The Hood River City Council is scheduled on Monday evening to hear the appeal of a municipal planning commission denial of a site plan review application to build a 135-room hotel on the site of the former Hood River News building at 419 State Street. Planning commissioners voted to deny the site plan review by a 3-2 vote in early January. The proposal by applicant Line 29 Architecture had brought out significant opposition at a December public hearing for a myriad of reasons, most notably for traffic, parking, and building height concerns. In its appeal, Line 29 says the decision’s analysis and findings based on a compatibility standard in the City’s land use ordinances does not comply with Oregon law, particularly in defining and applying the terms “compatible” and “surrounding area,” and that the findings did not adequately consider evidence of compatibility in the record. Monday’s Council meeting begins at 6 p.m. in Hood River City Hall.
Category: Uncategorized
SR 141 Water Main Work Stopped To Develop Better Traffic Plan
The Washington State Department of Transportation temporarily halted work on a water transmission main project in White Salmon after construction activity on Wednesday led to traffic delays on SR 141 exceeding what the City of White Salmon called “acceptable limits.” In a statement, the City says construction will resume on Monday after municipal staff, the project contractor, and state transportation officials met to develop a plan to better manage traffic. When work resumes, the City says traffic delays will be limited to a maximum of 15 minutes, school buses and emergency vehicles will be prioritized to ensure minimal disruption, and work hours will start earlier to restore normal traffic flow by late afternoon. The City is anticipating a full roadway closure and detour along SR 141 beginning as early as the week of April 20, pending final approval from the state transportation department. That is expected to provide more predictable travel times that escorted pilot detours during that phase of work.
March 26 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Hood River Valley 5, Green Mountain (CO) 1: Bodie Stuben and Ty Harjo combined on a three-hitter, striking out 11. Harjo also had two doubles, and Landen Pratt drove in two runs.
Ralston Valley (CO) 6, Hood River Valley 5: The Eagles left the winning run in scoring position to end the game, falling in a back-and-forth contest. Davin Snyder had two hits and scored three times atop the Eagle lineup.
Philomath 12, The Dalles 2: Philomath scored all of their runs in the first four innings. Kale Beardmore went two for three and drove in a run for the Riverhawks.
Castle Rock 8, Columbia 5: The Rockets used a four-run fourth inning to grab the Trico League victory. Kellen Olson had two hits and two runs batted in, while Trenton Boydston also drove in a pair.
Seton Catholic 20, Stevenson 0
Softball
The Dalles 15, LaGrande 3: Ava Graves drove in five runs and Ainslee Eisland had a homer and four RBI.
The Dalles 20, Tillamook 4: Graves had three more RBI, Eisland homered again and knocked home a pair as did Siyra Faulkner.
Columbia sweeps Castle Rock 19-3 and 22-4: Danica Herman drove in five runs as the Bruins accumulated 24 hits in game one, buoyed by a 12-run second inning. The Bruins then had an 11-run first inning in the nightcap as Julia Mullinix homered and had five RBI. Hailie Kock went nine for nine in the doubleheader.
Seton Catholic sweeps Stevenson 15-0 and 13-2
Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Closures Scheduled
The Port of Hood River says the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge will be closed for maintenance work during two early morning periods during April. The closure will be on April 3 and April 10. Both will run from 12:30 a.m. until 6 a.m. Work includes completing a bridge gasket replacement on the Oregon side, as well as installing new bridge signage. The Port says it appreciates the public’s patience as it completes critical maintenance to ensure safe and reliable bridge operations.
Port of Cascade Locks Plan Open House On Campground Proposal
The Port of Cascade Locks will hold an open house in early April on a proposed campground and RV park on property the agency owns on the east side of Cascade Locks. It would have more than 100 sites in an attempt to meet the demand for those type of accommodations in the Gorge. Port officials say it could also help support local businesses, and use its land in a way that benefits Cascade Locks. The open house is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7 at 6 p.m. at the Marine Park Pavilion. Attendees can move through informational display boards at their own pace. Port staff and project team members will be available to answer questions. Comment cards will be available for the public to provider their viewpoint on the proposal.
CGCC Tuition To Remain The Same In 26-27
Columbia Gorge Community College tuition will remain the same in 2026-27. The school’s board of education recently decided that tuition will remain at $125 per credit, plus fees. CGCC Communications Director Tom Penberthy says for a few years, the college has charged more than other community colleges in the state, but that gap is closing. He adds a big reason for the cost difference was the various career and technical classes CGCC offers that require more supplies to run. Penberthy notes CGCC offers a number of opportunities for students to receive scholarships and grants-in-aid to bring down the cost of attending classes.
Gorge Recovery Nearing Building To Begin Services
The non-profit organization Gorge Recovery is nearing leasing building space in The Dalles to provide support and a place to socialize for those recovering from alcohol and substance abuse. Executive Director Ari Gardner says their goal is to provide a place for those who have completed their initial phase of recovery. The Oregon Health Authority has provided a three-year $2 million grant to get the center off the ground. Gardner says that grant can be used for just about every facet of the center’s operation. She hopes the building lease can be arranged in about two months.
March 25 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Castle Rock 9, Columbia 7 (8 innings): The Rockets scored three runs in the seventh to tie then came up with a pair in the extra frame to grab the Trico League win. Samuel Knott homered and drove in three runs for the Bruins.
Seton Catholic 8, Stevenson 2:
Sherman 9, The Dalles JV 8: The Huskies scored four in the bottom of the sixth inning to win it, including a two-run single by Greg Simpson.
Track and Field
Columbia finished second and Stevenson third in a five-school meet at Seton Catholic. Jude Travinski of Stevenson and Columbia’s Sara Miller each won a pair of events.
Two Mid-Columbia Projects Receive ODF Grants
The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Federal Forest Restoration Program is awarding $3 million in planning assistance funding and separate grants of nearly $264,000 to forest collaboratives, including two in the Mid-Columbia area. The Mt. Hood National Forest will receive $500,000 for work in The Dalles Watershed during the 2025-27 biennium. The project is a landscape-scale restoration effort identified as a high priority for wildfire risk reduction in Oregon’s 20-year Landscape Resilience Strategy and the Mt. Hood area all-lands Strategic Action Plan. The ODF says It is responsive to local partnership priorities identified through the Wasco County all-lands group, Hood River All-Lands Partnership, the City of The Dalles, and the Hood River and Wasco County Forest Collaboratives. Wasco Soil and Water Conservation District is receiving a $62,190 Forest Collaborative grant for the Mt. Hood East Zone Forest Collaborative Project supporting collaborative engagement around the South Wasco Ecosystem Restoration effort.
March 24 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Forge Christian (CO) 9, Hood River Valley 3: An eight-run second inning was the difference in the game. HRV got off to a 2-0 lead after an inning and a half, but the Eagle offense was shut down after the first two innings.
Phoenix 7, The Dalles 3: Three-run innings in the second and seventh innings were the difference to give the Pirates the win. Gunner Bustos drove in a pair of runs for the Riverhawks.
Riverside 12, Sherman 11: Riverside scored two in the bottom of the seventh inning to win a back and forth game. Rhyder Smith had three RBI for the Huskies.
Rainier 12, Sherman 4
Softball
Crater 9, Hood River Valley 0
Grants Pass 17, Hood River Valley 2
The Dalles 19, Lost River 0: Madalynn Sagapolutele had two homers and drove in five runs.
The Dalles 15, Milwaukie 1: Ainslee Eiesland drove in four runs on a pair of hits as the Riverhawks stay unbeaten on the season.