The Northwest Cherry Festival is just one month away. The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson says they have begun to take parade entries, and more will be done in the next of couple of weeks, including beginning to take entries for the Little Royals contest and how to sign up for the Cherry Trail. She adds they have over 80 vendors this point for the open-air market. The Cherry Festival will be the weekend of April 19th to the 21st. Detailed information is available at thedalleschamber.com.
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GYM Seeks Mentors
The Next Door’s Gorge Youth Mentoring program is urgently seeking volunteer mentors in Wasco, Hood River, and Klickitat counties to pair with local youth ages 6 to 21 in need of positive role modeling. Matches are made based on similar interests, personalities, and needs. GYM match coordinator Maria Diaz says they have over 30 mentees on its waitlist, and all it takes is to have an interest in helping a young person. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a mentor, visit nextdoorinc.org to fill out an application in the Program Resources section, or call 503-867-5770.
Town Halls Planned For Klickitat County Residents
There are a couple of virtual town halls scheduled this week targeted toward Klickitat County residents. Klickitat County Commissioners are holding a town hall on Zoom Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. To take part, the link is available at klickitatcounty.org, along with a list of phone numbers to be involved by phone. Late Thursday afternoon, Washington 4th District Congressman Dan Newhouse will host a telephone town hall session that starts at 4:55 p.m. To RSVP for that event, go to newhouse.house.gov.
$6 Million For Bridge of the Gods In Oregon Omnibus Bill
The Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks did receive $6 million in funding in the Oregon Legislature’s end-of-session omnibus bill location to support engineering studies focused on seismic resilience and bridge preservation to safeguard the nearly 100-year-old bridge. With this funding, the Port of Cascade Locks will be able to procure engineering and other services such as site and soil assessments to analyze the bridge’s structural integrity to identify seismic vulnerabilities and inform targeted preservation efforts. Additionally, the studies will explore the feasibility of adding a pedestrian, bike, and equestrian lane separate from the flow of vehicle traffic to enhance safety for users, particularly those traversing the iconic Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. The Port plans to seek matching funds in next year’s legislative session in Washington. After narrowly missing out on funding during the 2023 session, the Port worked closely with leadership from the Joint Transportation Committee to present another funding request during the 2024 short session.
Visit Hood River Grant Program Begins
Applications are now being accepted for Visit Hood River’s 2024 Community Investment Matching Grant Program, which is designed to support businesses and community economic vitality in the greater Hood River area. Applications will be accepted through April 5. The VHR Community Grant Program occurs annually. In 2024, the program will award as much as $50,000, in total for all projects awarded. Each project requires its own application, and applicants must demonstrate the ability to meet the matching funding requirements. The VHR Community Investment Matching Grant Program application and guidelines are available on the Visit Hood River website in English and Spanish.
Bridge Replacement Project Gets $8 Million In Congressional Appropriations
The Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Replacement Project will receive an additional $8 million in federal funding after Congress approved two separate requests late last week. This latest round of funding comes after the project was awarded a $200-million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The project now has $327 million in committed funds, about 63% of the estimated total project cost of $520 million. The $8 million approved by Congress last week came from two $4 million appropriation requests submitted last spring—one from Washington and one from Oregon. Klickitat County sponsored the Washington request, and that $4 million will support preliminary engineering and design of the new bridge, including seismic resiliency and accommodations for cyclists and pedestrians. The Oregon request was sponsored by the Port of Hood River. That funding will be set aside to acquire any land required to complete the project, and to fulfill commitments to local tribes as identified in the federal approval process.
March 14 Prep Sports Roundup
Softball
The Dalles 8, Scappoose 2: The Riverhawks hit three home runs in winning their season opener. Keilani Crichton-Tunai, Jeliane Stewart, Madison Brock hit the home runs for the defending state 4A champions.
Boys Soccer
Graham-Kapowsin 4, Columbia 2
Stevenson 2, Winlock 0
March 13 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Scappoose 9, Hood River Valley 1: Four Scappoose pitchers combined to no-hit HRV in the season opener.
North Marion 5, The Dalles 4: The Huskies scored the winning run on a pair of errors in the bottom of the seventh inning. Avery Schwartz drove in two runs while striking out ten on the mound for the Riverhawks.
Columbia splits with Corbett, losing game 1 10-0 but winning game 2 5-3.
Softball
Hood River Valley 5, Scappoose 4: Addi Van Metre’s two-run double in the sixth inning was the key hit as the Eagles won their season opener.
Crowded Commission Race Highlights Wasco County Ballot
It’s going to be a crowded field seeking Position 2 on the Wasco County Commission during the May primary election. Five candidates had filed for the seat as the deadline for declaring candidacy passed on Tuesday. Two are currently on The Dalles City Council: Dan Richardson and Darcy Long. The other three candidates are Jeff Justesen, Brian Lauterbach, and John McElheran. Incumbent Steve Kramer had earlier announced he was not seeking re-election. There will be also be a contested race for Wasco County District Attorney, with Special Deputy District Attorney Kara Davis opposed by Travis Marston, an attorney from Ashwood in Jefferson County. Other Wasco County offices on the ballot feature only one candidate, including Lane Magill to remain as Sheriff, Jill Amery as Assessor, and Elijah Preston as Treasurer, and Chrissy Zaugg is the only candidate for Clerk.
Only One Contested Ballot In Hood River County
There will be only one contested office in Hood River County during the May primary election. That will be for the District 4 seat on the County Commission, with Brian Merz, Chad Muenzer, and Albert Nance the three candidates. Les Perkins has resigned that position after slightly over 23 years to take a spot on the Oregon Public Utility Commission, and the rest of the Commission will be appointing a replacement to serve out the rest of Perkins’ term. County Commission Chair Jennifer Euwer and District 2 Commissioner Arthur Babitz are unopposed. Matt English is unopposed to remain as Sheriff, and current Wasco County District Attorney Matthew Ellis is the only candidate on the ballot to succeed current D.A. Carrie Rasmussen, who decided not to seek re-election.