Two people who have been fixtures in efforts to promote healthy life habits and education for children and families in Hood River County are retiring at the end of June.  Hood River County Prevention Department Director Joella Dethman and Prevention Specialist Maija Yasui both say while they are leaving their paid jobs, they both plan to remain involved in efforts to help children.  Dethman says one of the big changes she has noted over the years is the ability to better track the outcomes of their efforts.  The County is in the process of finding a successor to Dethman.  The Hood River County Prevention Department was known as the County Commission on Children and Families until a reorganization of the state’s youth services structure two years ago.

Gorge Grown Food Network has received a grant to launch a new program to provide vouchers that low income families can redeem at local farmers’ markets and some grocery stores for fresh fruit and vegetables.  The $20,000 grant comes from a subfund of the Oregon Community Foundation, with several local healthcare providers providing matching funds for the fresh produce vouchers.  Under the Veggie Prescription program, healthcare and social service providers will identify those dealing with food insecurity through a questionnaire, and then can write a “prescription” that can be filled at farmers’ markets and grocery stores in the Gorge for fresh foods.  A Columbia Gorge Coordinated Care Organization Community Advisory Council survey found some who receive food stamps or other help are still not able to access fresh fruit and vegetables.  

Columbia River fishery managers have announced a change to the spring Chinook daily bag limit that will allow anglers to keep up to two adipose fin-clipped adult Chinook beginning Wednesday through June 15 from Tongue Point upstream to the Oregon/Washington border above John Day Dam.  The overall daily bag limit remains two steelhead or salmon…but both fish may now be Chinook.  The two adult Chinook limit will continue through the summer Chinook season beginning June 16, when anglers may also keep sockeye salmon as part of the adult bag limit.  The increased harvest opportunity is the result of a new run projection of 271,000 fish, up from the original estimate of 232,500.

A 79-year-old resident of The Dalles died Saturday evening in a four-wheeled vehicle accident on a Forest Service road in Grant County.  According to Morrow County Undersheriff Steve Myren, Gary Honald was riding with friends when the accident occurred.  Myren said the people with Honald tried to resuscitate him, adding Sheriff’s Office investigators found Honald had lost control of the vehicle, and it was simply a “tragic accident.”  The accident occurred at approximately 7:45 p.m. Saturday about 26 miles south of Heppner.  The Morrow County Sheriff’s Office handled the investigation for Grant County.

A 58-year-old man was taken by Lifeflight to a Portland hospital Sundy afternoon after an accident involving a motorcycle and a car on Fremont Road in The Dalles.  According to City of The Dalles police reports, Lorenzo Kimball of The Dalles was on a motorcycle traveling on Fremont and apparently took a wide turn, colliding with an on-coming car.  The police report indicates the car had nowhere to go.  Kimball was transported by LifeFlight to a Portland hospital with what the police report described as “broken bones.”  The driver of the car was uninjured, and both the motorcycle and the car were towed away.

A 73-year-old Tigard woman was airlifted to a Portland hospital after a motorcycle accident on Washington Highway 142 about 14 miles west of Goldendale.  The accident occurred just before 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon.  According to the Washington State Patrol, the motorcycle being driven by Sharon Osborn Ryan was eastbound on Highway 142 when she tried to negotiate a right-hand curve.  The motorcycle crossed the centerline and the westbound lane and collided with the guardrail.  Osborn Ryan was wearing a helmet.  She was taken to Klickitat Valley Hospital in Goldendale, then airlifted to Emanuel Hospital in Portland.  Her condition was unavailable.

Track and Field Gabe Montoya won two events to lead Lyle-Wishram to a fifth place finish in the Washington Class 1B Track and Field Championships in Cheney.  Montoya won the discus with a toss of 134 feet, nine inches and the shot put at 47-7.  He also finished third in the javelin.  The Cougars also received fourth place finishes from Josh Showalter in the pole vault and the four-by-400 meter relay team, two sixth place finishes from Jacob Zeigler in the sprints and the four-by-100 meter trelay, and an eighth from Lorenzo Guasconi in the 110 meter hurdles.  Trout Lake’s James Baker earned seventh place finishes in the pole vault and 800 meters and an eighth in the triple jump.   Lyle-Wishram’s Alex Cloud finished second in the javelin and Trout Lake’s Bethany Putnam grabbed a second in the 300 meter hurdles and a seventh in the long jump to lead the local effort in the Washington Class 1B girls’ track and field meet.  Trout Lake’s four-by-400 meter relay team finished third, while L-W’s MaeLynn Luke was fourth in the javelin.   Brandon Campbell of Stevenson was second in the boys’ pole vault and Brian Golding of Goldendale was second in the boys’ 300 meter hurdles and fourth in the 110 hurdles at the Washington Class 1A  track  and field meet.  Columbia’s Shawn Tardiff finished fourth in the boys’ 400 meters, while Stevenson was Madison McCrum earned fourth place finishes in the girls’ long jump and triple jump.   Oregon Class 5A Baseball Quarterfinal Kam Walker pitched a five-hit shutout to lead Hood River Valley to a 4-0 win over Putnam in an Oregon Class 5A high school baseball quarterfinal at Traner Field.  Walker struck out five and did not walk anyone on the way to the victory.  HRV took a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run double by Kellen Duffy.  The Eagles added two more runs in the second, and Walker made them stand up for the win.  HRV will host Pendleton in a semi-final game on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. at Traner Field.  The Eagles won three out of four games over the Buckaroos during the regular season.   Oregon Class 1A Baseball Quarterfinal A three-run fifth inning lifted Knappa to a 6-4 win over Dufur in an Oregon Class 2A/1A high school baseball quarterfinal.  The Rangers finished the season with a 23-7 record.   Cascade Cup Lacrosse Hood River Valley 12, Grant 8:  The Eagles host Canby in a semi-final on Wednesday at 5:30 at Westside Elementary.

Kam Walker pitched a five-hit shutout to lead Hood River Valley to a 4-0 win over Putnam in an Oregon Class 5A high school baseball quarterfinal at Traner Field.  Walker struck out five and did not walk anyone on the way to the victory.  HRV took a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run double by Kellen Duffy.  The Eagles added two more runs in the second, and Walker made them stand up for the win.  HRV will host Pendleton in a semi-final game on Tuesday at Traner Field.  The Eagles won three out of four games over the Buckaroos during the regular season.

Hood River County School District secondary schools will start and stop 20 minutes earlier next school year.  The district board approved the plan for classes to start at Hood River Valley High School at 8:20 a.m. and end at 3:10 p.m., while Hood River and Wy’east middle schools will begin the academic day at 8:25 a.m. and release at 3:25 p.m.  The district had staggered start and release times between elementary and secondary schools heading into this year to increase the efficiency of their bus system.  Superintendent Dan Goldman says they found they didn’t need as much time between elementary and secondary runs as they allowed for.  The change for 2015-16 will reduce lost class time for students involved in extra-curricular activities that travel for competition.  Elementary schools will maintain their current schedules.

New temporary signs are restricting parking along Highway 14 around the Dog Mountain trailhead near milepost 53.   Drivers ignoring the signs could find their vehicles have been ticketed and towed.  The signs are a part of a safety strategy coordinated with the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington State Patrol, Washington State Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Forest Service, the agency that maintains the trail.  The goal is to improve driver and pedestrian safety and give first responders better access to the trailhead during an emergency.  On busy weekends, rangers from the Forest Service will help direct drivers at the adjacent trailhead parking lot to keep traffic moving safely.  Hikers are encouraged to carpool and arrive early.  Permanent signs will be installed after design details are finalized with local agency partners.