Washington Gorge Action Programs has released its 2024 Community Needs Assessment showing while poverty in Klickitat and Skamania counties has been on the decline since 2015, rates are still higher than the rest of the state, and gaps in income inequality are increasing. Administered every three to four years, the assessment updates demographics and tracks information related to the underlying causes of poverty. 711 people participated in Skamania and Klickitat counties. The cost of living was over $110,000 for a family of four with two working adults, notably higher than the median income in either county. Native American poverty levels are consistent in both counties at 25 percent, significantly higher than the county rates. Child poverty level in Klickitat County is at 17 percent, which is ten points higher than in Skamania County. Loneliness was highlighted in the report, with 53 percent of respondents noting that they feel socially isolated or experience loneliness at least some of the time, and 37 percent said they wanted help connecting with others. One alarming statistic is that up to 26 percent of tenth and twelfth-grade students, and 31 percent of sixth-grade students, have seriously considered suicide since 2021. These rates are about five percent higher than the state average.
HR County Children’s MMR Vaccination Rates
The Hood River County Health Department says Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccination rates among K-12 students are good, with 97 percent receiving a first dose and 95 percent getting the second. But Communicable Diseases Nurse McKenna Carter says the rate for younger children drops to 92 percent, and while they don’t have specific statistics for adults, a trend toward lower overall vaccination rates is concerning. Department Public Information Officer Daron Ryan says they find most unvaccinated people tend to be gathered together. Both Carter and Ryan urge those with questions about the MMR vaccine to talk with their health care provider, or your local public health department.
May 14 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Wilsonville 24, Hood River Valley 5: The Wildcats scored five runs in the first inning and never looked back as they won their 23rd consecutive game.
The Dalles 11, Estacada 10: The Riverhawks turned a pair of walks to start the bottom of the seventh inning into the game winning runs to maintain first place in the Tri-Valley Conference. Finley Corbin drove in Will Booth to end the game.
Softball
Hood River Valley 3, Wilsonville 2 (8 innings): Grace Rowan and Kenadie Lucas started the top of the eighth inning with base hits, and Addi Van Metre and Isa Rivera brought them home the give the Eagles a series sweep over the Wildcats.
Estacada 8, The Dalles 2: The Rangers scored four runs in the second inning and two in the third to take control.
Southwest Washington Class 1A District First Round at Centralia
Mount Baker 12, Stevenson 1
Kalama 12, Stevenson 2
Hoquiam 11, Columbia 5
Nooksack Valley 16, Columbia 9
Track and Field
Goldendale’s boys finished third and the girls fifth at the EWAC Meet in Granger. The Timberwolves’ Emma Meagher won both the girls’ 800 and 1600 meters while finishing second in the 3200.
Boys Tennis
Judah Caudill of Hood River Valley reached the third place match in singles at the Northwest Oregon Conference Tournament,
Girls Tennis
Hood River Valley’s Kendall Sales advanced to the semi-finals at the NWOC Tournament,
Get Ready For Fire Season
Forecasts for the fire season in the Pacific Northwest are calling for an active year, and that has local officials urging people to start preparing their property now to protect it from fire. Wasco County Commissioner Scott Hege says they are urging people to do that work now rather than later. Hege says the Wasco County Fire Defense Board met this week, and a number of organizations are collaborating to help defend and prevent large conflagrations in the area. He adds a recent meeting of the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Oregon Department of Forestry showed both are more organized to respond to emergencies that they have been in the past.
Pinchot Implements Scan & Pay Option
Beginning Friday, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest will be implementing a Scan and Pay option at many recreation sites across the forest. Visitors will now be able to pay recreation day use fees through the recreation.gov app loaded on a mobile device. Scan and Pay will work in areas with cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity and offline as well, as long as the app is downloaded to the device prior to the loss of service. Scan and Pay will be available in the Mt. Adams Ranger District at the Crest Camp, Cultus Creek , Indian Heaven, Falls Creek Falls, Thomas Lake, and Trapper Creek trailheads, the Ice Cave and Whistle Punk Day Use locations, and first come/first serve campgrounds including Trout Lake Creek and Mt. Adams Horse Camp. Visitors can also purchase the Northwest Forest-day use pass and the Mt. Adams Climbing Activity Pass on Recreation.gov ahead of their visit. Fees for first-come, first-serve campgrounds can only be paid via Scan and Pay, or cash, on site at the time of the visit.
May 13 Prep Sports Roundup
Baseball
Wilsonville 8, Hood River Valley 4: The Wildcats ran their winning streak to 22. Davis Parr had three hits and two runs batted in for the Eagles.
Irrigon 10, Sherman 0
Washington Class 2B District 5 First Round
Brewster 6, Goldendale 5: Bronson Becker’s two-run double with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning gave the Bears to win, after the Timberwolves had scored three runs to take the lead.
Softball
Hood River Valley 9, Wilsonville 5: Kenadie Lucas had three hits and three runs batted in while Isa Rivera drove in two, and Grace Rowan struck out 13 as the Eagles snapped a three-game losing streak.
Gladstone 5, The Dalles 1: A five-run fourth inning lifted the Gladiators to the win and clinched no worse than a tie for the Tri-Valley Conference championship. Cadence Young had a pair of hits for the Riverhawks.
Boys Soccer
Southwest Washington Class 1A District Semifinal
Columbia 3, King’s Way Christian 1: The Bruins clinched a state tournament berth, and will play Seton Catholic on Saturday at 1 p.m. at King’s Way Christian for the district title.
Track and Field
Horizon Christian was the boys’ winner and Trout Lake was first in the girls’ competition at a seven-school meet at South Wasco. Shane Spino of Glenwood and Violette Anderson of Trout Lake won three events each.
Boys Tennis
Hood River Valley’s Judah Caudill and Carson Abel advanced to the third round in singles at the Northwest Oregon Conference tournament.
Girls Tennis
Emily Doss, Sylvia Moores, and Kendall Sales advanced to round two of the NWOC tournament in singles, as did Charlotte Fuller and Grace Kerr in doubles.
Oregon Girls Lacrosse Tournament
First Round
Wilsonville 10, Hood River Valley 9
Boys Lacrosse
Oregon Episcopal 14, Hood River Valley 1
TD Council Denies Appeal Of Subdivision Approval
The Dalles City Council voted to deny an appeal of a Community Development Department decision to approve the proposed Alford subdivision above Mid-Columbia Medical Center. Appellants had cited six reasons the permit should not be approved, including slope stability and landslide risk, inadequate road access, wildfire risk and emergency response limitations, and other procedural concerns. Councilor Dan Richardson said neighbors raised valid concerns, but felt there was not sufficient legal basis to deny approval, and fellow Councilor Ben Wring pointed out there will be more review as the development process moves forward. The first phase of the single-family subdivision calls for building on 14 lots totaling three-and-a-third acres within the City limits. The remaining property will be annexed into the City and divided into 15 lots.
HR County Backing TRIP Framework
Hood River County is among the cities and counties backing the recently released framework for the Oregon Transportation Re-investment Package. The TRIP framework proposes investing 90% of the $1.9 billion package towards safety, operations, and maintenance across Oregon’s shared transportation system, with half dedicated to cities and counties. County Public Works Director Cori Wiessner says for Hood River County, it would increase its share of state transportation funds from $2.6 million to $4.4 million. Wiessner says Hood River County roads are in fairly good shape, but there are bridges and culverts that will be needing major work in the near future.
Consultants To Study NORCOR For Fiscal Sustainability
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.