The countdown is on to this weekend’s Northwest Cherry Festival in The Dalles. The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson says they wrapped up taking entries for the parade over the weekend. Farquharson says this year’s parade will be a bit smaller, with 85 to 90 entries for the Saturday march through town. She notes they had put a cap on entries this year at 100 at the request from The Dalles Police Department, because the parade had become so long it was blocking emergency routes at the same time. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. on its usual route. This year’s Grand Marshal is orchardist Mel Omeg. King and Queen Bing are former OSU Wasco County Extension Agent Lynn Long and his wife Marlene.
Port of HR Bridge Delays Over Next Two Weeks
There will be delays on the Port of Hood River Interstate Bridge this week and next, as welding work on the bridge deck takes place. Single lane closures will take place on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the next two weeks. Port Executive Director Kevin Greenwood says it is important to allow the welders the space to do their work. Flaggers will direct traffic. Please drive slowly through the narrow lanes, avoid looking at the welding arc, and allow extra time for your trip.
Indictments In Hood River Death
Three suspects in the death of a Hood River man on April 11 were indicted by a Grand Jury on Friday. Hood River County District Attorney Matt Ellis says 31-year-old Johnathan Matthews, 36-year-old William Hardy, Jr., and 41-year-old Elizabeth Bowman all face second degree murder, first degree theft and robbery, and unauthorized use of a weapon charges in the death of 38-year-old Stephen Hayes, with Matthews also indicted on manslaughter, reckless driving, and reckless endangering charges. Ellis says Matthews allegedly stole a pickup truck from Jacobs Sanitation in The Dalles, picked up Hardy and Bowman, and drove to Hood River, where Hardy attempted to steal Hayes’ bike and put it in the pickup. That was witnessed by Hayes’ partner, and Hayes went outside to confront the thieves, grabbing the passenger side of the truck while Matthews tried to drive away from the scene, speeding and swerving, dragging Hayes, throwing him to the ground, and running him over. Ellis says the three defendants then drove to Post Canyon, where they stayed overnight. Hardy and Bowman were arrested the next day, while Matthews was arrested Tuesday. All three are in custody and scheduled at various times to be arraigned this week.
April 18-19 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Hood River Valley 5, Putnam 4: The Eagles scored two in the sixth inning to tie the game, then Tyson Harjo’s sacrifice fly brought home Addison Postlewait from third with the winning run in the top of the seventh. HRV is now 3-0 in the Northwest Oregon Conference.
Heppner swept Sherman 6-4 and 12-8
River View swept Goldendale 8-2 and 9-1
Softball
Hood River Valley 14, Putnam 3: Bella Belcher hit a three-run homer and Grace Rowan added a pair of solo homers as the Eagles won their seventh straight and stayed unbeaten in the NWOC.
Stevenson 24, Corbett 5: Rebecca Townsend had a double and a home run while driving in five runs.
Girls Lacrosse
Hood River Valley 18, Cleveland 2: Josie Faaborg scored five goals as the Eagles won their seventh straight game.
Boys Lacrosse
West Salem 18, Hood River Valley 6
Boys Soccer
Stevenson 9, Kalama 2
April 17 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
The Dalles 15, Madras 5: Cody Agidius drove in four runs and Finlay Corbin had three hits as the Riverhawks won their third straight in Tri-Valley Conference play.
Seton Catholic 20, Columbia 2
Fort Vancouver 16, Stevenson 6
Softball
The Dalles 11, Madras 0: Maddie Brock had three hits and two RBI, and Morgan Donivan also drove in a pair of runs to lead the Riverhawks.
Seton Catholic 5, Columbia 2: Kiera Bucher drove in the runs for the Bruins, but Seton Catholic grabbed the win to sweep a two-game series.
Stevenson 8, Fort Vancouver 6: The Bulldogs scored four runs in the sixth inning to pull out the victory, with Rebecca Townsend’s two-run triple scoring the go-ahead run. Townsend had four hits with two triples and a double,
Liberty Christian 18, Goldendale 8: Maggie Gutierrez homered and drove in four runs for the Timberwolves, but Liberty Christian scored seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to grab the win.
Track and Field
Hood River Valley’s boys and girls defeated Milwaukie in a Northwest Oregon Conference dual meet at Henderson Stadium. Jack Miller, Lilah Tactay, and Savina Davis all won two events apiece for HRV.
Boys Tennis
Hood River Valley 8, Milwaukie 0
Girls Tennis
Hood River Valley 8, Milwaukie 0
Boys Golf
Hood River Valley held off host Pendleton by seven shots in an eleven-school tournament at Birch Creek. Davis Kerr and David Shepherd each shot an 80 to finish in a tie for third. The Dalles was fifth, led by Leighton Voodre in ninth.
Girls Golf
The Dalles finished fourth at the Pendleton Invitational at Birch Creek. Athena Lipinski was the top Riverhawk finisher, tying for 13th, while Goldendale’s Anna Wilder was 11th.
April 16 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Hood River Valley 8, Parkrose 0: Maverick Hockett carried a no-hitter two outs into the sixth inning before giving up a hit, as the Eagles finished a sweep of the Broncos. Kingston McAdam drove in two runs as HRV scored four runs in both the third and fifth innings.
The Dalles 13, Crook County 11: Will Booth’s two run triple with two outs in the top of the seventh inning, gave the Riverhawks the win. It capped a four-run inning, after the Cowboys had scored seven runs in the bottom of the sixth to take an 11-9 lead. Booth also had a home run in the game and drove in six runs.
Softball
Hood River Valley 18, Parkrose 0: The Eagles scored 14 runs in the first inning to cruise to the win. Grace Rowan drove in four runs and Addi Van Metre and Isa Rivera brought home three apiece.
The Dalles 11, Crook County 1: Maddie Brock had three hits including a double and a home run, and drove in three runs as the Riverhawks salvaged a split of their series with the Cowgirls. Cadence Young also had three RBI for The Dalles.
Track and Field
Columbia’s Sara Miller and Stevenson’s Olivia Fauth and Dani Wallace each won two events at a four-school Trico League meet in White Salmon.
The Dalles finished behind host Crook County in both boys and girls standings at a five-school meet in Prineville. Olivia Prado and Willow Ziegenhagen each won a pair of events for the Riverhawks.
Wasco County Submits Letter On Issues To Address For Solar Plan
Wasco County Commissioners are submitting a letter outlining issues they feel need to be addressed when an application is submitted to the Oregon Department of Energy for the proposed Deschutes Solar and Battery Energy Storage System Facility. The facility proposed by Brightnight LLC is about ten miles southwest of Maupin. County Planning Division Director Daniel Daugherty told the Commission this solar project is a bit different than others proposed in the region because of its proximity to the White River and Pine Grove areas. The County says in its letter that if the Land Use and Fish and Wildlife Habitat studies for the project do not incorporate all of the Pine Grove and White River Natural areas, they should be expanded to do so.
White Salmon Schools Committee To Take Single Campus Idea To The Public
The White Salmon Valley School District’s Facilities Advisory Committee worked Tuesday evening on reaching decision points to begin to take them to the public for feedback. District Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn says the big one is a recommendation to consolidate to one K-12 campus at the current Columbia High School and Henkle Middle School campus. Polkinghorn says a big factor in going to one campus would be to maximize state financial assistance to replace aging Whitson Elementary School. In addition, a downward trending enrollment picture for the next five years also points toward going to one campus for more efficiency in overall operations.
Mt. Hood Climbing Permits Available
Climbing season is picking up on Mt. Hood, and visitors planning to travel above an elevation of 9,500 feet need a climbing permit. The Mount Hood National Forest says permit fees fund climbing rangers, climbing safety information, and natural resources protection. Permits are available as a single trip 3-day pass for $20 or an annual pass for $50. No advance reservations are needed and there is no limit on the number of permits issued. Climbing permits are available for purchase any time on Recreation.gov up to the start of one’s climb. Permits are required year-round. The Forest Service says every year up to 10,000 people climb Mt. Hood and it is not uncommon for visitors with little or no mountaineering experience to attempt the technical ascent of the 11,240-foot peak. The Mt. Hood climbing permit funds climbing rangers to provide safety patrol and resource protection within the Mt. Hood Wilderness. It also helps provide better climbing safety education, increased coordination and collaboration with existing mountain safety and rescue organizations, improves sanitary conditions by reducing human waste, and enables infrastructure improvements.
Single Lane Closures Scheduled For Hood River-White Salmon Bridge
Single-lane closures on the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge will take place next week. Crews will be performing annual deck welding repairs to maintain the bridge’s safety and structural integrity. Work will occur from Monday through Friday next week and the following week, between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Flaggers will direct traffic. Drivers are asked to move slowly through the narrow lanes, avoid looking at the welding arc, and allow extra time for your trip.