Ballots will go out on Friday to voters in the White Salmon Valley School District for both a 21-year $77.8 million bond to create a K-12 campus at the current middle and high school site that would replace Whitson Elementary, and a three-year renewal of the Educational Programs and Operations Levy. District Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn says approval of the bond, which has an estimated property tax impact of $1.66 per thousand dollars of assessed value, would qualify the district for $34 million in state funding for the project, and bring operational savings as well. The EP&O levy rate would move up slightly from $1.57 per thousand to $1.61. Polkinghorn pointed out they are not seeking a capital levy in this election because they are asking for the bond measure. Ballots must be returned or postmarked by February 10.
Author: mbailey
Port of HR Staff To Discuss Sternwheeler Docking In Marina
The Port of Hood River Commission gave staff the go-ahead to move forward on discussions to allow a sternwheeler being acquired by Mt. Hood Railroad to use the commercial ship dock in the Marina on a per visit basis, but also had plenty of questions about compatibility with current uses. Commission President Heather Gehring said she had strong reservations about the vessel coming into the harbor with a narrow corridor leading to a multi-use area. Commissioner Tor Bieker said starting out on a per visit basis would be a good way to test the viability of the plan so they make can an informed decision on whether to do it on a permanent basis. Commissioner Ben Sheppard said had a lot of questions to be answered before he would enter into an agreement, including safety and environmental concerns, and also would not be in favor of anything that would lead to exclusive use of the marina for lengths of time.
Klickitat County Environmental Health Fees To Rise
Klickitat County’s Board of Health, which includes the County Commission, voted to raise the fee schedule for environmental health services. County Public Health Director Erinn Quinn said the fee schedule had not had an overhaul since 2014, and there has been 37% inflation in that time along with increased requirements from the state of Washington. The new fees will go into effect on March 1. Quinn added the intent moving forward would be to review the fees on an annual basis.
January 20 Prep Basketball Roundup
Boys Basketball
Hood River Valley 56, Centennial 46: The Eagles finished the game on an 18-8 run to upset the tenth-ranked team in the 5A coaches poll. J.J. Poole scored 16 points, Talon Britt 14, and Grant Dunn 12 to lead Hood River. JeMel Baker led Centennial with 12.
Fort Vancouver 84, Stevenson 30
Ione-Arlington 63, Trout Lake 25
Condon 49, Horizon Christian 41
South Wasco 68, Lyle-Wishram 50
Klickitat-Glenwood 81, Spray-Mitchell-Wheeler 54
Dufur 40, Sherman 28
Girls Basketball
Hood River Valley 43, Centennial 17: Emily Doss scored all 11 of her points in the second half as HRV used a 16-2 third quarter to pull away. Hood River limited Centennial to just 9 points over the first three quarters.
Columbia 49, Kalama 39: The Bruins run their record to 7-2 in the Trico League.
Fort Vancouver 61, Stevenson 18
Trout Lake 50, Ione-Arlington 40
Dufur 43, Sherman 28
Condon 33, Horizon Christian 27
Hood River School Committee To Look At Facility Priorities
The Hood River County School District’s Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee will be meeting this week to discuss priorities for a potential November bond measure after spending the last year examining the district’s various building needs. District Superintendent Bill Newton says they have developed a list of about $200 million worth of projects, and now they need to decide what is most important to get done, and how big a bond measure district voters would be comfortable with. Newton noted during their fact-finding tours, needed improvements to heating and air conditioning systems stood out, particularly with warming temperatures during shoulder seasons.
White Salmon To Start Another Water Line Improvement Project
As the City of White Salmon embarks on 2026, public works projects are front and center. Mayor Marla Keethler says part of that will be another phase of water line improvements. This phase will pick up on work in the Buck Creek area and bring the line upgrades past Bald Mountain. Keethler says they will hold an open house on the project in late February. She notes there will be a fair amount of road detours and rerouted traffic from White Salmon headed north toward Trout Lake. The City aims to start in early March and finish in early July.
Sewer Work Planned For East 10th and Thompson in The Dalles
The Dalles Public Works on Thursday will begin work on a sewer service renewal project located at East 10th and Thompson Streets. East 10th will be closed to thru traffic between Quinton and Thompson streets on Thursday and Friday. The road will be open to local traffic only between Shearer and Thompson streets for the same time period. Motor vehicles and bicyclists traveling through the area will be detoured to adjacent streets. Pedestrian and sidewalk access will remain open through the duration of this work. Work hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. both days. Traffic control signs will remain in place after work hours due to an open trench across East 10th until the work is complete. No parking will be allowed within the project areas to allow room for large equipment to safely work. If you have questions, please contact the Public Works Department at (541) 296-5401.
Hood River Police Seek Information In Shooting Investigation
Hood River Police and the Columbia Gorge Major Crimes Team is seeking help from the public as it investigates an early Saturday morning shooting in the area of 1695 Oak Street. Officers received a report of shots being fire at approximately 2:13 a.m. on Saturday morning, and when they arrived at the scene found that 21-year-old Yahir Castillo-Alvarez had been shot multiple times. Hood River Police say Castillo-Alvarez was taken to Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital with serious injuries. There has been no update on his condition. The suspect fled the scene before officers arrived. The Major Crimes Team would like to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious between the hours of midnight and 3 a.m. on Saturday morning in the area of 1695 Oak Street. Anyone with relevant information is encouraged to call Detective Ben Oka at the Hood River Police Department at 541-387-5257 or e-mail B.Oka@cityofhoodriver.gov, or the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 541-387-7077.
January 16-17 Prep Sports Roundup
Boys Basketball
Pendleton 62, The Dalles 56
King’s Way Christian 73, Columbia 62
Kalama 60, Stevenson 44
Horizon Christian 69, Klickitat-Glenwood 65
Lyle-Wishram 59, Horizon Christian 30
Spray-Mitchell-Wheeler 52, Trout Lake 36
Ione-Arlington 71, Dufur 49
Ione-Arlington 53, Sherman 24
Dufur 67, Trout Lake 22
Sherman 63, North Lake 28
Klickitat-Glenwood 69, Thorp 43
South Wasco 68, Condon 55
Girls Basketball
Columbia 34, King’s Way Christian 24
Kalama 58, Stevenson 23
Dufur 33, Trout Lake 26
Dufur 49, Ione-Arlington 26
Ione-Arlington 32, Sherman 30
North Lake 40, Sherman 22
Trout Lake 43, Spray-Mitchell-Wheeler 24
South Wasco 41, Condon 17
Boys and Girls Wrestling
Hood River Valley won three out of seven matches in the girls’ portion of the Oregon Wrestling Classic. Valeria Solorio Campos won five out of seven matches for HRV during the tournament. In the boys’ portion of the tourney, Hood River Valley’s Leyton Adams and Aaron Smith each won four matches out of six at the Oregon Classic in Redmond.
Boys Wrestling
The Dalles finished fourth, Columbia fifth, and Stevenson sixth in the boys’ portion of the Columbia Gorge Invitational in Stevenson. Stevenson had two individual champions…Benjamin Shane at 150 pounds and Linden Wieman at 190. The Dalles’ Adrian Miramontes was first at 285, and Columbia’s Gabriel Borton was first at 175.
January 15 Prep Basketball Scoreboard
Boys Basketball
Columbia 64, Stevesnon 44
Pilot Rock 58. South Wasco 44
Girls Basketball
Columbia 68, Stevenson 16
Pilot Rock 61, South Wasco 36