The North Wasco County School District 21 Budget Committee passed the fiscal plan for the 2017-18 school year Tuesday evening, but it would surprise no one if it must be adjusted when the Oregon Legislature settles on a final state school financing number for the upcoming biennium.  D-21 Chief Financial Officer Randy Anderson developed the budget using a state funding number of eight-point-one billion dollars.  Anderson says while the number he used is below the eight-point-four billion dollar state funding figure most school officials say is needed to maintain the status quo, the D-21 budget does not include any teacher or program cuts.  The budget will go to the D-21 board next month.

Hood River should have a new dog park open to the public sometime this summer.  The Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District is arranging no-cost leases of City and Port owned property adjacent to the municipal wastewater treatment plant at the west end of Portway Avenue.  District Director Mark Hickok says they have a few things to do to get the property ready for the dogs, including moving a fence going through the middle of the property and fencing the perimeter of it, ensure dogs can’t dig or jump out, and construct an area leading to the water so owners can throw balls out into the water for their dog to chase.  The property involved is about one acre in size.  

A group seeking to establish a 600-seat performing arts center in the Gorge continues to work toward its goal, including identifying a site to build on.  Mark Steighner of the Performing Arts Initiative says a final feasibility study should be ready in about a week, but it shows 70 percent of the operating costs could be covered by ticket sales.  He also says they are negotiating to lease three parcels of land on Westcliff Drive to locate the facility.  The group has established its non-profit status.  Steighner says their next step is to hire a project manager and a capital campaign planner.  The project does have a website:  gorgeperformingarts.org.

Fire destroyed a home in the 8700 block of Dog River Road in Parkdale on Tuesday.  Parkdale Rural Fire Protection District Chief Mike McCafferty says the two-story wood frame home was fully involved when firefighters arrived at around 9:50 a.m., with the fire extending to a car and external buildings.  No one was home when the fire was reported.  Three adults and one child lived in the house, and the American Red Cross reported it was offering assistance to them.  McCafferty says the house is a total loss, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.  He added neighbors indicated the fire started in the garage.  Hood River, Westside, Wy’east, and Cascade Locks fire departments assisted in the firefighting effort.

Baseball Hood River Valley 10, The Dalles 2:  Trevor Lariza hit two home runs and drove in five runs to lead the Eagles to the victory that clinched their third straight Columbia River Conference title.  Greyson Losee struck out 10 while pitching a complete game on the mound. Castle Rock 4, Columbia 3 Sherman 3, Pilot Rock 2 Goldendale splits with LaSalle, winning game one 9-4 and falling in game two 8-3:  The Timberwolves clinched fourth place in the SCAC West, and will host Warden in a district play-in game on Friday.   Softball Hood River Valley 6, The Dalles 0:  Hannah McNerney pitched her second shutout against the Riverhawks in four days.  HRV keeps pace with Pendleton atop the Columbia River Conference standings.  Pendleton rolled by Hermiston 10-1. LaSalle sweeps Goldendale 18-3 and 17-7.   Boys Soccer Columbia 1, King’s Way Christian 0:  The Bruins move into third place in the Trico League.   Boys Tennis Goldendale 2, Zillah 2   Girls Tennis Goldendale 4, Zillah 1   Girls Lacrosse Hood River Valley 15, Cleveland 1

A 27-year-old Dufur man was arraigned Tuesday on various sex abuse charges.  The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office arrested Ty Lee Wyman in his home.  Wyman was lodged at the Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facility in The Dalles, with bail set at $40,000.  The Sheriff’s Office says the investigation is on-going, and anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 541-506-2580.

North Wasco County School District 21 will be doing a survey in the next few weeks asking about their support of a possible November school bond measure.  That is in the wake of a recently concluded series of facilities planning meetings with local community members that saw the group recommended the district focus first on a new high school.  D-21 Chief Financial Officer Randy Anderson says this will be a more specific survey than one that was done about a year ago that showed support for a new high school, including asking about a potential cost of over 80 million dollars.  D-21 owns land on the west side of town that could serve as a high school location.  Bond specialists are evaluating whether they can structure finances to make early high school construction affordable as the first step in replacing the district’s aging buildings.

The Hood River Valley Residents Committee is celebrating its 40th anniversary.  The group was put together with a goal of protecting farm and forest land in the mid- and upper-valley, and expanded to livability issues in the cities.  The group’s Jeff Hunter says supporting that third issue helps protect the resource lands.  The Residents Committee will celebrate its 40th anniversary on May 21 beginning at 3:30 p.m. at the Crag Rat Hut.  The public is invited to attend.

North Wasco County School District 21’s budget committee meets for the first time Tuesday to review the 2017-18 fiscal plan developed by district staff.  D-21 Superintendent Candy Armstrong says staff has worked with an assumption of statewide K-12 funding to be at eight-point-one billion dollars, and she says that means addressing long-standing personnel needs gets pushed back further.  Tuesday’s budget committee meeting begins at 6 p.m. in The Dalles Middle School Library.

The Columbia Gorge Tourism Alliance and Travel Oregon are embarking on offering training sessions this month for frontline staff at businesses that deal with the public.  Hood River County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mike   Glover says the “We Speak the Gorge” trainings looks to help get visitors directed to where they want to go, and spread them throughout the region.  The sessions were being held in The Dalles today, but are also planned for May 15 at Cascade Locks Marine Park Pavilion and May 22 at Hampton Inn and Suites in Hood River.  Information on attending the Cascade Locks and Hood River sessions is available at hoodriver.org.