Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (May 2, 2015)
FISH Moves Food drive May 9 – A13 Gorge &ROXPELD 5LYHU %XVLQHVV 5HYLHZ May 2015 Covering Gorge Business Volume 7, No. 5 Reach Out and Read (pg. 16) True Value marks 75 years (pg. 6) Willamette Week Beer Awards Page 7 SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE W EEKEND E DITION Vol. 109, No. 35 HOOD RIVER, OREGON Official Newspaper, City of Hood River and Hood River County ■ SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2015 I IN N NEPAL N E P A L www.hoodrivernews.com By PATRICK MULVIHILL News staff writer Photo courtesy of Peter Marbach DAMAGE to Kumari clinic after the earthquake that rocked the Asian nation of Nepal. Leader asks for help after village with connections to Hood River is hit hard by last month’s earthquake News editor “Kumari people are in big diffi- cult situation and all your supports and help will big relief at this mo- ment.” Those words are from Jagat Lama of Kumari, Nepal, a village assisted in the past two years by Hood River residents. Kumari suffered heavy damage in last week’s devastating earth- quake to the Himalayan nation. From one of its young leaders comes a message of despair, mixed with hope, from inside a nation that has seen 7-10,000 people killed and thousands more displaced in the capital of Katmandu as well as remote villages that have been ex- tensively damaged or wiped out. Jagat, who founded the school and clinic in Kumari, contacted Jim Haun and Peter Marbach of HELP FOR NEPAL Peter Marbach said the best way to help is to donate to Health and Education 4 Nepal. through this link: www.healthanded4nepal.org. “This is Jagat’s main non-profit partner in the U.S. This will ensure ever dollar goes directly to relief ef- forts in Kumari,” Marbach said. “Compassion needs to be matched with action. There is an overwhelming immediate need for supplies of food, water and tempo- rary shelter.” Hood River this week. (Hood River News profiled visits by Marbach in 2013 and by Haun and Dr. James Pennington in 2014 and early 2015.) Notes Haun, “For me, as I think would be the case for many others, S p o t l i g h t a t u r d a y 3 Sections, 46 Pages Port of CL plans upgrades for next decade of BOTG THE NEED By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA 75 cents it makes it feel all the more real. The list of supplies is absolutely necessary, but hearing how Jagat is feeling, his fear and desperation at the most intimate level, really be- ings it home. “It’s not just another disaster in another faraway place. It part of an ongoing relationship between Ku- mari and Hood River,” Haun said. Marbach said, “It’s such a kick in the gut for those of us who have been there and experienced the warmth and gentle nature of the people of Kumari. “In the best of times they were living on the margins of existence but there was a peaceful rhythm to life. Now there is so much fear and uncertainty.” Jagat wrote: “Our Kumari road is blocked at this moment and we cannot drive See NEPAL, Page A10 The Port of Cascade locks is eyeing computerized and physical upgrades to speed up and revital- ize operations at the Bridge of the Gods over the next decade. The Cascade Locks Port Com- mission shared its 10-year plan for the Bridge of the Gods at a com- munity meeting Thursday, in which they outlined the costs re- quired for upkeep of the bridge’s deck and metal structure, as well as proposed electronic tolling up- grades. The proposed bridge budget from 2015 to 2025 is $8.3 million. Deck, plate and spot repairs ac- counted for more than $4 million out of that total, which Port of Cascade Locks President Jess Groves referred to as “the main puppy” in physical expenses. The costs would be dispersed in bursts over the next ten years, subject to state and federal grants. The port commission’s primary discussion on Thursday, however, focused on the million dollar chunk relegated to electronic up- grades, which would partially au- tomate the tolling process and po- tentially make for smoother, faster bridge crossings. Currently, the tollhouse relies on human employees equipped with paper and pen. For truck crossings, an operator has to look out the window to count each truck’s axles and look past “mud flaps,” said Groves. All vehicle crossings are still logged on a clip- board. Groves said the upgrades would “get us up to date with the real world as far as the system’s con- cerned.” Groves said the new sys- tem would still require a human operator, but axle-checking, log- ging and other functions would be See PORT, Page A10 CGCC faculty censures Toda Faculty at Columbia Gorge Community College voted by a wide margin on April 25 to submit a letter to the CGCC Board of Ed- ucation censuring college Presi- dent Frank Toda and calling for his resignation. The letter of censure will be submitted to the CGCC board of education in its next meeting, May 12, 6 to 8 p.m. at The Dalles cam- pus. “This official vote was conduct- ed by each of the nine department chairs in exactly the same manner as the vote of no confidence made in September 2013,” said Tim Schell, who chairs the writing, lit- erature and foreign language de- partment at CGCC. “The vote was conducted at the faculty bi-annual in-service at The Dalles campus.” Of the 72 votes, 51 voted in favor of censure, 15 against and 6 ab- stained, Schell reported. “We believe that for the college See TODA, Page A11 A weekly series about a day in the life ... Doug Nichols ‘blessed’ at wastewater treatment plant BY TRISHA WALKER News staff writer Photos by Trisha Walker Doug Nichols, Project Manager for Hood River Public Works, has been in the wastewater treat- ment business since 1979. The “nuts and bolts” of the operation are his crew — with Nichols are Sara Horne, Gary Duree, Brent Tillett, Kelby Johnson, Bobby Green and Louie Hooks. Not pictured: Sean Desmond. Doug Nichols, Project Manager for Hood River Public Works, has a job that not many people understand: Waste- water treatment. “Wastewater treatment in general is a very misunder- stood public utility,” Nichols said. “It involves a variety of physical, chemical and biological processes and applied sci- ences. A lot of people have no idea what transpires at a treat- ment plant, or perhaps aren’t even aware of where the water goes when they shower or flush their toilet.” It’s a fairly complex process, but basically, what happens is this: Wastewater gets funneled through the city’s sewer sys- tem, where it eventually ends up at the treatment plant. From there, it’s prescreened, de-gritted (the pipes tend to have a lot of gravel in them), and put through a series of clarification and aeration systems where microbes do their work before the water is pumped back into the Columbia River. It’s a process that mimics what happens in nature — in a very concentrated time period. The plant treats an average See DOUG, Page A11 Four To Go ‘Wild’ screens May 9 in CL A free community screening of the movie based upon the bestselling novel “Wild,” by Cheryl Strayed, is planned for May 9 at the Marine Park Pavilion, Cascade Locks. There will be a social at 5 p.m. and the movie will begin at 6 p.m. The event is co-spon- sored by the Pacific Crest Trail Association, Port of Cascade Locks, Hood River County Library District, and Thunder Island Brewing. Because the movie is rated R, anyone under the age of 18 will need to be accompanied by an adult. Beer will be sold by Thun- der Island Brewing. For more information, contact the Hood River County Library District at 541-386-2535. 7 05105 97630 3 Dalles Dam visitor center reopens for summer Latino Council meets May 6 Parking restricted on State Street May 7-15 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers invites guests to visit The Dalles Dam this summer. The dam’s visitor center will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays through Sundays from May 1 until Memorial Day, and then every day through Labor Day. The visitor center will then be open Fridays through Sundays until it closes for the season Sept. 27. The visitor center has many interactive displays, a short film on the benefits and impacts of the dam, and a bookstore offering local in- formation and treasures. Pre-registration for tours is encouraged, as space is limited. Call 541-506-7857. Hood River Mayor Paul Blackburn’s Latino Advisory Council will hold its month- ly meeting on May 6 at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall. Topics will include the City budget process, the on- going housing study, and the Sister City possibilities with Colotlan, Jalisco. “All are welcome. Espero que ven- gas,” Blackburn said. A section of sidewalk will be removed and replaced on the south side of State Street in front of the State Street parking lot May 7 until May 15. During this time there will be no parking on the south side of State Street in front of the parking lot. Permitted parking will be allowed only on the south side of the parking lot. There will be no parking on the north side of the lot. Vehicles with parking per- mits issued for the north side of the lot will be allowed to park in marked spaces throughout the downtown area during the construction period.