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February 4 Prep Sports Roundup

Boys Basketball

South Wasco 96, Trout Lake 36

Condon 54, Sherman 38

 

Girls Basketball

The Dalles 49, Pendleton 41

South Wasco 44, Trout Lake 41:  The Redsides pull even with the Mustangs for second in the Big Sky League.

Sherman 45, Condon 9

 

Boys and Girls Wrestling

Hood River Valley 42, Putnam 33

Hood River Valley 45, Wilsonville 27:  Leyton Adams, Aaron Smith, Drew Lucas, and Copeland Louis had two wins apiece for HRV.

 

Girls Wrestling

Centennial 54, Hood River Valley 22:  Ayleen Marquez, Asai Akhmedova, Melissa Jara Vela, and Xiomara Gordian-Gomez scored wins for Hood River.

Heritage Apple Preservation Bill Passes Committee

Legislation sponsored by Washington 14th District State Rep. Gloria Mendoza to preserve Washington’s rare and historic apple varieties unanimously passed the House Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee.  With Mendoza’s leadership, the committee approved substitute language for House Bill 2525, which would establish a Heritage Orchard Registry Program at Washington State University to identify and register heritage orchards across the state and maintain a list of rare and lost apple varieties.  A heritage orchard is defined as an orchard with at least five apple trees more than 74 years old, or one containing at least a single tree of a rare or lost apple variety.  The substitute also directs WSU to adopt rules to implement the program.  The bill is now expected to be referred to the House Appropriations Committee for funding.

Waters Introduces Fuel Break Agreement Bill

Washington 17th District State Representative Kevin Waters has introduced a bill to authorize counties to enter into shared stewardship agreements with federal land management agencies to maintain and manage fuel breaks on federally owned lands within one mile of roads.  The Skamania County Republican says under the bill, counties would be able to retain proceeds from timber sales resulting from fuel reduction and forest health work performed under the agreements.  Waters does not think the bill will make it through during the current short session, but expects it can in 2027.  He notes that the bill is receiving supporting from both sides of the aisle.

Bridge Of The Gods Report Released

As the Bridge of the Gods enters its centennial year, the Port of Cascade Locks, has received early findings of an ongoing study focused on pedestrian safety, bridge preservation, and seismic resilience.

The study by Parsons Transportation Group began in early 2025.

Early phases of the Bridge of the Gods study have included extensive technical fieldwork and analysis to better understand existing conditions, and has found foundations and substructure are in better-than-expected condition, seismic conditions are more favorable than expected, critical information gaps have been filled, and continuous data collection is helping the Port understand real-time strains and stresses.

With a technical baseline now established, the study moves into its next phase of work, including a vessel collision assessment to better understand navigation risks, continuing monitoring structural health and performance data, and beginning the conceptual development of potential retrofit actions.

 

Daybreak & Bakeoven Solar Projects Begin Operations

Energy company Avangrid says it has started commercial operations at the Daybreak and Bakeoven solar projects in Wasco County, sending power to the Portland General Electric grid.  Daybreak has a capacity of 189 megawatts, and Bakeoven can deliver up to 80 megawatts.  Avangrid installed a combined 650,000 solar panels at Daybreak and Bakeoven, which are located adjacent to each other.  Together, the projects are expected to produce hundreds of gigawatt-hours of electricity annually.  Construction supported over 300  jobs, and Avangrid estimates the two projects will generate approximately $40 million in tax revenue over their life span, and support several permanent, full-time jobs for the ongoing operation and maintenance.  Daybreak and Bakeoven are the first commercial-scale solar projects built in Wasco County.

Chicago Man Dies In Highway 97 Accident

One man died in a collision between a van and a truck and trailer on Highway 97 in Klickitat County on Monday morning.  According to the Washington State Patrol, a van driven by a 42-year-old Chicago man was southbound on Highway 97 at milepost 11 just south of Goldendale just after 7:30 a.m. Monday when it crossed the centerline and struck the oncoming truck and trailer.  The Chicago man, whose identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin, was declared deceased at the scene.  The truck driver, 53-year-old Abel Martinez of Vancouver, was transported to Klickitat Valley Hospital in Goldendale for treatment of injuries.  Cause of the accident remains under investigation.  Another truck and trailer could not stop in time and drove through the debris on the roadway.  The WSP said the driver of that truck was uninjured.

Merkley Town Halls On Friday

Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley will hold town halls with in-person community conversations in Hood River and Wasco Counties on Friday.  The town halls will be held at the Mt.Hood Town Hall on 6575 Highway 35 in Hood River County on Friday at 11 a.m., and then Merkley moves on to the Mid-Columbia Senior Center at 1112 West 9th in The Dalles at 2 p.m. for another session.  These sessions will bring the total of town halls Merkley will have done so far this year to 20.  Merkley says the conversations help lay out the current interests and needs of Oregonians to advise his work.

Transportation Funding Central To Oregon Legislative Session

The Oregon Legislature gathered Monday for its 35-day short session, with transportation funding figuring to be front and center.  52nd District Representative Jeff Helfrich says his goal is to make sure maintenance and preservation of roads come first in whatever the Oregon Department of Transportation receives, adding no matter what occurs, there will be cuts.  One of the focuses of the early weeks of the session will be an effort by Democrats to move a vote on a referendum to repeal the gas tax increase passed last year from November to May.

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