up and running forward this week to bring Nestlé to for several years — a project seen by the city by approving an application city officials both past and present as for a transfer of water rights that a potential boon for the local econo- will ultimately help supply spring my by providing jobs and tax rev- water for a proposed water bottling enue. However, the proposal has plant. been tied up for the past few years With four due to legal members vot- challenges ing, a unani- from environ- mous decision mental groups was made by such as BARK the Cascade and Food and Locks City Water Watch Council Mon- who view the day night to proposal as move forward harmful to the with a water Gorge. rights cross Originally, transfer appli- the city and RICK KEPLER, ODFW cation that the ODFW had city will sub- planned to do mit to the Ore- a gallon-per- gon Water Re- gallon “water sources Department. The applica- exchange” without touching their re- tion would involve the permanent spective water rights. However, due transfer of 0.5 cubic feet per second to the ongoing legal challenges, both of the city’s ground water right for the city and Nestlé began looking for 0.5 cfs of Oregon Department of a way to expedite the process. Fish and Wildlife’s water right to Dave Palais, natural resource Oxbow Spring, located just south of manager for Nestlé Waters North the Oxbow Hatchery on the east side America, said the corporation has of Cascade Locks. The spring water been working with Martha Pagel, a would then be sold by the city to former director of both the Depart- Nestlé for bottling at the yet-to-be- ment of State Lands and the Oregon built plant. Water Resources Department who However, ODFW also has to sub- now specializes in water rights law mit their own application for the as an attorney for the Portland firm cross transfer along with the city Schwabe, Williamson and Wyatt. and so far, have not fully committed Palais said Pagel “identified the to doing so. cross transfer as a potential alterna- “They’ve suggested this alterna- tive, however, we’re still thinking See NESTLE, Page A8 City to file application, ODFW still on the fence Photo by Kirby Neumann-Rea MARK STEIGHNER reviews music and words Thursday in a chorale work his singers are learning in the original German. Steighner in his teaching focuses not just on the sound and structure of music but its his- tory and context – and correct pronunciation. Mark Steighner honored today as Oregon Music Educator of the Year By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA News editor A big award and official re- tirement. Mark Steighner accepted congratulations from Hood River County School Board Wednesday for the Oregon Music Educators Association award as Oregon’s Outstand- ing Music Educator of the Year. Human Resources director Kevin Noreen also informed the board that Steighner would retire in June after nearly 40 years in education. On Thursday after noon, Steighner was teaching his se- nior chorale the finer details of German pronunciation and definitions as they prepared music by 19th century com- p o s e r Jo s e f R h e i n b e r g e r. Steighner paused over one particular word he wanted his students to grasp. “Gemutlichkeit – it’s about a kind of calm joy, but it’s more than that – it’s that sense of true happiness in the moment,” Steighner said. “It’s a wonderful feeling and one I hope you can experi- ence.” Saturday night might be Steighner’s own opportunity to experience the warm glow of the moment, when he is formally recognized at the Oregon Music Educator Asso- ciation’s annual conference at the Eugene Hilton. T h e O M E A c o m p e t i t ive award recognizes an individ- ual whose commitment to stu- dents and quality teaching represents the highest stan- dards of the music education profession, according to Rich Polkinghorn, HRVHS princi- p a l , wh o a p p e a r e d w i t h Steighner Wednesday night at the School Board meeting to ‘They’ve suggested this alternative, however, we’re still thinking about it. We’re doing our due diligence on it.’ t S p o t l i g h ‘Dependable’ Ron Dunn is a familiar, friendly a t u r d a y See STEIGHNER, Page A8 A weekly series about a day in the life ... face in the Rosauers produce department By TRISHA WALKER News staff writer Photos by Trisha Walker RON DUNN has been with Rosauers for 18 years, the past eight of those as a produce clerk. Dunn is known for calling his customers by their first names and his cheerful, helpful attitude. Dunn frequently helps customers, answering questions or personally taking them to an item. Here, he talks to Julie Cantrell about the store’s lettuce and herbs. A2 — The Ale List A3 — Entertainment A4 — Viewpoint, How to Help A6 — Obituaries A7 — Sports A9 — Happenings, Legals A10 – Business Card Billboard GC – Gorge Classifieds 05105 97630 See RON, Page A2 Three To Go LOOK INSIDE 7 Ron Dunn knows a lot of people. That’s not surprising. The 1989 Hood River Valley High School graduate has lived in the Hood River area all his life, now residing in Dee. Add to that his regular customers at Rosauers Supermarket, where he works as a produce clerk, and he might just know the whole town. Those relationships are his favorite part of the job. “I love working with the public, interacting with people — that’s why I love my job,” Dunn said. He likens Rosauers to “Cheers” — it’s a place where everybody knows your name. “I’m a big first name-basis person,” he said. “I’m big on helping the customer, encouraging them, smiling and making my day better, for them as well if I can.” 3 Benton, Hamada named ‘Hearts of Gold’ Warming Shelter moves to former Expo Center Volunteer tax preparers needed Don Benton and Dr. Paul Hamada are the 2014 recipients of the Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital annual Hearts of Gold awards. Hearts of Gold happens at Best Western Hood River Inn and is open to the public. Guests will be treated to a cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvre, a dinner, live music and a short program from the foundation. A limited number of tickets ($75 per person) are avail- able and can be purchased by calling 541-387- 6242. All proceeds benefit the expansion of can- cer services at Providence Hood River for pa- tients and their families. Beginning Jan. 25, the Hood River Warming Shelter will move to the Expo Center (405 Portway Ave) thanks to a partnership with the Port Com- mission. The Shelter will be housed there through March 8, the final date of the shelter sea- son. Currently, the shelter is housed at five loca- tions around Hood River on a rotating basis. Volunteers and the rest of the community are invited to an open house on Friday, Jan. 23, 5:30- 7:30 p.m. at the Expo Center. Questions about donations, volunteer opportu- nities, or the homeless in our community can be directed to Rev. Anna Car michael (revan- nacar michael@gmail.com) or Andy Wade (hrws@hoodrivercares.com). For over 35 years in the Gorge, the AARP Tax- Aide program has been operating with volun- teers to prepare taxes for senior citizens and low to moderate income persons free of charge. Volunteers are needed to join the program. There are six days of training in January over a two-week period in The Dalles. After that, pass- ing a test is required for certification. Self-study or online training is also available. Tax-Aide ser- vices are provided in Hood River, White Salmon, The Dalles and Tygh Valley with a minimum four-hour per week commitment requested. There’s lots of support and collaboration; re- turns are done using Tax-Wise on provided lap- tops. For details call Ronell Currie, 541-478-3461.