When the academic year will finish in the White Salmon Valley School District is an open question. Students missed eight days of classes due to weather this past winter. District Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn says they have rescheduled six days, and are awaiting word from the state on whether they will receive a waiver for the other two. Polkinghorn says their waiver request is helped Klickitat County having declared a state of emergency during some of the time White Salmon schools were closed. He expects the district to receive a decision in April.
Category: Uncategorized
Wonderworks To Reopen March 27
Wonderworks Children’s Museum in The Dalles will reopen on a four-day a week schedule beginning next Wednesday (March 27). It has been closed since October to address funding issues. Wonderworks spokesperson Nichole Biechler says they raised $40,000 to get the facility reopened, and there is still work to do to get the facility on a sustainable financial footing. She noted they are seeking volunteers to help staff the museum. Wonderworks will be open from 9 to 1 Wednesdays through Saturdays starting next week. It’s located at 206 Madison in The Dalles. Details are available at wonderworksgorge.org.
Gorge Community Foundation Opens 2024 Grant Program
The Gorge Community Foundation says its GCF Community Grants program will have $17,000 to donate to Gorge non-profits this year through a competitive application process. The Gorge Community Foundation has made grants through its donor advised funds and grant-making programs for nearly two decades. The purpose of the Community Grants program is to provide charitable funds as the Foundation board determines are most needed and not limited to a single focus or exclusively to the interests of a particular constituency. Proposals will be accepted for any amount up to $17.000. The 2024 Request for Proposal can be found at gorgecf.org. Applications are due May 10 and funding decisions and grants awarded the end of June.
March 18 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Pendleton 7, Hood River Valley 4: The Eagles could not overcome the Buckaroos scoring four runs in the fourth inning. Grady Williams homered for HRV.
The Dalles 9, Newport 4
Softball
Pendleton 9, Hood River Valley 1: The Buckaroos hand the Eagles their first loss of the season.
Girls Lacrosse
Hood River Valley 17, Tualatin 5
Hood River County To Move Forward On Powerdale Cleanup
Hood River County Commissioners gave their consensus to move forward to cleanup County land within the Powerdale conservation easement. The area along the Hood River has become a place with large amounts of trash, homeless camps, and vandalism. Under this plan, the property would be designated as a county park to allow for management and rules including specified open hours…safety patrols, particularly at night…installation of an automatic gate at the turn-off from Highway 35 onto Powerdale Road with cameras…camp cleanup consistent with state law…and sealing up the ground floor and windows of the old powerhouse. County Maintenance and Facilities Supervisor Matt Jordan says it is important for all of this to be done at once, to help change the current perception of that area. Cost to install the gate, cameras, and board up the powerhouse would be up to $70,000. The Hood River County Watershed Group has funds to complete the first cleanup.
HR County To Look At Amendment For Bridge Construction RV Park
The Hood River County Commission gave its consensus for County Planner Eric Walker to work with the Port of Hood River to develop a zoning code amendment to allow for an RV park on a portion of the Lower Hanel Mill property to be used to provide housing for workers when construction of the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge begins. Walker told Commissioners a narrow amendment to allow for the RV spaces to be created could be done. Walker added a sunset clause could be placed on the amendment. The Port is considering a 40 to 50 space temporary RV facility on the property.
HR Schools Looking At Staffing Levels While Facing Budget Issues
As the Hood River County School District faces dealing with reducing $2.2 million from its budget heading into the 2024-25 school year, the process to determine how to adjust staffing levels is underway. Interim Superintendent Bill Newton says they are asking staff members if they are planning to return to the district next school year, and that will take until early April. The district has seen a continued gradual decline in enrollment from a high of just above 4,000 students six years ago to about 3,750 now. Newton says it does not appear that trend will change in the near future.
White Salmon Looks Toward Zoning Map Update Process
The White Salmon City Council will be asked to approve doing some zoning map update work during its meeting Wednesday night. Mayor Marla Keethler says if that work is approved, the City will be going out into the community with open house and public hearing opportunities as they evaluate current zones and neighborhoods. The update work approval is in the Council’s consent agenda. The Council meeting will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the White Salmon Fire Hall.
March 15-16 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Hood River Valley 11, Forest Grove 10, 8 innings: Bodie Stuben’s base hit drove in Grady Williams with the game winning run with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning. Maverick Hockett came off the bench to drive in three runs for the Eagles.
The Dalles 4, Knappa 3, 8 innings: Sam Shaver doubled home Trey Hodges in the bottom of the eighth to give the Riverhawks the win, after Knappa came back from a three-run deficit to force the extra inning.
Country Christian swept Dufur 10-6 and 16-9
Sherman split with Weston-McEwen, winning game one 6-2 but falling in the nightcap 23-13.
Goldendale sweeps Zillah 5-2 and 3-2.
Softball
Hood River Valley 17, Lake Oswego 6: Grace Rowan and Addi Van Metre both had three hits and three runs batted in as the Eagles scored 12 runs in the final two innings to win.
Columbia 7, Hockinson 6: Joella Posini had two hits and two runs batted in for the Bruins.
Kalama 10, Stevenson 0
Track and Field
Goldendale’s Raymond Holycross won both boys’ hurdles races, the long jump, and the triple jump to highlight the Mullin-Leavitt Invitational at Sid White Field. Lilly Adams and Madelyn Harrison of The Dalles and Violette Anderson of Trout Lake won two events apiece.
Columbia’s girls won two relays and Stevenson’s boys one at the Wildcat Relays at LaCenter. Stevenson’s Olivia Fauth won the girls’ long jump and Dani Wallace the girls’ discus.
Boys Lacrosse
Hood River Valley 9, Mountain View 2
Girls Lacrosse
Hood River Valley 17, Oregon City 8
Boys Soccer
Columbia 3, Royal 2: Issac Reynoso’s goal gave the Bruins the win as they came back from a 2-0 deficit at halftime.
Transportation & Infrastructure First For Lot 1
The Port of Hood River is planning on dealing with transportation needs and infrastructure for the vacant 11-acre Lot 1 on the eastern portion of the Waterfront before deciding on what that land will actually be used for. A roundabout at 2nd and Riverside adjacent to Lot 1 is being considered as a way to deal with the kind of expected traffic that Port Commissioner Ben Sheppard notes is supposed to arrive by the end of the decade. Sheppard notes they already have some grant money for engineering, but the Port will be going out for more grants to do construction.