Oregon Second District Congressman Greg Walden announced today he will not seek re-election to the office he has held since first being elected in 1998.  The Hood River Republican revealed his decision in a video statement.  Walden said based on recent polling, strong fundraising, and the backing of his family, he is confident he could have won another term, but the time had come to pursue new challenges and opportunities.  He added that he will not seek election to any other office, and will close the public service chapter of his life.  Walden served six years in the Oregon House and two years in the Oregon Senate along with what will end up being 22 years in Congress.  In the statement, Walden cited among accomplishment during his tenure standing up for the ranching and farming way of life in eastern Oregon, and helping Oregonians receive the Social Security, Medicare, and veterans’ benefits they earned.

A 20-year-old Goldendale woman died in a one-car accident on the Klickitat-Glenwood Highway early Saturday morning.  According to the Washington State Patrol, a car was traveling eastbound on the highway about thirteen miles west of Goldendale just before 3 a.m. when if left the roadway onto the eastbound shoulder, and struck a guardrail and a tree before coming to rest on the shoulder.  The WSP says a passenger in the vehicle, 20-year-old Makayla Braswell of Goldendale, died in the accident.  Another passenger, 22-year-old Rafael Alvaro of Goldendale, was taken by LifeFlight to Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland.  The WSP says the driver, 25-year-old Charles Mescher of Goldendale, was injured but not transported to a hospital.

Biannual bridge deck maintenance welding on the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge will continue into its second week starting Monday at 9:00 a.m.  While the work is weather dependent, bridge users should plan for delays or seek alternate routes between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. all week long.  Welding crews will continue their work until it is complete.  Flaggers will direct traffic around the moving work zone throughout the week.  Expect delays and drive slowly for worker safety.

Football

Hood River Valley 52, Milwaukie 12:  The Eagles will play for a Class 5A playoff berth at Hillsboro this Friday night.

North Marion 21, The Dalles 20:  The Dalles will host Valley Catholic in a play-in game Friday night, with the winner going to the state 4A playoffs.

LaCenter 28, Columbia 14

King’s Way Christian 49, Stevenson 0

Dufur 72, Lyle-Wishram 30

Sherman 67, Gilchrist 19

South Wasco 57, Triangle Lake 20

Goldendale 47, Highland 0

 

 

Volleyball

South Wasco finished second and Dufur third in the Big Sky Conference Tournament, sending both to the state 1A playoffs.  South Wasco swept Dufur in the semi-finals before falling to Echo in three in the final.  Dufur bounced back in the third place match to sweep Ione-Arlington.  Dufur will be at Damascus Christian for the first round of the playoffs on Wednesday, while South Wasco will host Wallowa.

 

Boys Soccer

Life Christian Academy 7, Trout Lake 1

 

As many of you have already noted, since Tuesday morning programming on all five of our Bicoastal stations has been disrupted.  Early Tuesday morning our computer systems were the victim of a ransomware attack, locking them up and not allowing us to continue with our regular local programming.  On all five stations you can still hear your favorite music, or in the case of Newsradio 1300/103.9, national talk programming.

We have computer technicians working on the problem, but at this point we are unsure of when we will be back to normal.  Our staff shares with you the frustration of not being able to bring the programming that you’ve grown to expect and enjoy every day in the manner we normally do.  Our streaming services have also been impacted.

We will update you on Gorgeradio.com and our Facebook page when the situation changes, hopefully very soon.  We thank you for all the calls and interest we have received in the last couple of days.  It is wonderful to know that we have listeners who take such a great interest, and increases our determination to bring the best in entertainment and information throughout the Columbia River Gorge.

 

Work on the environmental impact statement for the replacement of the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge continues.  Port of Hood River project manager Kevin Greenwood says they are 50 percent of the way through that process, and they are entering into a challenging phase of the project, examining potential sites for a new bridge for historic and cultural resources. Greenwood notes the Oregon Department of Transportation is designated as the lead agency to do the outreach to tribal agencies.  Greenwood adds he expects it will take another 18 months to get through the EIS process.

The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce President Lisa Farquharson has been named Executive of the Year by the Oregon State Chamber of Commerce.  Farquharson was also tabbed to serve on the board of directors of the state group beginning in January, and she says that spot should have benefits for The Dalles.  Farquharson received the honor last week at the state Chamber of Commerce meeting in Lebanon on Tuesday.  She has been The Dalles Chamber CEO for the past seven years.

A public meeting on recreation revisions to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Management Plan will be held Tuesday in Carson.  The revisions are part of the Gorge 2020 effort to review and revise the Scenic Area management plan.  Earlier this year, the Forest Service and the Columbia River Gorge Commission hosted several meetings with recreation experts and public land managers in the Gorge to discuss recent trends in recreation and identify aspects of the management plan’s framework that may need to be modernized.   The meeting will start with a presentation outlining the current plan’s approach and identifying key questions under consideration, and then public input will be taken in an open house format.  The meeting will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Wind River Education Center in Carson.

The City of The Dalles is embarking on its annual effort to pick up fallen leaves promptly so they do not block catch basins and before they freeze onto the streets.  Citizens are being asked to park off-street during street sweeper work hours from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  The City street sweeper can pick-up leaves that fall into the street, but it cannot pick up piles of leaves, so residents are also asked to not rake leaves into the street.  Options include composting them at home, putting them in your yard debris container for pick-up, or putting them in a compostable paper bag and taking them during the month of November to The Dalles Transfer Station for free disposal.  The Dalles Disposal will not accept yard debris in plastic garbage bags.

Football

Hood River Valley 36, Forest Grove 22:  Tanner Fletcher scored three touchdowns in a return from injury while HRV’s secondary intercepted four passes to come back from a 14-0 deficit.

 

The Dalles 36, Estacada 14:  Okean Green ran for 139 yards and a touchdown while Gabe Helseth ran for 102 yards and threw for 309 yards and two scores to lead the Riverhawks and keep themselves in the hunt for a state playoff berth.

 

King’s Way Christian 26, Columbia 16

Castle Rock 42, Stevenson 0

Pilot Rock 50, Dufur 30

Sherman 43, South Wasco 19

Lyle-Wishram 71, Colton 28

River View 56, Goldendale 0

 

Boys Soccer

Damascus Christian 5, Trout Lake 1

 

Girls Soccer

The Dalles 4, Crook County 1