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Cherry Festival Releases Updated Plans

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

CGCC Additive Manufacturing Programs Works With Over 30 Local Clients

Columbia Gorge Community College’s Regional Additive Manufacturing program has produced over $640,000 in product for over 30 unique local clients at a fraction of the cost it would take them to purchase the same material from commercial producers.  CGCC received a federal grant to expand its advance manufacturing lab  to provide laser sintering and rapid prototyping, both to train students and for use by businesses in the area.  CGCC instructor Robert Wells-Clark says they have seen three particular sectors gravitate to the equipment:  aerospace, sports equipment manufacturers, and agricultural manufacturing.  CGCC held a grand opening last week for its new Industrial Training and Assessment Center.

Great Gorge Melt In March To Benefit Food Bank

The annual Great Gorge Melt to benefit the Columbia Gorge Food Bank will take place again throughout the month of March.  It started in 2024 with a handful of restaurants selling grilled cheese sandwiches with a portion of the proceeds going to the regional food bank that serves pantries in Wasco, Hood River, and Sherman counties.  Last year the Great Gorge Melt expanded to include quesadillas, and this year Columbia Gorge Food Bank’s Leah Hall says it’s been opened up to the imagination of 26 participating restaurants.  A full list of the restaurants participating in the Great Gorge Melt in Hood River, The Dalles, Cascade Locks, Mosier, Tygh Valley, and Portland is available at the Columbia Gorge Food Bank Facebook page.

Pauletto To Step Down As WAGAP Director

Washington Gorge Action Programs Executive Director Jennifer Pauletto announced she will be stepping down from that role at the end of June.  Pauletto has been with WAGAP since 2022, first as the Associate Director and then as Executive Director.  She plans to stay on for a transition to a new director.  A detailed position description, qualifications, and application instructions have been posted on WAGAP’s website and distributed through local and regional nonprofit networks.

 

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