For the third consecutive year, the four-year graduation rate of Hood River Valley High School students was more than 90 percent. According to Oregon Department of Education statistics released Thursday, 90.6 percent of HRVHS students graduated on time last school year compared to 81.3 percent of all Oregon students. For the fifth consecutive year, the four-year graduation rate of Hispanic/Latino students at HRV was higher than 80 percent. The four-year graduation rate increased from 83.8 percent to 88.8 percent compared to 78.7 percent of Oregon Hispanic students. For the fourth consecutive year, the four-year graduation rate of students who were English Language Learners once again went up, as HRV students successfully completed English Learner programs prior to entering high school in Oregon graduated at 90.1 percent, 3.75 percentage points higher than the state rate. Students concentrating on an approved Career and Technical Education program of study exceeded the state and HRVHS four-year graduation rate, graduating at a rate of 98.6 percent. The graduation rate of HRV students with disabilities for the 2021-22 school year was 77.5 compared to 67.5 percent of Oregon students with disabilities.
January 26 Prep Sports Roundup
Boys Basketball
The Dalles 69, Gladstone 66 (OT)…The Riverhawks moved into sole possession of second place in the Tri-Valley Conference with the road win, one game back of Crook Country.
Girls Basketball
Columbia 47, Stevenson 43
Boys Wrestling
Led by two weight class winners, Goldendale finished second in the EWAC West Championships at Warden. The Timberwolves’ Brock Armstrong won the 120 pound title, while Storey Woodbury was first at 132 pounds.
Hydro Pleads Guilty To Clear Air Act Violation
Hydro Extrusion USA pleaded guilty on Tuesday in federal court in Portland to Clean Air Act violations at its aluminum processing facility in The Dalles. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Portland, from July 2018 through June 2019, Hydro acquired and melted scrap aluminum coated in a mineral-oil based mixture that, when combusted, produced hazardous smoke. Under the Clean Air Act, secondary aluminum production facilities are only permitted to use “clean charge,” which is aluminum scrap free of paints, coatings or lubricants. Hydro Extrusion, which is based in North America in Rosemont, Illinois, pleaded guilty to negligent endangerment by discharging a hazardous pollutant, which is punishable by of fine of up to $200,000 or twice the gross gains or losses resulting from the offense. The U.S. Attorney’s office says Hydro fully cooperated with the federal government investigation of the matter and agreed to plead guilty and to pay $550, 125 prior to sentencing, which will occur on April 24 before U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mosman.
WAGAP Officials Meet With Legislators; Fresh Food Supplier Key Topic
Washington Gorge Action Programs Executive Director Leslie Naramore and Associate Director Jennifer Pauletto are in Olympia for Washington State Community Action Partnership Network meetings and a chance to meet with legislators. Naramore says one of the things they will be advocating for is a replacement source of fresh foods after losing a primary supplier in December. Second Harvest, which operates out of the Spokane area, discontinued providing fresh foods to a number of food assistance programs across rural communities in Washington about two months ago, and WAGAP has been looking for a new source to provide those kind of items ever since.
Wednesday Final Day For Sturgeon Retention In The Dalles Pool
Wednesday will be the last day to retain sturgeon in The Dalles Pool, of the mainstem Columbia River from The Dalles Dam upstream to John Day Dam and adjacent tributaries, and Sunday will be the last day to retain sturgeon in the John Day Pool from John Day Dam upstream to McNary Dam and adjacent tributaries. Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon made the decision after determining that harvest guidelines will be reached soon due to higher-than-expected effort and catch rates. Through Tuesday, the projected catch in The Dalles Pool is 184 fish, or 97 percent of the guideline, while in John Day Pool, the projected catch thru Sunday is 101 fish which is 96 percent of the guideline. Fishery managers implemented staggered, three-day-per-week fishing seasons in Bonneville and The Dalles pools this year to try and lengthen the season. A combination of higher effort and good catch rates had sturgeon harvest accruing more quickly than managers originally projected. Catch-and-release sturgeon fishing remains open in the mainstem upstream of Bonneville Dam, except angling for sturgeon is prohibited May 1 to August 31 within sanctuary areas below each of the dam tailraces.
Corry Tries Again To Curb Governor’s Emergency Powers
Washington State 14th District Rep. Chris Corry has launched a new effort to curb the governor’s emergency powers. House Bill 1535 is co-sponsored by Rep. Peter Abbarno of Centralia, and is identical to House Bill 1772, Corry’s bi-partisan bill from the 2022 legislative session. This bill focuses on emergencies that last longer than 60 days. House Bill 1535 allows the Legislature to pass a concurrent resolution declaring the termination of a state of emergency, and allow the governor or Legislature to call a special session, consistent to vote on a concurrent resolution to extend a state of emergency. If the Legislature is not in session, the SOE may also be terminated in writing by unanimous agreement of all four leaders in the House and Senate. Sixty days after being signed by the governor, unless extended by the Legislature by a concurrent resolution, the SOE would be terminated, and prohibits the governor from reinstating the same or substantively similar SOE when the original has expired.
January 24 Prep Sports Roundup
Boys Basketball
Hood River Valley 76, Hillsboro 42: Sawyer Clemett scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds while Aiden Smith contributed 12 points off the bench to lead the Eagles to the win.
The Dalles 71, Madras 56: The Riverhawks grabbed the road win to move into a tie for second with Estacada in the Tri-Valley Conference.
Horizon Christian 57, Klickitat-Glenwood 35
South Wasco 99, Lyle-Wishram 32
Dufur 66, Trout Lake 30
Girls Basketball
Hillsboro 52, Hood River Valley 32: The Spartans’ Josetta Singh had 16 points and nine rebounds. Julia Rowan had ten points to lead the Eagles.
Madras 46, The Dalles 37: Madras handed the Riverhawks their first Tri-Valley Conference loss of the season.
Columbia 64, Castle Rock 33
King’s Way Christian 48, Stevenson 26
Klickitat-Glenwood 54, Horizon Christian 21
South Wasco 64, Lyle-Wishram 9
Trout Lake 69, Dufur 24
Wrestling
Stevenson 40, Columbia 30: The Bulldogs scored six wins by fall to pull out the dual match victory.
Gorge Artist To Photograph Ukrainian Life Amid War
A Columbia Gorge artist is going to Ukraine for three weeks to photograph the daily lives of Ukrainians amid the war that surrounds them. According to a release from 301 Gallery of Hood River…Scott MacDonald will hand-carry much needed medical equipment to non-governmental organizations on the ground. He plans to leave on Wednesday. According to the statement…when he returns MacDonald will be editing and curating the photos and additional content. He will then seek venues to exhibit and share the photo essay with others. MacDonald is a jewelry artist in Klickitat. A blog about his journey to Ukraine will be at foundwear.com.
TD Council Approves New Density Regulations
The Dalles City Council approved changes to residential density and regulations within the municipal code. The changes came a little less than one year after planning commissioners noted ambiguities in the City’s density rules while hearing an appeal of a permit that was being denied. Community Development Director Joshua Chandler told the Council the changes to the code include a new article on density, restructures multiple articles that reference density, and adjusts the comprehensive plan to reflect those changes. Councilor Dan Richardson said during deliberations the changes tip the scale towards additional density.
City of HR Looking At Surcharge Plan To Incentivize Wastewater Pre-Treat
Hood River City Councilors received a report on a proposed system of charges and surcharges to incentivize industries that produced a large amount of wastewater to pre-treat it before it reaches the municipal treatment plant. Consultant Wayne Heniemann says the goal is to recover the cost of high-strength wastewater treatment and prevent costs from being passed on to other ratepayers. The proposed plan would call for users whose highest day of outflow is less than 65 percent of limits would receive a 10 percent discount…while those above 90 percent would see charges increased from the base by ten percent…and there would be automatic fines for exceeding limits but with opportunities for users to make operational changes before being fined. Heinemann says the City currently has four system users that would be impacted by this plan. City Council will consider the proposal at a future meeting.