The Dalles Public Works will be conducting asphalt maintenance on 2nd Street in the downtown area, weather permitting, starting next Monday.  Work will progress from east to west, and is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays beginning May 2 and continuing through May 19.  Lane closures will be in effect on 2nd Street 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.  The purpose of this work is to repair wheel ruts in both lanes of travel on 2nd Street in the downtown area.  No parking will be allowed within the daily work areas due to heavy equipment use.

A Portland man was arrested in Hood River County Sunday afternoon after law enforcement was assisted by a theft victim’s mobile phone application that was tracking her stolen tablet.  According to Oregon State Police reports, the suspect was first contacted by a trooper in Mosier, and when he learned the trooper was investigating a theft at the Wahclella Falls trailhead he fled in a vehicle.  The trooper did not pursue, but the suspect was tracked to Morton Road near milepost 61 on westbound Interstate 84, where his vehicle became stuck.  Hood River County Sheriff’s Office aircraft assisted in locating the suspect hiding in trees and brush, and troopers took him into custody without incident.  Most of the stolen items were found in the vehicle.  48-year-old Chad Lawrence Daggy of Portland was lodged at NORCOR on charges of theft, attempt to elude, reckless driving, criminal trespass, and multiple warrants.  A passenger was interviewed and released.

Hood River Valley High School won the Class 5A title at the Oregon School Activities Association Speech and Debate Championships in Monmouth over the weekend.  HRV was led by a first place finish by Jazmin Contreras in the Radio category, and placing finishes by Sadie Smith in Lincoln Douglas Debate, Zan Lapp in Prose, and Contreras and Kaelin Kenna in Public Forum.  The individual places were in open competition involving all classifications, while the team championships were determined by classification.  Hood River Valley easily outdistanced Crescent Valley for the 5A championship, with Willamette in third and LaSalle and Crater tied for fourth.

With primary election ballots going out in Oregon later this week, Tuesday is the deadline for citizens to register to vote or change party affiliation.  To do so, visit the Clerk’s or Elections office of your County.  You can also go online to oregonvotes.gov to take action online, or go to the elections pages on the Wasco and Hood River County government websites.  The primary election date in Oregon is Tuesday, May 17.

Baseball

Hood River Valley sweeps Crook County 10-0 and 13-10:  Ryles Buckley homered and drove in four runs in the opener while Jacob von Lubken pitched a three-hit shutout, while the Eagles scored five runs in the fourth inning and three in the fifth to pull away in game two.

Ridgeview sweeps The Dalles 7-2 and 13-3.

Adna sweeps Stevenson 12-7 and 18-9.

Columbia sweeps Castle Rock 6-2 and 9-3

Dufur sweeps Grant Union 4-2 and 18-8

Sherman splits with Union, losing 7-2 then winning 9-6

Kittitas sweeps Goldendale 6-5 in 12 innings and 9-5

  Softball

The Dalles splits with Ridgeview, losing game 1 12-6 but winning the nightcap 12-5:  Despina Seufalemula drove in six runs in game two on a homer and two singles as the Riverhawks snapped a four-game losing streak.

Crook County sweeps Hood River Valley 3-0 and 10-0

Columbia 8, LaCenter 4

Kittitas sweeps Goldendale 16-1 and 19-10

  Track and Field

Hannah Polkinghorn, Jessica Polkinghorn, and Chanele Reyes won two events apiece as the Columbia girls finished first in the Bruin Invitational at White Salmon.  The CHS girls also won all three relay races.  Hockinson won the boys’ title, with Columbia in third.

  The Dalles’ Leo Lemann won the boys 3,000 meters and Taylor Morehouse the boys’ pole vault at the Willamette Falls Invitational at Oregon City.  The Riverhawks’ Zoe Dunn finished second in the girls’ long jump and third in the girls’ triple jump.

Dufur’s Abby Beal and Emily Crawford finished second and third in the girls’ long jump in a regional small-school meet at Cove.  Sherman’s Sophie Hulke was third in the girls’ shot put.

  Goldendale’s Alden Williams won the 800 meters and was second in the 1600 at the Quincy Invitational.

  Boys Lacrosse

Southridge (WA) 13, Hood River Valley 4

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Thursday the East Fork Irrigation District Modernization Project is one of three projects in Oregon that will receive funding under the recently implemented Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  Ag Department officials say modernizing the East Fork Irrigation District infrastructure will conserve water, reduce energy use, improve reliability, increase public safety, and enhance fish and wildlife habitat in the Hood River watershed.  Funds will go towards design of high-priority laterals and the Dukes Valley Canal.  The funding comes from a pair of programs:  the Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations Program and the Watershed Rehabilitation Program.  A specific dollar amount for the East Fork project was not announced, but over $2.7 million dollars is being invested in the three Oregon projects, with the others in Tumalo and Owyhee irrigation districts.

After a three-year absence, the Northwest Cherry Festival is back this weekend.  The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson says they have all the elements people expect from the festival.  The Rainier Amusements Carnival will be open on First Street in The Dalles, while the Open-Air Market opens at 4 p.m Friday, and the Pit Party will be on the Columbia Gorge Toyota Entertainment Stage from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday.  The usual full schedule of events takes place Saturday, including the Tonkin Subaru Cherry Festival Parade at 10 a.m.  A Cherry Festival guide can be downloaded at Gorgeradio.com.  

The Bingen-White Salmon Community Cleanup is Friday and Saturday, headquartered at the Bingen Maintenance Yard at the Maple Street and East Marina Way entrance to the Klickitat Port area.  Tammara Tippell of the Mt. Adams Chamber of Commerce says it’s a community effort, with a focus on recycling.  The drop-off site will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.  For complete information, go to WACommunityCleanup on Facebook.  

The Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour is this weekend, with participating artists from Stevenson to The Dalles opening their studios to visitors.  Ted Owen of Gorge Artists says there is tremendous talent throughout the Gorge, and it will be on display throughout out the weekend.  The over 30 studios participating in the tour will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Sunday.  For a tour map go to gorgeartists.org.

The City of Hood River will hold an open house this evening and Saturday to take input on alternatives for the 12th and 13th Streets in the Heights Streetscapes project.  The project team will be on hand with materials for the public to view, as they look to develop a recommended alternative this summer.  City Planning Director Dustin Nilson says the focus is on the main business area between Belmont and May, and is a key part of the Heights Urban Renewal District.  The open house will run from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. this evening, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.  An online survey is available at cityofhoodriver.gov.