The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office is terminating its agreement with the Oregon State Marine Board to provide equipment for marine patrol services. County Sheriff Lane Magill told County Commissioners that the state agency had become difficult to deal with, and funding levels from the agency were not adequate for what they were required to do. But Magill says marine services are important to the County, and while they are stepping away from the state marine program, he feels his department can do a better job on its own with a training coordinator and a curriculum that can train marine deputies. Magill says they will be getting a boat designed for the small waterways of the area, and they will be partnering with other jurisdictions in the region for responding to calls.
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White Salmon School Levy Ballots Go Out Next Week
Ballots will go out next week for a pair of White Salmon Valley School District levies. One is to renew the district’s educational programs and operations levy that accounts for about 17 percent of the district’s annual operating budget, and the other is a capital levy for technology along with critical maintenance and infrastructure upgrades. District Superintendent Sean McGeeney says with continues growth in White Salmon, the tax rates from the levies would actually drop the district’s tax rate from $2.43 per $1,000 of assessed property value to $2.40. The estimated cost for the owner of a $500,000 home is about $1,200 per year.
Mosbrucker Seeks More Transparency For Plea Negotiations
Washington 14th District State Representative Gina Mosbrucker has introduced legislation asking the Sentencing Guideline Commission to research if there is a way to create more transparency for criminal plea negotiations. The Goldendale Republican is a member of that panel. She says while most of the criminal justice system in Washington is very transparent, 92 percent of cases are done in a plea bargain, and constituents ask her why that takes place behind closed doors. Mosbrucker has another bill this session to add four voting members to the Sentencing Guideline Commission to provide more viewpoints, including a tribal member, a minority caucus judge, and an academic voice versed in data on the issues they are working on.
Applications Available For Hardham STEM Scholarship
The Gorge Tech Alliance has opened its application process for the annual Corwin Hardham Memorial Scholarship. It’s open to Gorge high school seniors pursuing post-secondary degrees in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, or math. Eligible students are those from Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Skamania, and Klickitat Counties who are graduating from high school, home school, or receiving a GED in the spring/ summer. Past recipients of this scholarship have gone on to study innovative technologies and to become significant contributors to STEM fields. Applications can be found at crgta.org.
Harris Bill Would Give Reprimanded Educators Second Chance
Washington 17th District State Representative Paul Harris has introduced a bill to give educators who have received a reprimand the opportunity for redemption. House Bill 1113 would require the Professional Educator Standards Board to adopt rules for reviewing and vacating reprimands issued to certificated professional educators. Currently, there is no process in place to vacate a reprimand on an educator’s certificate. Harris says he brought the issue forward last session because he believes people deserve a second chance, and teachers sometime make poor judgments that can result in reprimand on their educator certificate that can limit career opportunities and advancement. The bill received a public hearing on Tuesday in the House Education Committee.
WAGAP Mobile Food Bank Adds Roosevelt Stop
Washington Gorge Action Programs is expanding operations of the Mobile Food Bank in Klickitat County, adding a new route to Roosevelt. The mobile food bank will be at Pueblo Del Rio apartments in Roosevelt from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on the 4th Thursday of every month, beginning January 26. The mobile food bank makes stops the First Thursday of each month at Wishram School from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Dallesport Community Center from noon to 2:00 p.m., and the Lyle Lions Club from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. On the second Thursday of each month it stops at the Skamania General Store from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and in Mill A at the Evergreen Community Church from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Then on the third Thursday of each month in Klickitat County it goes to Mt. Adams Baptist Church in Trout Lake from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and the BZ Corner Community Building from noon to 2:00 p.m. In addition to the Mobile Food Bank, the WAGAP Food Bank Network will retain its permanent locations in Bingen, Goldendale, Klickitat, and Stevenson. The network allows individuals and families in need to receive supplemental food supplies once per month at any of these locations.
Hood River Sheriff’s Office Warns Of Scam Calls
The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office says it has received reports of residents receiving phone calls from people claiming to represent the Sheriff’s Office. In some cases, the scammers are even using the names of actual Sheriff’s Office employees or utilizing a spoofing system to have the Sheriff’s Office phone number appear on Caller ID. If you receive a call out of the blue from someone claiming to be from the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office, and they ask you to do anything such as provide your personal information or pay a fine over the phone, the Sheriff’s Office says to immediately advise them that you will call them right back, hang up, and call the Hood River County Dispatch non-emergency line at 541-386-2711. If there is a Sheriff’s Office employee who is actually trying to contact you for a legitimate reason, they will re-connect you with that employee. You should never provide any kind of payment over the phone to anyone who calls you up out of the blue, no matter how legitimate it may sound.
January 17 Prep Sports Roundup
Boys Basketball
Parkrose 52, Hood River Valley 41: A cold shooting night from the outside prevented the Eagles from getting any consistent offense going. Ben Livingston and Julius Blair scored 13 points apiece for the Broncos, while Isaiah Poole led HRV with 11.
Crook County 61, The Dalles 54: The Riverhawks lost on the road in their Tri-Valley Conference opener.
South Wasco 92, Klickitat-Glenwood 48
North Lake-Paisley 40, Sherman 36
Irrigon 77, Trout Lake 53
Goldendale 48, Walla Walla Academy 44
Girls Basketball
Hood River Valley 64, Parkrose 30: Abby Schrankel scored 21 points and Grace Rowan added 15 as the Eagles won their first Northwest Oregon Conference game of the season.
The Dalles 47, Crook County 36: The Riverhawks were able to pull away in the second half to win their Tri-Valley Conference opener.
King’s Way Christian 44, Columbia 36
Seton Catholic 57, Stevenson 43
South Wasco 80, Klickitat-Glenwood 48
North Lake-Paisley 46, Sherman 22
Trout Lake 48, Irrigon 31
Goldendale 40, Walla Walla Academy 38
HR Schools Watching Legislative Funding Decisions
The Hood River County School District is starting to look toward budgeting for the 2023-24 academic year, and that means keeping an eye on education funding decisions to be made by the Oregon Legislature this session. District Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn says early projections have K-12 funding increasing by two percent this biennium, which he says would be short of what is needed to maintain current service levels. Polkinghorn says they will start budget work in earnest over the next month. He points out the district’s local option levy has helped the district weather uncertainties at the state level, but that will expire in June, and the district will be going to voters to renew it.
White Salmon Council Setting Legislative Priorities
White Salmon City Councilors are setting their priorities for the Washington Legislative session, and housing will be a key one. Mayor Marla Keethler says they are hoping the Legislature will move forward with programs that can assist the City in its affordable housing efforts. Also expected to be on the list: Infrastructure including water and street improvements and expanding that definition into child care, plus continuing the push for the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge.