Northwest Cherry Festival is two months away, and The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce has begun to take both vendor and parade applications for the event.  Chamber CEO Lisa Farquharson says the applications are available at thedalleschamber.com.  She notes they are aiming for more artisan-type vendors.  This year’s theme is “Return to the Planet of the Cherries.”  The festival is April 27-29.

Boys Basketball Hood River Valley 64, The Dalles 53:  The Eagles jumped out to an 18-point first half lead, then had to withstand the Riverhawks getting within five points in the fourth quarter before claiming the Columbia River Conference’s third spot and a berth in the Class 5-A play-in round.  Dakota Kurahara led the Eagles with 19 points while J.J. Mears tallied 15.  Dakota Murr led the Riverhawks with 27.   Girls Basketball Hood River Valley 44, The Dalles 43:  Hannah McNerney’s free throw in the final minute gave the Eagles the win and a spot in the Class 5-A play-ins.  The Eagles jumped out to a 13-0 lead, only to see The Dalles climb back in it, and tie the game late in the fourth as Paulina Finn made four three-pointers in the final frame.  Lauren Orr led the Eagles with 12 points while McNerney scored 11.   Oregon Class 1A Playoffs First Round Joseph 72, Sherman 27 Damascus Christian 39, Horizon Christian 20    

The first of two legislative receptions to raise awareness of Columbia Gorge issues will take place Wednesday in Olympia.  Washington 14th District Representatives Gina McCabe and Norm Johnson and Senator Curtis King will be co-hosting the event with the OneGorge advocacy group, an informal organization of public agencies, organizations, and private businesses from the Gorge that collaboratively advocate for issues and priorities of the region.  White Salmon Mayor David Poucher says he and most of his City Council will attend, noting it is imperative to meet legislators from throughout the state and tell the region’s story to them.  A similar event is planned in at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem on March 7.

There will be temporary lane closures and rerouting of traffic lanes at the toll plaza of the Hood River/White Salmon Interstate Bridge Wednesday beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing through 3 p.m.  Port and Gorge Electric crews will be working to replace the canopy lights on the toll house.  Flaggers will direct traffic through the toll plaza.  No delays are expected, but bridge users should be aware of the lane changes and follow flagger directions through the toll plaza.

It’s going to be a busy Tuesday for governmental meetings in the region.  The Hood River County Commission has moved its monthly meeting to the Hood River Valley Adult Center to start at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday.  That’s to accommodate a second round of testimony on the proposed Sales and Admissions Tax ordinance, scheduled to start at 6 p.m.  The Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency will meet at 5:30 p.m. in The Dalles City Hall, with a revisit of its narrow vote to enter into negotiations for a hotel on First and Union on the docket.  The vote was 3-2, but that was with four members of the board absent.  The final public information session on progress of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Management Plan review and revision process will be at 6 p.m. at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center.  In addition, the Klickitat County Commission holds a 10 a.m. worksession and 1:30 p.m. meeting at the Courthouse in Goldendale, and the Bingen City Council will be discussing chickens in the city limits at its 7 p.m. meeting in City Hall.      

The Port of Hood River is expecting it to take about six months to complete an infrastructure needs study for Lot 1 on the Waterfront.  Port Executive Director Michael McElwee says one of the challenges will be the public nature of the location, which will require serving light industrial uses but also with broad sidewalks and the ability to be transformed into a location for events.  He also notes the land is zoned light industrial, so it is more difficult to pay off the debt from infrastructure development because of lower rent revenues than from commercial or retail properties.

Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue is looking for more volunteers to help bolster its ranks.  Rob Torrey, who recently joined MCFR in a four-year grant-funded position to be in charge of volunteer recruitment and retention, says their numbers are low right now.  Torrey says they only have eight volunteers right now, and would like to see MCFR get that number up to 20, adding low numbers is a problem for most fire departments.  He’s hoping increased outreach can bring in more people.  Those who would like to volunteer with Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue can call 541-296-9445.

Columbia Gorge Community College this week will be doing online interviews with semi-finalists seeking to become the school’s next president.  CGCC had 44 applicants when that phase of the process closed on February 1.  After the CGCC Board of Education and its search committee conducts the online interviews, finalists will be recommended to the board, which will make the selections.  The finalists will visit the college in March.  The school wants to have a new president on the job by July 1.

Wrestling Hood River Valley’s Jason Shaner completed at unbeaten season by winning the 132 pound division at the Oregon Class 5A high school wrestling tournament.  Shaner defeated Bryant Smith of Milwaukie 9-7 in the final after topping Hunter Rickman of Sandy 21-8 in the semi-final.  Shaner finished the season with a 52-0 record.  Three other HRV wrestlers earned placing finishes, with Adrian Ramirez third at 285, Ryan Zeller fourth at 120, and Chad Muenzer sixth at 126.  The Eagles finished tenth in the team standings.  For The Dalles, J.R. Scott finished fifth at 182.   In the girls’ bracket, HRV’s Grace Miller was second at 145 while teammate Christina Marquez was also second at 180, and Elena Kroll was third at 135.   Two area wrestlers grabbed third place finishes at the Washington Class 1A Mat Classic in Tacoma.  Columbia’s James Bell was third at 145 and Goldendale’s Dustin Dodge finished in the same spot at 152.  Columbia’s boys had three other placers:  Alex Medina fifth at 220, Myles Moon seventh at 120, and Elijah Bell seventh at 126.  The Bruins’ Hailey Johnson finished fourth in the girls’ competition at 115.   Swimming Hood River Valley’s Chad Klaas was third in the boys’ 50 yard freestyle and fourth in the 100 buttefly to lead the Eagle contingent at the Oregon Class 5A swimming championships at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham.  HRV’s Allison Burke took sixth in the girls’ 500 freestyle.   Boys Basketball Columbia River Conference Regular Season Hermiston 65, Hood River Valley 56 Pendleton 69, The Dalles 53   Big Sky Conference Tournament at Madras First Round Condon-Wheeler 57, Horizon Christian 55 Sherman 61, Arlington 26 Third Place:  Arlington 49, Horizon Christian 43 Championship:  Sherman 74, Condon-Wheeler 44:  Sherman will host a second round state Class 1A playoff game this coming Saturday.   Girls Basketball Columbia River Conference Regular Season Pendleton 45, The Dalles 36 Hermiston 47, Hood River Valley 26   Big Sky Conference Tournament at Madras First Round Sherman 36, Horizon Christian 33 South Wasco 52, Ione 49 Third Place:  Horizon Christian 54, Ione 46:  Horizon Christian visits Damascus Christian for a first round state Class 1A playoff game on Tuesday. Championship:  South Wasco 51, Sherman 41:  South Wasco gets a bye to the second round of the state playoffs, while Sherman hosts Joseph on Tuesday.

The juvenile accused of starting September’s Eagle Creek Fire entered into a plea agreement in court Friday, admitting to twelve misdemeanor counts before Hood River County Circuit Judge John Olson.  The 15-year-old, whose name has not been released due to ongoing concerns for the safety of the juvenile and his family, admitted to eight counts of reckless burning, two counts of throwing away lighted materials, one count of criminal mischief, and one count of reckless endangerment.  Olson affirmed the plea deal reached between Hood River County District Attorney John Sewell and lead defense attorney Jack Morris, placing the teenager on probation for up to five years and ordering him to perform 1,920 hours of community service, much of it to be done in coordination with the U.S. Forest Service.  Financial restitution will be addressed at a May 17 hearing.  The juvenile read a statement in court, saying he thought about his terrible decision every day, apologizes with all his heart, and that he will work hard to rebuild the community he damaged and hopefully earn forgiveness.  Morris noted the teenager had never been in trouble before, and comes from a tight and supportive family.  Morris said the juvenile was in the area with friends and had two fireworks designed to explode in the air.  The young man set off one that he threw in the air where it exploded, but the second had a longer fuse, hit the ground and ignited, starting the fire.  Sewell said there was no evidence to support felony charges, adding all involved had been cooperative in the investigation.   A number of victims ranging from individuals to representatives of governmental agencies testified to the physical, financial, and emotional damage the reckless act caused.