The North Wasco County School District 21 board approved the school calendar for the 2019-20 academic year.  D-21 Superintendent Candy Armstrong says it is similar to the calendar they have used this year.  Classes will begin for 2019-20 on September 3 for elementary schools and September 4 for secondary schools, and end on June 12.  In other business, the board selected Michael Sullivan to fill the vacancy on the panel from zone 7.  Sullivan is the only filed candidate for the seat in the May 21 election.

Hood River City Councilors are being asked how many private events should be allowed to take place at Waterfront Park.  A staff report shows the number of those events has been increasing each year.  City Manager Rachel Fuller says the Council has a number of different options, ranging from distinguishing from for-profit and non-profit events to limiting events to certain areas of the park.  Tonight’s City Council meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in Hood River City Hall.  At this point municipal staff is seeking a sense of direction from the Council, and would bring back recommendations based on that input at the Council’s April 8 meeting.

Klickitat County is closing in on getting a new emergency communications tower in the Redtail area on the road to the town of Klickitat.  Commissioner Rex Johnston says it took time to find the property owners to negotiate a lease and develop plans to access the optimal location for the tower, but those details have been ironed out.  The County wants to add another in the Simcoe Mountains to fill in another difficult area for communications, and Johnston says they are exploring using an existing tower or purchasing property to locate a new one.

Baseball

Oxford Academy (CA) 15, Hood River Valley 8

Columbia 15, Riverside 1

Adna 3, Columbia 2

Sherman sweeps Umatilla 14-2 and 20-7

LaSalle (Yakima) sweeps Goldendale 13-0 and 21-0

Softball

Wahluke sweeps Goldendale 16-6 and 18-3

Boys Soccer

Toledo 2, Columbia 1 (overtime)

Track and Field

Both the Goldendale boys and girls teams finished eighth at the Ram Relays at West Valley High School in Yakima.  The Timberwolves’ Ellie Rising won the girls’ 1600 meters and Tiana Watson won the girls’ javelin.

Contested seats for the Hood River County School District and Port of Hood River boards will be a part of the May 21 election.  Position 1 on the Hood River school board will have a three-way race with current board chair Chrissy Reitz challenged by Stephen Shwiff and Loran Ayles.  School board incumbents Corinda Hankins-Elliott, Tom Scully, and Brandi Sheppard on unopposed.  The race for position 4 on the Port of Hood River Commission will include Kristi Chapman and Michael Fox, as incumbent Brian Shortt is not seeking re-election.  Hoby Streich is unopposed to retain position 5.  There are six candidates for three seats on the Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District board, including incumbents Art Carroll, Mike McCarthy, and Glenna Mahurin along with Peter Cornelison, Suzanne Cross, and Jeff Hunter.  There are three Port of Cascade Locks Commission seats up for election, and all are contested.  Current position 1 seat holder John Stipan is opposed by Aushwol Westley, position 2 incumbent Brad Lorang faces Hallie Ballou, and Dean Bump looks to retain position 3 against David Lipps.

A large field of thirteen candidates have filed for the six positions on the North Wasco County School District 21 board that will be on the May 21 ballot.  There are three three-candidate races among them…including Rebecca Thistlethwaite, Mary Morehouse, and Erica Flores in zone 1…Bethani Studebaker, Sherry Perry, and Josh Farris for zone 5…and Trudy Lupkes, Cassie Ware, and Jose Aparicio for zone 6.  Thistlethwaite and Studebaker were both appointed to the board last summer.  The other contested seat is in zone 3, with David Jones and Maggie Rocha as the candidates.  Dawn Rasmussen in zone 2 and Michael Sullivan in zone 7 are unopposed.  Sullivan was appointed Thursday night by the D-21 board to the zone 7 seat that was vacant, and will fill out the term that ends on June 30.  There are no contested elections for the Port of The Dalles and Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation District boards, with Greg Weast, Staci Coburn, and David Griffith on the Port ballot and Tracy Dugick and Brewster Whitmire filing for the Parks District panel.  Other contested seats that will be decided in the May 21 election include position 1 on the Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue District board with Diana Bailey and Mike Cronin on the ballot, zone 4 in the South Wasco County School District between Sharon DeHart and Tammarra Ferguson, and position 2 on the Tygh Valley Rural Fire Protection District board between Terry Stark and Brandon Ferguson.

Wildfires in the Willamette Valley and southwest Washington that led to evacuations during the past week are a reminder to be careful when it comes to fire even though we are still weeks from the traditional fire season in the Gorge.  Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue District Chief Bob Palmer says we aren’t quite into fire season, but it is a transitional period with dry grasses left over from last winter presenting fire hazards before they green up again in April.  When doing a controlled burn, Palmer says to follow all the safety precautions including never leaving a fire unattended.  Also use common sense and do not attempt to burn during windy conditions.

There will be single-lane closures in both directions of the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge over the next month to allow for maintenance work.  The closures will begin on Monday and continue through April 26 for electrical upgrades and installation of new motors associated with the lift span.  Port contractors will be on the bridge and flaggers will direct traffic when necessary.  Motorists using either lane should expect delays of up to 20 minutes anytime between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 3:00 p.m. on Fridays.

Softball

Hood River Valley 13, Gresham 0:  The Eagles win their second straight game by shutout to run their record to 3-0 before heading to Southern California to play four games.

Irrigon sweeps Stevenson 22-1 and 25-4.

Track and Field

Trout Lake’s Liz Fink won the girls’ shot put, discus, and javelin while the Mustangs’ Micah Colburn won the boys’ 110 meter hurdles and pole vault at the Wolfpack Small School Invitational in Tualatin.  Trout Lake’s Cole McKinney and Isabella Dean, Horizon Christian’s Andrew Wells, and Sherman’s Mercedez Cardona each won single events.

Dufur’s Tanner Masterson won the boys’ 200 meters as the Rangers finished seventh at the Bulldog Invitational in Hermiston.

Boys Soccer

Seton Catholic 2, Columbia 1

Toledo 10, Stevenson 1

Boys Tennis

LaSalle 8, Hood River Valley 1

Girls Lacrosse

Westview 12, Hood River Valley 11

The Wasco County District Attorney’s office is continuing to review the facts and evidence from Saturday night’s officer involved shooting in The Dalles that resulted in the death of a 77-year-old man.  In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, The Dalles Police Department said officer-involved shootings are among “the most thoroughly reviewed incidents in law enforcement,” and for that reason it takes time before findings can be released.  The officer’s name will not be released until the findings of the investigation are released.  The police statement asks for “the community’s continued patience” as the D.A.’s office review continues.  77-year-old James Young died after being shot when police responded to his home at 1921 East 10th in The Dalles on Saturday night to reports that Young was firing a rifle at a neighbor’s residence.  Details of the incident released over the weekend indicated officers had heard gun shots when they arrived and observed Young actively shooting rounds from a rifle, and at some point an officer shot Young.