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Ben McCarty

Stories by Ben

LUBA tells city to revisit waterfront

The Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals ruled Friday morning that the City of Hood River must reconsider several points of its recent decision to allow construction of a hotel and commercial building on the Hood River waterfront.

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LUBA remands waterfront hotel decision to city

The Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals ruled Friday morning that the City of Hood River must give more consideration to a decision to allow construction of a hotel and commercial building on the Hood River waterfront.

LUBA is busy with HR cases

Naito development decision expected next week

The Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals seems to enjoy keeping Hood River in suspense.

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It's all in the family

A look at some family-owned businesses in the Gorge

Mother and son personify yin and yang; Davises grow, work together; Sheppards: Business success rests on enjoying each other's company; Capovillas: 'Simple, straight-up' pub family

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Photo of the day: There goes the sun

Sorry folks, not many scenes like this sun set behind Government Cove in Cascade Locks in the forecast this week. Expect clouds and showers through Friday at least.

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Behind the scenes of a Hood River News press run

Ever wanted to see where your newspaper comes from? Watch the video to get a glimpse!

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Photo of the day: Mirror image

Hey, this photo is upside down! ...or is it? With clear skies and no winds , there were some great reflections on the river March 7.

Council revises SDCs that pay for transportation improvements

The Hood River City Council moved ahead Monday with approval of a plan amending its system development charges for transportation impacts.

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Hood River holds out hope for ‘slip lane’ at Country Club

State legislators meet with ODOT to seek resolution on realignment

Hope remains alive for Hood River to keep some direct access to Country Club Road.

Lot 1 planning back in gear

The Port of Hood River is getting the ball rolling again on Lot 1 planning.

Where the street has no name — yet

Public hearing set for March 11 to explore options

What’s in a name?

Eagles excited for future after 7th-place state finish

Christian Marquez may not yet have a state title, but he did put the rest of the 5A wrestling world on notice for the next couple of years.

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Wall-to-Wall Wrestling 2013: Day 2

Updates from Day 2 of the 2013 state wrestling championships

City to hear road name ideas

The City of Hood River says it doesn’t care what the name of a new road connecting Mt. Adams Avenue to Country Club Road is called — it just can’t be called Country Club Road.

Pipe bomb found on bike trail

OSP squad destroys device at Post Canyon trail head

Members of the Oregon State Patrol and Portland Police bomb squads destroyed a pipe bomb at the popular Seven Streams trailhead in Post Canyon Tuesday afternoon.

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Wall-to-Wall Wrestling 2013

The Hood River Valley High School wrestling team heads to the 2013 state wrestling tournament with 14 wrestlers, 12 boys and two girls. We are also headed to the Memorial Coliseum with a laptop, camera, video camera -- and a whole lot of snacks.

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In Oak Grove, frustrations rise as water boils

Residents still unable to drink tap water after E. coli bacteria contamination found

Chris Reitz would just like to be able to drink from her tap again without first having to put the water on the stove and boil it.

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13 Eagle wrestlers will go to big show

No district champions, but Eagle wrestling sends large contingent to state tournament

The Hood River Valley wrestling team is sending 13 wrestlers to the state tournament this weekend, and for the 11 boys who qualified at last week’s district tournament, they will all have a chip on their shoulder.

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Eagle swimming scores three top-five finishes at state

Connor Webb ended his high school swimming career with a pair of top-five finishes at the OSAA state swimming championships Saturday.

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State swimming live: Day 2

Updates from Day 2 of the state swimming championships:

A slice of local life: 9-1-1 dispatch: Ready for anything and everything

Hood River County 9-1-1 Dispatch commander Marita Haddan is blunt about one of the most basic qualifications to be a dispatcher:

Port takes stock of infrastructure

The path to some significant improvements to the Hood River waterfront has been eased, thanks to a financing agreement between the Port of Hood River, the City of Hood River and the Hood River Waterfront and the Hood River Urban Renewal Agency.

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State swimming live: Day 1

The Hood River Valley Eagles send 20 swimmers to state this year, the team's largest contingent in years.

Residential allowed at waterfront

City council nixes language to require 30-day stay for waterfront residential

The City of Hood River will allow residential development on the waterfront after all. And developers won’t be facing as many restrictions as they could have.

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Cascadia quake not chief among county’s natural disaster worries

Large coastal quake would likely have minimal direct impact on county

The good news for Hood River residents is the effects in Hood River County of a large earthquake off the Oregon coast might not keep you up at night

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Ewings learn and grow over 55 years

It took a little while for Royal and Joan Ewing to get in sync, but once they did, nothing could pull them apart.

LUBA hears Nichols dispute

LUBA hears SALEM – Both sides made their pitch to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals Thursday afternoon in a case that will determine whether or not a proposed hotel and commercial building project on the Hood River waterfront can proceed, or if it must be sent back to the city for another look.

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Walden proposes change to Critical Access Hospital model

Rural hospitals to average bed use instead of having daily cap

Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital and other hospitals like it across rural Oregon could soon have a little leeway in how they manage their patient loads.

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Kaleidoscope: Mentoring

What works, who's involved, and how to help

‘You are an important part of some lucky child’s life right now.’ That’s how Bob Camillucci put it to a gathering of mentors on a recent Saturday morning. Camillucci, a board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Columbia Gorge, and himself a mentor, was addressing fellow “Bigs” and supporters, but he could have been talking about nearly any program in the community where caring adults meet on a regular basis to provide guidance, teaching and friendship to young people.

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‘It’s a joy’ to be a ‘Big’

Mike Hendricks is a busy guy.

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Cascade mobile home fire investigation completed

The Hood River Fire Department has concluded its investigation into a mobile home fire on Cascade St last Thursday.

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A slice of local life: HR Organic takes food from field to your door

Take a quick picture of Hood River agriculture in your mind.

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Fire crews knock down mobile home blaze

Crews from numerous local fire agencies responded to a mobile home fire in the 1800 block Cascade Street Thursday night.

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Photo of the Day: Rolling rain

Rain lashes the hills above Cascade Locks Tuesday night. Rain falling in the Gorge meant snow in the mountains and some parts of the Cascades saw 48 inches of powder over a 48 hour period earlier this week.

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An about-face on waterfront residential ban

After numerous planning commission meetings, and a city council seemingly looking at a split vote, the council decided not to ban residential development on the Hood River waterfront after all.

Chimney fire draws attention

Two engines, one each from Hood River and West Side Fire, and about a dozen fire fighters responded to a reported house fire in the 1500 block of Tucker Road Monday afternoon. West Side fire station was only blocks away from the scene and the engines, along with several volunteers in their own vehicles, arrived at the scene moments after being dispatched.

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Despite delay, planning fees still contentious

When it addressed the city fee schedule last summer, the Hood River City Council separated out planning department fees from every other department.

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Covenant Christian cleared to move to Frankton School

Christian Covenant Church in Hood River will be getting a new home and a former school will be getting a new life.

PocketFuel moves to Halyard Building

The Port of Hood River has a third tenant for its waterfront Halyard Building.

Donald McAndie could go to trial in April

Barring a plea deal between the state and defense, Donald McAndie will be heading to trial this spring.

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Hood River's 2nd and Oak Streets could have full signal in future

High traffic Second St. intersection tops county’s list for ODOT funds

Life could get a lot easier for pedestrians attempting to cross the intersection at Second and Oak streets in Hood River in the future. The intersection is currently a four-way stop with a flashing red, and among the busiest in town, both in terms of traffic and pedestrians.

Hood River sheriff says no letter necessary on gun laws

While several Oregon sheriffs have written to the White House opposing “unconstitutional” gun control laws, Hood River County Sheriff Matt English will not be joining them.

Ball fields issue creeps forward

Jeff Blackman proposes fields near Westside School

Stakeholders in the search for more places to play in Hood River County held their second meeting last week and movement to identify areas for new sports field is slowly gathering steam.

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HR City council set to ban residential on waterfront

Majority of council opposes mixed-use plan

Mark Zanmiller got a doozy of a first meeting on Hood River City Council.

Walden not opposed to coal shipments

Wants to see Clean Air Act enforced to keep coal dust out of the Gorge

Standing in front of a Hood River audience for the first time since being re-elected to an eighth term in the U.S House of Representatives, Congressman Greg Walden covered a wide range of topics with his constituents last Friday, but one got significantly more time than others.

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Hawks taste sweet revenge vs. Sherman

Even after beating the Sherman Huskies in last year’s Big Sky league title game, and even after winning the 1A state title, the Horizon Hawks still had a sour taste from losing twice to the Huskies last year — including their only league home loss.

Koch slides over to port interim post

When the Port of Cascade Locks brings on a new general manager at some point in the coming year, that person’s job description could look a bit different than that of his or her predecessor’s.

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Zimmerman starts in Cascade Locks

Administrator joins city after working around the state

Gordon Zimmerman is ready for a fresh start.

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It’s now official: English is Sheriff

For the first time in two decades, Hood River County has a new sheriff.

Federal storm money flows in

From FEMA, county recoups most of its 2012 emergency costs, totaling $880,000

As wind gusts blasted through the Gorge and freezing rain pelted trees and roadways last week, one could be forgiven for looking at the weather forecast with a bit of nervousness.

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