The Hood River County Commission has decided to tell the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility board their total funding contribution for the next two fiscal years to the regional jail would be at the same amount as the current year, approximately one-point-five-three million dollars annually.  Commissioners came to that number as they continue to grapple with the County’s one-point-four million dollar budget shortfall.  Commission Chair Ron Rivers says that would be for both adult and juvenile services.  Commissioner Bob Benton currently represents Hood River County on the NORCOR board, and he will take that message to NORCOR’s budget committee meeting on April 26 in The Dalles.  The County budget panel meets again on Thursday at 3 p.m. in the County Administration Building.

Baseball Culver 11, Dufur 0   Boys Lacrosse Hood River Valley 14, Newberg 4   Girls Tennis Stevenson 3, Sherman 2   Track and Field Goldendale’s girls earned three first place finishes in an SCAC West track and field meet at Royal.  Allison Gilliam won the 400 meters, Ellie Rising the 3200 meters, and Lene Riggers the 300 meter hurdles.  The Timberwolves’ Dillon Rising won the boys’ 1600 meters.

Hood River County’s budget committee reached consensus to use $750,000 from the $2.4 million in timber interest reserves it has to help fill a $1.4 million dollar hole in the 2018-19 budget.  That will send County Administrator Jeff Hecksel back to the drawing board to provide another set of options to recommend for next year’s fiscal plan.  Committee members in attendance made the move with assumption a revenue measure would be put before voters in November, even though in what form that will be is unknown.  Even if such a measure was to pass, the County wouldn’t see any revenues from it until November of 2019.  In the original budget documents, Hecksel had outlined an option involving putting off $550,000 in capital needs, which would have left $850,000 to be dealt with from reserves or other sources.  But some budget committee members have been hesitant to put off those kind of items to balance the budget.

The countdown to the Northwest Cherry Festival is on.  The festival will be from April 27th to the 29th in The Dalles.  The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson says many of the registration deadlines for Cherry Festival applications have passed, except for parade applications, which will be taken through the beginning of next week, and Little Miss Ann and Andy voting at Rivermark Credit Union.  Farquharson encourages those who want to take part in the April 28 parade to get their applications in as soon as possible.  In addition, all-day carnival ride bracelets are available at a discount until April 27.  Advance bracelets are available for 20 dollars at The Dalles Chamber office, with the price going up to 25 dollars when the festival starts.

The Port of Hood River remains in a public comment period on administrative rules for acceptance of private partnership proposals for replacement of the Interstate Bridge.  Project Director Kevin Greenwood says after receiving no comments at a recent hearing, they have received three comments in this second round, mainly from industry and technical in nature.  A hearing is scheduled for May 1, with a decision possible at the Port’s May 15 meeting.  The Port is required by the state to establish the administrative rules before accepting proposals.  Greenwood says once the rules are established the Port will still be a couple of years away from being in a position to consider bridge proposals, but the parameters will have been established and ready to go.

Baseball Pendleton sweeps The Dalles 5-1 and 5-0. Hood River Valley splits with Hermiston, winning game one 5-2 and losing game two 6-5. Sherman 13, Dufur 0 Lyle-Wishram-Klickitat splits with Dayton, losing the first game 5-4 and winning the nightcap 17-8. DeSales 12, Goldendale 10   Softball Hood River Valley splits with Hermiston, winning game one 15-7 and losing game two 8-6. Pendleton sweeps The Dalles 25-3 and 13-2. Dayton swept Lyle-Wishram-Klickitat 21-0 and 16-1.   Track and Field Hood River Valley’s boys won the Viking Relays at North Salem High School, while the girls finished fifth.  Robby Running won the boys’ 400 meters, Chad Klaas the pole vault, and Jonah Tactay the triple jump.   The Dalles’ Justin Conklin finished first in the boys’ high jump and second in the 100 meter hurdles at the Willamette Falls Invitational in Oregon City.  Liz Fink of Trout Lake was second in the shot put and javelin.   The host Bulldogs won both the boys and girls team titles at the Al McKee Invitational at Stevenson, while Columbia’s girls were second and the boys third.  Stevenson’s Issac Hoidal and David McAndie and Columbia’s Chandler Bucklin won two boys’ events each.  Columbia’s Alondra Casarez-Garcia won three events in girls’ competition.   Lyle-Wishram’s Brandon Montoya won the boys’ 100 and 200 meters and long jump at the Pasco Invitational.   Dufur’s boys were third and the Glenwood girls fourth to highlight Gorge-area schools’ effort at the Dick Horyna Invitational at Stanfield.  Dufur’s Asa Farrell won the boys’ 100 and 200 meters, and Glenwood’s Brooklyn Emerson was first in the girls’ long jump and pole vault.   South Wasco’s girls were fifth at the River’s Edge Invitational in Umatilla, as Ana Popchock was first in the triple jump, long jump, and 300 meter hurdles, and Madisen Davis won the javelin.   Boys Soccer Columbia 7, Seton Catholic 1   Girls Tennis Hood River Valley finished second to Vale at the Madras Rankin Invitational.

Track and Field Stevenson’s boys won a three-way Trico League meet in Castle Rock.  David McAndie and Lincoln Krog won two events apiece for the Bulldogs.  The Stevenson girls finished second in their portion of the meet.   Boys Soccer LaCenter 11, Stevenson 1   Boys Lacrosse Hood River Valley 17, Wilsonville 4   Girls Lacrosse Hood River Valley 15, Cleveland 0:  Emma Norris and Kathryn Koenig had three goals apiece for the Eagles.

A number of Hood River County School District teachers called on district board chair Mark Johnson to resign from that position in the wake of Johnson being fired as the chief executive of Oregon Business and Industry as The Oregonian/Oregon Live published stories accusing him of using racially charged language about a Latino lawmaker and chaos within OBI.  Johnson was not at the regularly scheduled board meeting that took place Wednesday evening just a few hours after the stories came out, and District Superintendent Dan Goldman said neither he nor district board members have had the opportunity to speak with Johnson as of Thursday morning.  Johnson served as the 52nd District Representative in the Oregon House before resigning to become OBI’s CEO last fall.  The Oregonian/Oregon Live posted a story Wednesday morning in which a staffer accused Johnson of using racially charged language to denigrate State Representative Diego Hernandez of Portland, and accused Johnson of mismanagement of OBI.  Two hours later, the OBI executive committee voted to remove Johnson from his position.  The Oregonian/Oregon Live says Johnson issued a statement while vacationing in Hawaii apologizing “for any insensitive comments I may have made.”

Oregon House District 52 candidate Aurora del Val announced to a gathering at a candidates forum in Sandy that she is stepping away from the race, and asking her supporters to vote for fellow Democrat Anna Williams.  On her campaign Facebook page, del Val issued a statement in which she said she learned to be a viable candidate you have to raise money, and the thought of constantly asking for financial support made her feel “physically ill.”  She called for radical campaign finance reform.  del Val said she and Williams share the same values and sensibilities.  Williams and del Val were the only two Democratic Party candidates in the District 52 race.  Jeff Helfrich, who was appointed to the seat last fall when Mark Johnson resigned, is the lone Republican candidate.

Klickitat County Department of Emergency Management and the Klickitat County Interagency Fire Association have created three zones for establishing outdoor burn bans to better provide for mitigation of the diverse wildland fire hazard conditions across the 100 mile length of the county.  Zone boundaries follow fire district boundaries as much as possible.  Zone One is defined as lands east of the Klickitat County Fire District #7 eastern boundary to the county line.  Zone Two is defined as lands between the Klickitat County Fire District #7 eastern boundary west to the western boundaries of Klickitat County Fire Districts #4, 12 and 15, then north on the Klickitat River to the north county line.  Zone Three is defined as lands between the western boundaries of Klickitat County Fire Districts #4, 12 and 15 then north on the Klickitat River to the north county line, to the west county line.  Lands governed by the Yakama Indian Nation and Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission are not included.  Maps are available on the Klickitat County Department of Emergency Management webpage.  The public is directed to check with the appropriate authorities concerning burning restrictions within the incorporated limits of any city or town.