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Wasco County Ratifies Camping Policy

Wasco County Commissioners formally ratified the current policy governing camping on County-owned and other public property.  County legal counsel Kristen Campbell says the Commission formalizing it puts the County in compliance with state law.  County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Scott Williams notes they always work with people, and enforcement is actually a last resort.  Under the policy, deputies are required to post a written notice at least 72 hours prior to the removal of an established site.  Personal property with apparent utility is stored for a minimum of 30 days in the same community where it was removed.  At the time of notice, local social service agencies are notified to provide outreach and assistance to site occupants

 

PitchFest Applications Due Friday

Applications for this year’s Gorge PitchFest are being taken through Friday at 5 p.m. from entrepreneurs looking to grow their business concept.  Five finalists will be selected to give their pitch to a panel of judges and an audience at the Granada Theatre in The Dalles on May 28, with an opportunity to win a $10,000 grand prize.  Jakob Lillvik of the Mid-Columbia Economic Development District says applicants don’t need to have a perfect pitch to take part.  There will be cash awards for all five finalists.  To apply, go to midcolumbiainnovationhub.org.

Bentz Introduces Bill To Get More Input On Federal Water Projects

Oregon Second District Congressman Cliff Bentz has introduced a bill he says will improve transparency and ensure meaningful input from local water users in the operation of federal water projects.  Bentz says the Federal Water Projects Consultation Act would require federal agencies to provide contractors with ongoing opportunities to engage during Endangered Species Act consultation, increase transparency around biological assessments and biological opinions, clearly explain the scientific and legal basis for actions that could reduce water deliveries, allow affected entities to review and comment on draft biological opinions, and ensure meaningful participation when developing alternatives that impact water supply.  The legislation applies to federal water projects managed by the Bureau of Reclamation across Reclamation states.  Bentz believes that decisions are often made without adequate input from local contractors, irrigation districts, and the communities that depend on these water projects.  The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

NDI Names King As Volunteer Of The Year

The Next Door has named Christy King as our Volunteer of the Year.  King is a mentor with Gorge Youth Mentoring.  King has dedicated countless hours to exploring the Gorge, trying new experiences, and supporting her mentee, Damian, grown in ways that go far beyond GYM’s program requirements.  Together, they hike scenic trails, visit history museums, go bowling, enjoy food outings, attend cultural events like the Gorge Festival of Nations, and spend time wildlife viewing, spotting sea lions, sea otters, and pikas.  In the winter, they visit the mountain to sled and snowshoe, and in the summer, they regularly take part in free stand up paddleboarding with Wylde Wind and Water in Hood River.  Damian’s mother describes King as “an amazing match,” and says that without her, Damian wouldn’t have access to so many enriching experiences.

TD Council Approves Federal Street Plaza Contract

The Dalles City Council approved a contract with Ajax Engineering for construction of the Federal Street Plaza.  Cost is $3.398 million, which came in about $400,000 under engineer’s estimates.  Construction is expected to start in June.  Discussion centered mainly over the inclusion of a water feature that will cost approximately $1 million, and whether that was a good use of funds, especially with concerns over water use.  Consultant Mike Zillis with the firm Walker Macy told the Council any delays in moving forward would likely increase the cost of the project significantly given current inflation, and set construction back to 2027.  Councilor Dan Richardson says the plaza is an opportunity to advance as a community.  The Council vote was 4-1, with Ben Wring opposing.

HR Council Moves Toward Moratorium On Data Center Development

The Hood River City Council voted to ask municipal staff to bring them a resolution declaring a temporary moratorium on the acceptance, processing, and approval of applications for data center development within the City of Hood River.  The City does not currently have specific policies or development code provisions tailored to data centers, but the on-going update process for the code is expected to address them.  There is also the reality that there are no current commercial or industrial parcels within Hood River that could handle a standard size data center, which generally requires approximately 40 acres of land.  Councilor Anna Cavalieri voted for having the moratorium resolution brought forward, but also said it was “a solution looking for a problem.”  The moratorium would be through the end of 2026.

April 13 Prep Sports Roundup

Monday Schedule

Boys Golf

Hood River Valley finished third to Canby and LaSalle in the second Northwest Oregon Conference tournament of the season at Persimmon Golf Club in Gresham.  Aksel Betz shot the best score of the day for the Eagles with an 83.

 

The Dalles finished seventh in the Pendleton Invitational at Birch Creek.  Andrew Westin and Caden Rippy tied for 25th to top the Riverhawk finishers.

 

Girls Golf

Hood River Valley finished fourth in a Northwest Oregon Conference tournament at Willamette Valley Country Club in Canby.  HRV’s Rayla Yasui shot a 94 to finish fifth individually.

 

Dufur won the Pendleton Invitational at Birch Creek, easily outpacing runner-up Pendleton.  The Rangers’ Tygh Timinsky won medalist honors with an eight-over-par 80, winning by 16 shots.

 

Boys Soccer

Columbia 2, King’s Way Christian 0

Fort Vancouver 13, Stevenson 1

 

Girls Lacrosse

Hood River Valley 17, Summit 4

 

Girls Flag Football

Central Christian 37, The Dalles 12

 

Hotel Application For HR News Building Site Withdrawn

The application to build a hotel on the site of the former Hood River News building has been withdrawn by applicant Line 29 Architecture.  The Hood River City Council was scheduled this evening to continue the public hearing on the municipal planning commission denial of a site plan review application for the project.  But City Planning Director Dustin Nilsen says Line 29 informed the City late last week they were withdrawing their application.  The hotel had been the subject of intense opposition, with those against it claiming it was incompatible with the surrounding neighborhood, and would create parking and traffic problems in the nearby area.  The Hood River City Council will still meet tonight at 6 p.m. in Hood River City Hall.  The Dalles City Council meets at 5:30 this evening in their chambers.  Highlighting their agenda is a contract with Ajax Engineering to proceed with construction of the Federal Street plaza.

TD Outreach Team Emphasizes Ag Labor Needs To Fed Officials

When The Dalles Community Outreach Team made its visit to Washington, D.C. to advocate for local needs to federal officials, one of the subjects they emphasized was the need for area cherry orchardists to have a dependable labor supply for harvests.  Port of The Dalles Executive Director and Outreach Team member Andrea Klaas says a key part of the message was emphasizing they need those workers when the fruit is ready to be picked, and that is a narrow window for cherries.  Klaas says they told the story of how the cost of doing business for agriculture, from labor costs to tariffs to high fuel costs, keeps increasing and making it difficult for those growing food.

April 10-11 Prep Sports Roundup

Baseball

Hood River Valley 12, Ida B. Wells 7:  The Eagles recovered from a 7-2 deficit after four innings to grab the win, tying the game with five runs in the fifth inning, then taking the lead on a two-run Tyson Harjo single in the sixth.  Harjo pitched 3 1/3 innings of perfect relief.  HRV has now won four straight games heading into Tuesday’s Northwest Oregon Conference opener at Parkrose.

 

The Dalles sweeps Knappa 11-1 and 9-0:  Evan Ortega had an inside the park home run, a double, and two runs batted in during the opener, then combined with Gunner Bustos, and Chase Peterson on a one-hitter in the nightcap.

 

Toutle Lake 13, Columbia 11:  The Ducks scored three in the sixth and one in the seventh to pull out the window.  Brody Landgren had a four-hit day atop the Bruin lineup.

 

Charles Wright Academy 12, Columbia 2

 

Sherman splits with Union, losing game one 6-1, but winning game two 8-4:  Creed Weedman drove in two runs while giving up just two hits over 5 2/3 innings in the second contest.

 

Track and Field

Columbia was first and Stevenson second in both the boys and girls portions of the Howard Kreps Bruin Invitational in White Salmon.  Columbia’s Sara Miller won three events and Dufur’s Hailee Pechanec won two in the girls’ compatition, while Stevenson’s Jude Travinski and Trout Lake’s Jayden Kusky won two apiece in the boys’ events.

 

Hood River Valley’s Diyora Khudoidodova won the girls’ high jump and Syl Perrin won the girls 3,000 meters at the Wilsonville Invitational.

 

Willow Ziegenhagen won the girls’ javelin and Evelyn Rogers was second in the shot put to highlight The Dalles’ effort at the Need For Speed Invitational at Sherwood.

 

Horizon Christian’s Charlie Haynie won both the boys’ 110 and 300 meter hurdles  at the Lower Columbia Invitational.

 

 

Boys Tennis

The Dalles 6, Stanfield 1

 

Girls Tennis

Hood River Valley 6, Crook County 2

Hood River Valley 7, Caldera 1

The Dalles 5, Stanfield 2

 

Girls Flag Football

Reynolds 32, The Dalles 6

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