Track and Field South Wasco’s Madisen Davis won the girls javelin to highlight the first day for Mid-Columbia athletes athe Oregon Class 1A Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene.  Davis won with a throw of 127′ 1″, more than 12 feet farther than the second place finisher.  In other finals, South Wasco’s Ana Popchock was third in the girls’ long jump, Kiersten White of Dufur was fourth in the girls high jump, Dufur’s Friedrick Stelzer finished fifth in the boys’ 3,000 meters, Owen Christiansen of Sherman took seventh in the boys’ long jump, and Horizon Christian’s Harena Decker was seventh in the girls’ discus.  Competition continues today.   Stevenson won the boys’ title while Columbia finished third at the Southwest Washington Class 1A District Championships at Woodland.  The Bulldogs won with seven first places finishes, including two each by Lincoln Krog and David McAndie, while Kody Campbell, Ethan Haight, and Issac Hoidal all scored victories.  Columbia received first place finishes by Stanley Hylton in the javelin and the 4 by 400 meter relay team.   The CHS girls finished fourth behind victorious Seton Catholic while Stevenson tied for seventh.  The Bruins’ Alondra Casarez-Garcia was first in the 100 meter hurdles while CHS also won the 4 by 200 meter relay.  Stevenson’s Cassie MacNab earned the victory in the triple jump.   Tennis Oregon Class 5A Boys Tennis Tournament at Portland Tennis Center Singles Vaughn Reardon, HRV def. Benny Saito, Redmond, 6-4, 6-3, and will play top-seed Rox Rogers of Ashland in the quarter-finals Sawyer Bogard, HRV def. Timur Yusupov, Hillsboro, 7-6, 6-0, advancing to a quarter-final match with second seed Logan Hausler of Summit.   Oregon Girls Lacrosse Association Playoffs Quarterfinal Hood River Valley 11, West Linn 10:  Abigail Bartles scored four goals and Kathryn Koenig three as HRV advances to the semi-finals for the first time.  HRV will at Lake Oswego for a semi-final game on Monday at 8 p.m.

A bill to allow some Oregon tribes, including the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, to lease and sell property they own has received Congressional approval.  Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Representatives Greg Walden and Peter DeFazio had pushed for the Oregon Tribal Economic Development Act.  Currently, under the Indian Non-Intercourse Act, tribes are required to get federal approval to purchase, sell, convey, warrant, or lease lands they own privately, making it difficult to seize on economic development opportunities.  The new bill allows certain tribes in Oregon to forego that additional approval on privately held lands.  The bill does not affect property that is held in trust by the United States.  It now heads to the President for his signature.

Fire season is nearing in the Mid-Columbia.  Rick Fletcher of the Oregon Department of Forestry says the potential is very similar to what we’ve seen in years past. Spring rains led to growth of grasses and small shrubs, which means a heavier fuel load.  Fletcher says on Oregon Department of Forestry protected lands in Wasco County, open debris burning has been shut down as of Tuesday.  Contact your local fire agency for regulations in your area.

Mid-Columbia Community Action is holding a fundraiser block party on Friday outside of its headquarters on 312 East 4th in The Dalles, across from The Dalles Civic Auditorium.  Along with the organization’s annual barbecue, there will be some fun activities and a small auction with donations going to help assist families in need throughout the year.  Community Action Executive Director Jim Slusher says they are trying to generate more funds to help people who struggled to pay their heating bills this past winter.  The block party will be between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Friday.

Sherman County Medical Clinic announced its nurse practitioner has gotten an exemption allowing him to continue seeing Medicare patients.  The clinic had been concerned Mark Corey would not receive the exemption to serve a caseload of nearly 200 Medicare patients at the rural health clinic in Moro, which would have forced it to reduce services.  Sherman County Health District Administrator Caitlin Blagg said Senator Ron Wyden’s office assisted with getting the exemption approved.  She says the Nurse Practitioner is essential to provide quality health care in Sherman County.  Wyden said he was gratified to work with Medicare officials to reach a just resolution.

Southwest Washington Class 1A District Softball Tournament at Centralia First Round Hoquiam 19, Columbia 2:  The Bruins play Elma on Saturday at noon, and will need to win two games to reach the state playoffs.   Softball Oregon City 10, Hood River Valley 2:  The Pioneers scored nine runs in the last three innings to blow the game open.  Hannah McNerney hit a two-run homer for HRV.  

Oregon Class 5A Boys Golf Tournament On a day when scores jumped from the first round…Aiden Telles of The Dalles shot an 82 to finish in a tie for ninth at the Oregon Class 5A Boys Golf Tournament at Emerald Valley Golf Course in Creswell.  The Riverhawk sophomore shot 15-over-par over the two day event.  Thurston junior Tyler Garner won the tournament.   Washington Class 1A Boys Soccer Tournament First Round Overlake 5, Columbia 0   Softball Franklin 1, Hood River Valley 0:  The Eagles left seven runners on base as they could manage only two hits off of Franklin pitcher Samantha Brauckmiller.  The only run of the game was scored in third inning, when Maggie Brauckmiller scored on two HRV errors.  

An incumbent was defeated in Tuesday’s Wasco County Commission election.  Former Wasco-Sherman County Health Department Director Kathy Schwartz won the vote for Position 3 over two-term incumbent Rod Runyon.  Schwartz received 59 percent of the vote, 3,431 to 2,383 for Runyon.  In the other Wasco County Commission race, incumbent Scott Hege won a third term on the panel with 67 percent of the vote, 3,457 to 1,684 for challenger Roy Justesen.  Also on the Tuesday Wasco County ballot, the Dufur Recreation District’s three-year local option tax was renewed by a large margin, 270 to 62.  But the White River Health District’s five-year local option tax for general operations was defeated 313 to 307.

In Sherman County, no one received over 50 percent in the four-way race for County Judge.  Joe Dabulskis topped the group with 46.5 percent of the vote at 342, with Mike Smith receiving 287, followed by Larry Hoctor’s 60 and Fred Justesen’s 44.  Jamie McLeod Skinner received about 40 percent of the vote to easily win the Democrat Party nomination in Oregon’s Second Congressional District.  Jenni Neahring received 24 percent, while five other candidates split the rest.

Mike Oates will be the next Hood River County Commission Chair.  The orchardist with a long history of local governmental involvement polled 67 percent of the vote to win the seat over current District 2 County Commissioner Rich McBride.  Oates received 3,470 votes, while McBride polled 1,673.  Oates will succeed the retiring Ron Rivers at the end of the year.  The Hood River County School District’s local option levy was extended for another five years.  Voters gave their approval to continue the levy, first approved thirteen years ago.  The measure passed by a wide margin with 74 percent saying yes, 4,120 to 1,449.