Wednesday marks the opening of this year’s Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery in the Columbia and Snake rivers.  The program pays registered anglers $5 to $8 for each pikeminnow that is at least nine inches long.  And some fish have an even bigger payout, as state fish and wildlife biologists have released up to 1,000 specially tagged northern pikeminnow into the Columbia and Snake rivers, each worth $500.  Last year the top fisherman in the program earned more than $71,000 in just five months of fishing.  Since 1990, anglers paid through the program have removed nearly five million pikeminnow from the Columbia and Snake rivers, reducing predation from pikeminnow on young salmon and steelhead by approximately 40% since it began.  The 2019 Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery begins Wednesday and is scheduled to run through Sept. 30.  For more information visit www.pikeminnow.org, or call 800-858-9015.

Boys Golf

The Dalles was second and Hood River Valley fifth in the final Intermountain Conference regular season tournament.  The Dalles finished second in the IMC standings, while Hood River Valley was third.  The district tournament is next Monday and Tuesday at Indian Creek Golf Course in Hood River.

Girls Lacrosse

Hood River Valley 18, Cleveland 2:  Abby Bortles scored four goals as HRV moved its record in league play to 4-0.

Baseball

Dufur 9, Hood River Valley freshmen 7

Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill is studying how to provide more coverage in the southern part of the county.  Magill says in the past they have had two assigned “resident” deputies in that area, but there hasn’t been one for a number of years.  Magill adds he and citizens in that area have been discussing how to provide more law enforcement presence, including regular patrols, relationship building, and integrating with the area’s large visitor numbers for recreation.  Magill says they are looking at both budget numbers and assistance call records for the South County as they consider the issue with other County officials.  Magill added because of timing with state police academy dates they might be a bit late to put a position in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

As the White Salmon Valley Pool Metropolitan Park District prepares to enter into a fundraising effort to build a new pool, it deals with the loss of a large donation that was made in 2014 when the City of White Salmon was spearheading the project.  District board member Lloyd DeKay confirmed on Bicoastal Media’s Mid-Columbia Today program on Monday morning that a $500,000 donation from an anonymous donor has been pulled back.  He said they were told too much time had gone by since the donation was given without construction on a new pool, and the money could be put to other uses.  DeKay did say he wished the district, which was just formed by voters in November, had been given more time to establish itself.  The City of White Salmon recently announced it would not reopen the current aging pool after inspectors said it would take $50,000 in repairs to pass for operation.

The Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge will be closed to all vehicle traffic overnight tonight (Monday) and tomorrow (Tuesday) night.  The closures will begin at 9 p.m. and continue until 5 a.m. both nights.   The closures are required to complete the installation, testing, and re-commissioning of a new electrical control system for the lift span.  The closest alternate crossings of the Columbia are the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks and The Dalles Bridge.  Emergency transport must be arranged through 9-1-1 dispatch. 

Baseball

Hood River Valley sweeps The Dalles, winning both games by a 12-2 score:  Issac Beaman, Caden Leiblien, and Jeremiah Brittle drove in three runs apiece in the opener, and Brittle drove in four more and Harrison Howell three in the nightcap.  The wins leave HRV percentage points behind Pendleton atop the Intermountain Conference, while The Dalles falls two games back in fourth. 

Columbia 6, LaCenter 1:  The Bruins clinched the Trico League championship with the victory.

Dufur splits with Heppner, winning game one 14-7 but dropping the second contest 4-2.

Grant Union swept Sherman 7-3 and 9-2.

Goldendale sweeps Highland 24-14 and 18-8.

King’s Way Christian at Stevenson, 4 p.m.

Softball

Hood River Valley and The Dalles split a doubleheader, as the Riverhawks used a four-run bottom of the sixth inning to take a see-saw nightcap 10-9.  Emma Smith singled home the tying runs for The Dalles in game two while the winning run scored on an error to keep them tied for first in the IMC with Ridgeview, with HRV a game behind in a tie for third with Pendleton.  Kilee Hoylman drove in three runs.  In the first game Makenzie Chambers drove in six runs, Aunika Yasui homered and had five RBI, and Morgan Baker also homered to lead Hood River to a 14-2 victory.

Granger sweeps Goldendale 6-0 and 13-3.

King’s Way Christian at Stevenson, postponed to Monday at 4 p.m.

Track and Field

Columbia’s Hannah Polkinghorn won the girls’ 100 and 200 meters at Panther Twilight in Washougal.  The Bruins’ Chanele Reyes won the girls’ 300 meters hurdles, while CHS took first in the girls’ 4-by-200 meter relay.   Stevenson’s Isabella Spencer won the 800 meters and Kaitlyn Rathgeber won the triple jump.  In the boys’ portion of the meet, Stevenson’s Lincoln Krog had two seconds and a third in the jumps.

The Dalles’ Justin Conklin had a third in the boys’ 110 meter hurdles and a fourth in the high jump at the Centennial Invitational.

Trout Lake won both the boys and girls team titles at the Sherman Invitational.  Isabella Dean won four events to lead the Trout Lake girls, while the Mustangs’ Micah Coburn won two boys events.  Dufur swept all four relay races.

Dufur’s Asa Farrell won the 100 meters and Tanner Masterson the 200 meters to lead the Ranger boys to a sixth place finish at the Buck Track Classic in Pendleton.  Kierstin White of Dufur had a second place finish in the girls’ high jump.

Boys Tennis

Hood River Valley 7, Ridgeview 1

Hood River Valley 5, Bend 3

Mountain View 6, Hood River Valley 2

Boys Soccer

Columbia 2, LaCenter 1:  The Bruins solidify their hold on third place in the Trico League with the win.

Boys Lacrosse

Bend 9, Hood River Valley 8 (overtime)

Hood River Electric Co-op crews will be working in the Parkdale Substation from 6:30 p.m. Friday until around 4:00 a.m. Saturday to upgrade and repair some damaged cables. 

This work was originally scheduled for Saturday night but had to be moved up.

If all goes according to plan, the co-op does not anticipate that any members will experience outages during the maintenance project. Any customers who have outages during the project should check the Hood River Electric Co-op Facebook page for updates, or call (541) 354-1233 to report their outages. 

It is Northwest Cherry Festival weekend.  Activities are beginning today (Friday) with the Family Pit Party at 4 p.m. on the main stage, plus the opening of the Open Air Market and the Davis Shows Carnival.  Saturday features a whole list of events, including the annual Tonkin Subaru Cherry Festival Parade starting at 6th and Webber at 10 a.m., featuring over 100 entries.  The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson says it will take the usual route through the downtown area.  The royalty coronation and community breakfast at Mid-Columbia Senior Center will precede the parade at 8 a.m.  Entertainment on the stage begins at 1:30 on Saturday and 9 a.m. on Sunday.  And the Bicoastal Media/Bishop Sanitation Home and Lifestyle Show is open today from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Cherry Festival Event Guides are available at gorgeradio.com.

Hood River County Commissioners discussed what to do about the request from NORCOR for an increased payment for Fiscal Year 2019-20 during a special worksession on Thursday.  Commissioner Bob Benton, who is Hood River County’s representative on the NORCOR board and its chair, asked for the meeting to present information on the request for a $262,000 increase, which is up from the $212,000 included in the fiscal plan the County budget committee is considering.  All the commissioners indicated they think NORCOR is well run and programs that have been instituted in recent years have reduced recidivism.  But they also noted every dollar increased for NORCOR reduces another area of the County budget.  Benton said the major increases in NORCOR expenses come in the areas of food, PERS liability, a capital fund line item to address aging facilities, and wages and compensation increases currently in negotiation.  Commissioners will consider the information Benton presented and hold another worksession next Thursday to provide him direction to take back to the NORCOR panel.

Boys Lacrosse

Lincoln 11, Hood River Valley 5

Girls Lacrosse

Oregon Episcopal 11, Hood River Valley 7:  Alex Willis scored three goals for the Eagles.

Boys Soccer

Stevenson 2, LaCenter 1:  The Bulldogs scored the Trico League win by outscoring the Wildcats 4-2 in the penalty kick shootout.

Baseball

Hood River Valley JV 13, Dufur 1

Track and Field

Lyle-Wishram’s boys were second and girls seventh in an all-EWAC meet at Mabton.  The Wildcat boys had five first place finishes, as Brandon Montoya won the 100 and 200 meters, David Bernier took the 800, Jarron Leslie was first in the javelin, and Gerry Kindrick won the triple jump.