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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 2015)
Travelogue Rivers and mountains of Peru HOOD RIVER, OREGON Official Newspaper, City of Hood River and Hood River County M IDWEEK E DITION B1 Vol. 109, No. 6 ■ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015 P U N C H L I S T News staff writer A call for public input on a plan to de- velop a county park around Punchbowl Falls has been warmly received by area residents, hundreds of which have al- ready provided feedback on what the fu- ture should hold for the popular water- fall near Dee. Approximately 60 people turned up to a public forum held in the County Busi- ness Administration Building on Tues- Heather Staten Josh Kling News staff writer A music venue planned for construc- tion in Dee can now move forward after a local land use watchdog group made the decision to not continue pursuing an ap- peal it had filed against the project. DeeTour, a concert amphitheater and event space that is to be located at the old mill site in Dee, had been the subject of an appeal by the Hood River Valley Resi- dents Committee, who had raised con- Speakers call for continued efforts to fulfill Dr. King’s vision of justice By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA News editor Photo by Kirby Neumann-Rea SINGER EVELYN CHARITY leads the Community Gospel Choir in the spiritual “Oh, Freedom,” during Monday’s Martin Luther King Day event at Riverside Community Church. Readings and music filled the ec- umenical service, attended by about 200 people. lowing a potluck, about 250 people filled the sanctuary of the church. Mayor Paul Blackburn wel- comed the cong re g ation, speaking first in Spanish. “If he were to look around in 2015, Dr. King would be proud at what we have done and crestfallen at the ongoing challenges,” Blackburn said, citing police violence and dis- proportionate African-Ameri- can male prison population, marriage inequality, health insurance inaccessibility, challenges to legal residency, and human impacts on cli- mate. “We are challenged by our nightmares, but our dreams live on,” Boonstra said, adding his hopes that citizens will continue to dream of love between brothers and sisters, peace between the ways of nonviolence and the sources of power, and for a healthy planet. He cited the nightmares of families separated, immi- grants who must drive illegal- ly to get to work and take their children to school, peaceful communities shattered by too easy access to drugs, neigh- bors unable to access afford- able health care, gun violence, and “a groaning planet.” “I hope you remember any- thing at all about tonight is that the person sitting next to you is a dreamer just like Please see KING, Page A2 WALDEN TOWN HALL U.S. Rep. Greg Walden listens as high school stu- dents urge him to put a high priority on climate change, during Saturday’s town hall at Hood River Adult Center, attended by about 75 people. HRVHS junior Charley Boonstra, in purple shirt, spoke, and a group of about 20 adults from the Columbia Gorge Climate Change Network stood in silence holding symbols of nature. Immigration and health care were other hot topics at the town hall, Walden’s first in Oregon this year, and second in Hood River in the past two months. Hood River News will carry a re- port on the town hall in the Jan. 24 edition. Photo by Kirby Neumann-Rea A3 — Entertainment A4 — Viewpoint A5 — Greater Gorge A6 — Obituaries, Police Log A7-8 — Sports A10 — Family Dinner Project B2 — Maija Yasui B6 —Happenings B7 — Classifieds, Legals 05105 97630 cerns over “deficiencies” in the project application that the organization felt weren’t properly addressed, particularly stormwater and traffic issues. The appeal was heard by the Hood River County Planning Commission in December, where it stalled after the com- mission was unable to arrive at enough votes to make a decision. HRVRC could have continued to the next step of the Please see DEE, Page A9 Benton, Hamada named 2014 ‘Hearts of Gold’ It’s been said that cer- uals in our community. ■ tain individuals have a Dr. Hamada changed “heart of gold.” These people make a difference the lives of people in our and enrich the communi- community through more ty through their good than 40 years of service as works and selfless dedica- a physician in Hood River. tion. They act from the In 1970, he was one of just eight physicians hear t and are practicing in driven to help our area. There others. are now more Each year, than 100. He Providence helped establish Hood River an emergency Memorial Hospi- room, intensive tal Foundation care unit and honors a com- other services munity member and was the only and a health care internist in the professional whose golden Dr. Paul Hamada C o l u m b i a Gorge, serving hear ts shine brightly. This year’s recip- patients as far away as ient are Don Benton and Yakima and Bend. For many years, he took calls Dr. Paul Hamada. The annual Hearts of 365 days per year. His pa- Gold Celebration benefits tients had a unique care an expansion of cancer experience, as Dr. Hamada services offered at Provi- and his wife and office dence Hood River Memor- manager, Cathy, served ial Hospital. Hearts of them like family. ■ Gold happens 6 p.m., Sat- The Hearts of urday, Mar. 7, at Gold Celebra- Best Wester n tion is open to Hood River the public and is Inn,1108 E. Mari- known as one of na Way, Hood Hood River’s River finest events. In Benton is well addition to hon- known in the Co- oring Hearts of lumbia Gorg e Gold award win- for volunteering ners, guests will his time. After be treated to a 26 years in the Don Benton lovely evening Navy and 10 featuring a cock- years working civilian jobs, he decided to tail reception with hors continue working – just d’oeuvres, a classic din- not for money. He joined ner, live music and a short his first non-profit board program from the founda- in 2001 and now is a mem- tion. A limited number of ber of more than a dozen tickets ($75 per person) are non-profit boards and ad- available and can be pur- visory committees for chased by calling 541-387- such organizations as The 6242. All proceeds benefit Next Door, Inc., Opportu- the expansion of cancer nity Connections, Helping services at Providence Hands Against Violence Hood River for patients and United Way. He truly and their families. Phil gives his time, talent and Hukari and Dr. Stephan treasure to improve the Coffman were the 2013 re- quality of life for individ- cipients. Three To Go LOOK INSIDE 7 T w o U p p e r V a l l e y L a n d U s e P r o p o s a l s By BEN MITCHELL ‘Our dreams live on’ In music, in readings, and in a challenge to keep on working for justice, a capaci- ty congregation celebrated the life and work of Dr. Mar- tin Luther King Monday at Riverside Community Church. “We celebrate dreams that are sometimes challenged by nightmares,” Rev. John Boonstra said, invoking the “I have a dream” speech in 1963 by King in Washington, D.C. In what is now an annual event, the Community Gospel Choir sang and led songs by the congregation, adults and children read words of Dr. King, and John Lennon’s “Imagine” was sung a capella by HRVHS stu- dents AnneLise Acosta, Olivia Newcomb, and Caitlyn Fick. It was a reprise of their 2014 performance at the same event, billed as “MLK’s Dream Lives on: Building a Community of Justice for All” and organized by Gorge Ecumenical Ministries. Fol- www.hoodrivernews.com Developer says timeline for music venue TBD day night that was led by Hood River Valley Residents Committee, a local land use watchdog group, and West- ern Rivers Conservancy, a Portland conservation group that owns the land around Punchbowl Falls. In addition to the forum, Heather Staten, executive director of HRVRC, said that within the first week, over 400 people had completed an online Please see PARK, Page A9 2 Sections, 22 Pages DeeTour can proceed Punchbowl Falls park idea sees a flurry of feedback By BEN MITCHELL 75 cents 3 Mid Valley community meeting Jan. 22 Mid Valley Elementary staff, par- ents and community members are invited to the school library on Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the qualities and attributes they would like to see in the school’s next principal. Principal Dennis McCauley will retire at the end of June. He came to the Hood River County School Dis- trict, and to Mid Valley Elementary, in August 2004. Superintendent Dan Goldman will lead the evening forum. Author Molly Gloss reads Jan. 25 United Way packets available now Waucoma Bookstore and the Friends of the Library are hosting Molly Gloss for an author reading at the Hood River Library on Sunday at 2 p.m. Gloss will dis- cuss her new book, “Falling From Horses.” Books will be available to purchase at the event. In a new novel from the best- selling author of “The Hearts of Horses “and “The Jump-Off Creek,” a young ranch hand es- capes a family tragedy and trav- els to 1938 Hollywood to become a stunt rider. The presentation is free and open to the public. The 2015 United Way of the Columbia Gorge (UWCG) Allocations Application Pack- ets will be available through Feb. 12 from the United Way of the Columbia Gorge office. Any non-profit 501(c)(3) human service pro- gram addressing basic human needs in Hood River, Klickitat, Sherman, Skamania and Wasco Counties is welcome to apply. All appli- cations must be completed and mailed to the UWCG office by Feb. 13, to be considered for funding. For more information or to request an elec- tronic copy of the application please contact: Alison Church, Campaign/Allocations Man- ager, United Way of the Columbia Gorge, 541- 386-6100, or alijchurch@gmail.com.
