Oregon Class 5A Boys Golf Tournament On a day when scores jumped from the first round…Aiden Telles of The Dalles shot an 82 to finish in a tie for ninth at the Oregon Class 5A Boys Golf Tournament at Emerald Valley Golf Course in Creswell.  The Riverhawk sophomore shot 15-over-par over the two day event.  Thurston junior Tyler Garner won the tournament.   Washington Class 1A Boys Soccer Tournament First Round Overlake 5, Columbia 0   Softball Franklin 1, Hood River Valley 0:  The Eagles left seven runners on base as they could manage only two hits off of Franklin pitcher Samantha Brauckmiller.  The only run of the game was scored in third inning, when Maggie Brauckmiller scored on two HRV errors.  

An incumbent was defeated in Tuesday’s Wasco County Commission election.  Former Wasco-Sherman County Health Department Director Kathy Schwartz won the vote for Position 3 over two-term incumbent Rod Runyon.  Schwartz received 59 percent of the vote, 3,431 to 2,383 for Runyon.  In the other Wasco County Commission race, incumbent Scott Hege won a third term on the panel with 67 percent of the vote, 3,457 to 1,684 for challenger Roy Justesen.  Also on the Tuesday Wasco County ballot, the Dufur Recreation District’s three-year local option tax was renewed by a large margin, 270 to 62.  But the White River Health District’s five-year local option tax for general operations was defeated 313 to 307.

In Sherman County, no one received over 50 percent in the four-way race for County Judge.  Joe Dabulskis topped the group with 46.5 percent of the vote at 342, with Mike Smith receiving 287, followed by Larry Hoctor’s 60 and Fred Justesen’s 44.  Jamie McLeod Skinner received about 40 percent of the vote to easily win the Democrat Party nomination in Oregon’s Second Congressional District.  Jenni Neahring received 24 percent, while five other candidates split the rest.

Mike Oates will be the next Hood River County Commission Chair.  The orchardist with a long history of local governmental involvement polled 67 percent of the vote to win the seat over current District 2 County Commissioner Rich McBride.  Oates received 3,470 votes, while McBride polled 1,673.  Oates will succeed the retiring Ron Rivers at the end of the year.  The Hood River County School District’s local option levy was extended for another five years.  Voters gave their approval to continue the levy, first approved thirteen years ago.  The measure passed by a wide margin with 74 percent saying yes, 4,120 to 1,449.    

Hood River County Commission Chair   Mike Oates                              2,686   Rich McBride                         1,310     Hood River County School District Local Option   Yes                                          3,152   No                                           1,134     Wasco County Commission Pos. 1   Scott Hege                              2,654   Roy Justesen                           1,329     Wasco County Commission Pos. 3   Kathy Schwartz                      2,689   Rod Runyon                           1,827     Dufur Recreation District Local Option Tax   Yes                                          208   No                                           57     White River Health District Local Option   Yes                                          238   No                                           260       Sherman County Judge   Fred Justesen              38   Joe Dabulskis              282 (45.5)   Mike Smith                 246  (39.5)   Larry Hoctor               54         Oregon 2nd Congressional District Democrat   Jamie McLeod Skinner 9,822 (44.6) Jenni Neahring              4,933 (22.4)   Oregon Governor Republican   Knute Buehler             66,912 (49.84) Sam Carpenter            36,949 (27.5) Greg Wooldridge        22,913 (17.1)     Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries   Val Hoyle                    190,140 (55) Lou Ogden                  114,796 (33) Jack Howard               39,371 (11)   Supreme Court Judge Position 3   Megan Flynn               247,481 (75) Van Pounds                84,400 (24)   Court of Appeals Position 10   Rex Armstrong           199,561 (64) Kyle Krohn                 113,612 (36)

Voters in Oregon have until 8 p.m. to deliver their ballots to County election offices or official drop boxes.  Ballot drop boxes are located in Hood River County at the County Administration Building and Cascade Locks City Hall, and in Wasco County at the County Courthouse in The Dalles and Maupin City Hall.  The Dalles Rotary Club is again hosting ballot drive-thru collection on 5th Street at the Wasco County Courthouse.  Highlighting the ballot in Wasco County are two contested County Commission seats, with incumbents Rod Runyon and Scott Hege opposed by Kathy Schwartz and Roy Justesen, while the Dufur Recreation District seeks a three-year extension of its local option tax for operation.  In Hood River County, Mike Oates and Rich McBride are candidates for County Commission Chair, while the Hood River County School District’s local option levy is also up for vote.

The Dalles City Council gave direction to staff to explore whether a move of the Gitchell/Waldron Building is feasible, and also to get a detailed estimate for demolition of the building.  Councilors said they wanted to get a report of progress in 120 days.  A move of the building located next to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks in downtown The Dalles would be to the south side of East First Street, and would involve stabilization, restoration, and re-use of the building.  The City has received one response to a request for proposal for such move, which would involve a non-profit being formed to take ownership of the building.  In determining if a move is feasible, City staff will have to answer questions on liability issues.  Councilors were unanimous in approving the next steps.  In other business, the Council unanimously approved the scope of work and budget for tourism services by The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce for the 2018-19 fiscal year.

The Dalles City Council approved moving forward with establishment of a new Wasco County Joint Enterprise Zone.  The current enterprise zone structure expires on June 30.  In the new version, which would be in effect for ten years, the Port of The Dalles will join Wasco County and the City as a sponsor.  In addition Maupin, Dufur and Mosier will come on board along with the unincorporated areas of Tygh Valley, Wamic, and Pine Grove.  Enterprise zones negotiate tax-abatement agreements for qualifying new business developments, usually with the business making agreed upon payments for the length of the abatement.  Some taxing districts, most notably Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue, have called for a change in how those payments are distributed by going to a set formula.  But City officials decided those discussions are a separate issue from establishing the new enterprise zone.

Federal, state, tribal and local agencies will be gathered at Riverfront Park and the Fort Dalles Readiness Center in The Dalles on Wednesday to conduct a mass rescue operation exercise.  The Coast Guard is running the exercise that will help first responder agencies to evaluate search and rescue procedures and coordination, interagency Incident Command System response, triage accountability processes, and joint communications procedures and capabilities.  The scenario to be practiced involves a large passenger vessel that runs hard aground near Three Mile Rapids, which causes mass injuries and forces passengers into the Columbia River without lifejackets.

Oregon Girls Lacrosse State Playoffs First Round Hood River Valley 12, Summit 4:  Katherine Koenig scored three goals while Kat McElderry, Terra Mikkelsen, and Alex Willis scored two apiece as the Eagles advance to the quarterfinals.  HRV will play at West Linn on Thursday.   Boys Lacrosse Wilson 13, Hood River Valley 12   Oregon Class 5A Boys Golf Tournament Aiden Telles of The Dalles shot a five-over-par 77 in round one, good for a tie for seventh.  He is seven shots back of leader John Pollock of Marist.  The second and final round is today at Emerald Valley Golf Club in Creswell.   SCAC West Tennis Tournament Goldendale’s boys doubles team of John Hanna and Aiden Bothamley and the girls’ pair of Talia Johnson and Kelli Bighorn won third place matches and advance to the SCAC Tournament starting Friday at Connell.  The Timberwolves’ Halie Allen and Kristi Bighorn won the girls’ doubles fifth place match to move on to the district tourney.   Baseball Forest Grove 5, The Dalles 4 Sherman 16, Hood River Valley JV 2