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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (March 11, 2015)
Feasting on Words Literacy efforts fill pages – SPORTS M IDWEEK E DITION Ski Teams Win State – A7 B1 Official Newspaper, City of Hood River and Hood River County HOOD RIVER, OREGON ■ Vol. 109, No. 20 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015 75 cents 2 Sections, 24 Pages www.hoodrivernews.com Put a price on carbon, council votes DOUSE, AND REPEAT By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA News editor FIREFIGHTER RYAN WILLIS knocks out hotspots in bales of hay lost in Friday afternoon’s barn fire on Whiskey Flat Road near Odell, one of three fires in four days apparently connected to permitted burns. “Hay is notorious,” for hidden combustibility, Willis said. Firefighters from Wy’east Dis- trict and neighboring agencies prevented the fire from spreading to a nearby home. Dry conditions led fire officials to issue cautions about safe practices in carrying out burn permits. See page A11 for details. Local fire officials said they are considering moving up the restricted fire season to earlier than May 1 because of continued dry conditions throughout the Gorge. Hood River became the second city in Oregon to adopt a resolu- tion calling on the Oregon Legis- lature to enact laws creating a price on carbon as a means to stem global warming. “It’s a good statement, and it’s important, but we have been ig- noring it,” said councilor Kate McBride, prior to Monday night’s vote during the regular Council meeting. The resolution passed 5-1, with councilor Laurent Picard dissent- ing. Mayor Paul Blackburn joined councilors Peter Cor nelison, Becky Brun, Mark Zanmiller, and McBride in supporting the resolution, a non-binding one that urged the State Legislature to adopt laws putting a price on emissions by business and indus- try, while creating funds to offset the impact to consumers. The council had put out a call for public comment and heard from five people, including two representatives of Mt. Hood Meadows, the county’s largest employer, who said the fir m stands behind the resolution. “We support responsible cli- mate action, including advocacy toward curbing carbon emis- Laurent Picard Peter Cornelison “We have to make our voice count where it really matters,” councilor Lau- rent Picard, top. “This ini- tiative is to change behav- ior,” stated councilor Peter Cornelison. See CITY, Page A11 Police Department ‘grunt’ earns Legion award By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA News editor HEARTS of Gold recipients Dr. Paul Hamada, left, and Don Benton. Providence honors men of big Hearts More than 170 people, many in tears, stood to applaud Dr. Paul Hamada and Don Benton, the Hearts of Gold recipients for 2014, in Saturday’s event at Hood River Best Western Inn, according to Susan Frost of the Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital Foundation, which each year hon- ors a community member and a health care professional “whose golden hearts shine brightly.” The annual Hearts of Gold Cele- bration benefits an expansion of cancer services offered at Provi- dence. In addition to honoring Ben- ton and Hamada, over $50,000 was raised on Satuarday. Benton is well known in the Co- lumbia Gorge for volunteering his time. After 26 years in the Navy and 10 years working civilian jobs, he decided to continue working – just not for money. He joined his first non-profit board in 2001 and now is a member of more than a dozen non-profit boards and advisory committees for such organizations as The Next Door, Inc., Opportunity Connections, Helping Hands Against Violence and United Way. He truly gives his time, talent and treasure to improve the quality of life for individuals in our commu- nity. Dr. Hamada changed the lives of people in our community through more than 40 years of service as a physician in Hood River. In 1970, he was one of just eight physicians practicing in our area. There are now more than 100. He helped es- tablish an emergency room, inten- sive care unit and other services. Juan Pulido gives himself la- bels that, on the surface, seem unflattering. Grunt. Busybody. The guy that gets complaints. But the Hood River Police offi- cer wears the labels as proudly as the badge itself, and they con- tributed to his award last week as Officer of the Year, from the Hood River American Legion Auxiliary. Pulido gratefully, but modest- ly, accepted. “I don’t think I deserve it any more than anyone else,” Pulido said. “We have a great depart- ment of guys and we all have our roles. “I just love my job and the en- joyable experiences,” said Puli- do, an eight-year veteran of the department whose roles go be- yond his prolific record as patrol officer. In 2014 Pulido led the depart- ment in criminal citations, calls for service, and officer produc- Submitted photo AUXILIARY president Judy Osbourn gives the award to Officer Juan Pulido. At left is Chief Neal Holste. tivity, according to Chief Neal Hol- ste. “It’s been my job description to be the busybody,” Pulido said, “to get involved in peoples’ business when they don’t want us there, you know, to question the questionable. If someone is jogging down the street at 2 a.m. are they actual jog- See PULIDO, Page A11 Kyle Zuercher joins Hood River PD Photo by Kirby Neumann-Rea KYLE ZUERCHER take the oath Monday. Kyle Zuercher’s family was on hand Monday to see the 2004 HRVHS graduate sworn in as the city’s newest police officer. With Chief Neal Holste at his side, Zuercher took the oath from Mayor Paul Blackburn. Zuercher, an Air Force veteran, served in police and security capac- ities while in the service. He is nearly done with his Bachelor’s de- gree in psychology and criminolo- gy at Portland State University. Zuercher replaces Jake Ferrer, who spent the past four years with the department and was recently hired by Oregon State Patrol. Zuercher’s parents, Lannie and Cindy, did the honor of pinning on his badge. Four To Go WAAAM hosts ‘nose art’ author Join the Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum Satur- day for author Andretta Schellinger’s talks on the cultural influences behind airplane nose art. The 11 a.m. talk will be about how comics and cartoons influenced airplane nose artwork. The 1 p.m. talk will be more about the wide range of cultural influences, such as movies, TV, and fashion, that impacted airplane nose artwork. Schellinger will also be giving away promotional material for her forthcoming book “Nose Art on Military Aircraft” which is a continuation on her original work “From Knights to Skulls: The Cultural Evolution of Nose Artwork.” In addition to the two talks, the restoration shop will be open for a tour at noon for visitors to see the progress on the WAAAM 1938 Rear- win Speedster. The museum will have its airplanes and automobiles out and about. 7 05105 97630 3 Rooster Rock meeting cancelled Prom dress project needs donations Kids’ Campaign ends March 14 A public meeting for Rooster Rock State Park is scheduled for March 18 has been can- celled. It will be rescheduled for a later date.. Park staff with Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) are work- ing on options for the park that include improving the park en- trance and developing an acces- sible walking path along the Co- lumbia River, while maintain- ing existing park features. Yesenia Castro, Next Door, Inc Community Health Worker, has taken on the “Dress For Less” prom dress project started by Christine Keith several years ago. Castro now needs dress dona- tions. The current dress drop off location is at The Next Door Inc, on Tucker Road in Hood River. For more information go to : gorgepromdressproj.wix.com /prom-dress-project The 52nd annual Kids Subscription Campaign is winding down but there is still time to get in on the drawing for a $100 grocery gift card. Subscribers who open or renew the Hood River News will be eligible. It’s also a way to support your entrepreneurs, who get cash for every new sub- scription or renewal. Turn to page B12 for details.