Local officials are warning about a chemical found in some over-the-counter medication that some youth are using as a recreational drug.  It’s called Dextromethorphan, otherwise known as DXM, “Triple C,” or skittles, and typically is in the form of red pills.  Debby Jones of YouthThink of Wasco County says abuse of DXM can result in a hallucinogenic effect that can happen fairly quickly, but also place the user in a paranoid state.  Excessive use of DXM can also include a loss of coordination, slurred speech, sweating, and lethargy.  Jones says they are trying to awareness of DXM among parents so they can know what to look for if they suspect their child may be using drugs.

Boys Soccer

Columbia Christian 4, Horizon Christian 3

 

Girls Soccer

Riverside 6, Columbia 4

Highland 9, Goldendale 0

 

Volleyball

Country Christian def. Dufur 25-17, 25-14, 25-20

Sunnyside Christian def. Lyle-Wishram 25-9, 20-25, 25-15, 26-24

Goldendale def. Highland 25-6, 25-9, 25-12

 

For the fourth year in a row, October is Gorge Happiness Month.  Emily Reed says Gorge Happiness Month started four years ago when One Community Health celebrated its 30th anniversary, but now it has a number of different sponsors.  Reed says the basic premise is based on science showing happy people are healthier.  This year’s theme is “Not perfect, but OK.”  There are a number of different Gorge Happiness Month events planned throughout October.  For a complete list of those events, go to gorgehappiness.org.

The Hood River City Council has asked its planning department and planning commission to look at a number of different areas in regards to its housing codes, and changes that may need to be made to help the community deal with its lack of affordable housing options.  It’s an off-shoot from the Westside Area Concept Plan work that has been on-going for the past 18 months.  City Planner Dustin Nilson says they are moving away from making zoning map changes and looking at the code itself.  Nilson says the planning staff will be developing options for the municipal planning commission and City Council to be able to look at.

Football

The Dalles 24, Crook County 15:  The Riverhawks limited the Cowboys to 67 yards of total offense on the way to the league opening win.

Hoquiam 56, Columbia 10

Stevenson 21, Irrigon 7

Dufur 48, Enterprise 8

Echo 57, Sherman 24

South Wasco 51, Mitchell-Spray-Wheeler 0

Lyle-Klickitat-Wishram 64, Sunnyside Christian 14

Zillah 54, Goldendale 7

 

Cross Country

Hood River Valley’s girls finished third in the Division 1 Varsity race at the Nike Portland Classic at Blue Lake Park in Fairview.  Josephine Dickinson was fourth and Frances Dickinson seventh for HRV.   Hood River was eighth in the boys’ race, led by Josh Haynes in eighth.  Stevenson was 13^th in the boys’ small schools division, led by Abiy LaCombe in tenth.

 

Hanna Ziegenhagen of The Dalles was in the girls’ varsity #1 and 2 race while the Riverhawks’ Friedrich Stelzer was 37^th in the boys’ run at the Bellevue Cross Country Invitational.

 

Trout Lake finished second to Summit in both the boys and girls races at the Madras Invitational.  Justin Peck and Mason Stock finished one-two for the Mustang boys, while Myana and Makenna Stock were second and third in the girls’ run.

 

Goldendale was the girls’ team winner at the Connell Invitational.  Ellie Rising led the Timberwolves with a second place finish.  The Goldendale boys had a seventh place team finish, paced by Sterling Beasley in 22^nd.

 

Horizon Christian’s Josiah Sohal won the boys’ varsity race at the Southwest Christian Invitational.  Adoree Schlegal was eighth in the girls’ run for the Hawks.

 

Volleyball

Goldendale def. Stevenson 3 games to 0

Echo def. Sherman 3 games to 0

 

Girls Soccer

Wahluke 9, Goldendale 0

 

 

Boys Soccer

Hood River Valley 3, Ridgeview 0:  Jaden Dubon scored twice while Ivan Solano also had a goal as the Eagles won their Intermountain Conference opener in a matchup of two teams ranked in the Oregon Class 5A coaches’ poll.

The Dalles 5, Crook County 3

Crosshill Christian 7, Horizon Christian 1

 

Girls Soccer

The Dalles 11, Crook County 0:  Zara Voodre scored four goals and Emily Adams added two as the Riverhawks won their league opener on the road.

Hood River Valley 2, Ridgeview 1

 

Volleyball

Hood River Valley def. Redmond 25-7, 25-20, 24-26, 25-22

Ridgeview def. The Dalles 25-18, 25-16, 25-16

South Wasco def. Mitchell-Spray 25-12, 25-12, 25-13

Sherman def. Condon 21-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-9

Goldendale def. Kittitas 25-22, 25-15, 25-21

Fort Vancouver def. Columbia 3 games to 0

Solea Kabakov has been selected to fill the Zone 5 seat on the North Wasco County School District 21 board.  Kabakov was one of four people who applied for the position that was vacated when Bethany Frantz-Studebaker, who was elected to the seat in May, moved out of the area.  Kabakov is a parent to four children, is on the budget committees for both the City of The Dalles and the Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency, and is a senior sales associate for Powder Pure.  Josh Farris and John Grant were also interviewed for the position, while Brian Stevens also applied but had to bow out because he is employed by the district as a basketball coach.  Stevens told the board he plans to run once he his finished with his tenure as coach.

 

Recent cool temperatures and precipitation have brought an end to the 2019 fire season for the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Central Oregon District as of Thursday morning.  ODF officials say wildland fuels across the district do not pose a significant risk of rapid fire growth, but they also note weather and fuel conditions during the fall can change quickly.  The public is reminded to follow all local burning restrictions to reduce the risk of escaped debris burns.  Landowners who plan to burn industrial logging slash, fuel reduction or defensible space materials, or other debris from forest activities should contact their local ODF Office to obtain a burn permit.  On ODF protected lands in Wasco and Hood River counties, small yard debris piles and burn barrels are allowed from dawn until 11:00 a.m.  Burn permits are required by ODF.  Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue has opened outdoor burning within the fire district but only outside The Dalles city limits.  Residents within the city limits must wait until October 16th as required by municipal ordinance.

Oregon Second District Congressman Greg Walden highlighted counterfeit THC cartridges during a House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing on e-cigarettes on Thursday.  Walden said with an unidentified lung illness that appears to be related to vaping and has killed seven people and sickened over 500 across at least 38 states, the government is right to look for solutions to curtail youth access to e-cigarettes.  But he said they need to include a full investigation into counterfeit THC cartridges along with the vaping and cannabis black markets.  Walden noted a third-part lab test of counterfeit THC cartridges requested by the California Department of Public Health found as common contaminants pesticides and a fungicide that when vaporized converted into a chemical used as a weapon during World War I.