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.
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April 23 Prep Sports Roundup
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
HR Council Looks To Increase Compensation To Remove Participation Barriers
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.
TD Council Approves New UV Disinfectant System For Treatment Plant
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.
Westside Fire Looks To Up Levy For 24/7 EMT Coverage
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.
Providence Nurses In Oregon Have Common Goals In Negotiations
Nurses at Providence hospitals across Oregon, including Hood River, are in negotiations now or will be in the near future at six Providence facilities. Brittany Foss is a registered nurse at Providence Hood River. She says there’s commonality in their demands across the six facilities, including lower health insurance costs, competitive wages, safe staffing and workplace safety. Foss notes that nurses at Hood River and Medford want pay parity with the Portland Metro Area facilities. Management has argued that the cost of living in those areas is lower, but Foss counters that nurses at smaller hospitals are expected to know more because they see a wider range of patients. A spokesperson with Providence says the company has “locally focused, market-competitive wage and benefit packages.”
Knox Leaving Adventist Health After Position Is Eliminated
Dennis Knox, who oversaw the transition of Mid-Columbia Medical Center to Adventist Health Columbia Gorge during his seven years as President and CEO of the hospital in The Dalles, will be leaving that post on Thursday. Knox told Adventist Health Columbia Gorge employees in an email late last week that his position had been eliminated as of this Thursday. Knox said in the e-mail that to remain viable, healthcare organizations have seen an increase in “flattening,” which shrinks the organization by removing layers of the hierarchy. He said Adventist Health Portland President Kyle King will become President of the newly named Adventist Health Oregon Service Area, while the former President of the Oregon State Network, Joyce Newmyer, will become the organization’s Chief People Officer. Knox noted all other Adventist Health Columbia Gorge leadership team members remain in place at this time. Knox’s career in health care has spanned 45 years, including the last seven in The Dalles.
April 22 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Crook County 4, The Dalles 1: The Cowboys took the lead for good with a two-run second inning to break a tie for first place in the Tri-Valley Conference. Cody
Agidius had two of the four Riverhawk hits. The two teams play again Wednesday at Quintion Street Park.
Softball
The Dalles 8, Crook County 2: A five-run fourth inning broke the game open as the Riverhawks grabbed sole possession of first place in the Tri-Valley Conference. Ava Graves drove in two runs. The two teams play again on Wednesday in Prineville.
Boys Tennis
Hood River Valley 8, West Salem 0
Girls Lacrosse
Ida B. Wells 16, Hood River Valley 12
Hood River Budget Committee Starts Work May 1
The City of Hood River’s Budget Committee will start its work next week. City Manager Abigail Elder says the municipal fiscal picture, at least in the short term, is secure. She adds that in the future as costs increase, there will be decisions that have to be made. The budget committee will meet on Wednesday, May 1 at 6 p.m. in Hood River City Hall, and will also do so the following two Wednesdays. The May 15 meeting will also include deliberations on the Urban Renewal Agency budget. A copy of the budget documents will be available at cityofhoodriver.gov on or before May 1.
Anderson Says Cost-Benefit Analysis For Jail Will Take Time
It will take some time before the fact-finding process to develop a cost benefit analysis of the Klickitat County Jail is complete. Commissioner Jacob Anderson said Monday they are awaiting Sheriff Bob Songer’s response to eight pages of questions about the Jail that the Commission sent to him. Anderson adds once they have the information before them they will have three options: do nothing, create a Department of Corrections that would see the County Commission oversee the jail, or close the jail and contract with another entity. He adds the jail continues to see its costs increase, like other parts of government. Anderson added he believes changing to better meet the mental health needs of inmates will need to be a part of any decision that gets made.