Baseball</p> Gresham at Hood River Valley, cancelled</p> Rainier 11, Stevenson 5</p>   Softball</p> Bend 2, The Dalles 1</p>   Track and Field</p> Stevenson’s girls won a seven-school District 4 meet at Kalama.  The Bulldogs’ Olivia Fauth won both the 200 and 400 meters, while Elizabeth Lanz won the 1600 meters and Ramy Nielson was first in the triple jump.  Stevenson was third in the boys’ standings, with first place finishes from Kasey Ditlefsen in the 400 meters, Tucker Wyninger in the 110 meter hurdles, and Holzhauer Hudson in the discus.</p>   Boys Soccer</p> Columbia 2, LaCenter 2</p>   Girls Golf</p> The Dalles’ Katelyn Vassar finished fourth at the Pendleton Invitational on Birch Creek Golf Course.</p>

The Point-In-Time count of the number of houseless persons in Wasco County conducted in January was up by 72 percent from two years ago.  Mid-Columbia Community Action Executive Director Kenny LaPoint presented the data to County Commissioners on Wednesday.  The count showed tallied 194 people experiencing houselessness, up by 82 from 2020, and most of the various demographic subsectors that were counted also showed substantial increases.  LaPoint told the Commission that improvements in conducting the count from two years ago thanks to better collaboration among area agencies is providing more accurate data.  LaPoint did say there was a 70 percent increase in the number of sheltered houseless, reflecting the larger number of shelter beds available in the area.

One Community Health is launching its new “La Clinica” mobile clinic at a series of events in the next two weeks.  OCH Family Nurse Practitioner Middy Tilghman will be one of the staffers for the mobile clinic, which is designed to take affordable and inclusive health care into underserved Gorge communities, and help people navigate the health care system.  The first launch party where people can tour the mobile clinic will be on Monday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Celilo Village, with more scheduled over the ensuing two weeks leading up to a ribbon cutting ceremony on April 1 at 1 p.m. at Wy’east Community Church in Odell.  A complete schedule is available at onecommunityhealth.org.

Local officials will spend the next year developing a community response plan for smoke events in Wasco and Hood River counties.  The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has provided a grant for the work.  Lauren Kraemer of Oregon State University Extension is leading the project, and she says while the counties have wildfire response plans, this will look toward communicating smoke information to vulnerable groups.  Kraemer noted they also received grant funds to purchase and locate ten new air quality monitors in the Gorge, which they hope to tie into local emergency notification systems.

The Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency Board adopted goals and priorities for the upcoming fiscal year.  At the top of the list prepared by The Dalles Community Development Director Alice Cannon, completing a strategic plan for the agency.  Cannon said that plan was delayed to focus on the The Dalles 2040 Vision process that is underway.  Other items on the list include completing design, acquiring the right-of-way, and going out for bid for the Riverfront Connection project, completing demolition of the former Tony’s Town and Country building, ramping up a new Urban Renewal incentive program, and tracking progress on outstanding Urban Renewal loans.

Like much of the rest of the Northwest, the White Salmon Valley School District moved to an optional face-covering policy this week.  Superintendent Sean McGeeney says in visiting district buildings in the last couple of days, people are comfortable with the situation.  McGeeney says they continue taking other COVID-19 prevention steps, and they will be evaluated over time.  McGeeney noted the district’s administrative team re-evaluates those measures on weekly basis, and opted to take a slow, one-at-a-time approach.

Installation of a waterline on Hostetler Street in The Dalles will start on Monday and continue into late May.  Construction will resume at 7h Street & Hostetler, progressing to and across 6th & Hostetler.  Construction hours are anticipated to be weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and road closures and detours with up to 20 minute delays are to be expected for the duration of this project.  Construction & road closures/detours will be segmental as construction progresses along Hostetler St.  The first segment will be from 7th Street to 6th Street with work zone safety advisories in place.  Construction work is anticipated to conclude by May 27.

The City of Hood River is accepting applications for five vacancies on its budget committee.  Appointees must be qualified voters residing in the City of Hood River, and cannot be officers, agents or employees of the City.  City Budget Committee members may also be used to fill Urban Renewal Agency Budget Committee vacancies as needed.  Interested persons should submit a resume setting forth their background, and a statement why they desire an appointment.  Applications are available at Hood River City Hall on 211 2nd Street, online at cityofhoodriver.gov, or by calling (541) 387-5212.  Applications will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on April 4.  Interviews will be conducted at the April 11th City Council meeting.

The Hood River City Council affirmed Planning Commission and administrative decisions to allow minor adjustments to the site plan permit for the Adams Creek Cohousing development on Sherman Avenue.  A group of nearby residents had appealed the original administrative decision to allow the developer to provide off-site sidewalk improvements on Sherman Avenue instead of Eugene Street, and to relocate water utility infrastructure from on-site to the Eugene Street right of way.  But all five Councilors voting on the issue agree with the Planning Commission decision, with Mayor Kate McBride noting Sherman Avenue improvements are in the City’s transportation plan.  Councilors Mark Zanmiller and Erick Haynie recused themselves due to potential conflicts of interest.

The City of White Salmon has reached a contract with Crestline Construction to repair a failed wastewater transmission line over Highway 141 down the hill to Bingen.  Mayor Marla Keethler says the failure happened two weeks ago, and they are working as fast as they can to get it replaced.  She adds it underscores the need to examine their entire wastewater system, adding they were already preparing to acquire a camera surveillance system that can locate potential problem areas.  The replacement is estimated to cost between $200,000 and $300,000, and Keethler says they can cover it budgetarily.