Volleyball Pendleton def. The Dalles 25-17, 25-23, 25-15 Cross Country Both the Hood River Valley boys and girls won an Intermountain Conference dual with Crook County in Prineville. The HRV girls took six of the top seven places in their race, with a 1-2-3 finish from Chloe Bullock, Lucy Hennessy, and Phoebe Wood. Elliott Hawley had the top finish for the Eagle boys in second, with Joshua Humann leading a large pack of HRV runners in fourth. The Dalles won both the boys and girls competitions in a three-school race with Pendleton and Redmond at Sorosis Park. The Riverhawk boys were dominant, taking five of the top six places. Juan Diego Contreras, Nick Caracciolo, and Leo Lemann finishing as the top three. Hanna Ziegenhagen won the girls’ race, followed by teammate Emily Johnson. Boys Soccer King’s Way Christian 2, Columbia 1 (decided on penalty kicks)

The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office says a Cascade Locks man was arrested Monday as part of an on-going child pornography investigation.  The Sheriff’s Office reports 30-year-old Kale Kingman’s arrest came after officers executed a search warrant, and was the result of a six-month investigation that began on a tip that was received from the Oregon Internet Crimes Against Children task force and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  Detectives from the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office worked in concert with investigators from the Oregon Department of Justice and Wasco County Sheriff’s Office during the investigation, search warrant and subsequent arrest.  Kingman was lodged at NORCOR on ten counts of Encouraging Child Sex Abuse in the 1st Degree.

The Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency board had a discussion Tuesday evening about the future of governance of Urban Renewal in The Dalles, but there was no move to enter into a reorganization process.  Agency board member and Wasco County Commissioner Steve Kramer re-expressed his feeling The Dalles City Council should be responsible for decisions on projects that are occurring in the City, as was the case from 1990 to 2016 when the Council served as the URA board.  But fellow board member and City Councilor Darcy Long-Curtiss said involvement from other taxing districts represented on the URA board is important.  The Columbia Gateway URA’s debt obligation calls for the agency’s lifespan to continue through 2029.

The Hood River County Health Department has received another shipment of COVID-19 vaccines this week.  County Health Officer Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg says they expect a total of 2,500 doses this week, and much of that has been distributed to primary care clinics in the County. Currently Group 6 is eligible for vaccination, but Van Tilburg says the expectation is to open to the next group, that includes frontline workers, next week.  The Hood River County Health Department is updating vaccination information at hrccovid19.org.  Their COVID-19 call center number is 541-387-6911.  

With the wildfire season coming soon, Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill is urging all County residents to sign up to receive Citizen Alert notifications for text, email, and phone call alerts.  Magill says Citizen Alert allows emergency officials to distribute evacuation alerts and other information very quickly.  A link to sign up for Citizen Alert in Wasco County is available on the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.  Along with signing up for Citizen Alert, Magill asks people to prepare an emergency evacuation kit, become familiar with Evacuation levels, practice fire prevention and defensible space recommendations, and follow the guidelines of your local Fire Department and the Oregon Department of Forestry.

A bill authored by Washington 14th District State Representative Chris Corry to provide compensation for ranchers and farmers whose land leases are terminated early by the Washington Department of Natural Resources was unanimously approved in the State Senate, and is headed to Governor Jay Inslee for his signature.  Corry spent two years working on the bill with all parties.  House Bill 1199 would provide some compensation to farmers for those losses, including infrastructure investments made on the land like fencing and other improvements.  The measure would establish a formula for leases, along with other obligations, that would support both land lessees and state interests.

Boys Soccer Hood River Valley 4, Pendleton 0:  Milo Clarkson and Braneslav Petrovic scored two goals apiece to keep the Eagles perfect in the Intermountain Conference. The Dalles 6, Redmond 4   Girls Soccer Redmond 3, The Dalles 1 Hood River Valley 5, Pendleton 3   Volleyball The Dalles def. Redmond 25-19, 20-25, 18-25, 25-16, 15-9 Ridgeview def. Hood River Valley 26-24, 25-15, 25-8 Sherman def. Mitchell-Spray 25-18, 25-10, 25-17

The Hood River City Council closed a public hearing on a proposed middle housing code, and will conduct a vote on a first reading on April 12.  There will be a number of amendments on a variety of issues to be incorporated into the code, but it remains an effort to allow duplexes, triplexes, and cottage-style housing to try to increase supply and provide affordable workforce housing.  Councilor Mark Zanmiller pointed out the code will be a work in progress even after it is passed.  Fellow councilor Megan Saunders says data shows that the Council needs to take steps like this is to create more affordable housing, but it’s not the end-all solution.

After lagging much of the winter, a series of mid-February storms and stabilized cool temperatures have moved the snowpack in the Hood, Sandy, and Lower Deschutes Basin well above normal and past its historic peak at 137 percent of normal snow water equivalent.  Scott Oviatt of the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Oregon Snow Survey says we should be at the peak for this year, but the worry would be seeing above normal temperatures and a rapid melt.  He does say the long-range forecast appears favorable.  Oviatt says currently on Mt. Hood, there is the equivalent of 70 inches of rain stored in the snowpack.

The Dalles City Hall will begin a phased re-opening on Monday.  City Hall offices will be open by appointment only Mondays through Thursdays.  People will need to call to arrange an appointment with the department they need to deal with.  Masks and social distancing will be required.  Traffic Court will continue to be held via Zoom until at least June 1.