Former Mayor of The Dalles Steve Lawrence is donating his extensive collection of books by and about Ernest Hemingway to Columbia Gorge Community College.  Lawrence last week formally transferred his Hemingway Collection to the CGCC library, where a Hemingway Room has been developed to permanently house the books.  Wasco County donated oak shelves from the historic Harding House at Fourth & Court to hold the collection.  The Hemingway Room is open during regular CGCC library hours.  Lawrence, a decorated veteran, found lifelong inspiration in the iconoclastic Hemingway, who doggedly disassembled the weighty, ponderous prose of the 19th Century with such works as The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms.  Hemingway’s short sentences and crisp, clean style created a new form of American literature.

Hood River County officials report the County is in good fiscal health, but inflation will have an impact on their Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget.  County Administrator Jeff Hecksel says they do have four collective bargaining agreements open right now, and inflation is having an impact on those.  He says inflation brings uncertainty to all areas of the budget.  The County does have some American Rescue Plan Act funds to consider in developing the budget, and Commission Chair Mike Oates said they plan to be conservative with those to make sure all the County’s pandemic related costs are covered.

The Dalles Public Works will be doing asphalt maintenance on 2nd Street through the downtown area through May 19.  Work started last week, taking place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and is progressing from east to west.  Lane closures will be in effect on 2nd St. throughout the day.  Intersections will be partially closed all day in each work area and opened to all motor vehicle traffic at the end of the day.  Motor vehicles and bicyclists will be detoured to adjacent side streets.  While 2nd Street will remain open to traffic throughout the project, use of alternate routes is encouraged.  Pedestrian and sidewalk access to downtown businesses remain open through the duration of this work.  No parking will be allowed within the daily work areas due to heavy equipment use.

With just over one week left to mail ballots in for Oregon’s primary election, the return rate in Mid-Columbia counties is running ahead of the statewide rate.  Figures from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office show as of this morning, 8.8 percent of ballots mailed out in Wasco County have been returned, 8.7 percent in Hood River County, and 10.5 percent in Sherman County.  The statewide rate is 7.2 percent.  Under a new law passed by the Oregon Legislature last year, ballots must only be postmarked by Election Day, in this case May 17, rather than arriving in County election offices by 8 p.m. that night.

One person is dead as the result of a head-on collision on Highway 14 in eastern Klickitat County on Saturday evening.  According to the Washington State Patrol, a car driven eastbound on Highway 14 crossed the centerline at milepost 151 east of Alderdale and struck a westbound SUV head-on.  The WSP report says the driver of the car was killed in the accident.  The 35-year-old Pasco man has not yet been identified, pending notification of next-of-kin.  The driver of the SUV, a 66-year-old woman from Kennewick, was taken by Lifeflight to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland.

Baseball

The Dalles splits with Crook County, losing game 1 13-11 but winning the second contest 12-3:  Manatu Crichton-Tunai drove in five runs in game two as the Riverhawks broke an 11-game losing streak and won for the first time in Intermountain Conference play.

  Dufur sweeps Pilot Rock 10-0 and 7-0:  Dufur takes over sole possession of first place in District 7 as Weston-McEwen split a twinbill with Grant Union.  The Rangers are at Weston-McEwen for a doubleheader next Saturday.

  Softball

The Dalles sweeps Crook County 5-2 and 10-4:  Despina Seufaulemua drove in three runs in each game as the Riverhawks moved ahead of Crook County for the IMC’s third and final playoff spot.

  Hood River Valley 9, Redmond 3:  Abby Kahler and Mallory McNerney both homered in a six-run first inning.  Game two of a scheduled doubleheader was rained out, and will be made up as part of a doubleheader tomorrow in Hood River.

  Track and Field

Both The Dalles boys and girls finished second at the Rex Putnam Invitational.  Juan Diego Contreras and Zoe Dunn each won a pair of events for the Riverhawks.

  Horizon Christian was the boys’ winner at the Condon Invitational, while South Wasco’s girls grabbed a second place finish.  Lyle-Wishram’s Aaron Smith won three events, while South Wasco’s Julie Hull won both girls’ hurdles races, and Sherman’s Sophie Hulke won the girls’ shot put and discus.

  Dufur won the girls’ title and was second in the boys’ standings at the Pirate Invitational in Bickleton.  Emily Crawford of Dufur and Trout Lake’s Violette Anderson won two events apiece in girls’ competition.

  Columbia’s girls finished second just 2.5 points behind Washougal at the Spudder Classic in Ridgefield.  Hannah Polkinghorn won the 200 meters for the Bruins, and the CHS 400 and 1600 meter relay teams earned first place finishes.

  Goldendale’s Alden Williams won the boys’ 800 meters and Casen Doubravsky the boys’ discus at the High Mountain Classic in Cle Elum.

  Boys Lacrosse

Oregon Episcopal 11, Hood River Valley 7

  Boys Soccer

Columbia 2, Montesano 0

A suspect in a murder in Kennewick was taken into custody in Skamania County on Thursday.  According to reports from the Kennewick Police Department and the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office, officers received reports that 44-year-old Christopher Calvert was in Stevenson.  Calvert was seen driving the murder victim’s vehicle and was pursued by law enforcement into a rural area of the County where the vehicle was pushed into a ditch and became disabled.  Calvert was taken into custody without further incident and transported back to Benton County where he was booked into jail.  He faces first degree murder charges in the death of 76-year-old Clayton Wick, who was found dead in his Kennewick home on Tuesday as the result of a violent assault and blunt force trauma.

The Dalles Police Department says it is investigating a home invasion and armed robbery that took place late Sunday night in the 800 block of Richland Court.  According to a statement from The Dalles Police, multiple suspects entered a home armed with weapons and detained the residents inside.  Property was taken from the residents, and the suspects fled the area.  Paramedics with Mid-Columbia Fire & Rescue were dispatched to the scene to attend to injuries of the victims.   At this time, there is no information supporting any ongoing threat to residents in the area.  The police department statement says due to the sensitive nature of the investigation, TDPD did not immediately release information regarding the case.  Police say the investigation is ongoing, and they are asking for assistance from the public.  Anyone with information regarding suspicious activity, including vehicles/persons parked in the 800 Block of Richland Court area between 10:00 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. on Sunday evening and Monday morning are asked to contact The Dalles Police Department at 541-296-2613.  

The group Columbia Riverkeeper has delivered a petition with over one-thousand signatures and comments to Northwest Senators and President Biden asking for removal of Snake River dams.  They claim it will help to stop salmon extinction and honor tribal rights.  The petition, signed by over 1,000 people from the Northwest and nationally since the beginning of 2022, asks federal leaders to enact a plan for Lower Snake River Dam removal before the end of the year.  Columbia Riverkeeper’s petition delivery is the latest in widespread efforts by tribal and conservation groups calling for government officials to deliver a plan for Snake River dam removal.

Oregon State University Extension in Wasco and Sherman counties will be offering a webinar and an online course dealing with preparedness in the agricultural community for wildfires.  OSU Extension’s Jacob Powell says with the rains the area has seen in April, fuel buildups are taking place that will dry out as the weather becomes hotter and drier.  Powell will hold a webinar on May 24 from noon to 1 p.m. on Wildfire Readiness for the Agriculture Community, and has developed an online course on Wildfire Preparedness in Agriculture through OSU’s Professional and Continuing Education program.  For information on both, go to the OSU Wasco County Extension website.