The Washington State Senate passed two bills from 17th District Rep. Kevin Waters this week, including legislation that would increase hiring options for many of Washington’s smaller businesses. House Bill 1730 would help the state’s workforce by creating more job openings for a larger group of applicants. The legislation would allow youth between the ages of 18 to 20 to be employed in establishments traditionally classified as off-limits to persons under the age of 21, under specific and limited circumstances. HB 1730 now heads to the governor’s desk for his signature. Earlier, the Senate passed House Bill 1731 to allow short-term rental operators, like those who rent properties through Airbnb for example, to acquire permits to provide one complimentary bottle of wine to rental guests who are at least 21 years old, under certain conditions. Because HB 1731 was amended by the Senate, the House must approve the changes before it heads to the governor’s desk.
April 7-8 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Hood River Valley 5, The Dalles 4 (8 innings)
Sherman sweeps Dufur 10-5 and 13-3
Stanfield-Echo sweeps Lyle-Klickitat-Wishram 12-2 and 12-1
Softball
The Dalles 13, Hood River Valley 1
Track and Field
The Dalles boys were second and the girls fifth at the Sandy Invitational. Juan Diego Contreras won both the boys’ 800 and 1500 meters for the Riverhawks while Leo Lemann won the 3,000. Zoe Dunn was first in both the girls’ long jump and triple jump.
Raymond Holycross’ two second place finishes highlighted the Goldendale effort at the Davis Invitational.
Sherman’s Morgan Geary won the girls’ triple jump at the Prairie City Annual Meet.
Boys Lacrosse
Sherwood 12, Hood River Valley 7
Girls Tennis
Hood River Valley wins the Gopher Classic Tournament in Gresham
Lewis Returns To White Salmon Superintendent Post
The White Salmon Valley School District board of directors announced they were appointing former District Superintendent Jerry Lewis to serve in that role for the remainder of this school year. The announcement was made following an executive session of the board Thursday night. Lewis replaces Sean McGeeney, who leaves the position in the wake of a controversy over how the district has ended up facing a budget shortfall of $3.5 million for the upcoming academic year. The district had a reserve of about $2.5 million when Lewis retired two years ago, but McGeeney had said that was down to about $90,000. The board did not elaborate on reasons for the change, noting there are details it cannot legally share at this time.
Weekend Closures Of The Dalles Bridge Pushed Back
The Oregon Department of Transportation pushed back the nighttime weekend closures of The Dalles Bridge to later in the month. ODOT announced the bridge will remain open the next two weekends. The closures to complete paving work on the new bridge deck will now take place from April 21st to the 23rd and April 28th to the 30th. The closures will be in effect each night from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. The paving is weather dependent, so ODOT did caution that the schedule could change again. Some construction work does continue on weekdays.
April 6 Prep Sports Roundup
Track and Field
Both the Hood River boys and girls defeated Centennial and lost to Wilsonville in a Northwest Oregon Conference meet. Shaw Burns won the 100 meters, long jump, and triple jump for the HRV boys. Simone Tillman won the 100 meters and the 300 meter hurdles for the Eagle girls.
Trout Lake’s Myana Stock won both the girls’ 800 and 1500 meters at the Buckaroo Roundup in St. Paul. Melanie Garcia and Gynel Duke also had first place finishes for the Mustang girls, while Landon Heberling, Alex Lopez, and Trevor Collins did the same for the Trout Lake boys.
Murder Suspect Refuses To Leave Cell For Arraignment
The man charged in a late Wednesday night murder in The Dalles refused to come out of his cell to enter NORCOR’s video courtroom for arraignment in Wasco County Circuit Court this afternoon. Wasco County District Attorney Matthew Ellis says 32-year-old Jacob David Wilson is charged with second degree murder, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, assault in the fourth degree, and menacing. Ellis says Wilson is alleged to have stabbed Amber Tracey with a kitchen knife at a home in The Dalles. Tracey was taken to Mid-Columbia Medical Center, where she was pronounced deceased. He added Wilson is accused of assaulting his mother, Tamera Viers, striking her with a coffee can and attacking her with a knife. Bail was set for Wilson at $1,000,000 bond, and arraignment was rescheduled for Friday. Ellis said to the best of law enforcement’s knowledge, there is no connection between this case and the investigation into the March 17 murder of 35-year Amanda Harmon in the Cherry Heights area. The Columbia Gorge Major Crimes team, which consists of The Dalles and Hood River Police Departments, Wasco, Hood River, and Sherman County Sheriff’s Offices, and the Oregon State Police, was activated for this investigation.
Eight Rescued Near Trout Lake
Eight people, four adults and four children, were brought back to safety after the utility terrain vehicles they were in Tuesday night near the Forest Service 8860 Road outside of Trout Lake. According to the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office, the group was traveling from Lone Butte Sno-Park to Takhlakh Lake. Two adults and one child began walking from their location back towards Lone Butte Sno-Park. Klickitat County Search and Rescue personnel, along were several local volunteers, assisted the Skamania County Sheriff’ Office in locating and transporting the entire group to Flat Top Sno-Park, where they were provided medical evaluations. All were returned to their vehicles at Lone Butte Sno-Park in good condition.
TD Public Works To Relocate Valves On Union Street
The Dalles Public Works will be begin work Saturday on relocating a fire hydrant and water supply valves on Union St. from 4th Street to 6th Place. The project area for Saturday’s work is in the State Building parking lot. Part of the west side of the parking lot will be closed to motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians during work hours. Then on Tuesday, the project area for Phase 2 will be on Union St. between 4th St. and 5th St. A full street closure will remain in place during work hours. Motor vehicles and bicyclists will be detoured to adjacent side streets. Pedestrian and sidewalk access will remain open through the duration of this work. Work hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on each scheduled work day. No parking will be allowed within the project areas to allow room for large equipment to safely work. No parking signs will be placed in the State Building parking lot and on the curb 48 hours before the project moves into each work area.
Cause Of Western Redcedar Deaths Unknown
As trees begin to come out of dormancy and start the growing season, tree health issues become apparent. Bark beetles are the most common cause for dying trees around the Mid-Columbia region. But OSU Extension Forester Glenn Ahrens says they have seen western redcedar dying in areas where it should thrive, along streams, in valleys, and along lower slopes. He adds researchers have not found evidence of insects or disease as a cause. The Oregon Department of Forestry, Washington Department of Natural Resources, and U.S. Forest service are involved in on-going investigations of the cedar dieback.
GCF Grants Program To Take Applications
The Gorge Community Foundation Community Grants Program will have $17,500 to donate to Gorge non-profits through a competitive application process that will close on May 19. For nearly two decades, the Gorge Community Foundation has made grants through its donor advised funds and grantmaking programs. Foundation officials say the purpose of the program is to provide charitable funds as the Foundation board determines are most needed and not limited to a single focus or exclusively to the interests of a particular constituency. The total available for 2023 granting through GCF Community Grants is $17,500 and proposals will be accepted for any amount up to that total. Applications are due May 19 and funding decisions and grants awarded the end of June. The range of grants in the past has been $650 to $4,000. Grant recipients are expected to comply with reporting requirements in order to be eligible for any future grants.