Ballots have started to come back in for Oregon’s May 21 primary election after being mailed out late last week. Wasco County reports that just over three percent of ballots have been returned as of Tuesday, slightly over the return rates for primary elections in 2020 and 2022. In Hood River County, the ballot return at the end of Tuesday was 2.74%, up from the just over two percent of 2022, but less than half of what was returned at the same point in 2020.
Author: mbailey
White Salmon Education Foundation Announced Grant Awards
The White Salmon Valley Education Foundation has awarded more than $32,000 to educators and programs in the White Salmon Valley School District as part of the foundation’s annual Grant Award program. The funding will support STEM, literacy, arts, music, career and technical education, and cultural exploration projects that expand educational opportunities for White Salmon students. Money for the grant awards comes from donors, community partners, and supporters of the foundation’s mission to provide opportunities for growth and learning within White Salmon schools. Since 2006, more than $919,000 in community-raised donations have been awarded to the schools directly from foundation. For more information about the White Salmon Valley Education Foundation and its grant programs, visit wsvef.org.
May 8 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Wilsonville 7, Hood River Valley 1: Bodie Stuben pitched five solid innings for HRV, but the Eagles were limited to two hits.
Big Sky League Playoff: Union 7, Sherman 3
Softball
LaCenter swept Columbia 6-5 and 9-5
Stevenson lost game one 7-3 to King’s Way Christian, but won game two 22-3.
Goldendale swept Granger 4-3 and 15-5
Girls Tennis
Columbia 3, Montesano 2
Southwest Washington Class 1A Boys Soccer Tournament
First Round
Columbia 2, Elma 0: The Bruins will play at Montesano in the semi-finals on Thursday night.
Boys Lacrosse
Hood River Valley 10, Grant 2
Golf
Hood River Valley’s John Olson and Davis Kerr qualified at the Northwest Oregon and Intermountain Conference regional tournament at Aspen Lakes Golf Club for the boys’ state 5A championships next week at Quail Valley Golf Course in Banks, while Kristin Fox reached the 5A girls’ tournament at Trysting Tree in Corvallis.
Katelyn Vasser of The Dalles finished fourth in the Class 4A District 1 girls’ tournament at Quail Valley to advance to state next week at Tokatee Golf Club in McKenzie.
Klickitat County Tables Franchise Agreement For Carriger
Klickitat County Commissioners decided to table for two months a proposed franchise agreement with Carriger Solar for a one-mile span of right of way on Knight Road near Goldendale. The Commission wants more legal review of the proposed agreement. The right of way would be for a collector system for a controversial solar project currently before the Energy Facilities Site Evaluation Council, and Commission Chair Lori Zoller says the length of time that will be required for that process leaves them plenty of time to get further legal guidance. The vote to table was unanimous, with all the Commissioners in favor of seeking more detailed legal opinion from the County Prosecuting Attorney office.
Hood River Housing Project Receives LIFT Funding
Oregon Housing and Community Services announced a Hood River project will receive part of nearly $23 million toward creating 157 new homes across the state. Columbia Gorge Habitat for Humanity will receive $800,000 for its Hope Street Project, with plans for four units in Hood River. The organization’s executive director, Chad Krause, said with the help of the Oregon Local Innovation and Fast Track Homeownership funds, the homes will be built and sold to members of the community who can’t afford market rate homes. He added that teachers and retail workers may be able to purchase their own Habitat homes. This year, OHCS changed how it grants LIFT funding for the development of new affordable homes through a rolling application process.
“Light Capsule” To Illuminate Old Waldron Building
A “light capsule” will illuminate the old Waldron Drug Building in The Dalles near Lewis & Clark Festival Park and allow its faded historic signs to be seen. The capsule is the work of artist Craig Winslow, and employs innovative projection techniques. The Dalles Community Development Department Special Projects Director Ann Moorhead says the light will help bring a part of the community’s history back to life. Moorhead says Winslow has done 40 of these “light capsules.” The capsule will be turned on as part of an “Illuminate The Dalles” event on Friday, May 17 at 7 p.m. at the Neon Sign Museum and Lewis & Clark Festival Park. A lighting ceremony will be at 8:30 p.m.
Keethler Files To Run For State Senate
White Salmon Mayor Marla Keethler has filed to run for the Washington State Senate in District 17. Keethler formally filed on Monday at the start of Washington’s filing week for the August primary election. Keethler, who is a Democrat, says in a social media video announcing her candidacy she is running to challenge the status quo. Keethler said she wants to ensure all voices are heard as the Legislature takes on the challenges of affordable housing, childcare, public safety, and investing in roads, bridges, schools, and communities. Paul Harris, a Republican who is currently a state representative, also filed to seek the seat. Effective with the 2024 election, District 17 now includes much of Klickitat County, Skamania County, and Camas and Washougal in Clark County.
May 6 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
The Dalles 14, Molalla 1: Finley Corbin homered and drove in three runs, and Sam Shaver also had 3 RBI. The Riverhawks remain one game back of Crook County in the Intermountain Conference.
Tri-Cities Prep 19, Goldendale 0: The Timberwolves fall in the first game of the Washington District 5 Class 2B tournament, and will get a second chance on Wednesday against either Warden or Cle Elum.
Softball
The Dalles 14, Molalla 0: Jeilane Stewart homered and drove in four runs for the Riverhawks.
Man Taken Into Custody After Hitting Deputy With Hammer
A 31-year-old Dallesport man is in custody and facing an attempted murder charge after hitting a Klickitat County Sheriff’s Deputy in the head with a hammer during a Sunday morning incident at an RV park in Dallesport.
According to the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office…Deputy Tim Neher was talking to the man’s mother…who had called 9-1-1 to report her son was having a psychotic episode…when Christian Smith came running out from behind the trailer and struck Neher on the head with a hammer.
Neher and two other officers were able to handcuff Smith and take him into custody.
The Sheriff’s Office says Neher received serious head injuries and was taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.
Smith was booked into the Klickitat County Jail on an attempted murder charge.
Happy Valley Man Dies In Highway 26 Crash
A 30-year-old Happy Valley man died in a single-vehicle crash on Highway 26 near the Wasco-Jefferson County line on Saturday morning. The Oregon State Police says a preliminary investigation indicated a car operated by Kyle D. Kircher left the roadway at the Mill Creek Bridge and landed approximately 250 feet below the bridge on the canyon floor. Kircher was declared deceased at the scene. The OSP says Kircher was reported as suicidal at 12:19 Saturday morning, and the vehicle was located in the canyon by the Warm Springs Police Department at 1:05. Due to the location of the vehicle, dark lighting conditions, and safety concerns the recovery was delayed until daylight. The OSP says at this time, the evidence indicates the crash was intentional. The OSP was assisted by Warm Springs Police and Fire, Deschutes County Search and Rescue, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.