The Columbia Gorge Community College Board of Education unanimously approved a contract with Dr. Marta Yera Cronin to become the school’s next president.  Cronin was picked from a field of 44 applicants.  She is currently vice president of academic affairs at Indian River State College in Florida.  CGCC board chair Stu Watson says Cronin has experience innovating new programs while working with a diverse student population.  Cronin will officially assume her post on July 1.  Chief academic officer Lori Ufford will continue as CGCC’s interim president until that date.

Three members of The Dalles Community Outreach team made the semi-annual trip to Washington, D.C. to talk with federal officials.  The emphasis of this trip was to push for funding for a regional skills center and campus housing for Columbia Gorge Community College.  The state has committed seven-point-three million dollars for the project, but the local community must match that amount by January 2019.  The Dalles Mayor Steve Lawrence says they are hoping to get four million dollars in federal funding.  The most likely avenue to get that money is through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Program.  Lawrence says they are looking at all options to find the rest of the funds.

Hood River Adopt-A-Dog is making some changes, extending its shelter hours and hiring two new shelter managers.  The Hukari Animal Shelter on 3910 Heron Drive in Odell will now be open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., while Lauren Halliday and Emma Swanhuyser will manage the shelter.  Adopt-A-Dog board chair Susan Lannak says those moves allow the shelter to be more accommodating to people’s schedules.  Hood River Adopt-A-Dog is holding a meet-and-greet to learn about volunteer opportunities in the organization on Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Pines on 2nd and Cascade in Hood River.

Softball Savannah Showcase in Anaheim Hood River Valley 9, Rancho Alamitos 0:  Kaitlyn Winans allowed only two hits in pitching four shutout innings, while Lauren Decker and Makenzie Chambers drove in two runs apiece. Hood River Valley 9, Anaheim 0:  Hannah McNerney fired a one-hitter while striking out 12, and Zoe Munn drove in two runs as HRV ran its record to 7-0.   River View 9, Goldendale 7   Baseball Pride Classic in Ahwatukee, Arizona Buck Division Rocky Mountain (ID) 11, Hood River Valley 2:  Connor Coerper struck out 10 over four innings, but the Eagles committed four errors that led to a number of unearned runs.   Cron Division Tualatin 27, The Dalles 1 Higley (AZ) 6, The Dalles 2   Lyle-Wishram splits with Sunnyside  Christian, losing game one 9-1 but scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning of the nightcap to pull out a 7-6 win. Goldendale 13, River View 12:  Dylan Dunning hit two home runs and drove in six for the Timberwolves. LaCenter at Stevenson, doubleheader:  Postponed to 3 p.m. today.   Boys Soccer Columbia 4, Toledo 1 Castle Rock 5, Stevenson 3

The Dalles City Council has changed its ordinance on giving non-profits and governmental entities a break on system development charges, fixing the credit at 25 percent.  In the past, the Council has had the authority to grant up to 50 percent, but decided to review that last September.  Mayor Steve Lawrence says the hope is that this will streamline the process.  In other business, the Council awarded just over $20,000 to a number of different projects as part of its small grant program for fiscal year 2018-19.  City officials noted a number of requests did not include budgets as required.

Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District Director Mark Hickox outlined for City Councilors the district’s three options for replacing the Hood River Aquatic Center and developing an overall master plan.  Hickox says they are putting together a master plan in conjunction with the City, County, and Port of Hood River along with the Hood River County School District.  Hickox says in an ideal world, the master plan would have come before the pool effort, but the condition of the rapidly aging aquatic center forced the issue.  Pool replacement options range from estimated construction costs of 13-point-five to 20-point-three million dollars.  Engineers estimate there are about three to five years of left before the cost of maintenance outweighs the cost to replace.

The Dalles City Council has changed its ordinance on giving non-profits and governmental entities a break on system development charges, fixing the credit at 25 percent.  In the past, the Council has had the authority to grant up to 50 percent, but decided to review that last September.  Mayor Steve Lawrence says the hope is that this will streamline the process.  In other business, the Council awarded just over $20,000 to a number of different projects as part of its small grant program for fiscal year 2018-19.  City officials noted a number of requests did not include budgets as required.

Northwest Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray of Washington joined a bipartisan group of their colleagues urged federal officials to oppose a plan in the Fiscal Year 2019 budget that would auction off transmission assets of the Bonneville Power Administration and other power marketing administrations.  In a letter the senators wrote to Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, they noted a long, bipartisan tradition of opposing such proposals.  The senators expressed concern that the proposal would hurt citizens and local businesses who depend on BPA for affordable electricity, adding economic value would shift from families and businesses in western states to investors and lead to higher rates.  Utilities from across the Northwest have spoken out to express concern that selling off BPA’s assets would raise electricity rates and hurt consumers.  Fourteen Democrats and nine Republicans signed on to the letter.

The City of Hood River has received a grant from the non-profit Oregon Community Trees to help it celebrate Arbor Week in April.  The City, in partnership with EnviroGorge and Hood River Valley High School students, is planning a variety of events over several days to mark Arbor Week.  The first event will be a tree planting on April 27 along Rand Road between Sherman and Cascade Streets beginning at 1 p.m.  At Waterfront Park, volunteers will hand out information to the public about the benefits of trees, tree care, and tree protection during construction.  At an upcoming City Council meeting, local developers will be recognized with awards for outstanding tree protection.  And the City Tree Committee is also purchasing tree watering bags to loan out to developers, businesses, and homeowners associations to establish newly planted trees.  The City is using the Oregon Community Trees grant to purchase the trees and reusable tree-watering bags, the awards for developers, and a banner.

Pride Classic Baseball Tournament in Ahwatukee, Arizona Buck Division Monarch (CO) 11, Hood River Valley 3   Cron Division Chandler (AZ) 9, The Dalles 5