The 18th annual Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour starts Friday and runs through Sunday. Nearly 50 studios from Stevenson to The Dalles will be opening their studios to the public and giving people a chance to learn about how they create their pieces. The studios will open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Tour map booklets are available online at gorgeartists.org, and at numerous art galleries and visitor centers around the Gorge.
Baseball
The Dalles 2, Crook County 1: Cooper Klindt’s bunt brought home Will Booth with the game winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning, pulling the Riverhawks even with the Cowboys in the Tri-Valley Conference standings. Avery Schwartz and Booth combined on a three-hitter for The Dalles.
Canby 12, Hood River Valley 1: Kingston McAdam had three hits, including a double, for Hood River.
Softball
The Dalles 12, Crook County 6: The Riverhawks jumped to a 6-0 lead and held on through a Cowgirl comeback. Despina Seufalemula, Jeilane Stewart, Maddie Brock, and Siyra Faulkner all hit two-run homers for The Dalles, who now have a two-game lead over Crook County in the Tri-Valley Conference.
Canby 9, Hood River Valley2: The Cougars used a five-run first inning to take control early. Grace Rowan had three hits, including a two-run homer, for HRV.
Track and Field
Seton Catholic was the boys’ winner and LaCenter held off Stevenson by a half-point in the girls’ competition during a five-school meet in Stevenson. The Bulldogs’ Hudson Holzauer won the boys’ shot put and discus.
Washington 14th District State Representative Gina Mosbrucker announced Wednesday she will not seek re-election, saying she wants to spend more time at home with her family and businesses and pursue other life goals. Mosbrucker was first elected to the House in 2014, and will finish out her current term, which ends in January. The Goldendale Republican called serving the citizens of the 14th District one of the greatest honors in her life. During her tenure, Mosbrucker prime-sponsored and co-sponsored more than 50 bipartisan bills that became law, which included addressing veterans’ employment, domestic violence, and fentanyl. Mosbrucker says her goals now include acquiring her master’s degree, building her dream home, working on her businesses in Goldendale, continuing to serve the community, and staying “healthy and happy.”
The Hood River County School District has selected Bill Newton to fill its superintendent’s position permanently. Newton has served as interim superintendent since Rich Polkinghorn’s departure last summer. Before his interim position, Newton served as the curriculum and instruction coordinator. He has an extensive background as a principal and educator, both locally and internationally. Newton holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Western Oregon State College and a Master of Science degree from Portland State University. He has also completed the Oregon Continuing Administrative License Program at Portland State University.
The Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District is asking voters in the May primary to approve two ballot measures: a five-year operations and maintenance levy of 43 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, and a 25-year bond measure to build a new pool with community center and recreation space, build out a park on 20 acres at Fairview and Belmont, purchase and preserve Parkdale Park, and connect missing links on the Indian Creek and Westside trails. The bond measure’s tax rate is $1.27 per $1,000 of assessed value. District Executive Director Mark Hickox says they want to build the new pool and community center on the current Collins Field site. The operation levy would allow for the addition of that facility, along with maintaining and improving the recreation opportunities that came from the district taking on Community Education from the Hood River County School District.
Washington Gorge Action Programs is adding a mobile food bank stop at Wishram Heights Housing. WAGAP’s Sasha Bentley says the stop came about as part of their work with Gorge Native American Collaborative, noting some residents do not have the transportation to get to the food bank stop at Wishram School. The mobile food bank will stop at Wishram Heights Housing on Gorge View County Loop the first Thursday of every month from 10:45 to 11:30 in the morning. Bentley added they are looking at other in-lieu fishing sites for potential mobile food bank stops or other ways to deliver food boxes to those locations.
Baseball
Canby 8, Hood River Valley 1: The Cougars scored five runs in the fourth inning to blow the game open. Grady Williams drove in the only run for HRV.
Seton Catholic sweeps Columbia 9-0 and 11-6
Heppner 13, Dufur 1
Stanfield 10, Sherman 0
Softball
Putnam 10, Hood River Valley 1: The Kingsmen scored three in the fifth and then added six in the sixth to blow open a close game. Isa Rivera tied the game in the second with an RBI single.
Columbia splits with Seton Catholic, losing the opener 11-1 but winning game two 6-5. Fiona Grabb had three hits in the nightcap for the Bruins, who stay a game ahead of Seton Catholic and LaCenter atop the Trico League standings.
Stevenson split with Castle Rock, winning game one 12-7 as Cayden Hulsey-Bible drove in three runs on three hits. The Bulldogs fell to the Rockets in the second contest 12-2.
Track and Field
Hood River Valley’s girls defeated Canby and Putnam in a Northwest Oregon Conference triangular at Henderson Stadium. Simone Tillman won three events to lead the Eagles. HRV’s boys topped Putnam and lost to Canby. The Eagles had five first place finishes.
A number of athletes had double event wins at The Dalles Small School Invitational. The Dalles’ David McCracken, Kitt Lockwood, Derek Goulart, Lilly Adams, and Rowena Benjamin won a pair of events, as did Joey Holloway and Bailey Udey of South Wasco and Danika Wright of Lyle-Wishram.
Goldendale’s Sean Henriksen, Jenna Casey, and Emma Meaghar won events at an EWAC meet in Burbank.
Boys Soccer
Columbia 2, Seton Catholic 0: The Bruins hand Seton its first loss in Trico League play.
Boys Lacrosse
Oregon Episcopal 12, Hood River Valley 4
The Hood River City Council asked staff to prepare a resolution that would significantly increase the compensation for Council positions and the Mayor in the future as a way to reduce barriers to participation, attract qualified and diverse candidates to seek office, and make service on the Council financially feasible for more people. Currently, Councilors receive $50 per month and the Mayor receives $100, and that has not changed for over 15 years. The majority of Councilors agreed to place Council compensation at ten percent of the area median income, and 20 percent for the Mayor. The changes would not go into effect until each position is up for re-election over the next two years, so the current panel would not see their compensation increase at this time. Councilor Doug Stepina says this is about trying to diversify municipal government and remove barriers for the single parent that would need child care and the hourly employee that loses income to be involved. When the resolution comes before Councilors at a future meeting, it will also include a stipend for technology, such as a tablet, to use for municipal business.
The Dalles City Council has approved the purchase of a new ultraviolet light system to disinfect treated wastewater before it is discharged into the Columbia River. The current UV system in the municipal wastewater treatment plant is 20-years-old, at the end of its useful life, and has components that are obsolete and unavailable. Mayor Rich Mays says the replacement is part of the constant monitoring the City does to ensure the wastewater plant is in compliance with state and federal environmental quality regulations. Total cost for the replacement is estimated at around $380,000.
The Westside Rural Fire Protection District is seeking an increase of 47 cents per thousand-dollars of assessed property value from its current local option levy during the May primary election. The new local option levy would be for 97 cents per thousand. Westside Fire Marshal Doug Kelly says a key part of the proposal is to have faster emergency response times and better cardiac arrest survival rates. He says they currently are only able offer coverage by a fully-trained and licensed on-duty Firefighter/EMT from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day and they want to get to 24/7. Currently volunteers cover nighttime calls, and they are not always available. Westside Fire responded to 473 emergency calls in 2023, of which three-quarters were medical emergencies. The district’s current total tax rate, combining permanent tax rates, bonds, and levies, is the second lowest about Hood River County fire districts at $1.28 per thousand.
