North Wasco County School District 21’s board filled its Zone 1 vacancy on Monday, selecting Adrian Lopez of Mosier for the position.  He succeeds Rebecca Thistlewaite, who recently stepped down from the position.  The D-21 board interviewed three candidates for the position.  Lopez will serve in the Zone 1 seat until it comes up for an election in May of next year.

Five bills authored by Washington 14th District Representative Gina Mosbrucker have passed both legislative chambers and are on their way to the governor.   The House concurred on Senate amendments to the final two bills Monday, clearing the path to the governor’s office.  Mosbrucker bills sent to the governor include requiring county auditors to mail a voters’ pamphlet to registered voters overseas, preventing telephone solicitors from making calls before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m., allowing tribal members to pray over a deceased indigenous person without compromising the crime scene before an autopsy is conducted, increasing the availability of sexual assault nurse examiners in rural areas, and mandating yearly power resource adequacy meetings through 2029.  The Washington legislative session ends on Thursday.

Applications for scholarships for the Columbia Gorge Community College and Oregon State University Elementary Education Pathway program are being taken through March 18.  The program allow students to complete their first two years at CGCC and then take on-line courses through OSU to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education without leaving the Gorge.  CGCC Dean of General Education Rebecca Schwartz says the need for teachers makes graduates of the program sought after to fill positions.  Questions about the scholarships can be directed to the Columbia Gorge Community College Foundation at 541-506-6104.

An Oregon City man was sentenced to federal prison for his leadership role in a conspiracy to traffic large quantities of methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl from Mexico for resale in Oregon and Washington, and for illegally reentering the U.S.  50-year-old Victor Alvarez Farfan was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.  According to court documents, Farfan received approximately 20 kilograms of methamphetamine, half a kilogram of heroin and two kilograms of fentanyl from a drug cartel based in Michoacan, Mexico.  He and his associates would then resell the methamphetamine and heroin in Hood River, Hillsboro, Gresham, Portland and Tacoma.  Farfan also oversaw the manufacturing of crystal methamphetamine from its liquid form.  Farfan, a citizen of Mexico, was found in the U.S. on October 16, 2018 after having previously been removed in June 2015 following multiple federal convictions.  Previously, in 2006, in the District of Oregon, Farfan was convicted for drug trafficking and illegally reentering the U.S. and sentenced to 120 months in federal prison.    

The Washington Legislature passed a bill to allow for establishment of a bi-state commission to govern a new Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge, following passage of a similar bill in Oregon earlier in the week.  Each bill awaits gubernatorial signatures.  The bills allow for a legal local government to be created over state lines, and for separate state funding to be received by the new entity as well as federal funding.  They enable the new entity to issue toll bonds but does not grant any property tax authority, and identifies the new entity as responsible for development, finance, construction, and operation of the new bridge.  They also establish equal representation for citizens from Hood River and Klickitat Counties on the governing body.

Masks will not be required in Hood River County School District school facilities, including buses, beginning on next Monday, March 14.  In a statement by the district released late Friday, Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn said after consultation with the Hood River County Health Department, the district chose to no longer require masks in schools for a number of reasons, including a sharp decline in COVID-19 cases in Hood River County along with a low hospitalization rate and a high level of population immunity from both vaccination and infections.  Hood River County is categorized as low in the Centers for Disease and Prevention COVID-19 Community Levels.  Polkinghorn says the district will continue to monitor data by collecting and tracking self-reported positive COVID-19 cases for students and staff, require any student or staff who tests positive for COVID-19 to isolate for five days regardless of vaccination status, maintain cleaning and disinfection protocols, practice physical distancing to the greatest extent possible, offer masks to students, staff, and visitors at all district facilities, and provide COVID-19 testing and information for students and staff.

With the even-year short session of the Oregon Legislature having wrapped up on Friday, some of the discussion, at least from minority Republicans, revolves around making major policy decisions during the 35-day session rather than waiting for the lengthier odd-year session.  Overtime pay for farmworkers, stimulus payments for low-income workers, and an affordable housing package were all approved in the past two weeks.  29th District State Senator Bill Hansell points out that the short sessions were initially intended to address budget fixes and technical issues.  Democrats were adamant that larger issues like the pandemic, affordable housing, access to health care, and workforce disparities had to be addressed.

Soroptimist International of Hood River is looking for women with dependents and is the financial head of household to award $1500 to as part of their annual “Live Your Dream” awards. Club President Kate Daugherty says they are taking applications through March 15. She adds the money can be used by the recipient in whatever manner they see fit to be able to stay in school. Applications are available at Columbia Gorge Community College, Hood River Library, or call Daugherty at 541-490-4296.

Saturday Results

Oregon Class 1A Boys Basketball Tournament at Baker City

Championship

Crane 62, South Wasco 53: Crane used an 11-3 run in the final 5:31 of the game to win the title. Jared Zander scored 16 points and Carter Nichols 15 to lead Crane. Oscar Thomas led South Wasco with 20 points while Brock LaFaver added 19. Crane finished the season unbeaten in 31 games, while the title game loss ended the Redsides’ 25-game winning streak.

Friday Results

Oregon Class 5A Boys Basketball First Round

Churchill 59, The Dalles 24: Samaje Morgan led the Lancers to the final eight with 14 points. Braden Schwartz topped the Riverhawks with 8 points.

Eagle Point 74, Hood River Valley 61: Eagle Point broke the game open with a 24-8 second quarter run, and Hood River Valley could not get any closer than 12 points after that. Brennen Neyt paced Eagle Point with 20 points. Emanuel Romero led Hood River with 24 points.

Oregon Class 1A Boys Basketball Tournament at Baker City

Semi-Final

South Wasco 59, Powder Valley 40:  The Redsides had a 14 point lead at halftime and cruised from there to remain unbeaten on the season and advance to the state championship game.  Oscar Thomas went 7 for 11 from the three-point line while scoring 25 points, while Ian Ongers added 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.  South Wasco will play another unbeaten in Crane for the state championship on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

  Oregon Class 1A Girls Basketball Tournament at Baker City

Consolation Semi-Final

Echo 58, Trout Lake 49:  Violette Anderson scored 19 points to lead the Mustangs as their season came to an end.

Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association Championships at Mt. Hood Meadows

Hood River Valley’s Thorsen Welch finished eighth in both the boys’ combined and giant slalom. Gray Roetscinder of The Dalles was 20th in the boys combined standings, while the Riverhawks’ Lucy Booth finished 21st in the girls’ combined.V    

The bill to create overtime pay for farmworkers that passed the Oregon Senate Thursday on a 17-10 mainly party line vote, and is now headed to the Governor.  Senator Lee Beyer of Springfield was the lone Democrat to vote against the bill, which would phase in overtime pay, setting maximum hours without paying time-and-a-half at 55 per week through 2024, 48 per week the following two years, and 40 in 2027 and beyond.  Farms would be eligible for personal and corporate income tax credits to help offset added costs.  Representative Daniel Bonham of The Dalles opposed the bill in the House, and he expects it will pass the Senate.  He also expressed frustration that a move to send the bill back to committee for more study was narrowly defeated.  Bonham added he felt “political will” won out over finding good policy.