Klickitat County Commissioners extended a moratorium on establishment of battery energy storage systems for another six months to allow the County prosecuting attorney’s office time to formulate a legal opinion on a proposed ordinance before the County Planning Commission. Planning Director Scott Edelman told County Commissioners the moratorium was initially established in September 2024 to provide time to establish standards for the storage systems. He says the Planning Commission finished work on a draft at the end of 2025, and is now waiting for new Prosecuting Attorney Rebecca Cranston to provide the legal analysis. Edelman says he doesn’t expect to have to request another extension of the moratorium.
CGCC To Host Transfer Day Thursday
Posted on by mbailey
Columbia Gorge Community College will host Oregon Transfer Day on Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Hook Café on the CGCC campus in The Dalles. Oregon Transfer Day gives CGCC students the opportunity to meet one-on-one with representatives from four-year colleges and universities. Students who are planning to transfer after completing their associate degree can ask questions about admissions, transfer credits, financial aid, scholarships, and campus life. The event will also feature CGCC’s own advisors, who can chat with students, both current and prospective, about their future plans. High School students who are planning a transfer path are also encouraged to attend.
March 2 Prep Basketball Roundup
Posted on by mbailey
Boys Basketball
Hood River Valley 63, Milwaukie 55: Grant Dunn scored 12 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter as the Eagles used a late surge to pull away for the win. The Eagles reached the ten-win mark in the final game of the season. J.J. Poole scored 14 points and Talon Britt and Cooper Wells added 11 each. Landon Owens tallied 14 points to lead Milwaukie.
Girls Basketball
Hood River Valley 44, Milwaukie 29: The Eagles scored 11 points in each quarter to jump above .500 in the Northwest Oregon Conference. Bella Howe scored 14 points on four three-pointers, while Addi Van Metre had 10 points. The Eagles finish the season when they host Parkrose this evening at 5:45.
Cherry Festival Releases Updated Plans
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The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce announced its plans for operating the Northwest Cherry Festival this year while renovations of its usual home on First Street take place, including revising a proposed footprint that moves the carnival to Lewis and Clark Festival Park. Chamber CEO Lisa Farquharson said they heard concerns from Fourth Street businesses after it was announced that street was going to be the hub of this year’s event. The Chamber says vendor market activities will only take place on Saturday, April 25 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. to reduce multi-day street closures, and other festival elements have been redistributed throughout downtown The Dalles. The carnival has been curtailed to fit the size of Lewis and Clark Festival Park, and will operate only on Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday. Rather than a centralized music stage, the Chamber is partnering with local businesses to promote their scheduled performances throughout the weekend. Further logistical details and maps will be released in the coming weeks.
I-84 Lane Closures At McCord Creek Bridge Resume
Posted on by mbailey
One lane of Interstate 84 in each direction will be closed until fall as construction continues for a rebuilt eastbound bridge over McCord Creek. Both directions of traffic are sharing the westbound bridge over the creek for about four months while crews work to remove and rebuild the eastbound bridge. In the summer and fall, the eastbound and westbound bridges will be open but one lane in each direction will remain closed. Traffic delays are expected, and the Oregon Department of Transportation is asking motorists to use zipper merging when approaching closed lanes. Zipper merging is when drivers remain in their current lane until the lane ends so vehicles can take turns merging. The NE Frontage Roand on-ramp to eastbound I-84 at the Elowah Falls Trailhead parking lot is also closed. Travelers accessing eastbound I-84 from NE Frontage Road must detour to the on-ramps at Ainsworth State Park exit 35.
Navigation Locks Closed For Annual Maintenance
Posted on by mbailey
The Columbia-Snake River System has paused operations for two weeks as the Portland District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducts its annual navigation lock maintenance. Bonneville Lock will be closed through March 14, and The Dalles and John Day locks will be closed through March 21. At Bonneville Lock, crews will partially dewater the chamber to inspect and repair recent damage, replace timber beams on the gates, and upgrade control systems to improve reliability and safety. At The Dalles Lock, a full dewater will allow crews to add new instrumentation to the upstream gate wire ropes, inspect previous repair work, and install additional armament on the upstream gate. And at the John Day Lock, crews will fully dewater the lock to complete concrete and weld repairs around the tainter valves, inspect and repair electrical feeds, and replace critical downstream gate trackwheels to support long-term system reliability. During the closure, recreational boaters will be unable to pass through the navigation locks along the Columbia-Snake River System. Boaters should plan accordingly and seek alternative routes or launch sites upstream or downstream of the locks. Public access to some areas near the locks may also be restricted for safety reasons.
February 27-28 Prep Sports Roundup
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Boys Basketball
Parkrose 92, Hood River Valley 38
Molalla 65, The Dalles 64
Oregon Class 1A Boys Basketball Second Round
South Wasco 68, Joseph 50: Jason Hull scored 50 points to lead the Redsides to the final eight in Baker City. They will play Open Door Christian in a quarterfinal game on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Hull is 29 points short of tying Lincoln’s Swede Halbrook’s 74-year-old record for most points in a season by an Oregon high school player in any classification of 1,035, back in 1951-52.
Girls Basketball
Molalla 37, The Dalles 36
Oregon Class 1A Girls Basketball Second Round
Union 50, Dufur 47: Union built a 15-point halftime lead and held off a furious rally by Dufur to capture the win. The Rangers hit four three-pointers in the fourth quarter, but could not climb all the way back. Millie Miller scored 19 for Union, while Hailee Pechanec led the Rangers with 17 points.
Oregon High School Wrestling Championships
Hood River Valley’s Leyton Adams grabbed a fourth place finish at Class 5A 138 pounds. After losing his opening round match, Adams won four straight consolation round matches before falling in the third place match.
HRVHS Principal Candidate Forum Set For Monday
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Hood River County School District is going to hold a community forum on Monday with its three finalists for Hood River Valley High School principal. The community forum will be from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday evening at the Hood River Valley High School library. That will cap off a day for finalists that will include a staff forum, student panel interviews, writing assessments, and district tours. The finalists include current Hood River Valley High School interim principal Jim Donnelly, Jessica Ramirez, the assistant principal at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, and Dr. Kate Woicke, a principal consultant who has served as dean of faculty at Central Catholic High School in Portland.
HR Police Warn Of Scam Being Reported
Posted on by mbailey
The Hood River Police Department says it has received reports of at least two incidents in recent days involving scammers threatening residents with warrant arrests due to missing court. The department reminds everyone it will never contact someone for money to avoid being arrested. Police will never call and ask for your social security number or other personal information. Never give your social security number to anyone who contacts you, don’t confirm the last four digits, and don’t give a bank account or credit card number. Anyone who tells you to wire money, pay with a gift card, or send cash or cryptocurrency is a scammer. In addition, while your caller ID might show a real law enforcement number, but it’s not an officer calling. Report scams to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
February 26 Prep Sports Roundup
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Wrestling
Oregon Class 4A Championships
Harley Scott had the best record of the four wrestlers representing The Dalles. Scott won two out of four matches, including a first round match, in the boys’ 138 pound division. Aiden Flores won one out of three at 144, while Kadyn Linker at boys’ 215 and Kianna Dominguez at girls’ 100 each went 0-2.




