Fishery managers from Oregon and Washington have adopted additional fishing days, beginning Thursday, for recreational spring Chinook salmon in the Columbia River downstream of Bonneville Dam.  This additional opportunity is based on a projected return of 161,800 upriver-origin adult spring Chinook.  The updated projection exceeds the preseason forecast of 122,900 adult fish and is slightly higher than the recent 10-year average return of these fish.  The specific season dates are from Thursday to May 22, and June 4 to June 15.  The bag limit is two adult hatchery Chinook or steelhead per day, but only one may be a Chinook.  Shad may also be retained.  The open area is from the Tongue Point/Rocky Point line upstream to Beacon Rock, plus bank angling only from Beacon Rock upstream to the Bonneville Dam deadline.  Fishery managers scheduled another hearing for next Wednesday to consider the latest information on catch rates and determine if additional fishing days can be added.

An early morning fire damaged a small strip mall on West 6th Street in The Dalles.  Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue District Chief Bob Palmer says the fire started around 1:12 a.m. Wednesday, and took over five hours for crews to bring under control.  An investigation into the fire is underway, but Palmer says it appears the fire originated in the center of the main structure, and then extend east into businesses.  He estimated 60 to 70 percent of the building suffered significant damage.  The Dalles Police Department and MCFR are investigating the cause of the fire, with the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office and the Oregon State Police involved as well.  Dallesport, Mosier, Cascade Locks, Dufur, Wamic, and Bingen fire departments all assisted in firefighting effort.  Palmer said one firefighter suffered a minor injury, but was treated on scene.

The Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office will hold a memorial ceremony Thursday in Goldendale as part of National Police Week.  It will honor law enforcement officers who have been killed in the line of duty, including three from the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office.  Deputy Danny Vaughn died in 1976, Deputy Michael McNabb died in 1986, and Sergeant Peter Garland died in 2007.  The memorial will take place Thursday at 2 p.m. on the steps outside the Klickitat County Jail on the south side of the Courthouse in Goldendale.  Refreshments will be available after the event in the Mt. Adams Roof of the new Klickitat County Administrative Services Building.  There will also be a candlelight vigil on the front lawn of the Courthouse at 8 p.m. Thursday.

The Hood River County Health Department has scheduled a pair of COVID-19 vaccination and testing clinics this month.  One will be at the Marine Park Pavilion in Cascade Locks this Friday, with another at the Mt. Hood Town Hall on May 20.  The Health Department’s Daron Ryan says their focus is to go around the County to get vaccines to people on their schedule.  Both the Cascade Locks and Mt. Hood clinics will run from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Election officials in Oregon are reminding voters about the new “postmark rule,” which says any ballot postmarked by Election Day is considered on time even if it arrives at elections offices up to seven days after the election.  Voters may be able to put their ballots in the mail as late as Election Day if their mail is collected by the Postal Service and postmarked that day, similar to rules in other vote-by-mail states.  Wasco County Clerk Lisa Gambee says her office still recommends mailing ballots well in front of the deadline.  Ballot drop boxes continue to be available for voters to use, and they will shut down at 8 p.m. on Election Day as in the past.

Ballot return for the primary election in Mid-Columbia counties remains slow, but also ahead of the statewide pace.  As of Tuesday, the Oregon Secretary of State’s office reports 12.7% of ballots have been returned in Hood River County, 12.3% in Wasco County, and 14.1% in Sherman County.  Statewide, the return rate is 9.8%.  The Wasco County Clerk’s Office says two years ago, the return rate at a similar time was 19.68%.

Baseball

Hood River Valley 2, Redmond 1:  Mason Spellecy’s two-run homer in the first inning lifted HRV to the victory, moving the Eagles two games ahead of Pendleton atop the Intermountain Conference standings with three to play.  Spellecy struck out seven over five innings before Jake von Lubken retired the final six batters of the game to earn the save.

The Dalles 15, Crook County 11:  Manatu Crichton-Tunai hit a three-run homer and drove in six runs while Henry Begay had a grand slam as the Riverhawks won their second straight IMC game.

Eatonville 5, Columbia 1

  Softball

The Dalles 5, Crook County 4:  Jeilane Stewart homered and drove in two runs as the Riverhawks moved into a tie for second in the IMC with Ridgeview.

Hood River Valley sweeps Redmond 7-4 and 10-0:  The Eagles moved with a game of The Dalles and Ridgeview heading into a three-game series with The Dalles starting on Thursday in Hood River.

Stevenson sweeps Morton-White Pass 24-7 and 24-14

  Southwest Washington Class 1A Boys Soccer Tournament

Semi-Final

Seton Catholic 7, Columbia 0:  Columbia will face Forks on Thursday at a site to be determined, with the winner grabbing a state playoff berth.

  Golf

The Dalles qualified for next week’s Class 5A state tournament at Trysting Tree in Corvallis with a second place finish at the regional tournament at Heron Lakes.  Joe Codding finished in second place individually with a pair of rounds of 80.  Hood River Valley’s Davis Kerr and Keirnan Chown qualified as individuals for state.

  Also at Heron Lakes, The Dalles’ Katelyn Vassar qualified for the state 5A girls’ golf tournament next week at Emerald Valley in Creswell by finishing in seventh place in the district tourney.

  Track and Field

Goldendale finished second to Kittitas in the boys’ portion of the Eastern Washington Athletic Conference West Division meet at Highland.  Alden Williams won both the 800 and 1600 meters for the Timberwolves, while Issac Call won the 3200 meters and Ethan Mell was first in the discus.  In the girls’ half of the meet, Goldendale’s Emma Olson won the triple jump, and the Timberwolves received a first place finish from its 4 by 200 meter relay team.

The Hood River City Council, acting in its capacity as the Urban Renewal Agency Board, decided to wait on making any decisions on changes to the Waterfront Urban Renewal District that could extend it, reduce its size or allow it to expire.  Port of Hood River Executive Director Michael McElwee made a presentation to the Council with various options that could allow for funds to be made available for infrastructure development on Lot 1 moving toward a public transit hub and a park area.  That project is seeking federal grant money that could pay for much of it, but McElwee says that is still uncertain.  Mayor Kate McBride said the array of options didn’t lend to an immediate decision.  Councilors have been discussing using the urban renewal acreage currently allocated for the Waterfront to eventually move forward with a Westside URA in the near future.

The Dalles City Council approved the latest step in the process of the rebuild of the Dog River water pipeline, approving a contract to clear timber along the pipeline corridor for construction to take place.  The contract was given to Bounds Excavation for just over $469,000.  City Public Works Director Dave Anderson told the Council the corridor the clearing will take place in is lengthy and narrow:  3 1/2 miles long and 25 feet wide.  Anderson noted the contract is just under the $500,000 that was budgeted for this portion of the Dog River project.

Riverside Community Church is planning a Train of Tears Commemoration and Procession on Friday, marking the 80th anniversary of the relocation and internment of Japanese-Americans from the Hood River Valley during World War II.  The church’s Vicky Stifter says the congregation there has wrestled with the issue of the silence of the church when the internment was occurring, and they crafted a declaration that acknowledges the silence of 80 years ago, the harm that caused, and a vow to never be silent again.  The commemoration will begin with exhibits from the History Museum of Hood River County on display at the church on 317 State in downtown Hood River at 11:30 a.m., followed by a presentation featuring Episcopal Bishop Diana Akiyama at noon, and then the procession to the Hood River train station for installation of a peace pole.