The Forest Service says it has closed the Laurance Lake Reservoir and Kinnikinnick Campground for the 2018 season.  That’s because of upcoming maintenance and construction activities at Clear Branch Dam this summer.  Middle Fork Irrigation District, which manages the dam and reservoir, needs to complete monitoring, maintenance and upgrades to ensure delivery of irrigation water to their patrons and meet dam safety requirements.  The planned construction work has necessitated lower reservoir levels in Laurance Lake than have been witnessed in recent years, dramatically reducing the size of the lake and exposing a steep and rocky shoreline, which would pose a safety risk for lake users.  Reed canary grass, an invasive species present at the west end of the lake, could spread to the newly exposed shoreline.  The draw down will also result in a much smaller pool of water for fish, so the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will not be stocking the reservoir, and there will there be no open fishery in Laurance Lake this year.

Softball The Dalles 9, Mountain View 0:  Bailey LeBreton and Madison Troutt homered as the Riverhawks finished non-league play with a win.  LeBreton also pitched a shutout, giving up only four hits.   Track and Field Columbia’s boys were second and girls third in a seven-school meet in White Salmon.  LaCenter finished first in both boys and girls competitions.  Brandon Montoya of Lyle-Wishram had another big day, winning the boys’ 100 and 200 meters and long jump, with Columbia’s Alex Medina taking first in the boys’ shot put and discus.  The Bruins’ Alondra Casarez-Garcia won both girls’ hurdles races.

City of Hood River is going to put together a downtown parking study advisory committee.  City Councilors Kate McBride and Mark Zanmiller will be joined by two downtown building owners, two downtown business operators, and one at-large member.  A peak season study is going to take place this summer, and an off-season examination was done over the winter.  City Manager Steve Wheeler says a general finding from the off-season indicates there was a reasonable amount of open parking spaces, but many of them were on private property and difficult to utilize.  Wheeler notes one of the questions to answer is whether or not there is enough year-round demand to pay for the operation and maintenance of a parking structure.

The Wasco County Elections Office says it is fielding inquiries as the Independent Party of Oregon opens its primary to non-affiliated voters.  Wasco County Clerk Lisa Gambee says if a non-affiliated voter wants to receive a ballot for the Independent Party, they need to fill out a form available on the current elections page at wascocounty.org.  Gambee notes many people who say they are “independent” actually mean they are not a part of any political party, and they are called non-affiliated voters, and will receive the non-partisan ballot unless they request the Independent Party ballot.  If you checked “Independent” when you registered to vote, that meant you chose to be part of the political party called The Independent Party of Oregon.  If this was not your intention, you can change your voter registration online on the Oregon Secretary of State’s My Vote page, or by visiting the Wasco County Elections Office at the Wasco County Courthouse.  April 24 is the last day to make those changes or register to vote before the May primary.  She adds if you are registered to vote, you will receive a ballot based on the party affiliation you indicated.

Baseball The Dalles 5, Mountain View 2:  The Riverhawks did it a little at a time to grab their third win of the year.  The Dalles scored single runs in each inning from the second to the sixth to grab the win.  Jose Gonzalez and Spencer Honald split the work on the mound for the Riverhawks. Columbia sweeps King’s Way Christian 3-0 and 5-4 to open Trico League play. Lyle-Klickitat-Wishram swept Dufur 13-0 and 15-1. Sherman 3, Weston-McEwen 1 Goldendale splits with Kiona-Benton, winning game one 9-3 but losing game two 11-9:  Jacob Bischoff had three doubles and five RBI in the doubleheader for the Timberwolves.   Softball Hood River Valley 10, Mountain View 0:  The Eagles played long ball to win their 12^th straight game.  Morgan Baker, Zoe Munn, Kaylin Winans, and Makenzie Chambers all homered for HRV.   Track and Field Both the Goldendale boys and girls teams won two out of three duals in a four-school SCAC West meet at Zillah.  Dillon Rising won the boys’ 800 and 1600 meters, while Allison Gilliam won both girls’ hurdles races.   Boys Tennis Hood River Valley 6, Hermiston 2 Naches Valley 3, Goldendale 2   Girls Tennis Stevenson 3, King’s Way Christian 2 Naches Valley 3, Goldendale 2   Boys Soccer Columbia 2, King’s Way Christian 0   Boys Lacrosse Hood River Valley 14, Forest Grove 1   Girls Lacrosse Lincoln 13, Hood River Valley 12:  The Eagles suffer their first loss of the year.  Abigail Bartles and Emma Norris scored three goals apiece for HRV.   Boys Golf Goldendale finished second to Cle Elum in a three-team tournament.  Luke Gerchuk was the low scorer for the Timberwolves with an 84.

Hood River County Commissioners had varying opinions on how deep they were willing to dip into reserves to balance the 2018-19 fiscal year budget, but there was consensus they want to develop some kind of revenue measure to put before voters in November.  Commissioner Rich McBride called for a commitment to not cut jobs in this budget, but Les Perkins and Bob Benton both said they couldn’t do that, with Perkins advocating for a budget that is sustainable for the next three years without new revenues and noting uncertainty for multiple years is more difficult on staff than dealing with it up front.  Commission Chair Ron Rivers noted while the County’s budget committee asked for direction on how to consider the use of reserves, there are varying opinions from the board.  Commissioners plan to convene community focus groups to discuss various aspects of the County’s fiscal challenge as part of developing a revenue measure.  In addition, former Hood River Mayor Arthur Babitz has been brought on board to act as an unpaid advisor to County Administrator Jeff Hecksel in evaluating budget options.  The budget committee meets on Friday at 3 p.m. in the County Administration Building.

During a fairly light meeting for The Dalles City Council, Councilors approved an amendment to the ordinance governing pedestrian and vehicular traffic to include restrictions on commercial vehicle parking in residential zoning districts.  Under the ordinance passed by Councilors, commercial vehicles with any of a height greater than seven feet, length greater than 20 feet, or width greater than eight feet will not be allowed to park on streets in residential zones.  Moving vans or trucks that are being actively loaded or unloaded, utility vehicles in use for construction or repair work, and parcel delivery vehicles are exempt from the restriction.  The move came about after the City received complaints from residents concerning the parking of large commercial vehicles in their neighborhood.

A fire burned a home in the 300 block of Main Street in Wishram.  The American Red Cross Cascades Region says one adult was impacted by the fire, which occurred on Monday at around 5 p.m.  The Red Cross provided resources to help address the immediate basic needs of that person.  No other information on the fire is available.

Baseball Stevenson splits with Castle Rock, winning game one 3-0 and losing game two 21-3.   Golf The Dalles’ boys were third at the Bend Invitational.  The Riverhawks’ Tyler Vassar and Aidan Telles tied for fourth, both shooting a six-over-par 78.  The Riverhawks finished sixth in the girls’ portion of the tournament.   Boys Tennis LaSalle 7, Hood River Valley 1 Goldendale 4, White Swan 1   Girls Tennis Sherman 3, Stevenson 2 Goldendale 5, White Swan 0

Hood River County Commissioners are holding a 4 p.m. meeting today (Monday) at the County Administration Building to talk about what kind of direction to give the budget committee as they consider how to deal with a one-point-four million dollar budget shortfall.  Budget committee members have asked for direction on how they should balance use of the two-point-four million dollars the county has in reserves and budget cuts.  County Commission Chair Ron Rivers stated his preference on Mid-Columbia Today not to see the County go backwards, and would like to find a different revenue source.  Potential revenue options include a local option levy similar to what the Hood River County School District has had for 13 years, a public safety district, and an extension service district.  The budget committee meets again on Friday at 3 p.m. in the County Administration Building.