Hood River Valley High School won the Class 5A title at the Oregon School Activities Association Speech and Debate Championships in Monmouth over the weekend.  HRV was led by a first place finish by Jazmin Contreras in the Radio category, and placing finishes by Sadie Smith in Lincoln Douglas Debate, Zan Lapp in Prose, and Contreras and Kaelin Kenna in Public Forum.  The individual places were in open competition involving all classifications, while the team championships were determined by classification.  Hood River Valley easily outdistanced Crescent Valley for the 5A championship, with Willamette in third and LaSalle and Crater tied for fourth.

With primary election ballots going out in Oregon later this week, Tuesday is the deadline for citizens to register to vote or change party affiliation.  To do so, visit the Clerk’s or Elections office of your County.  You can also go online to oregonvotes.gov to take action online, or go to the elections pages on the Wasco and Hood River County government websites.  The primary election date in Oregon is Tuesday, May 17.

Baseball

Hood River Valley sweeps Crook County 10-0 and 13-10:  Ryles Buckley homered and drove in four runs in the opener while Jacob von Lubken pitched a three-hit shutout, while the Eagles scored five runs in the fourth inning and three in the fifth to pull away in game two.

Ridgeview sweeps The Dalles 7-2 and 13-3.

Adna sweeps Stevenson 12-7 and 18-9.

Columbia sweeps Castle Rock 6-2 and 9-3

Dufur sweeps Grant Union 4-2 and 18-8

Sherman splits with Union, losing 7-2 then winning 9-6

Kittitas sweeps Goldendale 6-5 in 12 innings and 9-5

  Softball

The Dalles splits with Ridgeview, losing game 1 12-6 but winning the nightcap 12-5:  Despina Seufalemula drove in six runs in game two on a homer and two singles as the Riverhawks snapped a four-game losing streak.

Crook County sweeps Hood River Valley 3-0 and 10-0

Columbia 8, LaCenter 4

Kittitas sweeps Goldendale 16-1 and 19-10

  Track and Field

Hannah Polkinghorn, Jessica Polkinghorn, and Chanele Reyes won two events apiece as the Columbia girls finished first in the Bruin Invitational at White Salmon.  The CHS girls also won all three relay races.  Hockinson won the boys’ title, with Columbia in third.

  The Dalles’ Leo Lemann won the boys 3,000 meters and Taylor Morehouse the boys’ pole vault at the Willamette Falls Invitational at Oregon City.  The Riverhawks’ Zoe Dunn finished second in the girls’ long jump and third in the girls’ triple jump.

Dufur’s Abby Beal and Emily Crawford finished second and third in the girls’ long jump in a regional small-school meet at Cove.  Sherman’s Sophie Hulke was third in the girls’ shot put.

  Goldendale’s Alden Williams won the 800 meters and was second in the 1600 at the Quincy Invitational.

  Boys Lacrosse

Southridge (WA) 13, Hood River Valley 4

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Thursday the East Fork Irrigation District Modernization Project is one of three projects in Oregon that will receive funding under the recently implemented Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  Ag Department officials say modernizing the East Fork Irrigation District infrastructure will conserve water, reduce energy use, improve reliability, increase public safety, and enhance fish and wildlife habitat in the Hood River watershed.  Funds will go towards design of high-priority laterals and the Dukes Valley Canal.  The funding comes from a pair of programs:  the Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations Program and the Watershed Rehabilitation Program.  A specific dollar amount for the East Fork project was not announced, but over $2.7 million dollars is being invested in the three Oregon projects, with the others in Tumalo and Owyhee irrigation districts.

After a three-year absence, the Northwest Cherry Festival is back this weekend.  The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson says they have all the elements people expect from the festival.  The Rainier Amusements Carnival will be open on First Street in The Dalles, while the Open-Air Market opens at 4 p.m Friday, and the Pit Party will be on the Columbia Gorge Toyota Entertainment Stage from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday.  The usual full schedule of events takes place Saturday, including the Tonkin Subaru Cherry Festival Parade at 10 a.m.  A Cherry Festival guide can be downloaded at Gorgeradio.com.  

The Bingen-White Salmon Community Cleanup is Friday and Saturday, headquartered at the Bingen Maintenance Yard at the Maple Street and East Marina Way entrance to the Klickitat Port area.  Tammara Tippell of the Mt. Adams Chamber of Commerce says it’s a community effort, with a focus on recycling.  The drop-off site will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.  For complete information, go to WACommunityCleanup on Facebook.  

The Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour is this weekend, with participating artists from Stevenson to The Dalles opening their studios to visitors.  Ted Owen of Gorge Artists says there is tremendous talent throughout the Gorge, and it will be on display throughout out the weekend.  The over 30 studios participating in the tour will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Sunday.  For a tour map go to gorgeartists.org.

The City of Hood River will hold an open house this evening and Saturday to take input on alternatives for the 12th and 13th Streets in the Heights Streetscapes project.  The project team will be on hand with materials for the public to view, as they look to develop a recommended alternative this summer.  City Planning Director Dustin Nilson says the focus is on the main business area between Belmont and May, and is a key part of the Heights Urban Renewal District.  The open house will run from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. this evening, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.  An online survey is available at cityofhoodriver.gov.

With the return of spring and warmer, dry weather, work to construct a new Satus Creek Bridge on Highway 97, located between Indian Service Road and Wilson Charley Road in Klickitat County, is set to restart next week.  The Washington State Department of Transportation says work will continue on Wednesday to replace the existing two-lane concrete slab bridge with a new wider concrete structure that will meet current bridge standards and removes the existing freight traffic weight restriction.  Because bridge construction work is weather dependent, this project was paused in late fall 2021, until dry, warmer weather returned.  Travelers should expect intermittent single-lane closures Mondays through Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with potential delays up to 20 minutes.  Travelers should anticipate the delays to continue through fall 2022.  

Softball

Pendleton 14, The Dalles 1: The Buckaroos scored all of their runs in the final three innings to complete a sweep of the three-game series. Keilani Crichton-Tunai hit a home run in the third inning for the Riverhawks.

Toutle Lake 10, Stevenson 0

Track and Field

Aaron Smith of Lyle-Wishram won four different events at the Mt. Adams Invitational in Glenwood. Smith took first in the boys’ 300 meter hurdles, long jump, triple jump, and javelin. In the girls’ portion of the meet, Julie Hull and Holly Miles of South Wasco each won three events.

Girls Lacrosse

Lincoln 15, Hood River Valley 8