Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (July 15, 2015)
A2 Hood River News, Wednesday, July 15, 2015 G REATER G ORGE www.hoodrivernews.com Mt. Adams Complex fires partially controlled Riley and Horseshoe spots still hot Trout Lake — Firefighters have partially controlled four wildfires on the west flank of Mount Adams. The larg est fires, known as Horseshoe and Riley (400 acres combined), are mostly extinguished but still show- ing heat. The Mount Adams Com- plex fires are 63 percent con- tained and crews are being demobilized from the moun- tain, forestry officials report- ed via InciWeb, a website used to track wildfires around the nation. The Horseshoe Fire was detected July 3 in the Mount Adams Wilderness, burning in subalpine fir forest and meadows along Riley Camp Trail #64 at approximately 5,300 feet elevation. Last week, lightning ignit- ed three new fires in the area. The largest was the Riley Fire at 63 acres, with two other small fires: 7 Lakes Fire (0.1 acres) and Canyon Fire (0.1 acres). Canyon and 7 Lakes have been confined and are being mopped up. Crews are mitigating haz- ards and initiating suppres- sion on Riley. A fifth, smaller fire, dubbed the Spiral Fire, was detected Sunday afternoon burning among lava beds west of the Mount Adams Complex. One crew and a he- licopter from the Complex assisted with initial attack. Work continued Monday to suppress the fire. This site is much drier than the higher elevation fires, closer to Mount Adams. At the Mount Adams Com- plex, crews evaluated the perimeter and worked to ex- tinguish remaining heat sources at Horseshoe Mon- day. Temperatures have been dropping into the mid-40s at night and crews have main- tained some existing fire as warming sources. Three “hotshot” crews are working to mop up the Riley perimeter. The remaining heat is scattered through the northern portion of this fire. The weather on Horseshoe and Riley will be cool and cloudy today with tempera- tures in the 50s, winds from the northwest, and a chance of showers today. A drying trend is expected to begin to- morrow. Due to the expected long duration of the 2015 fire sea- son, potential for the fire to eventually leave the wilder- ness, impact tribal and pri- vate forest lands firefighters expect to use even more ag- gressive control efforts. Fire- fighters have implemented direct suppression actions using minimum impact sup- pression techniques to con- fine the fires. Helicopters were used to drop water, checking the spread of the fires while ground crews ini- tiated direct suppression using a wet line to confine them. Trails near the fire are closed, including the Pacific Crest Trail. For more infor- mation and a list of trail closures, visit InciWeb’s in- cident log at www.inciweb.nwcg.gov/inc ident/4360 and click on the “Closures” tab. Photo courtesy of InciWeb. WILDFIRES across the western flank of Mount Adams are now 63 percent contained, the result of Washington interagency crews bat- tling the flames since July 3. Oregon community colleges score $550M By MARK GIBSON The Dalles Chronicle Oregon has allocated $550 million to community col- leges for the upcoming bien- nium. The allocation is a $50 mil- lion increase over the origi- nal budget proposed by for- mer Gov. John Kitzhaber of $500 million, and less than the $650 million sought by the Oregon Community Col- lege Association, according to Will Norris, chief finan- cial officer at Columbia Gorge Community College. The increase will have lit- tle real impact on the college, Norris said. “This means that the bud- get we passed is solid,” he said. “We’re happy to get what we planned for.” The CGCC budget was for- mulated with the expectation of community colleges re- ceiving $535 million from the state. CGCC will receive al- most exactly the funding they planned with the state increase. “It appears that declining student enrollment across Oregon will mean that more colleges than expected will qualify for the same ‘small school’ distribution formula advantage that CGCC bene- fits from,” Norris explained. As more colleges qualify as small schools, the value of the advantage decreases. Oregon Rep. John Huff- man, R-The Dalles, said he was pleased with the funding the legislature was able to obtain for education. “I think we really stepped up,” he said. “We added a lit- tle to K-12, a little to commu- nity colleges and universi- ties.” Huffman added that state obligation bonds of $7.3 mil- lion for CGCC were also re- newed, and remain available should the colle g e find matching dollars. The money will be used in construction of a new facility in either Hood River or The Dalles. The state funding was awarded in 2013 when CGCC planned a new technology center on Hood River’s Indi- an Creek Campus. “Those plans of course Rural speed limits to rise By LARRY MEYER The Argus Observer Photo courtesy of Maryhill Museum Taming of the Shrew at Maryhill Museum The Portland Actors Ensemble will be shak- ing up the grounds of Maryhill Museum at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 18, with Shakespeare’s clas- sic comedy, The Taming of the Shrew. The tale follows brash Petruchio who will go to a n y l e n g t h t o wo o Katherina, the head- strong, stubbor n “shrew.” The free perfor- mance is a stop of the Portland company’s an- nual Shakespeare-in-the- P a rk s s e r i e s, wh i c h makes live theater acces- sible to a wide audience. Audience members are invited to bring their own seating — blankets or camp chairs — and to pic- nic on-site. Bake My Day, of Goldendale, will be serving Renaissance cui- sine in honor of Shake- speare’s era. From 1-3 p.m., the mu- seum will also host “Chalk it Up to Shake- speare,” a free, family- friendly event where participants can create their own art — Renais- sance style or carefree — in sidewalk chalk. S p o n s o r s a re Ju dy Lackstrom and Bob M o r row, PAC E E n g i - neering and Phil Swartz. ■ For more information, visit the museum’s website at www.mar yhillmu- seum.org/ ONTARIO (AP) — As the 2015 Ore gon Le gislature moves toward a close, Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, is pleased that two of his bills made it through the whole legislative process. Both are waiting to be signed by the governor. Both Houses will meet again Monday, as they were not able to finish their work last week. The last Bentz bill passed was House Bill 3402, which will boost the speed limit on most Oregon highways east of the Cascades. It received final passage in the Senate Friday morning. House Bill 3402 amended sets the speed limit on Inter- state 84 from the Ore- gon/Idaho border to The Dalles at 70 mph for most ve- hicles and 65 mph for trucks, school buses and similar ve- hicles. The speed limit will be the same on U.S. Highway 95 be- tween Idaho and Nevada. On U.S. 20, through Mal- heur County to Bend and U.S. 26 from Vale to John Day, the speed limit will be 65 mph for most drivers and 60 mph for trucks and school buses. Sim- ilar limits will be posted on other highways throughout eastern and central Oregon. Those routes include U.S. 395, Burns to John Day and Riley to the California state line; and Highway 78, Burns See SPEED, Page A6 Featuring Music with Eddie & The Lighters 1 Year Anniversary PARTY Friday, July 17 have been tabled but we kept the bonds alive for another potential project,” Huffman said. He added that K-12’s State School Fund received ap- proximately $7.4 billion, in- cluding the money for com- munity colleges and $650 million for universities. Bonding was approved for $175 million of seismic up- grades for K-12 buildings and will be administered by Busi- ness Oregon, according to Huffman. Schools can access non- Shop Local the Gorge matching grants for seismic work up to $2.5 million. The legislature also passed and funded Senate Bill 447, which sets up a $125 million fund of dollar-for-dollar matching bonds for K-12 facility con- struction. “The community outreach team is working with the dis- trict to see how we can solve our (North Wasco School County District) D21 facility needs,” Huffman said. HOOD RIVER NEWS (ISSN 07465823) is published twice weekly, every Wednesday and Saturday. Subscription rates: $42 per year prepaid ($36 for senior citizens, 65 and over) in Hood River County and western Wasco County, Oregon; and Klickitat and Skamania counties,Washington. Elsewhere, $68 prepaid per year. Known office of pub- lication, 419 State Ave., Hood River, OR 97031-2031. Periodicals postage paid at Hood River, Oregon. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to HOOD RIVER NEWS, P.O. Box 390, Hood River, OR 97031-0103. Wild Columbia Salmon FRESH SALMON CAUGHT DAILY King Salmon Whole Steelhead or Blue Black Fillet Sockeye NEW CEDAR SMOKER “FREE” Alder Samples Smoked 108 Hwy 35, Hood River Next to Lampoei’s in Windance parking lot. Spring Hours Daily 9am-7pm 509-961-3260 We accept VISA & MC WEEKLY SUDOKU This week’s Sudoku presented by: Answers on Page A9 Starting at 6 p.m. Visit us on Facebook for details & updates! 509-281-3151 Downtown Bingen, Highway 14 rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Skamania Introduces Taste of the Place Make reservations today for this very special Sunday culinary series hosted by Skamania’s Executive Chef, Matt Hale, as he prepares a delightful four-course dining experience using locally sourced ingredients. Served at the lodge with selections from local vintners, Skamania’s “Taste of the Place” dining series is a delicious and relaxing way to start the week! July 19 October 18 16 • August • December 20 Reservations Required : 509-427-7700 Fill in all 81 squares on the puzzle with numbers 1 to 9. You can use each number 1-9 only once in each nine square section, in each horizontal line of nine squares, and in each vertical column of nine squares. The puzzle is completed when you correctly fill every square. Specializing For Your Retirement Needs and Beyond! Visit us at the 50+ Expo. at the HR County Fair July 23, noon-4:30 p.m. Free No Obligation Drawing for 2 Portland Trailblazers Tickets!!! • Fixed Annuities • Fixed Index Annuities • Critical Care Illness • Life Insurance • Final Expense STEVENSON, WA • 800-221-7117 • SKAMANIA.COM 800-620-0950 • Cell 503-504-7462 gary@akiyamafinancial.net