Work continues in Hood River on Americans with Disability Act required improvements to curb ramps. The Oregon Department of Transportation is handling the construction work along Cascade Avenue and then Oak Street all the way through the City to downtown Hood River. City Manager Abigail Elder says ODOT is doing this work as part of the agreement that saw the City take ownership of Oak Street a few years ago. She adds the City may have to do the curb work in some other locations a few years from now, in particular on the Heights. Elder says the work downtown should wrap up by Memorial Day, and the rest of the City to exit 62 by mid-July.
Klickitat County Commission Trying To Focus On Crucial Issues
Klickitat County Commissioners have a list of crucial issues they want to get through in recent weeks. Commissioner Lori Zoller says they have a priority list of five issues they want to undertake and hold workshops on. She notes issues around Dallesport are a central focus. Those include the wastewater treatment plant, water rights for the Columbia Gorge Regional Airport, and the relationship with the City of The Dalles as co-owners of the airport. Short-term rentals are another area Zoller says the panel wants to address. She adds they are tracking the critical area ordinance the County needs to get wrapped up, but also notes the County Planning Department is doing the majority of the work on that.
April 25-26 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Columbia 23, Fort Vancouver 1: Seth White drove in four runs and Ben Borton three as the Bruins scored ten runs in the first inning and cruised to the Trico League win.
Sherman splits with Pilot Rock, losing game one 8-6 but taking game two 6-3: The Rockets scored two runs in the seventh inning to snag the opener, but Cael Bish went three for three with three runs batted in and Leven Whitbeck struck out 12 to lift the Huskies in game two.
Cle Elum-Roslyn swept Goldendale 8-4 and 2-1.
Softball
Goldendale sweeps White Swan 17-7 and 23-3.
Track and Field
Columbia won the girls’ title and Condon took the boys’ competition at the Jeff Agar Memorial Invitational in Trout Lake. Columbia’s Sara Miller won three events in the girls’ portion of the meet while teammate Saylor Hague and Trout Lake’s Violette Anderson won two apiece.
Hood River Valley’s Kai Wagner won the varsity boys 3000 meters at the Nike/Jesuit Relays. Trout Lake’s Sawyer Dean was second and The Dalles’ Julian Morehouse fourth in the boys’ pole vault, while HRV’s Syl Perrin was third in the girls’ 3000 meters.
Boys Soccer
Columbia 1, Seton Catholic 0
Girls Lacrosse
Hood River Valley 17, Camas 5: The Eagles win their tenth in a row in a non-league game.
CGCC Moving Toward Starting Ag Tech Program In Fall 2026
Columbia Gorge Community College continues to work toward getting an Agricultural Technology program started in the fall of 2026. The program is being developed through collaboration with local and regional orchardists, farmers, vintners, and ranchers to address the need for a skilled local workforce proficient in both traditional ag practices and emerging technologies that could help the businesses thrive in evolving labor and environmental conditions. The program is also intended to create bridges between local high school programs, meaningful college credentials, and in-demand local careers.
D21 Board Givers Bernal Positive Evaluation; Contract Extends
The North Wasco County School District 21 board has extended the contract of Superintendent Carolyn Bernal after giving her a positive job evaluation. Bernal’s contact now runs through June 30, 2028. Terms of that contract called for the extension with the good performance evaluation. In a statement read during Thursday night’s D-21 board meeting, Chair David Jones says the evaluation process focused on eight professional standards for superintendents in Oregon and three superintendent goals. Jones said the board would be working with Bernal to develop new district goals.
Newhouse Co-Sponsors Bill To Allow Postal Service To Ship Alcohol
Washington Republican Congressman Dan Newhouse joined Democrat Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia to introduced the USPS Shipping Equity Act that would allow the United States Postal Service to ship alcoholic beverages to consumers. The legislation allows the USPS to ship directly from licensed producers and retailers to consumers over the age of 21, in accordance with state and local laws at the delivery location. The two legislators believe it levels the playing field and increases consumer and manufacturer choice while bringing in millions of dollars in revenue per year. Newhouse says while other carriers deliver alcohol, current law prohibits the United States Postal Service from doing so. He adds the legislation supports small craft breweries and wineries in rural areas like Central Washington and offers new opportunities for market access through the USPS. The legislation is supported by industry partners including the American Craft Spirits Association and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association.
Burn Operations Planned In Mt. Hood Forest
The Mt. Hood National Forest is planning prescribed fire operations over the next few weeks, as weather conditions allow. Forest officials say they will use prescribed fires to help reduce overgrown vegetation and protect local communities, infrastructure and natural resources from wildfires. Prescribed fire is planned for about 900 acres in an area five miles west of Wamic off Forest Road 48 as early as Tuesday if conditions are favorable. Fire personnel are initially planning to burn up to 100 acres in the Camp Cody burn unit and will continue into the Irrigation burn unit if weather allows. The Rock Creek prescribed fire project encompasses 1,554 acres and is part of the Rocky Restoration Project. The Rocky Restoration Project is intended to improve landscape resilience to disease and fire in addition to improving habitat for the plants, fish, and wildlife species that depend on it.
April 24 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
The Dalles 9, Gladstone 3: The Riverhawks finished a sweep of Gladstone to take control of first place in the Tri-Valley Conference. Avery Schwartz drove in four runs while Finley Corbin had three hits and two RBI.
Columbia 7, Kalama 3: Seth White went four for four to lead the Bruins’ 13 hit attack to score a second straight win over the Chinooks.
King’s Way Christian 24, Stevenson 0
Softball
The Dalles 2. Gladstone 1 (8 innings): Madison Brock singled home Bryce Newby in the bottom of the eighth inning to win it for the Riverhawks. Siyra Faulkner gave up only four hits in going the distance in the circle to pick up the win.
Stevenson 14, King’s Way Christian 6: Rebecca Townsend and Cayden Hulsey-Bible both had three hits and three runs batted in to pace the Bulldogs.
Track and Field
Goldendale’s boys were second and the girls’ fourth at a five-school EWAC Meet at Granger. Matthew Gray won three events for the Timberwolf boys.
Boys Tennis
Hood River Valley 8, Putnam 0
Boys Lacrosse
Oregon Episcopal 13, Hood River Valley 2
Newton Says Many Job Reductions Occurring Through Attrition
Hood River County School District Superintendent Bill Newton told the district board on Wednesday evening that of the 32 full-time equivalent positions being eliminated by budget cuts, approximately 24-and-a-half have been vacated by retirements, resignations, and leaves of absence. Newton says that, along with job transfers, has allowed the district to significantly limit the number of employees receiving reduction in force notices. Still, he added four licensed personnel and one classified staff member received layoff notices and were put on a recall list. Newton says they currently have open two licensed and ten classified positions for the upcoming school year. He says they are roles that have specific licensure or qualifications that do not align with current staff.
Drones Reseeding Natural Grasses In South Wasco County
Progress continues on a project in southern Wasco County funded by an Oregon Department Fish and Wildlife grant to use drones to reseed natural grasses in areas that were burned in the summer of 2023. Dr. Mike Davis of Columbia Gorge Community College, who is one of six ranchers who received the grant, says they are about three-quarters of the way through the project and it is going well. Davis suggested using drones to both do the actual seeding but also multi-spectral imaging of the land beforehand, providing better planning for the project. Davis sees other applications for drones in agriculture, including imaging and data analysis for crop health and field condition monitoring, and targeted application of pesticides to reduce environmental impact.