The Oregon Trail Rally makes its return to the region Saturday and Sunday. The rally cars will be running in Klickitat County outside of Goldendale on Saturday, then move across the river to the Dufur area for Sunday. The Rally’s Karen Jankowski says drivers enjoy the challenges the rural roads in the area bring to them. The public can view the cars in downtown Goldendale on Saturday morning and Dufur on Sunday morning before racing begins, both days from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Information on how to watch the racing safely is available in the spectator’s guide at oregontrailrally.com.
Six Additional Chinook Fishing Days Added
Following an in-season assessment of the upriver spring Chinook return, fishery managers from Washington and Oregon added six additional fishing days for recreational spring Chinook starting today through Wednesday both upstream and downstream of Bonneville Dam. Passage of this year’s run appears to be timed late as just over 28,000 adult spring Chinook had passed Bonneville Dam as of May 7, when about 40 percent of passage is typically complete. But since May 8, passage has picked up considerably with more than 55,000 adults counted in nine days, likely due to warmer river temperatures and more stable flows. Downstream of Bonneville Dam spring Chinook fishing is open from the Tongue Point/Rocky Point line upstream to Beacon Rock, plus bank angling only from Beacon Rock upstream to the Bonneville Dam deadline, and from the Tower Island power lines approximately six miles downstream from The Dalles Dam, upstream to the Oregon/Washington border, plus the Oregon and Washington banks between Bonneville Dam and the Tower Island power lines. The daily bag limit is two adult hatchery Chinook or steelhead) per day, but only one may be a Chinook. Fishery managers will meet again on Wednesday to consider the latest information on catch rates and abundance expectations and will determine if more fishing days can be added during the spring season, which ends on June 15.
May 17 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Canby 4, Hood River Valley 1
Softball
Canby 9, Hood River Valley 7
Southwest Washington Class 1A Softball Tournament
At Fort Borst Park, Centralia
First Round
Columbia 19, Tenino 0
Montesano 12, Columbia 0:
Hoquiam 15, Stevenson 0
Stevenson 10, King’s Way Christian 9: Stevenson meets Columbia in a loser-out game on Saturday at noon in Centralia. Each must win two games to reach the state tournament.
May 16 Prep Sports Roundup
Oregon High School Golf Tournaments
5A Boys at Emerald Valley in Creswell: Davis Kerr of Hood River Valley shot a 90 in round two to move up the leaderboad to a tie for 37th.
5A Girls at Quail Valley in Banks: Sierra Muenzer of Hood River Valley finished in a tie for 47th.
4A Boys at Trysting Tree in Corvallis: The Dalles nipped Cascade by one shot for fourth place in the team standings. The Riverhawks’ Joe Codding finished tenth after shooting 77 on Tuesday and Keeler Larson 13th following an 83.
4A Girls at Trysting Tree in Corvallis: Dufur’s Tora Timinsky finished third individually as the Rangers finished second in the team standings, fifteen shots back of winning Crook County. Timinsky shot a 75 on Tuesday to finish one shot behind individual co-winners Ava Austria of Catlin Gabel and Maddie Dustin of Cascade. Dufur’s Tygh Timinsky shot a final round 78 to finish sixth, and Katelyn Vassar of The Dalles carded an 83 and finished in a tie for eighth.
Baseball
Stayton 3, The Dalles 2
Softball
Putnam 2, Hood River Valley 1
Track and Field
Goldendale’s boys finished second to Kittitas at the EWAC Districts in Burbank. Raymond Holycross won both hurdles races, the long jump, and the triple jump, while Sean Henrikson won the 800 and 1600 meters.
Girls Lacrosse
Westview 12, Hood River Valley 11
Hood River County Election Returns as of 5:30 a.m. May 17
Hood River County School District Local Option Levy
Yes 4,174
No 1,454
Hood River County School District Board Pos. 1
Chrissy Reitz 753
Katelyn Logan 516
Hood River County School District Board Pos. 3
Corinda Hankins-Elliott 679
Joe Correa 101
Sarah Jensen Roth 59
Hood River County School District Board Pos. 5
David Stuben 453
Brenda Bounds 362
Port of Hood River Commission Pos. 5
Tor Bieker 1,919
Jim Klaas 1,881
Port of Cascade Locks Commission Pos. 1
Carrie Klute 194
John Stipan 126
Port of Cascade Locks Commission Pos. 2
Brad Lorang 197
Brenda Lee Cramblett 141
Port of Cascade Locks Commission Pos.
Albert Nance 215
Dean Bump 115
Hood River Valley Parks & Recreation District (vote for 3)
Martha Ortega-Verduzco 2,116
Christy Christopher 2,068
Mike Howard 1,322
Matt Althoff 1,193
Brian Hackett 1,173
Scott Paider 982
Debbie Dennis 894
Raul Marquez 680
Keir Bryerton 429
Parkdale Rural Fire District Board (vote for 3)
Steven Short 491
Andrew Snyder 465
Vince Wilson 389
Jeanne Sreenan 327
Westside Rural Fire District Board (vote for 3)
Mark Beam 849
Willie Ishizaka 608
Ed Weathers 564
Paul Henke 508
John Beeman 420
Trevor Cooper 379
Ice Fountain Water District Board (vote for 2)
Brad Fowler 919
Mark Russell 687
Loran Ayles 446
Hood River County Library District Board (vote for 2)
Jean Sheppard 3,531
Brian Hackett 2,001
Carol Hoffmann 1,308
Travis Chapman 1,005
Hood River County Transportation District (vote for 3)
Gisela Ayala-Echeverria 2,707
Tamra Taylor 2,588
Elezar Reyes II 2,381
John Cochran 1,471
Patricia Gooch 1,332
Gene Jones 1,305
Wasco/Sherman County Election Returns as of 5:30 a.m. May 17
North Wasco County School District Board Zone 1
Adrian Lopez 366
Katie Kuehnl 169
Dufur School Board Pos. 2
Tim Fain 288
Cynthia Kortge 249
South Wasco County School District Board Zone 7
Janine Belozer 227
Justin Gotham 159
Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation Board Pos. 2
Kasey McCullough 1,232
Stevie Elledge 619
Dufur Recreation District Board Pos. 5
Tess Welk 202
Lou Svoboda 126
Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue Board Pos. 3
Walter Denstedt 1,131
David Peters 999
Mosier Fire District Board Pos. 3
Kris McNall 140
Rob Miller 125
Dissolution of Columbia Rural Fire Protection District
Yes 55
No 4
Shaniko 5-Year Local Option Levy For General Funding
Yes 12
No 7
Sherman County School Board Pos. 1
Bryan Cranston 287
Jeremy Lanthorn 195
Jesse von Borstel 118
Sherman County School Board Pos. 2
Seth von Borstel 320
Kasey Webber 273
Sherman County School Board Pos. 5
James Alley 354
Paul Bish 235
North Sherman County Rural Fire Protection District General Obligation Bond
No 153
Yes 119
Phase 3 Of Neal Creek Habitat Restoration Planned
The Hood River Watershed Group and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs are about to embark on phase 3 of their Neal Creek habitat restoration project to benefit threatened winter steelhead and coho salmon. This phase will be on Hood River County forestland above the “Bridge to Nowhere.” Alix Danielson of the Hood River Watershed Group told County Commissioners during a presentation on the project that the work will help restore ecological processes in Neal Creek, increase fish habitat, provide more resilience to flooding, and build on what was done in the first two phases. Danielson indicated they would want a memorandum of understanding from the County. The project is already funded through a variety of sources, so no County monies will be used. Design work will start in July, with construction planned for the summer of 2024.
Regional Fire Authority Plan To Target November Ballot
The City of White Salmon and Klickitat County Fire District 3 have decided to target the November election to send a proposed regional fire authority to voters, rather than put it on the August ballot. White Salmon Mayor Marla Keethler says there just wasn’t enough time for a committee to draft the fire authority plan. Keethler noted one of the issues to be discussed is the proposed tax rate of 76 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value to operate and maintain the fire authority. For White Salmon residents that would represent a significant increase in what is dedicated to fire protection currently. Keethler believes the City has significantly underfunded its fire department for a number of years.
Comprehensive Healthcare Informs Klickitat County It Will Close Sites
Klickitat County has been notified that Comprehensive Healthcare intends to close its two physical sites for behavioral health care in the county, although no specific date has been set. Klickitat County Behavioral Health interim director Erinn Quinn says they are currently collaborating with multiple community stakeholders and agencies to identify long term and sustainable solutions to address mental health care in the County as well as exploring options for individuals who may need care in the interim. A meeting is planned for May 25 at 11 a.m. in the County Services Building at 115 West Court in Goldendale to discuss the county’s current program capabilities, resources, and potential next steps to increase access to mental health services. The meeting will be available virtually via Zoom. Klickitat County Behavioral Health currently provides crisis services to Klickitat County residents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year through response to both Skyline and Klickitat Valley Health emergency rooms, Klickitat County Jail, and at all Klickitat County Schools through referrals from its Crisis Line, 1-800-626-9137.
Open Houses On Bridge Replacement And Tolls Planned
The Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Replacement Project will hold a pair of open houses in late May and early June to provide information on the project and take input to inform future toll pricing. Officials involved in the bridge project have said increased tolls are necessary to build the new structure. The Bridge Replacement Bi-State Working Group will present tolling options at the event. The open houses will be drop-in style where the public can review informational displays, get answers from project staff members, and provide input. The first open house will be May 31 from 4:30 to 7 at the White Salmon Valley Library, and the second on June 7 from 4:30 to 7 at May Street Elementary School in Hood River. There will also be an online open house starting May 31 through hoodriverbridge.org.