The Cherry Festival Parade will begin in The Dalles Saturday at 10:00 a.m. The Dalles Police Department reminds citizens that the city siren will sound at 10:00 a.m. as a reminder that the parade is starting. People are asked to abide by temporary parking restrictions and avoid driving in the area if you are simply passing by at that time. The normal parade route will be followed from Webber Street and 6th to a loop around the 3rd street and 2nd street, disbanding at the Northern Wasco County Aquatic Center. This is the largest parade of the year in The Dalles so expect traffic impacts until noon or longer.
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Sheriff’s Office Advises Of Phone Scam
The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office says its dispatch center received multiple calls Thursday someone claiming to be an officer with the department placing calls that eventually leads to asking for fines to be paid over the phone. The name used is in fact a Sergeant with the Sheriff’s Office, but he is not making the calls. As a reminder, law enforcement agencies will never ask you to pay a fee or fine over the phone. Anyone who calls you claiming to represent the Hood River County Sheriff’s office can be verified by you hanging up, calling the non-emergency dispatch number at 541-386-2711, and asking to speak with that person. Dispatchers will happily connect you with them, at which time you will be able to verify their legitimacy.
April 24 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Madras 11, The Dalles 7: The White Buffaloes scored eight runs over the final three innings to power their way to the victory. Kale Beardmore scored four runs for the Riverhawks on a two for three day at the plate.
Stevenson 10, Fort Vancouver 0: The Bulldogs blew the game open with a seven run second inning. Brysen Campbell drove in three runs for Stevenson.
Seton Catholic 3, Columbia 2: The Cougars scored a run in the sixth and a run in the seventh to pull out the win.
Softball
Hood River Valley 16, Parkrose 0: The Eagles ran up ten runs in the first inning. Addi Van Metre drove in three runs and Reagan Mooney and Kinley Langford each had a pair of RBI’s.
The Dalles 26, Madras 1: Seven different Riverhawks had a least three hits in the game. Madelynn Sagapolutele and Cadence Young each homered and drove in four runs, while Morgan Donivan also had a home run.
Seton Catholic 13, Columbia 2: The Cougars never looked back after a five-run first inning.
Stevenson 16, Fort Vancouver 1: Jewel Waymire and Cayden Hulsey-Bible both homered for the Bulldogs. Waymire and Chloe White drove in three runs apiece.
Track and Field
Ellie Brock and Hailee Pechanec each won two events to help the Dufur girls to a second place finish behind host St. Paul at the Buckaroo Roundup. The Ranger boys received a win from the 4 by 400 meter relay team.
Boys Tennis
Hood River Valley 8, Hillsboro 0
Boys Lacrosse
Hood River Valley 9, Ida B. Wells 5
Boys Volleyball
Hood River Valley def. Gresham 25-13, 26-24, 25-23
Wasco County To Get Design Bids For RV Park Restoration
Wasco County Commissioners approved using a design-build process rather than the usual competitive bidding process to take bids to design the restoration of an RV park that’s part of 159 acres of property just west of The Dalles the County purchased in 2022. Commissioners made the move for the Oak Ranch Revitalization Project in an effort to show progress so the County can retain a $1 million grant it received from Oregon State Parks for the project. County Administrator Tyler Stone says this will involve determining what is in good condition and what is not from a previous attempt at an RV park on the property. The plan to move forward is to evaluate the existing systems in the ground, then revitalize those as necessary, and build in the electricity component that was not built in the original park. Stone adds there is water infrastructure and some sewer. Stone says there would still be a number of hurdles to clear to make the RV park functional. It would be for short stays, with a maximum of 14-day visits.
Cherry Festival Weekend Arrives
Northwest Cherry Festival weekend has arrived in The Dalles, with plenty of changes as attractions are moved due to the on-going construction on 1st Street. The Rainier Amusements Carnival will start in Lewis & Clark Festival Park at 4 p.m. Friday afternoon, with most of other activities on Saturday. The festival will be spread out from Festival Park to 4th Street. The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson says while there are location changes, and a little more area to walk, she says all of the usual attractions are there. Festival Parade leaves 6th and Webber at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning, the vendors’ market is on Federal Street, the Community Fair on 4th and Washington, and the Children’s Activity Fair in the Civic Auditorium parking lot off 4th Street. A complete schedule is at northwestcherryfestival.com.
Hood River Planning Panel Hears Testimony On Amazon Appeal
The Hood River County Planning Commission heard nearly three hours of testimony on a Thrive Hood River appeal of a staff decision to approve an industrial land use permit for a 48,960 square foot Amazon distribution center on former Lower Hanel Mill land north of Highway 35 and southeast of Mill Creek Road. No decision was rendered, as Commissioners elected to keep the record open until April 29, allow seven more days after that for rebuttals, and then seven more days reserved for final comments from the applicant. The Planning Commission would then deliberate at its May 27 meeting. The planning panel heard a large amount of opposition, with most citing concerns for traffic on Highway 35 and adjacent roads. Both the Oregon Department of Transportation and Hood River County Public Works have indicated they have no concerns after a traffic study done by the applicants based on a Wednesday last September. But opponents disputed that study, offering their personal histories with traffic in that area.
CGCC Gets Approval To Move Forward On Teacher Program
Columbia Gorge Community College has been approved by the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission to move forward toward offering a new Bachelor of Applied Science in Education degree, creating a local pathway for students to become licensed teachers. CGCC Communications Director Tom Penberthy says the Bachelor of Applied Science degree focuses on career-specific skills and hands-on learning—helping move classroom-ready educators and instructional paraprofessionals into teaching roles more quickly. CGCC is one of five community colleges statewide selected to offer the degree, alongside Chemeketa, Linn-Benton, Rogue, and Treasure Valley. There are still a number of steps to be taken before the program can begin, most notably receiving accreditation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, as well as gaining approval from Oregon’s Teacher Standards and Practices Commission.
Newhouse Joins Colleagues Seeking More Staffing For FSA & NRCS
Washington 14th District Congressman Dan Newhouse has joined fourteen other Republican House members in signing a letter to Agriculture Undersecretary Richard Fordyce asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to address understaffing at the Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. In the letter, the legislators say without proper staffing, it has become increasingly difficult for offices to implement programs, including the recently established Farmer Bridge Assistance program. The representatives say they have heard from constituents about major delays in application processing, payments, and contract certification over the last several months. While a majority of these concerns have centered around conservation programs and the FBA program, they worry it will be an ongoing issue for all programs under the Farm Production and Conservation mission area that Fordyce oversees. They add USDA deployment of staff to affected county offices a few days a week has been helpful, but it is only a temporary solution to an ongoing problem.
HRPD Plans Drug Take Back Day
The Hood River Police Department is going to take part in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday. It is a safe and free way to dispose of unwanted or expired household medications. Hood River Police will accept them from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at Hood River City Hall. Medications in any dosage form will be accepted. Not accepted are herbal remedies, vitamins, supplements, cosmetics, other personal care products, emptied medical devices, batteries, mercury-containing thermometers, sharps, illicit drugs, pet pesticide products, animal medicines, and biologics.
April 22 Prep Sports Roundup
Track and Field
The Dalles topped Gladstone and Molalla in both the boys and girls portions of a three-school Tri-Valley Conference meet. Laura Black won three events for the Riverhawks girls, while Patrick Rankin won two for The Dalles boys.
Stevenson won the boys’ portion of a four school Trico League meet at Columbia, with the host Bruins taking third. Jude Travinski and Brayden Hays won two events each for the Bulldogs. Stevenson was second and Columbia third behind LaCenter in the girls’ half of the meet. Columbia’s Sara Miller and Stevenson’s Mira McIlwain won two events apiece.
Boys Soccer
Fort Vancouver 3, Columbia 2: The Bruins suffered its second loss in 12 Trico League games, dropping its lead over LaCenter atop the standings to a single point. Fort Vancouver moved to within three points with a game in hand.
Onalaska 11, Stevenson 0
Girls Lacrosse
Hood River Valley 20, Camas 10