The Underwood Conservation District is teaming up with the cities of White Salmon and Bingen, Yakama Nation Fisheries, and the Klickitat County Noxious Weed Program in a Tree of Heaven control project. White Salmon Mayor Marla Keethler says one of the driving forces behind the project is Tree of Heaven being a preferred host for the Spotted Lanternfly, which has caused damage to agricultural operations on the East Coast. Tree of Heaven also has many other undesirable qualities. It’s an aggressive grower, spreading by sending out sprouts, often damaging paved areas, home foundations or underground utilities. For information on removing Tree of Heaven, go to the Underwood Conservation District website at ucdwa.org.

Volleyball

Milwaukie def. Hood River Valley 25-19, 25-15, 15-25, 18-25, 16-14

  Boys Soccer

Parkrose 6, Hood River Valley 0

Portland Christian 3, Trout Lake 1

  Girls Soccer

Parkrose 0, Hood River Valley 0

Two people died Saturday afternoon in a head-on automobile collision on Highway 26 near the Wasco-Jefferson county line.  According to the Oregon State Police, the accident occurred at around 1:30 Saturday afternoon.  A preliminary investigation revealed an eastbound car operated by 51-year-old James Mahon of Mineral Wells, Texas left its lane of travel and collided head-on with a westbound car driven by 63-year-old Carla Nichols of Redmond.  The OSP says Mahon and Nichols both sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced deceased.  A canine in Nichols’ vehicle survived the crash and was cared for by passerby’s.  Traffic on Highway 26 was affected for approximately 5 hours while the OSP Collision Reconstruction Unit investigated the scene.  The OSP was assisted by the Warm Springs Police Department and ODOT.  

The Port of Hood River Commission will hear a report from HDR Engineering on Tuesday on recently done live-load testing and engineering analysis aimed toward restoring higher weight limits on the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge.  The Oregon Department of Transportation lowered the weight limit to a top of 64,000 pounds in February of 2021.  Port Executive Director Kevin Greenwood says a recently established reduced speed limit on the bridge of 15 miles per hour is also a part of the weight limit equation.  HDR’s report does identify potential maintenance projects for the bridge, with an estimated total cost of $400,000 to $500,000.  The Port hears the report at its meeting Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the Port’s Marina Conference Room.  

The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce is getting ready for a pair of parades in November.  First is the Veterans Day Parade on November 11 at 11 a.m.  Chamber CEO Lisa Farquharson says there is no fee to take part in that parade thanks to a sponsorship from Tonkin of the Gorge.  She does say those wanting to take part still need to register at thedalleschamber.com.  Then on the night after Thanksgiving, the annual Starlight Parade will take place.  Farquharson says this year’s theme is “A Country Christmas.”  

The Dalles Public Works Department says street maintenance on West 10th will continue through Thursday. Work began a week ago, moving from west to east towards Walnut Street. Work is scheduled from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. Lane closures will be in effect on West 10th St each day. Intersections, business and residential access will be partially closed all day in each work area and opened to all motor vehicle traffic at the end of the day. Motor vehicles and bicyclists will be detoured to adjacent side streets. While West 10th will remain open to traffic throughout the project, use of alternate routes is encouraged. Pedestrian and sidewalk access to businesses and residences remain open through the duration of the work. No parking will be allowed within the daily work areas due to heavy equipment use. No parking signs will be place on the curb 48 hours before the project moves into each work area.

Football

Canby 14, Hood River Valley 13

Pendleton 49, The Dalles 12

Castle Rock 46, Columbia 7

Onalaska 44, Stevenson 14

Sherman 36, Ione-Arlington 15

Lyle-Klickitat-Wishram 46, Pilot Rock 14

South Wasco 51, Huntington 32

Goldendale 55, White Swan 0

  Girls Soccer

Warden 2, Goldendale 1

  Volleyball

Ione-Arlington def. Horizon Christian 23-25, 25-8, 25-8, 25-18

South Wasco def. Sherman 24-26, 25-18, 25-17, 26-24

South Wasco def. Spray-Mitchell-Wheeler 25-5, 25-14, 25-16

Spray-Mitchell-Wheeler def. Klickitat-Glenwood 25-17, 25-22, 25-14

Sherman def. Klickitat-Glenwood 25-13, 25-20, 25-11

Condon def. Lyle-Wishram 25-22, 25-8, 25-18

Lyle-Wishram def. Bickleton 25-13, 17-25, 25-17, 25-22

Condon def. Dufur 25-12, 24-26, 25-21, 24-26, 15-13

Dufur def. Bickleton 25-19, 25-13, 25-23

  Cross Country

Hood River Valley’s girls were sixth at the Lewis & Clark Invitational at Milo McIver State Park.  The Eagles’ Phoebe Wood was ninth and Liv Nickson 10th.  HRV’s boys were tenth.  Elliot Hawley was the top Eagle finisher in 16th.

A field of 1,500 runners from 40 states and five countries will be in Hood River on Sunday for this year’s Columbia Gorge Marathon.  The full marathon starts at 8:30 Sunday morning at the Mark O. Hatfield West trailhead near Hood River and travels to Rowena Crest and back to the Hood River Event Site.  The half-marathon starts an hour later from the Event Site to head up the same section of the Historic Columbia River Highway and then returning.  Event organizers are warning local residents that they may encounter traffic delays between about 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Highway 35 and State Street, and heavy pedestrian traffic on the Mark O. Hatfield Trail between Hood River and Mosier throughout the day.

Mid-Columbia Community Action Council will begin accepting applications for energy and water payment assistance programs on Monday.  Community Action’s utility assistance programs help qualified individuals and families stay current on their utility bills while allowing them to keep the lights, water and heat running throughout the year.  Appointments for assistance will be scheduled at Community Action’s main offices in The Dalles and Hood River along with outreach appointments in Moro, Maupin, Cascade Locks and Parkdale.  In order to apply, call 541-298-5131 ext. 206 or you complete an application online at mccac.com.  Applications are available in both English and Spanish.

The Oregon Department of Forestry’s John Day Unit’s Regulated-Use Closure was ended on Friday. The fire prevention measures were terminated for The Dalles and Prineville units last week, but fire Season remains in effect across the Central Oregon District. Wildland fuels, including live vegetation and down woody material are extremely dry. Limited precipitation, combined with long-term drought conditions continue to elevate the risk of fire ignition and increase fire behavior in wildland fuels. Fire managers regularly evaluate conditions to determine current fire danger and necessary restrictions to limit impacts from wildfires. During Fire Season backyard debris burning, including burn barrels is allowed by permit only. Many counties have burn bans in place prohibiting debris burning at this time. Check restrictions in your local area to help prevent wildfires. Other activities prohibited during fire season include smoking in forest operation areas, blasting without a permit, use of exploding targets and tracer ammunition. Failure to follow Fire Season restrictions can result in citations, fines, and liability for costs associated with putting fires out. For additional information on ODF’s Central Oregon District, visit www.ODFcentraloregon.com.