The 13th annual Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour starts Friday and continues through the weekend throughout the region.  This year 48 artists will participate, featuring the highest quality of work from a variety of mediums.  Joanna Kaufman says they have ten new artists on this year’s tour, some of them new to the Gorge.  The studios are located throughout the Gorge, and will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.  For tour maps and more information go to gorgeartists.org.

Oregon State University Extension in Hood River and Wasco counties is inviting area growers to take part in an orchard soil moisture monitoring workshop later this month.  Extension horticulturalist Ashley Thompson says soil moisture monitoring has become more important with drought conditions and the planting of more high density fruit trees over the last few years.  The workshop will be May 16 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 4374 Willow Flat Road in Hood River.  For more information, call Thompson at 541-296-5494.

Klickitat County will put a ban on outdoor burning in its “Burn Ban Zone One” into effect on May 15.  Burn Ban Zone One defined as lands east of the Klickitat County Fire District #7 eastern boundary outside the jurisdictions of the Yakama Indian Nation and the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.  The ban prohibits the issuance of burning permits except for authorized agricultural burning, and will be in effect through at least September 30.  Residential barbecues will be allowed.  Last year Klickitat County established three zones for the issuance of burning regulations.  Zone One is the eastern-most zone.  More information is available at the Klickitat County Emergency Management webpage.

The Dalles Main Street program has received a $200,000 Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant from the state to help restore the façade of the three storefronts of the Recreation Building.  Oregon Heritage, a division of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, awarded 30 matching grants worth over five million dollars to Oregon Main Street Network organizations across the state for building projects that encourage economic revitalization.  The Dalles Main Street award is at the high end of the grants.  The department funded projects that best conveyed the ability to stimulate private investment and local economic development, and best fit within the community’s long range plan for downtown vitality.

Washington 14th District Representative Gina Mosbrucker saw four bills she sponsored signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee this week.  The governor signed a measure allowing inspections of factory-built housing and commercial structures built out of state to be performed by inspectors other than the Department of Labor and Industries, and another increasing penalties for animal abuse, and particularly against those who use dogs for blood sport fighting.  Inslee also signed a bill relating to natural gas taxes that synchronizes tax rates to help public utility districts be more competitive throughout the marketplace, and a fourth to provide information and helpful resources in the workplace for domestic violence survivors.  Another bill authored by Mosbrucker awaiting action by the governor would create a single vehicle license that allows for the operation of a motorcycle as either a motorcycle or a snow bike.

The Roy Webster Columbia River Cross Channel Swim is moving to Cascade Locks.  The Hood River County Chamber of Commerce posted swim registration information on its website Wednesday that the annual Labor Day swim in the Columbia River will move to the west.  The document says 95 percent of the swimmers the Chamber polled were in favor of the move.  Chamber executive director Mike Glover says the key to the move is retaining volunteer numbers, but they are getting commitments to take part.  With the move, participants will get on the Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge at the ferry dock in Cascade Locks to go over to the Washington side of the river.  The swim will be two-tenths of a mile longer than it was in Cascade Locks.

The Dalles Community Cleanup will take place on Saturday.  Yard debris, metal recycling, and large items like furniture will be accepted between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday at the southwest corner of 6th and Webber.  Cindy Keever of The Dalles Public Works Department says they are asking people to keep their different items separated when they bring them in.  An on-site ReUse Fair will once again take place at the Cleanup, where people can drop off unwanted usable items for others to claim.  For more information on The Dalles Community Cleanup, go to thedalles.org.

White Salmon Valley School District Superintendent Jerry Lewis says the lift of the levy cap by the Washington Legislature will allow the district to avoid staff cuts, but there will be some operating budget reductions for 2019-20.  Lewis says increasing the cap from the $1.50 per thousand dollars of assessed property value adopted last year when the Legislature revamped K-12 education funding to $2.50 will get the district close to the $2.52 voters approved two years ago.  Lewis added the district assessed $2.31 per thousand this year, and that could go down based on total assessed values in Klickitat County.

The Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge will be closed again overnight tonight (Wednesday) from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., and there will be at least 15 more nights of closures during the month of May.  The Port of Hood River says the overnight bridge closures will take place Sunday nights through Thursday nights beginning this coming Sunday and continuing for three weeks.  Contractor crews will be working to complete several truss and steel member repairs on the bridge.   The bridge will be totally closed at the Oregon and Washington approaches at 9 p.m. each closure night and will remain closed until 5 a.m. the follow morning.  Port officials indicate the closure schedule is subject to change, and updates are available at portofhoodriver.com.

Baseball

Hood River Valley 10, Ridgeview 0:  Brandon Smiley drove in four runs while Ryan Gray and Derek Homer combined on a one-hitter as HRV took over sole possession of first place in the Intermountain Conference, a game ahead of Pendleton and Redmond.

Redmond 1, The Dalles 0:  Dominic Smith and Ben Nelson combined to give up only three hits, but the Riverhawks only managed two themselves.  Redmond scored the game’s only run in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Columbia split with Stevenson…the Bulldogs won game one 3-2 and the Bruins took the second contest 16-6.

Dufur 14, Stanfield 4

Columbia (Burbank) swept Lyle-Wishram, taking the opener 5-3 in eight innings and coming out on top 7-5 in the nightcamp.

Softball

Ridgeview 10, Hood River Valley 0:  Allicite Frost was dominant in pitching a two-hitter, striking out 14 as the Ravens moved into sole possession of first place in the Intermountain Conference.

Redmond 5, The Dalles 2:  The Dalles falls into a tie for second with Pendleton in the IMC, with HRV a game behind the pair in fourth.  Maddie Troutt and Sydnee Byers drove in runs for the Riverhawks.

Columbia (Burbank) sweeps Lyle-Wishram 19-4 and 16-3.

Boys Tennis

Hood River Valley 8, Crook County 0

Boys Soccer

Columbia 5, King’s Way Christian 0

Seton Catholic 5, Stevenson 1