Boys Basketball
Madras 70, The Dalles 62: The Riverhawks drop to a third place tie in the Tri-Valley Conference with the White Buffaloes and Estacada with the loss.
Big Sky Conference Boys Basketball Tournament
Sherman 52, Horizon Christian 37: The Huskies advance to play at Spray-Mitchell-Wheeler on Thursday.
Ione-Arlington 56, Dufur 34: Ione-Arlington visits South Wasco on Thursday.
Tuesday was the deadline to mail ballots for Washington’s school district levies…and both of the fiscal propositions offered by the White Salmon Valley School District were being approved after the initial count Tuesday night.
The district’s three-year replacement educational programs and operations levy was being approved by 61 percent of voters…1,273 to 806…while its capital levy for safety, technology, and infrastructure improvements was passing by a similar margin…1,213 to 748.
The Trout Lake School District’s three-year replacement enrichment levy was being approved 212 to 132…while a similar measure in the Lyle School District was also passing 372 to 341.
But in the Stevenson-Carson School District…its three-year enrichment levy was failing after the opening count…with 778 voting no and 745 voting yes.
Updated vote numbers in both Klickitat and Skamania counties will be released later today.
The Dalles City Council has been asked by the North Central Public Health District to approve an ordinance banning smoking and vaping at Lewis & Clark Festival Park. The district’s Neita Cecil gave a presentation to the Council this week, saying that would make the downtown park consistent with similar locations in The Dalles. Cecil added such a policy sends a good message to youth, and helps ex-smokers in their efforts to remain off of tobacco. She said the health district was willing to pay for the signage. Councilors asked municipal staff to develop a proposal for consideration.
Port of Hood River Executive Director Kevin Greenwood talked to the Hood River Urban Renewal Agency Board about the Port’s proposal to let the current Waterfront Urban Renewal District expire and have a smaller nine-acre district for Lot 1 along the Nichols Boat Basin. The acreage reduction would make it easier for the City to develop a Westside Urban Renewal District, while providing the Port the opportunity to generate tax increment financing for infrastructure and public amenities on Lot 1. But City Councilors on the URA board had plenty of questions, most notably whether there is a market for Lot 1 development, given the length of time it has gone undeveloped. The subject will continue to be discussed at the URA meeting on February 27.
Mid-Columbia Community Action Executive Director Kenny LaPoint believes their purchase of the Oregon Motor Motel in The Dalles can reduce homelessness in the region by 50 percent. Community Action last week announced the purchase of the facility to create 100 units of transitional housing for families and shelter. LaPoint says they are currently using hotels for transitional housing already, including the Oregon Motor Motel. The facility will be integrated with Community Action’s planned Navigation Center on West 7th in The Dalles, where groundbreaking is set for March 24.
Wasco County officials are beginning work on the budget for the 2023-24 Fiscal Year. County Commissioner Scott Hege says the County is on a good financial footing heading into this year’s budget work. He adds they are helped by the influx of funds from Google’s first data center coming on the tax rolls and new agreements moving forward. Hege noted the County budget committee will not meet until May, which is later than normal for Wasco County.
Boys Basketball
Wilsonville 58, Hood River Valley 41: HRV could not overcome a hot first quarter start by the Wildcats and a 25-point night for Kallen Gutridge. Sam Fauth scored 13 for HRV while Zak Poole tallied 11.
Girls Basketball
Madras 61, The Dalles 27
Wilsonville 82, Hood River Valley 32
Big Sky Conference Girls Basketball Tournament
Trout Lake 62, Spray-Mitchell-Wheeler 34: The Mustangs will be Ione-Arlington on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Sherman 67, Klickitat-Glenwood 43: The Huskies visit South Wasco on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Hood River County is entering into its planning process for the budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24. County Administrator Jeff Hecksel says the County is in a good fiscal position at this time with a local option levy approved nearly three years ago, pointing out that services funded by that measure are fully implemented. Hecksel adds that American Rescue Plan Act funds have been fully allocated, and some of those expenditures will be included in the new budget for one-time projects. He also notes the County has recently overhauled its compensation system, and that may impact the budget moving forward.
The Dalles Community Action Team will make its semi-annual trip to Washington, D.C. in March to pitch federal officials on local projects. Port of The Dalles Executive Director Andrea Klaas says one of their tasks this time around will be talking with the offices of new Gorge representatives like Oregon’s Earl Blumenauer and Washington’s Dan Newhouse and Marie Glusenkamp Perez. Klaas says child care needs will be one of the issues they discuss with federal officials, along with agricultural technology, funding requests for acquiring more industrial land and a new youth sports complex, and rural broadband needs.
The Washington State House unanimously approved a bill by Goldendale Rep. Gina Mosbrucker that would provide more diversity among members of the Sentencing Guidelines Commission. Under current law, the SCG consists of 20 voting members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate for three-year terms. It also includes four legislators serving two-year terms as nonvoting members — one from each of the four caucuses in the Legislature. Under House Bill 1114, four new voting membership positions are added to the SGC to be appointed by the governor, representing the tribes, a representative of the state Supreme Court Minority and Justice Commission, a behavioral health professional with experience working in the criminal justice system, and a person from academia who is well-versed in sociology and/or criminology. The commission advises the governor and the Legislature on issues relating to adult and juvenile sentencing. The bill now goes to the Senate for further consideration.
