2015 in Review: June to December

Three murder cases — including one discovered Dec. 28 — were major stories in 2015 and so was water, as in the plan to bottle it in Cascade Locks.

As we look back at the stories of 2015, the low snowpack and drought conditions that set in early — in May — formed dominant points in the news landscape in the first half of the year. Twists came in the Nestlé proposal as high as Gov. Kate Brown’s office, and in November opponents submitted 1,600 signatures for a May 2016 ballot petition intended to stop any water transfer agreement needed to enable the Nestlé proposal.

— Kirby Neumann-Rea, editor

JUNE

Suzanne Van Orman, a former state legislator who lives in Hood River, is named new director at Hood River Valley Adult Center, with the task of “cleaning up” the non-profit facility’s finances as well as policies and procedures.

Puff Factory announces plans to build a 26,000-square foot plant in Cascade Locks, about two years after owner Jacqueline Alexander, of Odell, first began talks with officials there. Puff Factory’s plans are to transform local fruit into healthful snack food.

UPDATE: In October, Alexander would announce preliminary plans to site Puff Factory instead on land at the old Lower Hanel Mill site in Odell, a few miles from her orchards.

Brothers Michael David Schneider, Donald Mathew Schneider and Peter Damien Schneider are charged in connection with the murder of their friend, Jason R. Muschaweck of Parkdale.

Michael and Donald are charged with murder, burglary and unlawful use of a weapon and abuse of a corpse in the second degree. Peter Schneider was charged with burglary and theft in the first degree.

Muschaweck went missing on May 5, 2014, a day after his 24th birthday. His pit bull was found shot and stabbed, and the house ransacked. Initial ground and air searches found nothing, but more than a year later the Schneiders were arrested at two Parkdale homes in connection with Muschaweck’s disappearance. Hood River County Sheriff’s department was assisted by Oregon State Police Special Weapons and Tactics Team and Wasco County Sheriff.

A week later, authorities added to Donald and Michael Schneider’s charge list those of criminal conspiracy and aggravated animal abuse. The case is slated to go to a trial in mid-late February.

The Goe family celebrated 100 years, and counting, as a farm, with a big barn party and family reunion in Odell. John Clifford Goe and Eva Alger Goe bought the first parcel on a handshake deal with the Wortman-King Investment Company in June 1915.

Joella Dethman and Maija Yasui, the two driving forces with Hood River County Prevention Program, retired in June; Belinda Ballah is now director and Luz Oropeza prevention coordinator. At a roast in honor of both women, the county administrator was among those who both joshed and honored Dethman and Yasui. Weeks later, Dave Meriwether would announce his own plans to retire, in 2016, after 16 years on the job.

Hood River City Council got its first look at two documents pertaining to housing affordability — its number one goal for 2015. At its June 22 meeting, the council heard the draft Housing Needs Assessment and Building Needs Assessment, two studies it contracted for in February.

UPDATE: In December, the council passed on a list of recommendations to planning commission for changes to the city’s rules on short term rentals, the first phase of an official response to dealing with the problem of increased housing costs and dwindling availability of dwelling places for low- and moderate-income residents.

In late June, thermometers hit 100 degrees at the same time drought conditions prevail and wildfire conditions are worsening throughout the Gorge.

“Water is survival,” said local irrigation district managers, shortly before the County Board of Commissioners declared a drought exists in Hood River County on June 26, weeks ahead of similar declarations in past years.

Cooling stations are announced at the fire hall, pool, and library, and Shortt Supply installs a water bottle “hydration station” as a free service in its store.

JULY

Cougar Creek fire, near Mt. Adams, erupts to 15,000 acres and would triple in size before firefighters got it under control in August. The blaze was one of a number in the Gorge in mid- to late summer, and residents dealt with hazy periods lasting days and weeks, sometimes heavy.

Marijuana possession became legal in Oregon on July 1. Citizens 21 and over are allowed for the first time to keep limited amounts of processed cannabis and baby plants at home. Medical marijuana dispensaries — three in town, including newly opened Gorge Greenery — geared up for a chance to sell to recreational users in October.

Port of Hood River completed its portion of the Nichols basin trail, extending existing paved trail to the west at the Event Site. Naito Corp. plans to build a public path in front of its new Hampton Inns hotel, joining the trail coming from the east over Hood River footbridge, but by December the parties — city, Port, ODOT, and private landowners — had still not figured out a way to connect an 80-foot gap between the Port and Naito property.

Valley irrigation districts enact water use restrictions on farmers and other customers, in light of drought conditions.

At the Bingen Theater, performers from throughout the Gorge stage the first “Independence Eve” live radio show, a benefit for local causes.

Hoover Trust announces a $55,000 grant to pay for renovations to historic Mt. Hood Town Hall in Mt. Hood.

Gov. Kate Brown makes her first visit to Hood River, and meets with lawmakers and the community at Columbia Gorge Community College Indian Creek Campus for signing of the Oregon Promise Bill. The new program, which kicks in next fall term, strives to match high school graduates with tuition waivers for nearly “free” college if they meet a set GPA and course load criteria.

Hood River County Board of Commissioners join Hood River City Council in adopting a resolution opposing transport of oil trains through the region.

Oregon Parks Department provides a $470,000 grant for purchase of land around iconic Punch Bowl falls, near Dee, to create a trail and park.

In Pine Grove, Lynn and Dottie Rasmussen hold an “End of an Era” sale, unloading many of the items used for displays and events at their popular destination farm, which they are selling.

AUGUST

The county begins plans to amend its zoning code for a state sponsored overhaul. The new regulations for farm and forestry zones drew heavy public input from local orchardists, who were concerned the update would either limit or infringe on their business.

UPDATE: After many meetings and much compromise, the code update passed and set rules for new parks and farm-related events on high value farm land.

Gorge Cider Society welcomes cider makers from throughout the United States as the fermented fruit beverage gains an ever-larger following in the Gorge.

A cougar is sighted by three young men driving at 2 a.m. near Pacific Avenue on the Heights. They get a 10-second video of the cat, which eluded them. Two days later, what is believed to be the same cougar is seen a few blocks away, but it evades trackers.

“This is a great start to a challenge we have,” Joel Madsen tells city council in the first of several public hearings before on the topic of affordable housing. Madsen, director of Mid-Columbia Housing Authority, vowed that his agency will work with the city and county on the issue. The Aug. 9 hearing at City Hall was one of the largest in memory, drawing about 250 people.

Logsdon Farmhouse Ales, award-winning Odell-area brewery, opens its barrelhouse and taproom in downtown Hood River; it would expand to a full lunch and dinner menu in November.

Rev. Don Howell and his wife, LaRonna, both 1978 graduates of Hood River Valley High School, return to the upper valley to lead Valley Worship Center on Highway 35.

Hood River County Sheriff’s Department forms “Reach and Retreat,” a combination of official and volunteer search and rescue providers, to both enhance and relieve the work of Hood River Crag Rats.

Hood River County takes the unusual step of joining the private group Hood River Valley Residents Committee in filing suit against the United States Forest Service over completion of the Congressionally-approved land swap with Mt. Hood Meadows Corporation, which has lagged bureaucratically for nearly a decade.

Hood River Valley High School Health Center opens in a portable on the south side of the campus, providing checkups and physical and mental health services to students. The center is a partnership of the school and the district, Hood River County Health Department, and One Community Health.

“Living With Smoke,” read the headline, as fires including Cougar Creek near Mt. Adams filled the Gorge with smoke on the same weekend as the SUP Challenge event at the Hood River waterfront, which brought competitors from around the globe to compete on the smoke-covered waters. Most reported no ill effects despite having to spend hours in heavily-aerobic competition.

Tragedy accompanied the SUP event, however, as Andres Pombo, 20, of Miami, died on the Columbia while paddle training the day before the event.

A wildfire threatened downtown Cascade Locks, burning two buildings owned by the Port and Union Pacific, located along the railroad tracks. About 10 homes were evacuated but no houses were affected and no one was injured. A bird flying into a transformer, causing sparks, was later found to be the cause.

Walmart Corp. sells 16.3 acres of land on Country Club Road, just west of Hood River, to Ryan Juice Company, formally ending any question of construction of a “super” Walmart at the location, an issue that dominated city politics in the early 2000s.

On Aug. 26, the popular band Hit Machine plays to about 1,000 people at Jackson Park, believed to be the largest crowd ever at the park.

SEPTEMBER

United States Department of Agriculture announces a $3.8 million loan to City of Cascade Locks to upgrade its water system.

Renee Rieki is named primary grades principal at Horizon Christian School, following six years as a teacher at the Hood River school.

The Gorge experiences light rains, but authorities caution that it will do little to reduce the serious fire danger level throughout the region.

Cider Crush Café, opens on Wasco Avenue, selling its own cider as well as providing guest taps. (Spoke and Sail, a similar business on the Heights, is scheduled for early 2016 opening.)

Fourteen-year-old Harper Ortlieb of Hood River is given the rare invitation to study at Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia.

Hood River’s favorite princess, Lila May Schow, dies of cancer on Sept. 12, weeks after her fifth birthday. The community adopted the spunky blond beacon in her last two years, staging Tutu Trot running events in 2014 and 2015, and a July 31 birthday party-princess ball attended by hundreds. The events raised funds to help Lila May and her family.

Krystyna Wolniakowski is named executive director of the Columbia Gorge Commission, succeeding Darren Nichols, who had moved to Seattle.

Port of Hood River unveils its plans for Lot 1 development — the open land near the waterfront just to the south of Event Site. It envisions a “block system” of light industrial-zoned subdivisions with buildings as tall as three stories. Also planned are a system of parking lots and pedestrian areas.

Wildfire, from an apparent campfire in the ravine, breaks out along Indian Creek, a short distance from homes on the east bluff of Hood River. Overnight, firefighters scale steep terrain to put out the blaze. “A fire in the Indian Creek ravine is our worst nightmare,” fire chief Devon Wells said.

OCTOBER

As of Oct. 1 under Oregon law, designated businesses may legally sell marijuana for recreational purposes. A total of four outlets in Hood River (including High Winds NV, which opened the month before) began selling marijuana to retail customers. Taxation on the product kicks in January, and dispensaries will need to apply for a retail-only license if they want to keep selling to users who don’t hold medical cards.

Sen. Ron Wyden introduces a bill to speed up the land exchange between the U.S. Forest Service and Mt. Hood Meadows, in which Meadows would give up acreage in the Cooper Spur drainage for increased holdings in the Government Camp area. If the bill, “Mount Hood Cooper Spur Land Exchange Clarification Act,” makes it through the U.S. Congress, it would amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to reflect more concrete deadlines and an updated understanding of the respective land parcels, reporter Patrick Mulvihill wrote.

Lynn Orr, an art history instructor and museum curator formerly of Palo Alto, Calif., is named new director of History Museum of Hood River County, succeeding Megan Shuemate, whose employment was terminated in June after a few months on the job.

On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Hood River Mayor Paul Blackburn knelt on the sidewalk at Overlook Memorial Park and apologized for injustices done to Native Americans in past generations. A group of citizens followed suit, bringing Lana Jack of Celilo to tears.

Port of Hood River discovers that a craft, likely a barge, struck one of the main supports of the Hood River Interstate Bridge, causing about $200,000 in damage.

Puff Factory owner Jacqueline Alexander files for a permit to build a 26,000 square-foot plant in Lower Mill Industrial Park in Odell. She has a pending agreement with Port of Cascade Locks to build her fruit processing plant there.

NOVEMBER

Supporters raise about $5,000 in the first “Warm the Night” fundraiser for Hood River Warming Shelter, now in its sixth year. The shelter moved for the 2015-16 season to the former Fruit Tree building on Westcliff Drive.

President Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest honor, to the late Minoru Yasui, a lawyer and Hood River native whose family was interned during World War II. Yasui fought all his life for social justice, starting in 1942 when he intentionally violated the curfew imposed on Japanese-Americans. His daughter, Laurie, accepted the award.

Students at Hood River Middle School were credited with helping persuade President Obama to select Yasui for the award. They worked with teacher Sarah Segal on a video letter advocating for the award to Yasui. In December, Segal would receive the Oregon History Teacher of the Year award for her contribution.

Winter’s first wind storm hits the Gorge, knocking down trees and taking away electrical power in Cascade Locks.

DECEMBER

Dee Tour amphitheater developer Jason Taylor announces plans to add a hotel to the site, at the old Dee Mill 10 miles south of Hood River.

The group Local Water Alliance turns in 1,600 signatures for its proposed water measure which aims to block water bottling companies, including Nestlé, from operating within the county.

Heuker family buys 3.4 acres of Port of Cascade Locks land, with plans to build a fish processing plant. The family also owns the old fire hall building on WaNaPa Avenue, and is looking for a tenant.

Snow arrives: 8 inches in the Hood River area, and a foot to 18 inches in the upper valley. More falls at Mt. Hood Meadows, which enjoyed its best December in years and by Jan. 1 was in full operation.

Just before Christmas, more high winds hit the Gorge, causing outages in Odell and Cascade Locks.

County Board of Commissioners finished 2015 with one of the year’s most intricate and high-profile land use decisions: the farm and forest model code update.

Commissioners voted to adopt the amended county zoning ordinance, which specifies uses for farm and forest lands within the unincorporated county. Most notably, the legislation defines the local interpretation of a new statewide category for farm-related events known as agritourism.

On Dec. 28, the body of Wendy Hildreth was found in the snow near the Family Man Staging Area. Hood River Sheriff’s deputies investigated, and found her husband, Michael, dead in their home. The case is being investigated as a murder-suicide, according to Sheriff Matt English.