Port of Hood River Executive Director Michael McElwee says he will retire in early July.  McElwee has served in the position since July of 2006.  During his tenure the Hood River waterfront underwent a transformation with construction of several recreational facilities utilizing state and federal grant funding and significant private investment in light industrial and commercial developments.  The Port has also increased efforts to replace the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate bridge, upgraded the Ken Jernstedt Airfield and the Hood River Marina, and purchased the Lower Hanel Mill property, which the Port then converted from a brownfield to shovel-ready development site.  McElwee’s tenure of 16 years equals that of James O’ Banion who served as the Port’s Executive Director between 1980 and 1994, and an additional two years of service that took place after his retirement.  McElwee says he is looking forward to other life pursuits and intends to continue public service activities in Hood River.

Mid-Columbia Medical Center has appointed Jayme Thompson-Mason as its new chief nursing officer. In her more than two decades with MCMC, Thompson-Mason has served as a staff nurse in the emergency department, a nursing house supervisor and most recently as the director of emergency services, emergency management and nursing resources. In her new role, Thompson-Mason will oversee quality and safety initiatives, patient care delivery models, strategic and operational planning for nursing services, as well as clinical education, and development for 205 nurses across the MCMC health system, which includes the hospital and outpatient clinics. Thompson-Mason is replacing Don Wenzler, who will be retiring from MCMC later this month.

Softball

Stevenson sweeps Kalama 8-2 and 14-7

  Track and Field

Hood River Valley’s girls held off Scappoose and Parkrose in a triangular meet at Scappoose.  Simone Tillman won both the 200 and 400 meters for the Eagles.  The HRV boys were second to Scappoose.  Eliot Hawley won both the 800 and 1500 meters for Hood River.

  Goldendale’s Alden Williams won both the boys’ 800 and 1500 meters at the W. Scott Sexton Classic in Mabton.

  Girls Lacrosse

Tualatin 11, Hood River Valley 7

The Dalles Community Clean-up returns Saturday for the first time in three years.  Cindy Keever of The Dalles Public Works Department says the goal is to give people a chance to clean-up their properties and help their neighbors.  The clean-up will be headquartered at the Wasco County Yard at West 9th and Walnut from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  There will be a re-use fair where people can leave usable items they no longer want, and pick out what they can use.  For more information or to volunteer to help with the event, call The Dalles Public Works at 541-506-2004.

Columbia Riverkeeper’s Board of Directors has selected Lauren Goldberg as the organization’s new Executive Director starting August 1.  Goldberg joined Columbia Riverkeeper in 2006 as a law clerk, became a staff attorney in 2008, and served as the legal and program director since 2016.  She graduated cum laude from Lewis and Clark Law School with a certificate in Environmental Law.  As Executive Director, Goldberg will oversee all aspects of the organization’s legal and policy work, operations, and development.  Brett VandenHeuvel, who has led the organization since 2009, will step down on August 1 to start a national consulting practice focused on climate and clean water strategies.  He will join Columbia Riverkeeper’s board of directors.

The Oregon Secretary of State’s office is reminding voters of a new law in the state known as the “postmark rule.” It says that 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 U.S. Postal Service and postmarked that day. The new law will mean that the total number of votes cast in the election will increase in the days following Election Day. The Secretary of State’s office emphasizes they will not be “late” votes, and every vote tallied by elections officials will have been cast on time. The new law could mean that very close contests will not be decided on election night. The Oregon Legislature passed the postmark rule into law in 2021.

The Next Door is looking for people to house youth as part of their Therapeutic Foster Parent program. Therapeutic Foster Parenting is a step up from traditional foster care, with youth that need extra support and care. Those interested in being a foster parent can go to nextdoorinc.org, or call 541-308-2207.

Baseball

Pendleton 5, Hood River Valley 4, 8 innings:  The Buckaroos scored the winning run after the Eagles had three consecutive hits with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game.  HRV is one game ahead of Pendleton atop the Intermountain Conference standings with six to play.

Redmond 11, The Dalles 2: Riley Brock had two hits for the Riverhawks, who stayed close until the Panthers scored five runs in the fourth inning.

Dufur 16, Lyle-Wishram 5

Sherman sweeps Stanfield 4-1 and 15-4

  Softball

The Dalles 12, Redmond 0:  Kennedy Abbas and Zoe LeBreton drove in two runs apiece as the Riverhawks finished off a three-game sweep of the Panthers.

Pendleton 13, Hood River Valley 0

  Boys Soccer

Columbia 3, LaCenter 0

Seton Catholic 7, Stevenson 0

  Boys Tennis

Goldendale 3, LaSalle (WA) 2

  Girls Tennis

LaSalle (WA) 2, Goldendale 1

Columbia Gorge Food Bank announced the expansion of several hunger relief programs and nutrition services across the region thanks in part to a new $100,000 grant from Google.  The Food Bank says it will use the grant to provide Native American communities with culturally appropriate food and propane for storage and cooking, support community gardens and contracts with small farmers, build food security beyond emergency food assistance through partner collaboration, provide SNAP match funding at farmers markets to enable participants to purchase more food, and purchase equipment and furnishings for a community room at the Columbia Gorge Food Bank.  The Columbia Gorge Food Bank serves over 5000 community members per month in Wasco, Hood River and Sherman Counties through 25 regional hunger relief partners, providing services at 33 local sites.  Their reach has more than doubled in recent years and throughout the pandemic they have taken steps to expand services to Native American and Latinx families, farmworkers and rural communities including in South Wasco County and along the Columbia River.

The options for disposing of medications in Wasco and Sherman counties have grown, with more drop box sites and mail-in options.  North Central Public Health District says existing drop boxes at The Dalles Police Department and the Sherman County Sheriff’s Office have been upgraded to MED-project boxes that not only take pills but additional medications including inhalers, unused epi pens, liquids, and ointments.  Two more of the boxes have been added at Mid-Columbia Medical Center’s pharmacy and the Celilo Cancer Center.  In addition, the new MED-project program has mailers people can pick up at the Southern Wasco County Library in Maupin, the Shaniko Fire Department, and Grass Valley City Hall to send their unused medication in for disposal.  People can also request free pre-paid, pre-addressed mailers online at med-project.org.