A2 Hood River News,
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
G REATER G ORGE
www.hoodrivernews.com
Tech alliance to focus Search for missing
woman suspended
on STEM ed in Gorge TD
Police continue
The Goldendale Sentinel
reports the Gorge Technolo-
gy Alliance (GTA) is about to
launch another initiative to
impact STEM education in
the Gorge. STEM is the hot
acronym of the moment,
standing for science, tech-
nology, engineering and
math. The GTA, a nonprofit
trade association focused on
supporting the tech industry
of the region, is creating a
new college scholarship
fund for Gorge students pur-
suing post-secondary STEM
degrees.
“College is expensive and
just getting worse,” says Jes-
sica Metta, Executive Direc-
tor of the GTA. “For a few
years now, the GTA has
wanted to develop a scholar-
ship fund and since 2015 is
our 10th anniversary, it
seemed the perfect time to
make it happen.”
Ten years ago, Mid-Co-
lumbia Economic Develop-
ment District brought to-
gether the tech businesses
in the five-county region to
work on a plan to help
them grow. Those at the
table identified the need for
their own support organiza-
tion and committed finan-
cial support as members and
sponsors to sustaining the
organization. The GTA was
formed and has grown along
with the tech industry to
now over 100 members rep-
resenting more than 2,700
employees.
Over the years, the GTA
has become more involved
in supporting STEM educa-
tion in the region to support
the businesses and encour-
age the next generation of
entrepreneurs and employ-
ees. With 60 robotics kits and
laptops on loan to students
and hosting of robotics tour-
naments and events, any
parent with a student in ro-
botics has been touched by
the GTA. For the last two
years, the GTA has also host-
ed a STEM Career Day for
all seventh graders in the
five-county region.
“We are excited to extend
our STEM support to older
students with the launch of
this scholarship fund,” says
Metta.
Students from Klickitat,
Skamania, Hood River,
Wasco, and Sherman coun-
ties would be eligible. The
scholarship is being hosted
with the Gorge Community
Foundation and named the
Corwin Hardham Memorial
Scholarship.
Fundraising for the schol-
arship is kicking off on July
31, at 6 p.m. at the Columbia
Gorge Hotel with a dinner
and auction event sponsored
by Insitu — Robot Ren-
dezvous. Guests will be en-
tertained with hands-on
demos from high school stu-
dents and businesses, music
from Ben Bonham and
Friends, plus delicious food
and fun action items like
quadcopters and sailing
trips. Tickets must be pur-
chased in advance and are
on sale now for $55 each
through the event’s website
crgta.org/robot-rendezvous
or by calling 541-296-2266.
“With the fundraiser, we
plan to have scholarship ap-
plications open in spring
2016 to start giving back to
the students,” says Metta.
Those interested in con-
tributing to the fund directly
can do so by contacting the
Gorge Community Founda-
tion at www.gorgecf.org or
541-354-2009.
investigation
The search for a missing
63-year-old woman in the
Reservoir Road area west of
The Dalles has been called
off, but police are still in-
vestigating her disappear-
ance.
Lucia Florez left on a
walk last Monday morning
a n d d i d n’ t r e t u r n , h e r
granddaughter reported to
the Wasco County Sheriff ’s
Office that evening.
During the evening of
July 13, Anayeli Alvarez
contacted the Sheriff ’s Of-
fice, re por ting that her
grandmother, Lucia, was
missing. Alvarez said she
last saw Lucia around 6
a.m. that morning and had-
n’t seen her since. Alvarez
said Lucia sometimes goes
on long walks but always re-
turns home. Alvarez also
indicated she had to tried to
contact friends and rela-
tives in an attempt to locate
Florez but was unsuccess-
ful.
T h e S h e r i f f ’s O f f i c e
heard numerous tips that
Lucia Flores was seen in
Medical pot store to open in downtown TD
BY NEITA CECIL
The Dalles Chronicle
As a medical marijuana dis-
pensary readies to open its
doors potentially by mid-Au-
gust in downtown The Dalles,
the city council will consider
later this month whether to
block it from being able to sell
recreational pot starting Oct.
1.
Norm Brock, a 1976 Wah-
tonka High School grad and
Eugene resident, is planning a
low-key, high-security dispen-
sary to meet local needs, he
said. It will be located at 609 E.
2nd St., a storefront that has
been vacant for two-plus years
and once housed a stove store.
Called Columbia River
Herbals, Brock’s business will
employ three to four people
and sell medicinal marijuana
and herbal supplies, plus
some clothing and functional
glassware, such as pipes, he
said.
“We really don’t want to
upset people thinking we’re
gonna be doing something ne-
farious,” Brock said. “We
don’t want people to think
we’re a head shop. Even if we
sell recreational, we’re not
going to be a place where a
bunch of stoners hang out.”
No consumption of mari-
juana will be allowed in or
around the store, he said.
“Our desire is to have a busi-
ness that people can be com-
fortable with. We want to be
good neighbors.
“I’m more than happy to
meet with anyone who has
concerns about what we’re
doing,” he said.
“I’m not, nor is my wife, a
user, recreationally or med-
ically. It’s something I believe
people have the right to do,”
Brock said.
He said, “I believe medical
marijuana outweighs conven-
tional medicine in so many
ways it’s unbelievable.”
He said his store would sell
“vapors and medibles,” or edi-
ble pot, but he would not be
selling things like pot gummy
bears, “because I feel they
kind of have an attraction to
younger kids if they see
them.”
He said he sees it as a busi-
ness opportunity, and Eugene,
where he has a realty busi-
ness, Cobalt Realty Group, al-
ready has plenty of dispen-
saries. He also owns Ore-
gonhomesbyowner.com.
He looked at Oregon’s data-
base of medical marijuana
cards, and saw that Wasco
Photo by Neita Cecil
NORM BROCK stands by the 800-pound gun safe he just installed
at his medical marijuana store in downtown The Dalles. The safe
will hold marijuana products at night when the store is closed. He
hopes to open in mid-August.
County had a decent amount
of users. Recent statistics
from the state show 430 regis-
tered medical marijuana
users in Wasco County.
Because the state antici-
pates recreational marijuana
stores will not be opened until
mid-2016, the legislature
agreed to allow pot dispen-
saries to sell limited amounts
of marijuana until then.
But local jurisdictions also
have the option to prevent that
by passing an ordinance ban-
ning it.
The Dalles City Attorney
Gene Parker told the city
council Monday, July 13, that
it could pass an ordinance to
temporarily block a dispen-
sary from recreational sales,
but the ordinance would have
to go into effect before Oct. 1,
when state law will allow dis-
pensaries to make limited
sales to the general public.
Parker will bring the mat-
ter before the council at its
July 27 meeting for considera-
tion. If the council moves
ahead with an ordinance, a
hearing will have to take place
by the Sept. 14 meeting, and
an emergency clause enacted,
to beat the Oct. 1 deadline.
Parker doesn’t know
whether the council will want
to pursue the ordinance, and
said the matter has been a
low-key one to date, with little
council or citizen input.
Parker said other marijua-
na-related decisions are also
on the horizon for the city. The
council could refer to voters a
3 percent tax on marijuana
sales, [on top of the 17 percent
state tax] or refer a measure to
fully or partially ban pot sales.
If the city does vote to ban
pot sales, it would forego any
tax revenues.
On Oct. 1, recreational buy-
ers can go to dispensaries and
purchase one-quarter ounce
of dried marijuana buds and
leaves per day. They can also
buy seeds and plant starts.
They could not buy edibles or
pot extracts.
Brock has told the city that
if he is eligible to sell recre-
ational pot, he plans to do so.
The storefront is being
readied now for the anticipat-
ed mid-August opening. All he
needed from the city was ap-
proval for the change of use of
the store. He sought and
gained that approval in May,
shortly after the city’s morato-
rium on accepting such busi-
nesses expired.
Next he has to complete a
readiness checklist for the
Oregon Health Authority,
which he expects to have done
before his July 28 deadline.
Then he must pass a state in-
spection before he can open.
He expects all that to happen
by mid-August.
After paying a $4,000 appli-
cation fee and passing a back-
ground check, applicants
must complete a checklist that
proves the dispensary has ade-
quate physical security, in-
cluding an alarm and video
camera system; an adequate
vault to hold the products;
policies and procedures for
employees including training;
a compliant electronic data
system; and an approved labo-
ratory to test products.
Brock said his staff will be
trained to assist people with
filling out applications for the
marijuana card.
A doctor must approve the
application before it is ap-
proved by the state. Most pa-
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tients smoke pot for severe
pain, according to state
records, while other condi-
tions it is used for include
spasms, nausea, cancer,
seizures, glaucoma and PTSD.
Brock commended the city
employees he has worked with
as he sought a suitable loca-
tion and then “change of use”
approval from the city in
order to open the store.
With required setbacks
from schools and other public
facilities, only four areas in
The Dalles were eligible for a
marijuana outlet.
The other areas, out by
Lone Pine, west by the pro-
posed Walmart location, and
along West Sixth Street, either
had no storefronts available,
unwilling potential landlords,
or buildings that were in too
much disrepair, Brock said.
Within his 3,400-square-foot
building he’s renting from
Sam Woolsey, just a 12x25 sec-
tion will serve as the dispen-
sary itself.
People will come in and
check in at a front desk, where
they will present their mari-
juana card issued by the Ore-
gon Health Authority, then sit
in a waiting area as they wait
their turn to go into the dis-
pensary. Just one patient at a
time will be allowed in the dis-
pensary, where staff will ring
up the sale.
“One of the reasons why we
built this room is for privacy,”
Brock said. “Nobody needs to
know what you’re buying.”
All products will be behind
a glass display case. He will
also sell marijuana buds and
leaves, and is willing to work
with local growers who are ap-
proved by the state.
At the close of business
each day, all products contain-
ing marijuana will go into an
800-pound, $1,800 gun safe that
is bolted to the ground. The fa-
cility has multiple points of
video surveillance, plus an
alarm system.
“Basically if anybody
breaks in here to steal mari-
juana or marijuana products
they’re going to be disappoint-
ed,” he said.
Lucia Flores
The Dalles, and the sur-
rounding area, but she has
not yet been found.
Wasco County Road De-
partment employees report-
ed that they saw Florez at
the 5800 block of Mill Creek
Road around 4 p.m. on July
14. They indicated they saw
her after conducting road
maintenance nearby.
Police also heard reports
that Florez was walking
southbound on Reservoir
Road that day. The Wasco
County Search and Rescue
Division searched the area
but found no signs of Flo-
rez. The search spanned
several miles along Mill
Queen Size
Mattress Sets
Creek but yielded no re-
sults.
The search “was discon-
tinued due to darkness” on
the evening of July 14, the
Sheriff ’s Office said.
Lucia F lore z was last
seen wearing a pink shirt,
dark pants, and neon pink
and black tennis shoes. She
was also carrying a purse
and a grocery bag with her
at the time. Anyone with in-
formation on the location
or possible sightings of Flo-
rez is encouraged to contact
the Wasco County Sheriff ’s
Office at 541-296-5454.
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I n l o v i n g M e m o r y
S u n s h i n e D e L e o n
January 12, 1977 - July 21, 2014
FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS
~ Love you, Your Family
JESUS PROMISES THE GOSPEL GOOD NEWS:
“Before Abraham was born I am.”
John 8:58
“Be not afraid for I am with you always.”
Luke 17:12
“I come not to condemn the world but to
save it.” John 3:17
“I come not to call the righteous but
sinners.” Matthew 9:13
“Love God and your neighbor as you love
yourself.” Luke 10:27-28
“What you do for my least ones, (The
poor, lonely, suffering), you do for me.”
Matthew 25:40
Jesus said to his disciples:
“When you see Jerusalem surrounded
by armies know that its desolation is
near. For a terrible calamity will come
upon the earth and a wrathful judg-
ment will come Upon this people.”
There will be signs in the sun, the
moon, and the stars. On earth Nations
will be in dismay, perplexed by the
roaring of the sea and the waves. Peo-
ple will die of fright in anticipation of
what is coming upon the world, for
the powers of the heavens will be
shaken.
“Each of us will give an account to God.”
Romans 14:12
“Heaven and earth will pass away, my
words will never pass away. Matt. 24:35
I believe God loves us more than
we can imagine.
And then, they will see the Son of
Man, (Jesus), coming in a cloud with
power and great glory.”
Luke 21:20-28
Share-Faith Prayers by Tom Lexow