The Wasco County Veterans Service Office will hold its second annual Veterans Stand Down Saturday at Lewis and Clark Festival Park in The Dalles. It’s an effort to connect Veterans and their families with all kinds of resources they are eligible for, with information on medical, dental, housing, employment, education, and other services they qualify for. Wasco County Veteran Services Officer Chelsea Perritt says often, Veterans don’t realize what they are eligible for, particularly those who are younger than 55 who don’t take advantage of them. The Veterans Stand Down is open to all Veterans and families, regardless of age or where they live. It will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday at Lewis and Clark Festival Park in The Dalles.
City of HR Budget Committee Approves 26-27 Fiscal Plan
Hood River’s municipal budget committee approved the City budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year. They approved with it very few changes from the document developed by staff, but much of the discussion revolved around the future. The budget does begin to see a lowering of reserves, and those could run out in five years if it continues. Committee member and City Councilor Anna Cavaleri pointed out the City’s mission is to provide essential services at the lowest possible cost to enhance the quality of life, and that will lead to hard budget decisions in the future. The budget now goes to the City Council for approval at a meeting in June.
Federal Grant For Community Action In Doubt
The future of a long-running federal grant that plays an important role in Mid-Columbia Community Action’s ability to fund many programs is in doubt. MCCAC Executive Director Leslie Naramore says the Community Service Block Grant that Community Action Agencies around the country receive. MCCAC received about $380,000 in the current biennium from the grant, which Naramore points out isn’t a large part of its budget, but the ability to choose how to use it is vital. There are two other Community Action agencies in the Columbia Gorge that receive the grant: Washington Gorge Action Programs and the Oregon Human Development Corporation.
Fishery Manages Add Days To Spring Chinook Season
Salmon anglers are getting five more days of spring chinook fishing in the Columbia River upriver from Bonneville Dam, and six more in the lower Columbia River. Oregon and Washington managers made the move after receiving a spring run update this week. From the dam upriver to the Washington/Oregon state line, fishing will reopen Friday through Sunday this weekend and again Saturday and Sunday of next weekend. The lower river will be open to spring chinook fishing Friday through Sunday of this weekend and the Saturday through Monday on Memorial Day weekend. Biologists will now update the run regularly. While lower river anglers have only caught approximately two-thirds of their allocation, managers are proceeding cautiously as the lower river opens Saturday to hatchery summer steelhead. All previous regulations remain in effect, with one adult hatchery Chinook salmon allowed daily.
May 13 Prep Sports Roundup
Tennis
Hood River Valley’s Kaylen Mitchell won the Northwest Oregon Conference girls’ singles championship. Mitchell completed a five match run through the bracket with two wins on Wednesday, first defeating Wilsonville’s Teagen Hamilton 6-3, 6-0 in the semifinal, and following up with a 7-5, 6-0 win over Trina Dinh of Parkrose in the final. Mitchell moves on to the state Class 5A tournament next weekend.
Two HRV doubles teams will join Mitchell at state. Charlotte Fuller and Anna Dalbey finished third in girls’ doubles, bouncing back from a 6-1, 6-1 loss to top seeds Kaitlin Carter and Isabella Montecucco of LaSalle by defeating Noemie Anderson and Suzy Valdiva of LaSalle 5-7, 6-1, 6-4. Kane and Kash Wagner advance to state in boys’ doubles, finishing fourth after falling to Lucas and Nolan Wong of LaSalle 6-2, 6-0 in the semifinal and Connor Richmond and Nafay Faisel of Wilsonville 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 in the third place match.
Baseball
Wilsonville 4, Hood River Valley 2: The Wildcats scored two runs in the second and fourth innings to complete a series sweep and move into first place in the Northwest Oregon Conference. Tyson Harjo and Maverick Hockett drove in the runs for HRV.
Softball
Wilsonville 7, Hood River Valley 0: Addi Smith pitched a one-hitter for the Wildcats, striking out 14 as Wilsonville blew the game open with a four-run fourth inning.
Lockdown At White Salmon Campus Ends
A lockdown Wednesday morning at the campus in White Salmon that includes Columbia High School, Henkle Middle School, and Stevenson Intermediate School was lifted at 11:30. White Salmon Valley School District Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn says the lockdown ended in consultation with law enforcement, which will maintain a visible presence on campus through the remainder of the school day. Polkinghorn says Klickitat County Dispatch received a report of a threat of harm directed toward students at the campus at approximately 9:13 this morning. He says school administration quickly implemented district safety procedures and initiated the “Lock Down” at the campus. Law enforcement arrived within minutes and worked with school administration to determine the credibility of the threat.
TD Budget Receives Committee Approval
The City of The Dalles Budget Committee unanimously approved a budget for 2026-27. There were not a large amount of changes from the document that was presented by City staff. Committee member and City Councilor Tim McGlothlin said he was pleased with the process that resulted in the fiscal plan being approved. Fellow committee member and Councilor Ben Wring said he appreciated learning more about the City’s water infrastructure needs, and it’s important to highlight it and get it right. The budget does go to the City Council for final approval at a meeting in June.
Annex Starts To Open Permanent Supportive Housing Units
Mid-Columbia Community Action has opened five units of permanent supportive housing at The Annex in The Dalles, and that number will go to 21 in the coming weeks. Permanent supportive housing provides wraparound services, including behavioral health supports, to tenants while living permanently in one location. Community Action Executive Director Leslie Naramore says for these people, it’s important to be in a place where the services are close by. Mid-Columbia Center For Living has a caseworker on-site at The Annex. Naramore says they have been renovating the units to be used for permanent supportive housing by adding kitchenettes to them.
Ballots Continue To Come In With Under A Week Left
Ballots continue to flow into County election offices with now less than a week to go in the 2026 Oregon primary election. Hood River County says its turnout at the end of Tuesday was at 17.74 percent with 2,996 ballots cast. That’s 381 ballots more than the same time two years ago, and 806 ahead of 2022. In Wasco County, the return rate at the end of Tuesday was at 14.08 percent with 2,692. That’s 31 ballots more than 2024 at this point and 286 more than four years ago. Election officials do remind people that ballots must be postmarked by May 19, and at this point you should either ask for a postmark by hand at your local post office or take your ballot to an official drop box.
NCPHD Acquires Lead Detector
North Central Public Health District says it has purchased a handheld X‑ray fluorescence analyzer, which detects and measures lead in materials like paint, soil, and other consumer products. Outside of Multnomah County, NCPHD is the only local public health department in Oregon to have the tool. NCPHD Epidemiologist Zachary Hale at NCPHD, is a certified lead risk assessor trained to operate the XRF tool. He will be using the device for on-site lead investigations to identify the cause of raised levels in children, and he will be attending community events to allow people to test household items for lead content. NCPHD will be at the Wasco County Children’s Fair on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the public can bring items to test. Likely objects include paint, soil, toys, ceramics, dishware, jewelry, and cosmetics. Vintage and international items are especially likely to contain lead. If you cannot make the Children’s Fair, call (541) 506-2600, and NCPHD will try to coordinate a test.