Ballots will be going out to White Salmon Valley School District voters in early April for a seven-million dollar bond measure renewal to do a series of ten capital projects.  The biggest would be a four-million dollar multi-purpose facility at the Columbia High School and Henkle Middle School campus.  District Superintendent Jerry Lewis says their current facilities are in high demand, and this can provide more space for school and community events.  Lewis says this measure would replace their current bond measure that is being retired, so there will be no increase in tax rate.  Ballots will have to be returned by April 23.

Baseball

Hood River Valley 6, LaSalle 5 (8 innings)…Caden Leiblien homered and doubled, while Harrison Howell pitched three innings of scoreless relief as the Eagles came back from a 5-1 deficit to win.  HRV took advantage of eight walks over the final two innings to score the tying and winning runs.

Columbia 15, Stanfield 2

Softball

Hood River Valley 9, LaSalle 0

Boys Soccer

Columbia 3, LaCenter 0

Stevenson 2, King’s Way Christian 1

Boys Tennis

Hood River Valley 5, Sprague 3

Goldendale 4, White Swan 1

Girls Tennis

Hood River Valley 9, Sprague 0

Goldendale 5, White Swan 0

Girls Lacrosse

Lincoln 12, Hood River Valley 11

Following a surprisingly sparsely attended public hearing in the Wy’east Middle School Performing Arts Center, the Hood River County Commission formally voted to put measures seeking a five percent prepared food and beverage tax and a five-year local property tax option of 89 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value on the May 21 ballot.  Only eight people spoke, a number of whom expressing their objection to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detainees being held at NORCOR.  County Commission Chair Mike Oates was surprised by the small turnout, but he expects to field a number of questions leading up to the election.  In an opening statement before the hearing, Oates said the loss of federal and state revenue, fluctuating timber revenues, and property tax limitations have all contributed to putting the County in the fiscal position it is in today.

Long-time The Dalles City Attorney Gene Parker is retiring.  In his retirement letter to City officials that was released to the media on Tuesday, Parker says he has been considering a plan to step away for a few months, and that he intends to retire on March 1 of next year.  He added he wanted to give plenty of notice to allow the City time to select his successor and allow for a smooth transition.  Parker has been The Dalles City Attorney for 28-and-a-half years.

The first of four Wasco 2040 public input sessions to deal with housing issues will take place Wednesday evening.  Wasco 2040 is the long-range update of Wasco County’s comprehensive land use plan.  The latest phase of this effort is devoted to housing.  The first session is Wednesday at Columbia Gorge Community College in the building 2 lecture hall, with another Thursday at Tygh Valley Community Center, followed by sessions next Tuesday at the Mosier Grange Hall and March 28 at the Wamic Community Center.  All will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Bingen is continuing its effort to gain designation as a railroad quiet zone, under which trains would not have to blow their horns at every at-grade crossing.  Mayor Betty Barnes is hoping that when the new Bingen Point underpass currently in the planning stages is constructed, they can be in a better position to seek the quiet zone.  Bingen currently has two at-grade crossings, but Barnes says they hope to make one into a truck route when the underpass is constructed.  The City is currently collecting support through its website, bingenwashington.org.

Baseball

Forest Grove 7, The Dalles 6:  The Riverhawks lose their third straight game to begin the season.

Stevenson 12, Corbett 2

Softball

Estacada 14, Stevenson 1

Boys Lacrosse

Hood River Valley 15, Oregon City 4:  HRV runs its record to 2-1 in the early season.

The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson will be taking part in this week’s Governor’s Marketplace, where businesses meet those involved in doing federal and state contracts.  Farquharson says some businesses think you have to be a large operation to bid on a federal and state contract, but that’s not the case, and she wants to be able to help local businesses get some of those jobs.  Her goal is to come back with a guide for area businesses to use to get in the running for those contracts.  Farquharson says they will be meeting with several agencies that do direct bids for goods and services.  She adds a mobile Governor’s Marketplace will be held in The Dalles in the fall.

The Port of Hood River has maintenance tasks planned for the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge in the coming weeks.  Port Executive Director Michael McElwee says they will be starting soon a project to replace the skew system in the motors on top of each lift tower, and it should begin in a couple of weeks.  It will require one-lane closures for a period of time in April and May.  A second project that remains out for bid is to handle a variety of maintenance tasks on the bridge.  McElwee hopes that will occur right after the skew system project is done.

Teams from Life in the Gorge Homeschool and White Salmon won the first place awards at the Google Wind Challenge over the weekend.  More than 160 students representing 35 high school and middle school teams competed to build the competition’s top wind turbines.  Life in the Gorge won the high school division, with Stevenson High School in second place and Pacific Crest Innovation Academy third.  White Salmon took first in the middle school competition, followed by Life in the Gorge Homeschool and Goldendale Homeschoolers.  During the Wind Challenge, student teams worked together with volunteer mentors to design, build and test their turbines.  Teams compete against each other to see whose turbine can generate the highest voltage output and raise a 68 centimeter mass in the least amount of time.