The Hood River County School District budget committee is sending a budget to the district board for the 2019-20 school year that includes an additional 18.4 full-time equivalent employees, lowers class sizes, adds electives, and expands preschool and increase counseling, mental health and behavioral support in schools, while reducing next year’s tax rate on the district’s local option levy by four percent and maintaining a 13 percent reserve.  District Superintendent Dan Goldman says a number of factors are allowing the district to make the moves, including existence of the local option and operational changes over the last few years, adding he believes it is a sustainable budget through the end of the current biennium.  Goldman says they used the Governor’s state K-12 budget proposal to develop their plans.  The district board will hold a budget hearing on June 12.

Wasco County continues to prepare for taking over building code services on July 1.  The Commission is scheduled to pass the second reading of the ordinances to establish the services at their meeting on Wednesday morning.  Commissioner Scott Hege says they are on track for the July 1 startup date.  The County decided to take over the building codes services after the state indicated it would probably not have a local office to provide them in the wake of the dissolution of the Mid-Columbia Council of Governments.

The White Salmon City Council and the White Salmon Valley Pool Metropolitan Park District reached consensus during a joint meeting not to try to reopen the existing aging swimming pool this summer, but instead focus on constructing a new facility.  The City was informed by inspectors last month the current pool would need $50,000 worth of repairs to be safe to open, and it would probably take until mid-July to get the work done.  Combined with previous commitments to the White Salmon Valley School District to decommission the pool after the 2020 season, City officials reaffirmed their decision not to expend the funds for the repairs.  The City will continue to look to purchase pool passes to a facility elsewhere for this summer, while the pool district continues its work to build a new aquatic facility.

Boys Golf

Aidan Telles of The Dalles is just one shot off the lead heading into today’s final round of the Oregon Class 5A high school boys’ golf championships at Trysting Tree in Corvallis.  Telles shot a one-over-par 72 on Monday, good for a tie for second with Michael Gray of Crescent Valley, trailing only Issac Buerger of Ridgeview.  The Riverhawks’ Tyler Vassar is tied for eighth at six-over.  Hood River Valley is tied for sixth in the team standings with Churchill, 41 shots back of leader Crescent Valley.  The Eagles’ Ren Tappert is tied for 24^th at 13-over, while Chad Klaas is 15-over.

Girls Golf

The Dalles’ Samantha Stansbury is in 13^th at the Oregon Class 5A girls’ golf tournament at Quail Valley in Banks.  Stansbury shot 29-over-par, 21 behind leader Megan George of Pendleton.  Hood River Valley’s Victoria Ervin is tied for 20^th at 34-over.

Tennis

Kelli and Kristin Bighorn of Goldendale won the girls’ doubles championship at the SCAC West sub-district tournament.  The Bighorns defeated Reese Vetsch and Courtney Standley of LaSalle 7-5, 6-2 in the final.  They move on to the SCAC district tournament in Connell on Friday and Saturday.  The Timberwolves’ Aidan Bothamely also qualified for district with a fourth place finish in boys’ singles.

Girls Lacrosse

Hood River Valley 17, Lakeridge 5:  Kathryn Koenig scored five goals for HRV, while Brynne Holman added four.

A project to improve safety at Nobi’s Corner on Hood River’s Tucker Road appears to be back on.  Hood River County Commission Chair Mike Oates says he was informed by Oregon Department Of Transportation Region 1 manager Rian Windsheimer that the state should be able to pick up the tab for the work to make changes to the corner that is difficult for large trucks to get through.  Oates says funds originally planned for placing sidewalks on AGA Road in Odell will be used for the Nobi’s Corner work.  Oates said ODOT had found during preliminary study for the sidewalk project that costs were going to escalate substantially to deal with a number of obstacles to the effort.

As spring progresses, there is a lot of activity going on at the Port of The Dalles.  Port Marketing Director Kathy Ursprung says temporary fencing has been put up around new grass at Kiwanis Cove Park in the Port area to help protect it from geese.  The Port and the North Wasco County Parks and Recreation District have been partnering on that project.  In addition, a mixed commercial and residential use building is being constructed, a new veterinary clinic is about to be completed, and plans are in the works for building on a couple of more lots.  Ursprung says the Port still has some land available for development.

Those interested in running for various local boards in Washington can file to run for election this week.  Auditor’s offices in Klickitat and Skamania counties will be taking candidate filings through Friday.  All filings must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday.  Information on how to file and the offices open for election are available at the websites of Klickitat and Skamania counties.

Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue Crews were able to quickly extinguish a deck fire Sunday afternoon on East 9th Street in The Dalles.  No injuries were reported and the home is still livable.  According to MCFR officials, improperly disposed smoking materials caused the fire.  They remind people to dispose of smoking materials in a safe manner, recommending that cigarette butts are placed in a can with sand or water inside and a lid.  Also, avoid putting out cigarettes in potted plants as the dirt in the pots may have a high percentage of combustible material that can smolder and eventually cause a fire.

Southwest Washington Class 1A Baseball Tournament

Columbia 4, Castle Rock 0

Columbia 4, LaCenter 2:   The Bruins finished third in district tournament, and will face Cedar Park Christian in round one of the state playoffs on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Anacortes.

Baseball

Hood River Valley sweeps Redmond 10-0 and 4-2 to clinch a state playoff berth:  Caden Leiblien drove in three runs while Grayson Losee limited the Panthers to two hits over five innings in the opener, while Issac Beaman and Derek Homer combined for 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief in the game two.

Pendleton sweeps The Dalles 12-2 and 2-0.

Dufur splits with Pilot Rock, winning the opener 16-1 but falling in the second contest 11-7.

Sherman splits with Weston-McEwen, losing game one 8-7 but winning the nightcap 15-14.

Softball

Hood River Valley sweeps Redmond 17-4 and 17-5, assuring the Eagles a Class 5A playoff spot:  Makenzie Chambers went 9 for 10 in the doubleheader with eight runs batted in.

Pendleton sweeps The Dalles 8-3 and 17-1, sending Pendleton to the state playoffs and eliminating the Riverhawks from post-season contention.

Naches Valley sweeps Goldendale 20-3 and 20-0.

Track and Field

Dufur won both the boys and girls titles at the Big Sky Conference Championships at Sherman.  Asa Farrell, Friedrich Stelzer, and Cole Kortge won two events apiece for the Ranger boys, while Owen Christiansen won two for Sherman.  Kiersten White won both sprints for the Dufur girls.

Stevenson finished first and Columbia second in the boys’ portion of the Trico League Sub-District meet.  Lincoln Krog won four events to lead the Bulldogs to the title.  Stevenson was second and CHS fourth in the girls’ half of the meet.  Columbia’s Hannah Polkinghorn won both sprints.

Trout Lake won both the Greater Columbia League boys and girls titles.  The Mustangs’ Micah Colburn won three boys’ events, while Liz Fink did the same in the girls’ competition.  Brooklyn Emerson of Glenwood won four girls’ events.

Southwest Washington Class 1A Boys Soccer Tournament

Seton Catholic 2, Columbia 0:  Seton Catholic advances to the state playoffs with the victory.

Boys Tennis

Hood River Valley’s Vaughn Reardon and Ben Fick advance to the state Class 5A tournament in singles thanks to third and fourth place finishes at the Intermountain Conference Tournament at Ridgeview, while Devam Patel and Ethan Martin advance to state with a fourth place finish in doubles.  The state tourney will begin Friday at the Portland Tennis Center.

Girls Tennis

Charel Gijzen of The Dalles topped Hood River Valley’s Montserrat Garrido in the singles’ championship match at the Intermountain Conference tourney in Redmond.  They both move on to the 5A tourney starting Friday at the Portland Tennis Center.

Boys and Girls Tennis

Goldendale’s Aiden Bothamely in boys’ singles, Brian Waddell and Avery Christiensen in boys’ doubles, and Kelli and Kristin Bighorn in girls’ doubles all advanced to the semi-finals at the SCAC West Sub-Districts at Sunnyside.  Play will continue today.

Girls Lacrosse

Oregon Episcopal 13, Hood River Valley 9

Boys Lacrosse

Hood River Valley 11, Wilson 8

The 16 Road, or Red Hill Road, on the Hood River Ranger District of the Mt. Hood National Forest will be closed for the remainder of May and most of June due to timber harvest operations taking place in the area.  The road is narrow and large equipment will be in or alongside the roadway making it necessary to close this section of the road for public and operator safety.  The point closure begins 7 miles from Red Hill Bridge and ends about 8 miles from the 16 and 18 Roads junction, incorporating a section of road approximately one mile long.  The 16 Road will remain open on both sides of the closure point, but visitors are encouraged to beware of log trucks.  The road occasionally will be re-opened during the weekend.  Visitors to Vista Ridge Trail coming from Hood River should turn onto the 13 Road, which connects to Lolo Pass Road in Dee.  Access to the Vista Ridge area through Parkdale will not be available during the road closure.