The Dalles City Council received a presentation on what it would take to place utilities in the downtown area underground, and learned it would take a lot of money.  The cost estimate was $48 million for a project that would take eight to ten years to complete.  Mayor Rich Mays says that’s prohibitive to do all at once, and it also would be a complex project that would be disruptive to the affected area.  Councilors decided to concentrate on other projects that were less costly and bring improvements to the community.  But undergrounding is possible as other projects are undertaken, and the work can be done as properties are redeveloped.

The Hood River Police Department is investigating a drive-by shooting early Sunday morning in the 1500 block of Hope Avenue.  According to a Hood River Police statement, multiple callers reported hearing several gun shots just before 4 a.m. Sunday.  One caller reported a vehicle leaving the area quickly after hearing the gun shots.  Responding police officers located several shell casings.  Video surveillance shows the suspect vehicle is a newer model dark colored pick-up, possibly a crew cab style with a short box.  There were no reported injuries in the incident.  One parked vehicle was struck in the shooting.  Police say their investigation is on-going, and there are no suspects at this time.  Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call the Hood River Police Department at 541-387-5257.

Dealing with misinformation about elections is becoming a common occurrence for local election officials.  Wasco County Clerk Lisa Gambee says the subjects that receive national publicity have tended to trickle down to the local level.  Wasco County recently had to debunk a rumor that only ballots acquired on Election Day would be counted.  Gambee emphasizes the ballot voters have been mailed is your official ballot, and sending it back in by mail with a postmark on or before Election Day or placing it in an official drop box before 8 p.m. Election Day will lead to that ballot being counted.  She adds anyone who has election questions can contact their county elections office.  

FISH Food Bank is going to hold its first ever fundraising event next week. The Great Community Dine Out is set for November 10, with participating restaurants in Hood River County donating up to 15 percent of their day’s earning to FISH Food Bank. Marianne Durkan of FISH says demand for the food bank’s services are continuing to increase. A list of dining establishments participating in the Great Community Dine Out on November 10 is available at fish-food-bank.com. Restaurants who would like to take part in the event and have not been contacted can email fishfundraising@gmail.com to get signed up.

Football

Hood River Valley 41, Forest Grove 40:  Shaw Burns took a swing pass from Davis Parr 90 yards for the game winning touchdown with just over two minutes top play, while the Eagle defense stopped two late Forest Grove chances to preserve the win that sends HRV to the state 5-A playoffs.  The Eagles will visit top-ranked Summit on Friday at 7 p.m.

Fort Vancouver 20, Columbia 0

South Wasco 49, Joseph 28:  South Wasco will host Elkton in the 1-A six-man quarterfinals on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Goldendale 56, Highland 3

  Oregon Class 4A Volleyball First Round

The Dalles def. Scappoose 25-12, 25-14, 25-15:  The Riverhawks advance to the final eight in the 4-A tournament, and will play Mazama on Friday morning at 10 a.m. at Springfield High School.

  Oregon Class 1A Volleyball Second Round

Powder Valley def. South Wasco 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22

  Oregon Class 4A Girls Soccer Play-In

The Dalles 1, Baker 0:  The Riverhawks will visit LaGrande in the first round of the state playoffs on Wednesday.

  Oregon Class 4A Boys Soccer Play-In

Seaside 2, The Dalles 1 (Seaside wins penalty kick shootout 4-3)

  Class 1A District 7 Boys Soccer Playoff

Faith Bible 2, Trout Lake 1

  Cross Country

The Dalles girls’ cross country team this weekend did receive an at-large berth this weekend for next Saturday’s Oregon Class 4A championships at Lane Community College in Eugene.  The Riverhawks had finished third at the Tri-Valley Conference championships last week.

 

Mayors in Oregon are asking the state legislature to provide cities funding to use in dealing with homeless issues.  Hood River Mayor Kate McBride says the Oregon Mayors Association has been working on the proposal since May, involving cities from Portland to Fossil in the discussion.  McBride says the group is asking for 40 dollars per capita per city to deal with identified local problems associated with homelessness.  The request will go to the Legislature for the upcoming 2023 session.

Washington Fourth District Congressman Dan Newhouse and the rest of the state’s delegation requested President Joe Biden urge his administration to support an increased budget for the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management to ensure the federal government can continue to meet its legal and moral obligation to cleanup operations at Hanford.  The lawmakers wrote that the funding is a top priority for the state of Washington, the communities surrounding the Hanford site, and regional Tribes.  The lawmakers’ letter noted this year marks the successful launch of the Tank Side Cesium Removal system, which is the first step in turning low-level waste into glass.  But they also said as design, engineering, and construction of the High-Level Waste Facility is added to the mission scope, it is imperative the Fiscal Year 2024 budget request reflects not only the necessary resources for a critical phase of Hanford cleanup operations, but also the need for continued adequate funding in the Richland Operations and Office of River Protection Environmental Management accounts for subsequent fiscal years.

A motorcyclist died in a head-on collision with van on the Historic Columbia River Highway near Rowena on Wednesday afternoon. According to the Oregon State Police, the motorcycle operated by 32-year-old Stefan Lovewell of The Dalles was traveling eastbound on Highway 30 near milepost 66 when for an unknown reason he drifted into the oncoming lane and collided head on with the van. The OSP says Lovewell was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver of the van and a passenger were uninjured. The OSP was assisted by Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Football

Dufur 48, Ione-Arlington 8

Toledo 34, Stevenson 28

Boys Soccer

Putnam 1, Hood River Valley 1

Girls Soccer

Putnam 4, Hood River Valley 0

Fort Vancouver 2, Columbia 1

Volleyball

Columbia def. Seton Catholic 3-1

Stevenson def. King’s Way Christian 3-2

Goldendale def. Highland 3-0

Cross Country

Columbia’s girls won the Southwest Washington Class 1A championship at Lewis River Golf Course in Woodland. Ella Zimmerman finished fifth to lead the Bruins, while Raina McAllister was eighth. The Bruins used superior depth to overcome a 1-2 finish by runner-up Seton Catholic. Stevenson was fifth, led by Ruby Langer in 17th. Columbia was fourth and Stevenson ninth in the boys’ race. The Bruins’ Camden Uffelman was fifth.

With three of the top four finishers, Goldendale won the EWAC 2B Boys Championships at Apple Ridge in Yakima. Sean Henrikson led the Timberwolf contingent in second, with Raymond Holycross in third and Issac Call in fourth. Elliott Grindling also reached the top ten.

Cross Country

Hood River Valley held off Putnam to win the Northwest Oregon Conference girls’ championship at Blue Lake Park.  Phoebe Wood was third and Liv Nickson fifth to led the Eagles to the victory.  HRV’s boys were second to Wilsonville.  The Eagles’ Elliot Hawley was second and William Bunch tenth.  Both HRV squads qualified for the Oregon Class 5A Championships on November 5 at Lane Community College in Eugene.

  The Dalles grabbed four of the top six places to win the Tri-Valley Conference boys’ title at McIver Park.  Juan Diego Contreras and Leo Lemann led the way with a 1-2 finish, while teammates Egan Ziegenhagen and Tyson Long were fifth and sixth.  The Riverhawks finished third in a close girls’ run, three points back of Crook County and Molalla.  Alana Casady was the top runner for The Dalles in third to qualify for the state Class 4A meet in Eugene, and there is a chance the entire team could advance.  An additional team will be selected by a committee after all 4-A district meets have concluded on Saturday.

  Oregon Class 1A Volleyball Playoffs

First Round South Wasco def. Southwest Christian 25-11, 25-20, 25-11:  The Redsides advance to face Powder Valley in the second round on Saturday.

Prairie City def. Sherman 25-17, 25-23, 19-25, 25-19