Gladys Rivera took the oath of office with her son, Alessandro, 10, at her side on Dec. 9 as the newest member of Hood River City Council. Municipal Judge Ruben Cleaveland administered the oath. Rivera is the first Hispanic woman to serve on council and will finish the term vacated by Mayor Kate McBride.
May Street Elementary underwent many changes during the year — the building of the new school and the tearing down of the original structure (above, in August).
Latino Network President Martha Verduzco introduces speakers from the Mike Schend Stage at the third annual Latino Fest in August, held at Jackson Park.
The second half of 2019 saw businesses and clubs reach milestone anniversaries, leadership changes at the city and county level, including the appointment of Gladys Rivera, the first Hispanic woman to serve on the city council.
Part 1 of Hood River News’ look back at 2019 ran in the Dec. 28 edition.
July
John Logan started his new role leading the Cascade Locks Fire and EMS Department July 4, as reported in an October News article. It was a fitting date for such a beginning, because it was the Fourth of July some 28 years ago that Logan formed his desire to become a firefighter. He is now captain of the department. The Hood River Valley native has been a volunteer for the past 17 years with West Side Fire District.
While Mt. Hood Railroad and Wildwood Academy have been attempting to negotiate a parking deal for a little over a year, negotiations were closed on July 9, when Iowa Pacific Holdings, the company that owns Mt. Hood Railroad, terminated the easement agreement between the two businesses. By the morning of July 10, Mt. Hood Railroad had blockaded the parking lot with a parked van and a backhoe.
Hood River County Fair achieved an odd sort of balance at this year’s fair: The smallest Thursday attendance in memory was followed by a record turnout on Friday, according to Fair Manager Clara Rice. Rice said she believes the Thursday impact was partly due to Hispanic residents staying away from fairgrounds after rumors — unfounded — emerged that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were at the Odell fair site.
August
Milestones: Oak Grove Park celebrated its 45th birthday with an afternoon of softball, live music and birthday cake. Hood River Art Club celebrated its 70th anniversary, and Don Numanaker Realtors, celebrated its 50th. And the new May Street Elementary School building was all but finished by the end of August, just in time for students to arrive Sept. 3.
May Street Elementary underwent many changes during the year — the building of the new school and the tearing down of the original structure (above, in August).
Kirby Neumann-Rea
The third annual Latino Festival returned to Jackson Park, featuring food, music and information booths. “Our main message is that we are part of the community,” said Martha Verduzco of the Hood River Latino Network, which organized the event. It was co-sponsored by Oregon Human Development Corporation.
Dr. Kristen Dillon of Hood River has been named to a one-year fellowship and will serve in Washington, D.C., starting in September. The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) named Dillon and five other professionals to the 2019-2020 class of RWJF Health Policy Fellows. Dillon will be working on health-related legislative and regulatory issues with members of Congress and the executive branch.
Dillon’s husband, Mayor Paul Blackburn, announced his resignation as mayor, effective Sept. 1, in May; his last city council meeting was Aug. 26.
Latino Network President Martha Verduzco introduces speakers from the Mike Schend Stage at the third annual Latino Fest in August, held at Jackson Park.
Kirby Neumann-Rea
September
The Labor Day Roy Webster Cross Channel Swim returned in a new location after a two-year absence — from Hood River to Cascade Locks, with the 469 swimmers emerging in front of hundreds of spectators at the crescent swimming marina beach.
The new Jim’s Market food cart was back in business Sept. 11, much to the relief of patrons and owners Paco and Sylvia Magaña. Jim’s Market, a market, deli and gas station, and Paco’s Tacos, a food cart, located on the same premises two miles north of Parkdale, were a total loss after a fire March 29. The Magañas have been working to rebuild and reopen ever since.
City Councilor Kate McBride was appointed to the mayor position on Sept. 23. McBride was interviewed for the position alongside Ed Wilder and Jason Garrett Gibson.
Mt. Hood Railroad’s assets and business operations have been turned over to Novo Advisors, a financial advisory firm, after a U.S. District Court judge ordered the railroad’s owner, Iowa Pacific Holdings, to place the railroad into receivership. Mt. Hood Railroad has been owned by Permian Basin Railways, a subsidiary of Iowa Pacific Holdings, since 2008. “Everything is moving forward in a positive direction, and we’re looking forward to a busy Christmas season,” said General Manager Ron Kaufmann.
The annual Roy Webster Cross Channel Swim had a change of location this year: Cascade Locks.
Caleb Lundquist
October
Gorge Wellness Alliance debuted its short documentary, “Cultivate: Compassion,” at Columbia Center for the Arts, produced by CoenFilm. The documentary features six local people from the Columbia River Gorge sharing their personal journeys and some of the associated challenges they’ve faced in life.
The Bridge of the Gods is getting ready to implement electronic tolling, utilizing the same BreezeBy system as the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge, said Jess Groves, Port of Cascade Locks Commission president. The Port of Cascade Locks is hoping to use electronic tolling as a way to offer discounts to those in financial need, Groves said, as well as speed up transactions across the bridge in the busy summer months.
Rep. Greg Walden announced via video statement Oct. 28 that he would not seek reelection to the Second Congressional District and will retire at the end of his current term, after a career that spans 30 years. Walden won re-election to a ninth term in 2018, by a wide margin but his closest ever: 56.3 percent of the vote to 39.4 percent for Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner.
Measure 14-67 co-petitioner Tracey Tamashpol gathers signatures at a summer event for the charter amendment approved by voters in November.
Emily Fitzgerald
November
The Nov. 5 Special Districts election in Hood River County saw the city-only Measure 14-67, termed by supporters as “Protect Our Parks,” pass 1,786 to 690, a 72.13 percent to 27.87 percent victory. The West Side Fire Local option levy renewal question garnered a 78 percent approval, with 1,457 votes to 401 no: 78.424 percent to 21.58 percent. The levy renews an existing five-year local option levy.
With planned infrastructure improvements in the works at the Ken Jernstedt Airfield, surrounding residents are concerned that ongoing noise problems are going to get worse. The Port of Hood River has had a spike in noise complaints over the last few years and in response, the port implemented the Fly Friendly program, which encourages pilots to adhere to a set of guidelines designed to minimize noise impacts. While residents think the program is a good idea, they don’t think it ultimately works because there isn’t a way to enforce it.
The elections and assessment staff would probably have voted against it, but Kim Kean has retired as chief deputy clerk for Hood River County. Kean, who has overseen assessment record-keeping and the ballot tabulation process for three decades, received a retirement send-off on Nov. 22 at the County Administration Building.
Angel Reyes Borton, Gladys Rivera and former Council Member Susan Johnson have applied for the vacant position on Hood River City Council. All were interviewed at the city council meeting on Dec. 9, with Rivera ultimately appointed to fill the position of now Mayor Kate McBride, who left her council seat vacant when she was appointed in September to fill out the term of mayor.
Gladys Rivera took the oath of office with her son, Alessandro, 10, at her side on Dec. 9 as the newest member of Hood River City Council. Municipal Judge Ruben Cleaveland administered the oath. Rivera is the first Hispanic woman to serve on council and will finish the term vacated by Mayor Kate McBride.
Kirby Neumann-Rea
December
After more than a year’s absence, FISH Food Bank returned to Odell in December with a school-based pantry at Mid Valley Elementary School. The Odell site will be open on the west end of the building on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month from 3-5:30 p.m.
Sheppard’s celebrated its 100th birthday this year. Sheppard’s is the oldest continually-owned business in downtown Hood River, and among the oldest in the county — a status outstripped by a number of the family-owned orchards Sheppard’s serves.
Sheppard’s celebrated its 100th birthday in 2019, as highlighted in a December Kaleidoscope. Above are, from left, Bill, Craig and Ben Sheppard.
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