New Principal
Kim Yasui
to Mid
Valley –
healthy
hood river
SPECIAL SECTION – A11-12
W EEKEND E DITION
Vol. 109, No. 39
A2
Official Newspaper, City of Hood River and Hood River County
HOOD RIVER, OREGON
■
SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015
By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA
News staff writer
Faculty members and a student
voiced strong concerns over safety
policies and procedures at Colum-
bia Gorge Community College fa-
cilities in Tuesday’s board meeting
at Indian Creek campus.
The matter centered on an April
29 incident involving an alleged at-
tack by a 50-year-old student on in-
structor Jim Pytel. The suspect has
since been trespassed from college
properties, and the college has cre-
ated a Facebook page featuring the
suspect’s photo.
Yet one student,
Ashley Platt, said
she has not been in-
formed of this re-
sponse, and has
never been shown
the photo.
“I don’ t know
Robb Van
about it. Nothing
Cleave
has been done to in-
form students,” said Pratt, who at-
tends Indian Creek.
“We’re not ignoring it,” chief op-
erations officer Robb Van Cleave
said.
“She’s a student and she has not
been informed,” responded Rob Ko-
vacich, who teaches at Indian
Creek.
In other business, CGCC presi-
dent Dr. Frank Toda told the board
he was fulfilling Policy 7/A by in-
forming them of an email he re-
ceived from faculty member Tim
Schell, notifying him that on April
25, the faculty had voted to censure
Toda, citing “budget mismanage-
ment; his inability to include facul-
ty and staff in a process to address
the current budgetary crisis; his
decision to close the Hood River In-
dian Creek Campus resulting in the
community’s lack of confidence in
Toda’ and other issues.”
Toda nor any board member
2 Sections, 22 Pages
www.hoodrivernews.com
Security concerns at CGCC
April 29 incident
prompts calls for
review of safety
policies, procedures
75 cents
made any comment on the letter
which, also cites “his dismissal of
key employees resulting in the col-
lege being understaffed to the point
where servicing students has be-
come a dire problem.”
The letter concludes, “Because
President Toda’s actions collective-
ly constitute a threat to the viabili-
ty of CGCC, the faculty asks that
the president resign immediately
and that the college initiate a na-
tional search for a new president.”
The CGCC board has taken no ac-
tion on the request.
Board chair man M.D. Van
Valkenburgh opened Tuesday’s
meeting by talking about the suc-
Ballots due
on Tuesday
Voters must turn in their
ballots by 8 p.m. Tuesday,
May 19 in the Hood River
County Special Districts
Election.
It is too late to mail your
ballot and be sure it makes it
in time to the Elections of-
fice; postmarks don’t count.
The two drop-off locations
(and any Hood River County
voter can drop it at either
place) are: the Hood River
County Building, Sixth and
State, or at Cascade City
Hall.
See CGCC, Page A10
Man pleads not guilty
to murder in 2009
Eagle Creek fall
By PATRICK MULVIHILL
News staff writer
Photo by Kirby Neumann-Rea
C ORNER O F R AND A ND C ANINE
S p o t l i g h t
All eyes are on Cobey the dog, who would not leave the car after a Tuesday afternoon two-car collision until his owner was
out. Paramedics and police could not coax Cobey out of the passenger seat until his owner, Jeff Alway, climbed over him –
the passenger door too damaged to open. “He’s sensitive and this just scared him more,” said Alway, of Stevenson, collid-
ed with Sally Harpe of Hood River, who was uninjured but cited for failure to obey a stop sign in the crash at Rand and Cas-
cade. Responders noted that it demonstrates the need for a traffic light at the intersection. Bettina Bardin-Brown, right,
came to retrieve Cobey and take care of him while his owner was checked out at the hospital. Alway was cited for having
no vehicle insurance.
a
t
u
r
d
a
y
A Bend man accused of killing
his girlfriend six years ago while
hiking Eagle Creek Trail pleaded
not guilty to murder Monday.
Stephen Wagner Nichols, 40, ap-
peared with his lawyer, Michael
Arnold, of Eugene, at the Hood
River County Courthouse on May
11 to plead not guilty to one count
of murder for the death of his girl-
friend, 23-year-old Rhonda Casto,
of Portland, according to court
records.
Nichols is scheduled to stand
trial in late May or June of next
year. His next pre-trial hearing be-
fore Circuit Court Judge John
Olson is scheduled for Aug. 3 at
the courthouse.
Officials were alerted to Casto’s
death at Eagle Creek Trail near
Cascade Locks in March 2009. Ac-
cording to a story in the March 18,
2009, edition of the News, Hood
River 911 received a call on March
16, 2009, from a man who reported
he had accompanied Casto on a
hike. He claimed Casto had died
after falling off a cliff on the trail.
Rescuers arrived shortly after and
found the body of Casto down an
embankment approximately 100
feet off the trail.
Nichols was charged with mur-
der via a secret indictment filed in
April 2014, accord-
ing
to
cour t
records—10
months before he
was ultimately ar-
rested in February.
Officers arrested
Nichols at San
Francisco Interna-
tional Airport on
Stephen
Feb. 2 on a nation-
Wagner
wide felony war-
Nichols
rant after arriving
from China, according to the San
Mateo County, California, Sher-
iff ’s Office. His destination was
Medford.
Nichols has been in custody at
the Northern Oregon Regional
Correctional Facility in The
Dalles since February.
In court Monday, Olson ruled
that “the defendant is to be in
See NICHOLS, Page A10
A weekly series about a day in the life ...
Joe O’Neill goes worldwide with ‘Red Hand Adventures’
BY TRISHA WALKER
News staff writer
Photos by Kristin O’Neill
JOE O’NEILL will be at Waucoma Bookstore on
May 16 for the release of the third book in his Red
Hand Adventure series, “Legends of the Rif.” His
stories have him traveling abroad for research — and al-
lows him to meet young fans, like these girls in Southeast Asia.
Hood River author Joe O’Neill is a little busy these days.
His new book, “Legends of the Rif,” the third in his Red
Hand Adventure series, was released two weeks ago, and
book tour dates are lining up.
“Right now, we’re lining up school visits, lining up book-
store talks, and (seeing about) getting an article in the local
paper to get the word out,” O’Neill said. “We’re hitting the
Pacific Northwest and have a good relationship with a lot of
the schools and bookstores.”
Last weekend, he was in Spokane, presenting a series of
classroom visits to middle and elementary schools, and later
this month, he has stops scheduled for Bend/Sunriver and
Ashland.
But on May 16, he’ll be at Waucoma Bookstore for a special
book release party: not only will he be “hanging out signing
books,” but there will be signed posters for young fans and a
treasure hunt, complete with prizes. (Details A14).
“It’s a way to participate and kind of have some fun: Book
signing, treasure hunt, just kind of meeting people,” he said.
See JOE, Page A14
Four To Go
Yacht club opens season Sunday
The Hood River Yacht Club based at Hood River ma-
rina, opens its season Sunday with a boat parade at
noon and club social at 3 p.m., followed by a 4 p.m.;
pizza and salad fundraiser for the Gorge High School
Sailing Team. Cost is $10, or $5 for those under 12. Any-
one may attend the events.
The boat parade theme is Norwegian Independence
Day (May 17). Boat owners will deck out their vessels in
Viking style, according to commodore Brian Douglass,
adding that boating will likely continue all day.
7
05105 97630
3
Mosier Community
Picnic Sunday
Mosier Middle School 6th graders
are hosting the Mosier Community
Picnic May 17 from 5-8 p.m. at the
Mosier Community School to raise
funds for Outdoor School. Food will
by Solstice and local beverages will
be for sale; raffle drawing and enter-
tainment round out the fun. Admis-
sion is $7 for an individual or $20 for
a family of three and includes ad-
mission, one raffle ticket and a com-
plimentary drink. Additional raffle
tickets will be available for pur-
chase. Everyone is invited to attend.
County Board meets Monday Pie with the Mayor on Monday
Hood River County Board of Com-
missioners meets Monday starting
with a 4:15 p.m. work session, lead-
ing into the 6 p.m. regular session,
both open to the public.
Work session includes the Hood
River Soil and Water/Watershed
Group annual presentation, and up-
dates on Parole and Probation and
community development projects. In
regular session the board will hold a
public hearing on a staff proposal to
change the zoning ordinance to in-
crease board flexibility in respond-
ing to land use applications.
Mayor Paul Blackburn will host office
hours at Bette’s
Place on Monday,
May 18 from noon to
1 pm.
Come enjoy a slice
of pie (or maple bar)
and meet your
Mayor. Bette’s is lo-
cated in the Oak
Mall at Fifth and
Oak streets. This is
the second “Pie with
the Mayor” with Blackburn, who took of-
fice in January.