Hood River Valley has won the OSAA Class 5A girls’ cross country championship in a dominating performance in Eugene, finishing 51 points in front of Wilsonville and Crater. HRV’s Frances Dickinson was the individual champion in a time of 18:40 while teammate Brinna Weiseth was in second two seconds back. Josephine Dickinson was fifth, and Evelyn Nunez ninth.  It’s the second time Hood River Valley has won a state girls’ cross country title, winning the 3A title in 1992, and follows up a second place finish last year.  Frances Dickinson is the third Eagle to win the state individual girls’ cross country title, joining Christy Paul in 2001 and Grace Grim in 2012.  The Dalles finished ninth, with Emma Mullins the top Riverhawk runner in 20th. Hood River Valley was sixth as a team in the 5A boys’ race, led by an 11th place finish by Josh Haynes and 14th by Omar Quintana.  Sam Alvarez of The Dalles was 19th.

The Hood River Valley Eagles volleyball team has won the fourth place trophy at the OSAA Class 5A tournament in Hillsboro, finishing with a 10-25, 25-21, 25-20, 22-25, 15-13 win over Crater.

Thursday Schedule Oregon Class 5A Water Polo Quarterfinals At Osborn Aquatic Center, Corvallis Girls Hood River Valley 18, Parkrose 1:  HRV takes on Ashland next Friday in Beaverton in the semi-finals.   Boys Hood River Valley 19, Redmond 3:  The Eagles face West Albany in next Friday’s semis in Beaverton.   Friday Schedule Oregon Class 5A Volleyball Tournament Quarter-final Corvallis def. Hood River Valley 25-19, 25-17, 12-25, 25-9:  HRV meets Wilsonville in a consolation round game Saturday at 8 a.m. at Liberty High School in Hillsboro.   Oregon Class 1A Football Playoffs First Round Bonanza at Dufur, 5 p.m.   Southwest Washington Class 1A District Playoff Columbia at Montesano, 7 p.m.   Regular Season Football North Beach at Lyle-Wishram, 7 p.m. Goldendale at Wapato   Saturday Schedule HRV and The Dalles at Oregon Class 5A Cross Country Championships in Eugene Girls at 1:45 p.m. Boys at 2:20 p.m.   Columbia, Stevenson, and Goldendale at Washington Class 1A Cross Country Championships in Pasco Girls at 10:30 a.m. Boys at Noon   Trout Lake at Washington Class 1B Cross Country Championships in Pasco Girls at 10 a.m. Boys at 11:30 a.m.   Southwest Washington Class 1A District Volleyball Tournament Columbia vs. King’s Way Christian at Castle Rock, 10 a.m.

The end of daylight saving time occurs at 2:00 a.m. Sunday.  At 2:00 a.m. on the 4th we will “fall back” an hour, turning 1:59:59 a.m. into 1 a.m.  Analog clocks. including those on microwaves and ovens, are on a short list of household appliances that will need a manual adjustment.  But since most digital clocks, including those in computers, smartphones and DVRs, do it automatically, it’s not as much of a chore as it used to be.  Starting Sunday, one hour of daylight is basically shifted from evening to morning as standard time begins.  We don’t go back to daylight saving until Sunday, March 10, 2019, about 10 days before spring begins.

An incident earlier this week in which a man drove towards a Hood River County Sheriff’s deputy has resulted in the driver facing charges.  According to the Oregon State Police, Hood River County Sheriff’s Deputy George Economou was checking on a vehicle parked at the Mitchell Point Trailhead just after 1:30 Monday morning when the operator backed out of a parking stall as Economou walked toward the vehicle and drove toward the deputy, who was outside of his vehicle.  Economou fired several rounds from his weapon towards the vehicle, but it continued and hit the patrol car before going about 15 yards down an embankment, where the driver was taken into custody without further incident.  50-year-old Lonnie Stinnett of Garibaldi was not injured, and was taken to the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility in The Dalles on driving under the influence of a controlled substance, reckless driving, and recklessly endangering another person.  Economou was not injured.  The Columbia Gorge Major Crimes Team, which includes members from the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office, Hood River Police Department, Wasco County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oregon State Police, conducted the investigation.

Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden and Idaho Republican Mike Crapo led a bipartisan group of their Senate colleagues in requesting funding to modernize firefighting assets so the U.S. Forest Service can respond in a cost-effective manner to devastating wildfires.  In letters to Senate Committee on Appropriations leadership and the U.S. Forest Service, the senators say a modern, highly capable large air tanker and water-scooper fleet has proven to be one of the most effective immediate responses to limit the expansion of wildfires into uncontrollable mega-fires.  The available aircraft doing this today continue to be retired ex-military/ex-civil aircraft, repurposed for air tanker operations and flown by small private contract firms.  Wyden and Crapo say to ensure the Forest Service can most effectively fight wildfires, Congress must immediately act to invest in modern firefighting assets.  Wyden and Crapo were joined in sending the letters by a bipartisan group of seven other senators, including Oregon’s Jeff Merkley and Washington’s Maria Cantwell.

Oregonians who don’t have coverage through their employer have six weeks to sign up for health insurance.  The open enrollment period began November 1st and runs through December 15th.  The Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace is helping people find out where to apply and whether they might be eligible for financial assistance. It can also point people to local, in-person help.  Marketplace communication manager Elizabeth Cronen says people should check their income eligibility, because getting that subsidy can bring down premiums.  People who aren’t covered through their workplace could qualify for subsidies.  The Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace can also guide people who are enrolling in the Oregon Health Plan, the state’s version of Medicaid.

Oregon Elections Director Steve Trout says while Independent Party candidate Patrick Starnes may have announced this week he is leaving the race for Governor and has endorsed Democrat incumbent Kate Brown, but he can’t officially withdraw.  In a YouTube video, Trout says the deadline to withdraw as a candidate was August 31, and that has long past, so all votes cast for Starnes will be counted for him.  Trout points out that voters who have already returned their ballots cannot make a change at this time, but those who have already marked their ballot for Starnes but have not returned it have a couple of options.  One is to call their County election office and ask for a replacement ballot, or clearly mark on your ballot who you want to receive your vote for governor by crossing out Starnes’ name, mark your choice, and circling or putting arrows around your choice to make it clear.  Trout adds votes for Starnes will not be counted for Brown, even though he has endorsed her.

The Youth Empowerment Shelter in The Dalles will hold a “Reach Out” event on Saturday at Wahtonka Community School.  The shelter provides a safe place for youth in crisis, working with them on relational development and plans to reach their potential.  Executive Director Gary Casady says Saturday’s event is designed to be a fun and informational meeting.  Saturday’s “Reach Out” event begins at 6 p.m. at Wahtonka Community School.

The Hood River/White Salmon Interstate Bridge will have a scheduled closure at 4:00 a.m. Friday for a lift of the bridge lift span.  The closure is needed for maintenance to the lift span gates and motor systems.  The closure is expected to last up to 30 minutes.