A brush fire on the east side of The Dalles on Tuesday afternoon did no damage. Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue reports yard debris was being burned when a gust of wind caused the fire to escape. MCFR said thanks to quick reporting by the owner, firefighters arrived at the scene within seven minutes of the emergency call. The fire was contained to the owners’ property. Dallesport Fire also responded to the location. MCFR reminds residents that burning is automatically suspended when the wind is at more than what it described as “a breeze.”

Baseball

Hood River Valley 3, LaSalle 1

Forest Grove 13, The Dalles 8

King’s Way Christian sweeps Columbia 5-3 and 17-3

Dufur 21, Lyle-Wishram 0

Goldendale sweeps Walla Walla Valley Academy 17-3 and 8-5

  Softball

Hood River Valley 4, LaSalle 2

The Dalles 6, Silverton 3

Mabton sweeps Goldendale 10-9 and 14-9

  Track and Field

Chanele Reyes of Columbia won both girls’ hurdles races while teammate Jessica Polkinghorn won the shot put and javelin at a five-school Trico League meet at Seton Catholic.  Camden Uffelman won the boys’ 3200 meters for the Bruins.

  Boys Tennis

Hood River Valley 5, Centennial 3

  Girls Lacrosse

Hood River Valley 16, Sunset 8

  Boys Soccer

King’s Way Christian 10, Stevenson 0

 

The Dalles City Council received a report on draft amendments to the stream corridor overlay code it is expected to receive in May.  Community Development Department Senior Planner Dawn Marie Hert told Councilors one of the modifications would remove allowing a 50-foot stream setback to be reduced by 50 percent when a riparian restoration plan is submitted.  She told the Council that was based on discussions with the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, who told her they would have to go through environmental analysis if it remained in the code.  Other proposed modifications include dropping the maximum hardship adjustment of the setback from 67 percent to 40 percent, and the maximum amount of impervious surface within the setback due to a hardship adjustment from 3,000 square feet to 500 square feet.  The amendments are expected to go to the municipal Planning Commission on April 12 and City Council on May 9.  Stream corridor overlays are in place for Chenowith, Mill, and Three Mile creeks.

Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue says open burning within The Dalles city limits will begin on Friday at daylight.  Burn permits are required and will be available starting Wednesday, but burning cannot start until Friday.  Permits are $5, and can be obtained by visiting www.mcfr.org/burn-permits, or by visiting MCFR’s main fire station at 1400 West 8th in The Dalles weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  City burning is limited to small yard debris piles.  Burn barrels are not allowed within city limits by city ordinance.  The last day to burn within the city is May 14 for the spring burn period.

North Central Public Health District announced a free, walk-in, three-day COVID-19 vaccine clinic will take place next Monday through Wednesday at the former Griffith Motors building on 523 East 3rd in The Dalles.  The clinic runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day and will offer the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.  The Pfizer vaccine is available for children 5 and up.  No appointment is needed, and no insurance or ID are required.  NCPHD’s last vaccine clinic saw over 200 people vaccinated, including 26 people who got their first dose.  For information, call North Central Public Health District at 541-506-2600.

The current exhibit at the History Museum of Hood River County is examining the history of laundry, and how it has helped shaped our culture and community.  Museum Executive Director Anna Goodwin says the exhibition explores the development of laundry technology, and how an ordinary chore can reveal other details.  The exhibit will be open through June 25.  The History Museum of Hood River County is located in Port Marina Park, and is open Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

The Hood River City Council has received report on potential Safe Routes to School projects for the May Street Elementary and Hood River Middle School areas.  The City was awarded a grant in 2020 to identify and prioritize projects that address existing barriers and improve walking and biking safety within a one-mile radius of the two schools.  City Manager Abigail Elder says some of what was identified is fairly easy to do, including improved signage and striping, while others are more complex and will require funding.  Some of those steps could be folded into an urban renewal plan for the Heights area.  City Councilors are being asked to accept the report as a guide to identify projects to be implemented over time by the City, the Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District, and the Hood River County School District.

Klickitat County is in the process of replacing the software and hardware for its financial accounting system.  Commissioner David Sauter says the current system dates back to the 1990’s, and is old and antiquated.  Sauter says they are in the process of hiring a firm to help identify exactly what the County needs to modernize their financial system, with a plan to use federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars to do the overhaul.  Sauter says for the public, a goal of a new finance system will be to make it more user-friendly.

Landowners in Hood River County will now have access to a free chipping program this spring and fall.  The Hood River Soil and Water Conservation District and Hood River Forest Collaborative received a grant from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.as part of its Alternatives to Burning Grant Program.  Mount Adams Resource Stewards will have their local stewardship crew available to chip branches, small trees, and other woody debris for private landowners two days this spring on April 29 and May 2.  All landowners and homeowners in Hood River County are eligible to participate in this free program, but must sign-up to participate by calling 541-978-9615.  The grant from DEQ is also providing orchardists in Hood River County with options to get rid of orchard waste through use of an air curtain burner that incinerates wood waste and reduce emissions and particulate matter.  To participate, call the Hood River Soil and Water Conservation District at 541-386-4588.

Baseball

Hood River Valley 9, Nelson 4

Sandy 1, Hood River Valley 0

Hood River Valley 13, McDaniel 0:  HRV goes 3-1 at the Nelson Tournament.

Napavine 12, Stevenson 7

  Softball

Columbia sweeps Fort Vancouver 30-2 and 17-7

  Boys Soccer

Winlock 9, Stevenson 1

  Track and Field

Goldendale’s Alden Williams won the boys’ 1600 meters and Emma Olson was second in the girls’ triple jump at the Ramos Relays in Selah.