Fire destroyed one home and damaged another house in The Dalles on Wednesday evening.  Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue Chief Bob Palmer says crews were dispatched to a house fire on 1632 Nevada Street at 6:22 p.m. Wednesday.  Palmer says they found the single-story family dwelling was fully involved, adding it appears the fire may have started in the kitchen area.  The fire did get into the attic of a nearby unoccupied house.  It suffered significant damage.  The fire also got into power lines, requiring power to be shut off to the area.  No one was injured, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.  Dallesport, Mosier, and Dufur crews assisted in the firefighting effort.

With the three-day holiday weekend approaching, the U.S. Forest Service, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and Oregon Department of Transportation are reminding hikers, bikers and visitors that some areas remain closed due to significant dangers resulting from last fall’s Eagle Creek Fire.  Six miles of the Historic Columbia River Highway remain closed, with the section of road from Bridal Veil to Ainsworth still barraged by falling rock and trees.  The Historic Highway State Trail remains closed for about five miles between John B. Yeon State Park and Cascade Locks.  Visitors must obey signs and barricades blocking entry to closed roads, trails and campgrounds.  U.S. Forest Service officers have issued about 120 citations for trespassing in closed areas.  Most National Forest System lands impacted by Eagle Creek Fire remain closed—including the area south of I-84 up to the southern boundary of the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness, from the Mt. Defiance Trail to Alex Barr Road and Thompson Mill Road.   For information on safe recreation, go to ReadySetGorge.com.

The Oregon Department of Forestry has introduced a new online tool that will help community planners and the public learn about wildfire risk across the state.  The web-based Oregon Wildfire Risk Explorer was developed in partnership with the Institute for Natural Resources, Oregon State University Libraries and Press, the Oregon Department of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service.  It will deliver the most current wildfire risk information for Oregon.  The site allows the user to view, query, and download data, generate maps and reports specific to their area, and access information to interpret the data for planning.  It also provides a platform for displaying other relevant data and resources.  The information will aid community wildfire planning and mitigation efforts.

Oregon Class 5-A Softball Tournament First Round Hood River Valley 9, Thurston 1:  Makenzie Chambers homered twice as the Eagles spotted the Colts a run and then rolled to the win.  Lizzie Weekly’s two-run homer in the fourth inning gave HRV the lead it would never relinquish.  Hannah McNerney pitched a two-hitter, striking out 13.  The Eagles will be at Marist of Eugene for a quarterfinal game on Friday at 5 p.m.  Marist defeated Corvallis 7-1 in round one.   Oregon Class 5-A Baseball Tournament First Round Sandy 7, Hood River Valley 6:  Colby Carson’s two-run single in the bottom of the seventh gave the Pioneers the win.  HRV had taken a 6-4 lead with two runs in the top of the seventh inning, but two errors at the start of the bottom half of the frame set up Sandy’s final comeback.  The Pioneers had already come back from a 4-0 deficit after three-and-a-half innings.   Oregon Class 2-A/1-A Baseball Tournament First Round Sherman 4, Lost River 3:  Jacob Justesen singled home Cal Homer with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning to push the Huskies into the quarterfinals.  The game winner came after Lost River had scored three runs in the sixth to tie the game.  Sherman will visit Pilot Rock…the team that beat them for the Special District 6 title one week ago…in the quarterfinals on Friday.   Washington Class 1A Boys Golf Tournament Goldendale’s Luke Gerchak shot a 74 in the final round on Wednesday at Liberty Lakes Golf Course to move up 20 spots for a 13^th place finish.  Gerchak trimmed 12 shots off of his Tuesday round.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced Thursday it will not sell off Bonneville Power Administration assets.  Last year fifteen Pacific Northwest members of Congress sent a letter to Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney expressing their concern with a proposal in the President’s budget to sell off BPA assets.  Four members of Washington’s Congressional delegation, including Third District Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler and Fourth District Representative Dan Newhouse, issued a statement expressing their relief with the decision. The legislators says the BPA has a unique and vital role in maintaining economic vitality in Northwest communities.  

The Oregon Board of Agriculture has announced plans to hold its next quarterly meeting in Hood River in early June.  The Oregon Department of Agriculture’s proposed budget, Specialty Crop Block Grant project updates, Northwest fruit movement from grower to marketplace, and an update on a recent trade mission to China are all on the agenda for the three-day meeting.  The meeting will be held from June 5th to the 7th at the Best Western Hood River Inn Riverview Room, and will be open to the public.  Public comment periods are scheduled for 10:15 a.m. on June 6 and 10:45 a.m. on June 7.

The Hood River Lions Club has announced plans for the annual Hood River July 4 Independence Day parade.  This year’s theme is “Heroes in Our Hearts,” and parade entries will be asked to decorate with a “Patriotic Hero” theme.  Entry fee remains $10.  The parade will start at its usual time of 10 a.m. on July 4th.  Grand marshal and parade leader will be retired Hood River City Manager and former Vietnam POW Lynn Guenther.  The parade will also include “The Beat Goes On” musical group, making its third Hood River appearance in five years.

Summer came early this week for 15 western pond turtles reared at the Oregon Zoo.  The zoo returned the endangered reptiles to the wild at a number of different Columbia River Gorge locations on Tuesday.  The turtles have been in a simulated summer at the zoo’s conservation lab since last May, growing large enough to have a fighting chance in the wild.  Keepers prepare the turtles for life outdoors by helping them learn to hunt for food and giving them plenty of time outside to acclimate to changing temperatures.  Once the turtles reach about 50 grams in size, they’re taken to the Columbia River Gorge where a team of volunteers and conservationists return them to their natural habitat and monitor them for safety.  In one study, scientists estimated that 95 percent of the turtles released back to the Gorge survive annually.  The biggest threat to fragile baby turtles has been the bullfrog.

Washington Class 1A Boys Golf Tournament Luke Gerchak of Goldendale shot an 86 in round one of the tourney at Liberty Lake Golf Club.  That’s leaves him in a tie for 33^rd heading into the second and final round today.   Wednesday, May 23 Schedule Oregon Class 5-A Baseball Tournament First Round Hood River Valley at Sandy, 5 p.m.   Oregon Class 2-A/1-A Baseball Tournament First Round Lost River at Sherman, 4 p.m.   Oregon Class 5-A Softball Tournament First Round Thurston at Hood River Valley, 4:30 p.m.

The Hood River County Commission has scheduled a public hearing for June 18 at 6 p.m. on a community identification card program that has been backed by a citizen group including Gorge Ecumenical Ministries.  Proponents say some county residents lack a form of official identification, restricting access to some services.  County Commissioners have had concerns about costs and liability.  Administrator David Hecksel says those have been answered through using a third party provider, the Next Door.  The community ID card would not be considered a valid form of identification for state or federal purposes, but the County would accept it and others could do so voluntarily.