The Dalles Public Works will be flushing fire hydrants throughout the city over the next few weeks. Fire hydrants are flushed in order to clean out deposits, sediments and rust from distribution pipelines, minimize water quality problems, test fire protection water pressures, exercise hydrant valves, and identify hydrants needing repair or replacement. Motorists and pedestrians are asked to avoid driving or walking through the water coming directly from a hydrant while it is being flushed. Occasionally main flushing causes water flowing from a tap to be discolored from stirred up sediment or milky white caused by tiny air bubbles. Although discolored water won’t make you sick, you might want to flush the pipe by running the water for several minutes before drinking or washing. If the water does not clear, contact The Dalles Public Works office at 541-296-5401 during the business day or 541-980-7703 after hours.
Author: mbailey
YouthThink Holds Virtual Workshop On Kids & Social Media
YouthThink of Wasco County continues its “More You Know” series this Thursday with a virtual discussion around the theme of “Connected Kids, Confident Parents: Navigating Social Media Together.” Debby Jones of YouthThink says the workshop will explore how social media affects young people’s health and wellbeing, including screen time, sleep, anxiety, self-esteem, and online harassment. She add this will not have a message of “screens are bad.” To register for the Zoom virtual event that begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, just go to youththink.net.
April 6 Prep Sports Roundup
Boys Golf
Hood River Valley was fourth in a Northwest Oregon Conference tournament at Willamette Valley Country Club in Canby. The Eagles’ Aksel Betz was fourth with a five-over 77.
The Dalles was sixth in the Nels Nelson Invitational at Wildhorse in Pendleton.
Girls Golf
Hood River Valley finished fourth in a Northwest Oregon Conference tournament at Charboneau Golf Club in Wilsonville. Bella Howe had the best round of the day for the Eagles with a 97.
Dufur won the Nels Nelson Invitational at Wildhorse in Pendleton, with The Dalles taking fifth. The Rangers’ Tygh Timinsky finished second individually with an 84.
Girls Flag Football
Crook County 46, The Dalles 12
April 3-4 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Hood River Valley 4, Lincoln 3: Bodie Stuben drove in the game winning runs with a two-run single in the fifth inning and pitched three scoreless innings of relief on the mound to earn the win. Landon Pratt threw out two runners at the plate, while Tyson Harjo had two doubles and an RBI.
The Dalles sweeps Cascade 7-3 and 2-1: Evan Ortega struck out 12 while adding two hits and a run batted in on offense in game one, then in the nightcap singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth, went to second on an error, stole third, then scored the game winning run on a wild pitch.
Grant Union swept Sherman 12-0 and 14-5.
Softball
Mountain View swept Hood River Valley 10-0 and 10-0.
Track and Field
The Dalles girls finished third and the boys fifth at the Buck Classic in Pendleton. The Riverhawks’ Willow Ziegenhagen won the girls’ javelin and was second in the high jump. Tyson Long took first in the boys’ 1500 and second in the 800, and Derek Goulart won the boys’ high jump.
Cora Sharp, Aurora Zoller, and Melody Stock won two events each to lead Trout Lake to the girls’ title at the South Wasco Invitational in Maupin. Horizon Christian was second and Lyle-Wishram was third to Stanfield in the boys’ standings, as Trout Lake’s Jayden Kusky won two events.
Sherman’s Eli Pickard won the boys’ 100 meters and Renan Christiansen the boys’ shot put at the Pepsi Invitational in Union.
Boys Tennis
Hood River Valley 4, The Dalles 4 (HRV wins in games 64-52).
Girls Tennis
Hood River Valley 8, The Dalles 0
Boys Lacrosse
Hood River Valley 5, Forest Grove 4
Girls Flag Football
The Dalles 40, Crook County 18
Summit 37, The Dalles 24
Pair Arrested In Drug Bust
Two people were arrested as the result of a Mid-Columbia Interagency Narcotics Task Force drug search late last week. The Dalles Police Department says investigators seized 2.2 pounds of Cocaine, 1.3 grams of Methamphetamine, and $41,241 in cash. A man and a woman were arrested and lodged at the Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facility, with charges including possession and delivery of a controlled substance, delivery within one-thousand feet of a school, and in the man’s case being a felon in possession of a weapon. The Dalles Police Department says this case and the subsequent search warrant resulted from an in-depth investigation into the delivery and possession of narcotics in The Dalles. Agencies supporting the investigation included the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office, The Dalles City Police, the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office, and Gilliam County Sheriff’s Office K-9 teams.
April 2 Prep Sports Roundup
Girls Lacrosse
Hood River Valley 18, Sherwood 2
Boys Volleyball
Central Catholic def. Hood River Valley, 3-0
DeLaSalle North Catholic def. The Dalles 25-15, 25-11, 25-13
Bridge Closure Early Friday Morning
The Hood River- White Salmon Bridge will be closed to all traffic early Friday morning (April 3) from 12:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. for scheduled maintenance. The Port of Hood River says crews will be completing a bridge gasket replacement on the Oregon side and installing new bridge signage. There will be another bridge closure next Friday morning (April 10) during the same times.
Fire Prep Time
As we head toward summer, preparing homes and property in case of wildfire is once again a key topic for the region. Oregon State University Extension Forester Glenn Ahrens says with every wildfire event, we see examples where people who have attended to fire preparedness experience less damage. Ahrens says it may seem overwhelming, but there is a lot that can be done to reduce vulnerability to fire damage, but it can help to compare to winterizing your home, and take it step-by-step. He notes the state fire marshal’s office has a program where an expert will come to your property and evaluate what needs to be done. Forest and farm landowners can apply for Natural Resources Conservation Service funding for fuel reductions in Hood River and Wasco counties, and the Oregon Department of Forestry has some cost-share programs for creating defensible space around homes in Hood River County.
Drones To Be Used For Crane Surveys
Researchers with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will use a drone to survey known sandhill crane locations in Klickitat County to support population monitoring. Drone flights may occur, weather permitting, during daylight hours through August over identified state public lands and waters in western Klickitat County where sandhill cranes are present. WDFW will seek approval from private or public landowners if flights are considered over additional lands. The purpose of the surveys is to capture high quality images of sandhill crane habitat and locate nest locations. Since 2024, WDFW biologists have successfully identified sandhill crane nests at multiple locations within the survey area using drone technology. Breeding sandhill cranes arrive in Klickitat and Yakima counties in early March, with most nesting occurring from April to June in wet meadows and grasslands. The cranes and their young leave the state between late September and mid-October to winter in California’s Central Valley.
John Day Dam Rec Sites Going Cashless
Three recreation sites near the John Day Lock and Dam will transition to a fully cashless fee collection system on April 15. The Army Corps of Engineers Portland District says the change will be at Plymouth and LePage campgrounds and LePage Day Uese Park. The Corps says the change will streamline operations, reduce administrative costs, and ensure fee revenue is reinvested directly into facility maintenance and improvements. For the two campgrounds, visitors can pay with a debit or credit card at the park entrance between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., and make reservations in advance on Recration.gov. At LePage Day Use Park, visitors can pay with a credit or debit card at the entrance booth, purchase an activity pass online at Recreation.gov, or use the “scan & pay” feature in the Recreation.gov mobile app, which can be downloaded for free at the App Store or Google Play.