The Gifford Pinchot National Forest has lifted the closure related to the High Lava Fire. All roads, trails and trailheads within the closure area are now open to the public. That includes the West Crater Trail, West Crater Trailhead and Soda Peaks Trailhead. The fire was first reported July 23rd following a lightning storm. It has burned approximately 2,899 acres and is now 90 percent contained. Officials say the fire has not grown in several weeks, and post-fire suppression repair work is complete. However, visitors are urged to use caution in the burned area. Fire-weakened trees, hidden stump holes, loose rocks and unstable ground may still pose safety hazards. Meanwhile, warm and dry weather continues to keep fire danger at moderate levels across the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Industrial Fire Precaution Level One remains in effect in all zones. Visitors should stay alert for changing conditions and any new restrictions.
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Harvest Fest Weekend
It is Hood River Valley Harvest Festival weekend, getting started Friday down at the Waterfront Event Site. The three-day event celebrates the region’s fall harvest, featuring local produce, handmade goods, food, music and family activities. More than 80 regional artists, makers and craft vendors fill marketplace tents, while the farmers market offers seasonal favorites, including pears, apples and pumpkins. Visitors can also enjoy local food vendors, live music throughout the weekend, and a full bar featuring regional craft beers, ciders, wines and spirits. Families can head to the kids’ area for free pumpkin painting, games and bounce houses available for an additional fee. The festival runs Friday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10, and military members and seniors can get discounted admission today for $5. Tickets and additional information are available at visithoodriver.com.
October 8 Prep Sports Roundup
Football
The Dalles 20, Umatilla 0: The Riverhawks’ defense puts up a shutout as they get back to .500 on the season at 3-3.
Stevenson 40, Fort Vancouver 12: Bulldog quarterback Jude Travinski rushed for 183 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 carries.
Boys Soccer
Trout Lake-Horizon Christian 3, Columbia Christian 1
Girls Soccer
Columbia 4, Fort Vancouver 0
LaCenter 8, Stevenson 0
Trout Lake 7, Corbett 1
Volleyball
LaCenter def. Stevenson 3-0
Lyle-Wishram-Klickitat def. Trout Lake-Glenwood, 3-1
Sherman def. South Wasco 23-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-18
Cross Country
The Dalles won both team titles at the Mustang Invitational in Heppner. The Riverhawk girls had six of the top nine finishers, led by Flamingo Duyck in second. Trout Lake’s Melody Stock won the girls’ race. The Dalles’ Luke Sorenson won the boys’ run, with teammate Zeb Stelzer finishing fourth.
Boys Golf
Stevenson’s Cameron Engel shot a four-over-par 76 to finish fifth at the Trico League Tournament at Tumwater Valley. Teammate Brysen Campbell was eighth with an 81. King’s Way Christian’s Christian Harlow shot a six-under 66 to earn medalist honors.
Port of Hood River Postpones Steel & Coating Work
Steel and coating maintenance work on the Hood River–White Salmon Interstate Bridge scheduled for the next two weeks has been postponed until further notice, eliminating the need for overnight closures. Port of Hood River Executive Director Kevin Greenwood says they’ve paused the work as they realized their contractor did not have key personnel and equipment ready to do the work. Greenwood says they should have a better idea on when the project can actually take place in the next couple of days, adding when the work is rescheduled, the Port will provide the public with at least three weeks’ advance notice. This is the second major delay in the work, originally scheduled to begin in late September, and Greenwood says weather could play a factor on when it can actually take place.
Report Shows CGCC’s Economic Impact
Columbia Gorge Community College is touting a new economic impact study saying the school generated an estimated $65.2 million in added income for the Columbia Gorge region during fiscal year 2023-24. The report by the firm Lightcast says that contribution equals about two percent of the region’s gross regional product and supports approximately 830 jobs — roughly one out of every 43 jobs in the region. The college’s biggest economic impact comes from its former students. Their skills, earnings and productivity generated an estimated 51-point-3 million dollars in added income and supported 584 jobs. The study showed CGCC operations supported another 229 jobs, while student spending supported 17 more.
October 7 Prep Sports Roundup
Boys Soccer
Hood River Valley 0, Parkrose 0: Hood River Valley just missed getting the game winning goal on a rebound at the end of the game, but the shot was ruled to have come just after the clock expired.
The Dalles 1, North Marion 0: The win pushes the Riverhawks into first place in the Tri-Valley Conference.
Girls Soccer
Hood River Valley 4, Parkrose 1
The Dalles 8, North Marion 0: The Riverhawks nailed down their eighth shutout in nine overall games to remain unbeaten in the TVC.
Volleyball
Sandy def. Hood River Valley 20-25, 25-16, 25-12, 25-10: HRV goes back to .500 in the Northwest Oregon Conference at 4-4.
The Dalles def. Gladstone 25-12, 25-15, 25-11: The Dalles won its sixth straight Tri-Valley Conference match.
Wasco Commissioners Sign Letters For Grasshopper Fire Recovery
Wasco County Commissioners approved signing a pair of letters seeking support for Grasshopper Fire recovery. One is to Mt. Hood National Forest Supervisor Meta Loftsgaarden asking for the Forest Service to prioritize protection of drinking water and irrigation supplies, accelerate implementation of remaining green projects, fully utilize available tools, authorities, and partnerships, and support a coordinated recovery work plan. The other is to Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Congressman Cliff Bentz, requesting supplemental funding for the recovery work. Commission Chair Scott Hege noted the estimated recovery cost on just federal lands are nearly $50 million, and why mitigation efforts are needed. Water supplies and irrigation infrastructure are among the highest priorities. The fire affected watersheds serving Badger Improvement District and Rock Creek District Improvement Company, as well as portions of The Dalles Watershed.
Deal Approved To Provide In-Custody Forensic Evaluation At NORCOR
Wasco County Commissioners approved a three-year agreement between Northern Oregon Regional Corrections and Northwest Forensic Institute to provide in-custody forensic evaluations for some individuals held at the regional corrections facility. Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill says this will ensure timely and high-quality professional evaluations to support judicial and corrections processes. A forensic evaluation is an impartial mental health or psychological assessment ordered by a court or legal system to answer specific legal questions rather than to provide personal therapy. Magill says the four NORCOR county sheriffs had noted inmates who need this process were experiencing long waiting times for the evaluations. The four NORCOR counties are splitting the cost of the contract.
Gorge Commission Publishes Building Handbook
The Columbia River Gorge Commission has just released a new Building in the Scenic Area Implementation Handbook. The over 60 page publication includes updated graphics, landscape setting descriptions from the Scenic Area Management Plan, a section on defensible space and fire resistant building materials and vegetation, and examples of site and grading plans. Gorge Commission Senior Land Use Planner Joanna Kaiserman says the handbook is designed to act as a guidance document. Digital copies are available at gorgecommission.org or at the Columbia River Gorge Commission office in White Salmon.
October 6 Prep Sports Roundup
Girls Soccer
LaCenter 3, Columbia 2
Castle Rock 0, Stevenson 0
Volleyball
LaCenter def. Columbia 25-14, 25-15, 17-25, and 25-13
Castle Rock def. Stevenson 3-0
Dufur def. Lyle-Wishram-Klickitat 3-0: The Rangers remain unbeaten in the Big Sky Conference with their ninth straight win.
Ione-Arlington def. Horizon Christian 25-18, 25-5, 25-14
South Wasco def. Trout Lake-Glenwood 25-23, 25-18, 25-23
Boys Golf
Stevenson defeated Columbia in a nine-hole match at Elk Ridge Golf Course. The Bulldogs’ Cameron Engel was the medalist, with a two-under-par 34.
Cross Country
Columbia won the boys half and Stevenson claimed the girls win by a single point in a Trico League dual meet at Strawberry Island. Stevenson’s Colton Hollis was the individual boys’ winner, followed by four Columbia runners. Lilah Zimmerman of CHS took first place in the girls’ race, followed by a trio from Stevenson.