The Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility board has asked consultants to study how to make the jail sustainable. Wasco County Commissioner and NORCOR board member Scott Hege says it’s not right now, adding the facility was built and designed to use a lot of contract income. Hege says the goal is to figure out some kind of financial stability to help the four counties be able to better plan their costs, adding the market for renting jail beds is highly competitive. He also said counties that operate their own jails are dealing with the same issues.
Harris Bill To Put Blood-Type Info On Drivers’ Licenses Signed
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson has signed a bill introduced by 17th District Senator Paul Harris allowing blood-type information to be added to drivers’ licenses and identicards. Harris says the bill will help improve emergency response by making blood-type information quickly available to first responders and medical staff. Under the bill, the Department of Licensing must coordinate with health-care providers, emergency responders and blood-donation organizations to educate the public about the availability and potential benefits of including blood-type information on state-issued identification. The bipartisan measure was approved by the Senate 49-0 in March before being passed by the House 82-14 in April.
May 12 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Gladstone 3, The Dalles 2: Single runs in the fifth and sixth innings lifted the Gladiators by the Riverhawks, pulling the Gladiators within a single game of The Dalles in the Tri-Valley Conference, with each team having two games to play.
Softball
The Dalles at Gladstone, postponed
Boys and Girls Golf
Hood River Valley finished behind Wilsonville and Canby in the Oregon Class 5A Special District 1 Tournament at Indian Creek. The Eagles qualified David Shepherd and John Olsen for next week’s state 5A tournament at the Oregon Golf Association course in Woodburn on Monday and Tuesday.
The Dalles is in seventh after the first round of the Oregon Class 4A Boys Special District 1 Tournament at Meadow Lakes in Prineville. Leighton Voodre is the top Riverhawk on the leaderboard, currently sitting in fifth.
Girls Golf
Hood River Valley’s Kristin Fox earned medalist honors in leading her team to a second place finish in the Class 5A Special District 1 Tournament at Indian Creek, qualifying the Eagles for the state tournament. Fox shot a 94 to win the tourney. HRV advances to the state Class 5A tourney next Monday and Tuesday at Emerald Valley Golf Club in Creswell.
The Dalles is in fifth following the opening round of the Class 4A Special District 2 Tournament at Meadow Lakes. Elliot Winwood is the top Riverhawk in a tie for 17th.
May 9-10 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Canby 4, Hood River Valley 1: The Eagles could not recover from the Cougars’ three-run third inning.
Elma 3, Columbia 0: Elma scored three unearned runs in the third inning to advance in the Southwest Washington Class 1A District Tournament.
Sherman sweeps Elgin 17-2 and 11-3: Gage Simpson drove in five runs for the Huskies in the first game, then Leven Whitbeck struck out 12 in game two.
EWAC Playoff: Goldendale 6, Cle Elum-Roslyn 2: Brock Armstrong and Jackson Gamble drove in two runs apiece for the Timberwolves, who advance to visit Brewster for a first round game in the Class 2B District 5 Tournament on Tuesday.
Softball
Canby 3, Hood River Valley 1 (8 innings): HRV’s Grace Rowan and Canby’s Aly Hayzlett engaged in a pitchers’ duel before the Cougars broke through in the extra frame.
EWAC Playoff: Columbia (Burbank) 5, Goldendale 4: BryLee Mulrony homered as part of a three-run fifth inning, but the Timberwolves come back fell one run short.
Track and Field
Host Stevenson was the girls’ winner and Camas the boys’ victor at the Al McKee Invitational. Stevenson’s Olivia Fauth, Columbia’s Saylor Hauge and Sara Miller, and Trout Lake’s Violette Anderson and Jayden Kusky won two events apiece.
The Dalles’ River McClure registered the top time in the state in the boys’ 300 meter hurdles to help the Riverhawks’ boys to a tie for fourth at the Dean Nice Invitational at Gresham. McClure finished with a time of 37.89 seconds. The Dalles’ Derek Goulart also won the boys’ high jump, while Hood River Valley won the distance medley relay.
Sherman’s Michael Blagg won three events and Arwen Dorzab two at the Sherman Invitational.
Boys Soccer
SW Washington Class 1A District Round 1
Columbia 6, Forks 0: The Bruins advance to play King’s Way Christian in a district semifinal Tuesday at 6 p.m. in White Salmon.
Boys Tennis
The Dalles 4, Stanfield 2
Election Filing Period Ends For August 5 Primary In Washington
The filing period for offices up for election in Washington in the August 5 primary has wrapped up. It will be a particularly filled ballot in Bingen…where Clinton Deo and Kelsey Ramsey have filed to run for Mayor, Eric Schroder and Maya Deo are seeking City Council position four, and Quinton Deo and Erika Ramsey are on the ballot for position five. Craig Trummel is unopposed to retain Council position two, and Dale Grinstead-Mayle was the only person to file for position three. Stevenson will also have a busy ballot, with three three-way races. Lucy E.J. Lauser, Scott Anderson, and Jenny Collins Taylor will be the mayoral candidates. Xochil Springer, Tina Van Pelt, and Christi Morris are seeking Stevenson City Council position one, with Jeff Breckel, Paul Goins, and Erin Theresa Morris the candidates for position two. In White Salmon the only contested City Council race will be for position five, involving incumbent Ben Giant and Peter Wright, with Doug Rainbolt and Morella Mora unopposed for two other seats. All four Goldendale City Council seats saw one candidate file: Nathaniel Hill, Danielle Clevidence, Brian Kennedy Paul, and Steve Johnston.
Port of TD Talks Agencies About Boat Ramp Improvements
The Port of The Dalles is discussing with various partner agencies to improve the boat ramp at The Dalles Marina. Port Executive Director Andrea Klaas says a couple of months ago, the Port joined with Wasco County Emergency Management to bring the Marina into the emergency response mix. The hope was to tap into Federal Emergency Management Administration funding, but while that may now be questionable Klaas says the Oregon Marine Board, Business Oregon, and the Army Corps of Engineers have all shown interest in what would be a $750,000 project. Klaas says the Corps and the state invited to the Port into a discussion about dredging, something that has not occurred around the Marina and the boat ramp in sometime.
Goldendale Man Dies In Highway 14 Accident
A 56-year-old Goldendale man died in a one-car accident on Washington Highway 14 east of Dallesport on Sunday morning. According to the Washington State Patrol, the car driven by Alexander Chisholm was traveling west on Highway 14 at milepost 86 just before 10 a.m. Sunday morning. The car left the roadway, struck the embankment, and rolled, coming to rest on its top on the westbound shoulder. The WSP says Chisholm was deceased at the scene. The WSP accident report indicates Chisholm was not wearing a seatbelt, and the cause of accident remains under investigation.
May 8 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
The Dalles 13, Madras 7: Trey Hodges drove in four runs at the Riverhawks continue to lead Molalla in the Tri-Valley Conference.
Softball
The Dalles 11, Madras 1: Ava Graves drove in three runs as the Riverhawks had 13 hits on the way to the win. The Dalles stays one game behind Gladstone atop the Tri-Valley Conference.
Columbia 12, Stevenson 5: Julia Mullinix and Kiara Bucher homered for the Bruins while Joella Posini had four hits and drove in a pair of runs.
Boys Soccer
Columbia 1, Seton Catholic 1: A header by Damian Sanchez off a free kick in the 63rd minute gave the Bruins the draw, propelling Columbia to the Trico League championship. The Bruins play a first round game in the Southwest Washington Class 1A District Tournament on Saturday, hosting Forks at 2 p.m.
Track and Field
Jack Thiemann won the boys’ triple jump for Lyle-Wishram at the Irrigon Invitational.
Boys Lacrosse
Grant 7, Hood River Valley 4
The Dalles Man Face Charges After Drug Seizure
A 23-year-old man faces numerous charges after law enforcement served a warrant on a residence on East 9th in The Dalles. According to a statement from the Wasco County Sheriff’s and District Atorrney’s offices, Eli Sarabia of The Dalles was taken into custody and lodged at NORCOR for unlawful delivery of a substantial quantity of cocaine, possession of cocaine, oxycodone and hydrocodone, first degree theft, tampering with drug records, and unlawful possession of a firearm. The two agencies say the search of the residence resulted in the seizure of 143 grams of suspected cocaine and pharmaceutical pills, a handgun, a tactical rifle reported stolen from central Oregon, and over $100,000 of suspected drug proceeds. Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill noted this is the first case since the restarting of the Mid-Columbia Narcotics Task Force, also known as the MINT Team, a group of detectives is dedicated to fighting drugs and associated criminal behavior in the Mid-Columbia region. The MINT Team has been inactive for a number of years, but has been reactivated in a limited capacity as police administrators work to build capacity, training, equipment and expertise.
Wasco County Commission Holds First LUDO Hearing
Wasco County Commissioners held the first of two public hearings on revisions to the County’s Land Use Development Ordinance this week, but it didn’t get a whole lot of attention from the citizenry. In fact, there was no public testimony on any of the proposed changes. County Community Development Director Kelly Howsley-Glover says most of the changes address housing. The County has a second hearing scheduled for May 21. Commission Chair Scott Hege emphasized that there is information on the ordinance changes on the Wasco County website, and citizens are invited to make comments.