One person suffered minor injuries in a small plane crash Thursday night southeast of Adventist Health Columbia Gorge. Wasco County spokesperson Stephanie Krell says dispatchers received a report of flames southeast of the hospital just before 9 p.m. Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue reported the plane went down near Remington Road and some orchard lands, sparking a fire crews were able to put out. Krell says the aircraft was a Cessna 152 with one person on board. The pilot suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. The plane was traveling from Redmond to Columbia Gorge Regional Airport in Dallesport.
Williams Named New Hood River County Administrator
Hood River County Commissioners announced they have selected Allison Williams to be the next County Administrator. County Commission Chair Jennifer Euwer says Williams brings over 25 years of local government experience and 6 years of non-profit leadership to Hood River County. Williams was most recently the City Manager in Moses Lake, serving in that position for over three years. Prior to that, she was with the City of Wenatchee from 1998 to 2019 where she started as the Community Planner and then was the Executive Services Director for over 14 years, serving as the mayor’s chief of staff in a strong mayor form of government. Williams was also Executive Director of the Wenatchee Downtown Association for over six years. Euwer says she has been characterized as an approachable, authentic leader with a strong work ethic. County Commissioners interviewed four finalists last week. Williams will succeed the retiring Jeff Hecksel.
October 19 Prep Sports Roundup
Volleyball
Hood River Valley def. Milwaukie 25-21, 21-25, 25-18, 25-22
Stevenson def. Columbia 25-18, 24-26, 25-18, 25-23
Boys Soccer
Hood River Valley 7, Milwaukie 1
Girls Soccer
The Dalles 4, Gladstone 3: The Riverhawks snapped a tie atop the Tri-Valley Conference standings with the win, and can clinch the league title with a win or tie at Molalla on Tuesday.
Milwaukie 2, Hood River Valley 1
LaCenter 10, Columbia 1
Seton Catholic 3, Stevenson 0
Cle Elum-Roslyn 3, Goldendale 0
Cross Country
Hood River Valley’s boys were second to host Corvallis in a five-school race. Kai Wagner was third and Logan King fourth individually for HRV. Hood River was fourth in the girls’ run, as Syl Perrin had a fourth place individual finish.
Goldendale held off Cle Elum-Roslyn to win a seven-school EWAC Meet at home. Sean Henriksen was the top Timberwolf finisher in second. Goldendale’s Emma Meagher won the girls’ race.
Port of HR Plans Nighttime Lane Closures To Prepare For Wire Rope Project
There will be single lane closures of the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge next week as crews from Hamilton Construction make preparations for the wire rope replacement project. The closures will start at 8:00 p.m. and continue through 5:30 a.m. the following morning, and will take place on four consecutive nights, beginning on Monday night. Flaggers will be on the bridge to direct traffic around the moving work zone. Motorists should expect delays of up to 30 minutes depending on traffic volume. On Monday there will be an early morning lift of the bridge’s lift span that will close both lanes for approximately 30 minutes, starting at 5:00 a.m. During the lane closures, crews will stage jacking equipment and adjust the counterweights in preparation for the full closure coming the first week of November.
WSDOT Lowers Highway 14 Speed Limit Near Stevenson
The Washington State Department of Transportation is lowering the speed limit along Highway 14 near Stevenson to improve safety. Beginning Thursday, travelers approaching Stevenson will be required to reduce their travel speed from 55 to 40 miles per hour, and the speed limit will be reduced again to 25 miles per hour through town. The speed limit remains at 55 between North Bonneville and Rock Creek Drive, but drops to 40 from Rock Creek Drive to Rock Creek Bridge, and down to 25 from Rock Creek Bridge through the City. The reduced speed limits will be in place until further notice. The transportation department says it will continuously monitor the speed limit changes for their effectiveness. The transportation department noted Stevenson has experienced substantial growth and is a favored spot for vacationers and outdoor recreation enthusiasts, so reducing speed limits along state highways within urban areas helps to ensure they are safe and pedestrian-friendly.
October 18 Prep Sports Scoreboard
Volleyball
The Dalles def. Molalla 25-10, 25-8, 25-8
Big Sky Conference Volleyball Playoffs
Condon def. Dufur 3-2
Sherman def. Trout Lake-Klickitat-Glenwood 25-22, 25-16, 25-19: Sherman and Condon advance to join South Wasco and Ione-Arlington in the semi-finals on Saturday in The Dalles.
Cross Country
Freshman Lilah Zimmerman’s first place finish led Columbia to the girls’ team title at the Trico League Championships at Vancouver Lake. The Bruins held off Seton Catholic by taking places 11 to 14 behind Zimmerman. Stevenson took third, led by freshman Daisy Jones with a fifth place finish. In the boys’ race, Seton Catholic won while Columbia was third and Stevenson sixth. Columbia’s August Lorincz was the top area finisher in eighth.
Wasco County Commission Gets Market Analysis For Sports Complex
Wasco County Commissioners received the market analysis study for a regional sports complex. Ryan Sheridan of Hunden Strategic Partners says their analysis shows strong demand for a complex that would include outdoor athletic fields and a second phase incorporating indoor courts for basketball and volleyball. The report showed it would be year seven before the facility could be expected to turn a slight profit, but Sheridan added most communities build these facilities with a goal of driving sports tourism and the dollars it can bring. The issue initially came up when then-Mid-Columbia Medical Center presented the County with a plan to build a new hospital on the current Kramer Field. But how the now Adventist Health Columbia Gorge will proceed is a question, and Commissioners indicated this project might no longer be as connected to that as it was previously, adding they would like to see more conversations with potential community partners.
Roosevelt Landfill Loses Third Contract
Klickitat County Commission Chair Dan Christopher revealed during the panel’s meeting on Tuesday that Republic Services has lost another large contract for the regional landfill in Roosevelt. During a discussion of a funding request from the White Salmon Valley Pool Metropolitan Park District as that group continues its effort to build a swimming pool, Christopher said that last week Republic Services lost a contract for taking refuse from Mason County after losing a similar contract with Spokane County two weeks ago and with Skagit County during the summer. Christopher noted during the meeting that Klickitat County has been receiving tipping fees from all those contracts. He says that’s a large amount of revenue the County won’t have next year, and they will have to re-evaluate their revenue forecasts for 2024. Commissioner Jacob Anderson said they will have to have some very difficult discussions on their budgets as a result of the contract losses.
NCPHD Meeting Cancelled
A planned special North Central Public Health District board meeting to discuss becoming a department of Wasco County that was scheduled for Thursday has been cancelled. The district issued notice of the cancellation Wednesday afternoon, but no reason was given, and there was no mention of when it might be rescheduled. The question of whether the district should become a department of Wasco County has been discussed since Gilliam County withdrew from the district that also includes Sherman County last year. The topic was the focus of a lengthy district board meeting in August, but there was no clear indication of what the decision might be.
Fatal Accident On I-84
A 44-year-old Keizer man died Monday morning in a two-vehicle accident on Interstate 84 about six miles west of Cascade Locks. According to the Oregon State Police, a preliminary investigation indicated a car operated by Jamal Haji Hassan Kimo was westbound near milepost 38 when it began to hydroplane on standing water on the roadway. The car struck the freeway’s northern guardrail, and then reentered the westbound lanes of travel in the path of a westbound commercial truck and trailer, and was struck on the drivers’ side door. The OSP says Kimo was declared deceased at the scene. The driver of the truck was not injured.