It was a busy weekend for Skamania County Search and Rescue crews.  On Saturday evening, the Volcano Rescue Team helped bring a 53-year-old woman from Dallas, Texas who had sustained a possible broken ankle down from a trail on Mt. St. Helens.  On Sunday morning, a critically injured climber at Big Creek Falls was brought back to the top of the falls by ropes, taken to the Pine Creek Ranger Station, and then transported by LifeFlight to a Portland hospital.  Undersheriff Pat Bond had no update on the condition of the 72-year-old man from Washougal.  And on Sunday afternoon a 56-year-old Port Orchard woman who had been reported overdue to return from picking mushrooms in the Willard area was located and found to be healthy.

Gorge Works is seeking host employers throughout the Columbia Gorge for its summer 2019 internship season.  The internship program to help businesses identify candidates for skilled employment, provide internship opportunities allowing for the exploration of local career options, and promote the Gorge as an excellent place to live and work began this past year.  Employers in the program need to be able to hire a candidate full-time at (at least) minimum wage for nine weeks starting in mid-June 2019.  They also need to have an employee willing to mentor the intern and have office or other work space to house an intern.  Gorge Works takes care of other details including marketing internships to potential applicants, receiving and organizing applications, and coordinating weekly professional development workshops.  For more information go to gorgeworks.com or contact Kathy Ursprung at the Port of The Dalles at (541) 298-4148.

The countdown to Hood River Valley Harvest Festival is underway, with downtown Hood River’s First Friday this weekend featuring a harvest theme.  Hood River County Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Janet Davis says there will be different events at various merchants.  There will be a pie contest associated with the events.  First Friday activities will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. this Friday in downtown Hood River.

Football LaSalle 36, Hood River Valley 16 Gladstone 42, The Dalles 21 Columbia 19, Castle Rock 14 Stevenson 28, Seton Catholic 19 Dufur 54, Ione 8 South Wasco 73, Huntington 12 Goldendale 48, Cle Elum-Roslyn 27   Boys Soccer Horizon Christian 5, Willamette Valley Christian 0   Volleyball Hood River Valley won its own tournament, topping The Dalles 25-10, 25-14, then defeating Seaside 25-18, 25-22.   Cross Country Hood River Valley’s girls won the Division 1 varsity title at the Nike Invitational at Portland Meadows.  Frances Dickinson finished fifth to lead a group of four HRV runners in the top 15.  The Dalles finished fifth in girls’ Division 2, headed by a fifth place finish by Emma Mullins.  In the boys’ races, The Dalles’ boys finished sixth in Division 2 topped by a 20^th place effort by Sam Alvarez, and HRV’s Josh Haynes finished 16^th in Division 1,   Stevenson’s boys were fourth at the Toutle Lake Invitational.  Julio Ramos finished fourth for the Bulldogs.  Sydney Cole finished eighth in the girls’ race for Stevenson.   Goldendale’s Ellie Rising was eighth in the girls’ elite flight at the Sunfair Invitational in Yakima, while the Timberwolves’ Lucas Anderson was 18^th in the boys’ elite flight.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says Columbia River levels between John Day and McNary dams could be higher during the next three months.  From October through December, Lake Umatilla, the section of the Columbia River above John Day Dam, will be operated in a broader and higher range.  That means river users could see river levels 2.5 feet higher than in the spring and summer.  The operation is to meet requirements spelled out in a biological opinion to support juvenile fish migration, maintain minimum water levels for irrigation withdrawals, and to accommodate tribal treaty fishing operations.  In addition to the higher levels, users may also see more variability than in recent months.

Arborists will continue removing hazard trees near Multnomah Falls Monday and Tuesday, triggering up to two days of limited access to the lower viewing platform and trail to Benson Bridge at Multnomah Falls.  The efforts will protect facilities and improve public safety by removing trees near the falls that were burned and damaged by the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire.  About 50 dead or dying trees surrounding Multnomah Falls were cleared last week, but about 40 more trees need to be removed from the site.  This week’s work includes hazard tree removal from the cliff east of the Lodge, in order to mitigate safety concerns on the Historic Columbia River Highway.  They are working Monday until around sunset, with work set to resume on Tuesday at 8 a.m.  During the work opportunities to get scenic photographs of the falls will be limited.  Multnomah Falls Lodge will remain open during the work.  

Six miles of the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail have re-opened between the John B. Yeon Trailhead and Cascade Locks.  It had been closed since last year’s Eagle Creek Fire.  The Historic Columbia River Highway itself remains closed between Bridal Veil and Ainsworth, a six mile section, with no timeline yet for re-opening.  Also opening Friday are National Forest System lands north of Interstate 84 near Eagle Creek Overlook Campground, the parking lot at the Toothrock Trailhead, and the parking lot at the John B. Yeon Trailhead.  Unpaved hiking trails at John B. Yeon remain closed as does the trail to Elowah Falls.  The U.S. Forest Service parking lot and day use/picnic area at the Eagle Creek Recreation Site opened Friday, but the trailhead area and trail itself remain closed with no timeline for reopening.

Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined with Governor Kate Brown to ask the U.S. Agriculture Department to allow emergency haying and grazing on Conservation Reserve Program land in Gilliam County, and extend the emergency haying and grazing period in Wasco, Sherman and Wheeler counties.  In a letter this week to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, the trio asked federal officials to help north central Oregon farmers and ranchers continue their wildfire recovery efforts by allowing them increased opportunities for emergency haying and grazing.  They told Perdue the loss of grazing land in particular presents an ongoing concern for producers in the area.  They asked for an extension from the September 30 authorization to February 28, 2019.

The Klickitat County Department of Emergency Management has been named Washington’s “2017 Team of the Year” by the Washington State Chapter of the Association of Public Safety Communication Officials and the National Emergency Number Association.  The recognized team of Klickitat County Communications Officers were nominated for the exceptional efforts they displayed during the Underwood Fruit fire at the west end of Bingen on October 18 of last year.  This award recognizes handling an unforeseen or unusually challenging situation causing each nominee to handle additional responsibilities in addition to their regularly assigned duties.

Volleyball Hood River Valley def. The Dalles 25-18, 14-25, 25-21, 25-17:  Katie Kennedy had 20 kills and Emily Curtis added 16 to get the Eagles back above the .500 mark in the Intermountain Conference. Sherman def. Mitchell-Spray 25-11, 25-23, 25-17 Dufur def. Condon-Wheeler 25-11, 25-7, 25-16 King’s Way Christian def. Stevenson 25-18, 25-10, 25-21 LaCenter def. Columbia 25-19, 25-18, 25-14 Trout Lake def. Bickleton 25-7, 28-26, 25-17 Sunnyside Christian def. Klickitat-Glenwood 18-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-27, 15-12   Boys Soccer Hood River Valley 5, Redmond 1 The Dalles 3, Ridgeview 3   Girls Soccer Hood River Valley 6, Redmond 0 Ridgeview 2, The Dalles 1 Columbia 2, LaCenter 2 Naches Valley 4, Goldendale 1   Cross Country Goldendale won the girls’ team competition and was second in the boys at a four-school SCAC West meet at Kiona-Benton.  Ellie Rising won the girls’ race, as the Timberwolves took the top four places.  Lucas Anderson was third for Goldendale in the boys’ race.   Boys Water Polo Hood River Valley 14, Sandy 7   Girls Water Polo Hood River Valley 14, Sandy 5