Columbia Gorge CC Board Pos. 1 Sarah Segal…1,158 Richard (Monty) Wilcox…1,025 Carmen (Carmelo) Gamez…963   Columbia Gorge CC Board Pos. 2 Dana Campbell…1,779 James Willcox…1,478   Columbia Gorge CC Board Pos. 5 Kim Morgan…1,786 Ernie Keller…1,475   Columbia Gorge CC Board Pos. 7 Kevin McCabe…1,623 Charleen Cobb…1,469     Port of The Dalles Pos. 1 Robert Wallace…1,327 Dawn Rasmussen…1,314   Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue Board Pos. 2 Kathy Schwartz…1,467 John Willer…1,167   Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue Board Pos. 4 David Jacobs…1,100 Crystal Dodge…650 Cyndi Vipperman…631   North Wasco County Parks and Recreation Pos. 5 Annette Byers…1,481 Daniel Polehn…694   Mosier Fire Board Pos. 1 Todd Reeves…166 Craig Dorsay…41   Moro Rural Fire Protection District Pos. 3 Pat Bird…46 Curtis Mason…11

Ballots must be returned to County election offices or designated drop boxes by 8 p.m. Tuesday evening in the special districts election in Oregon.  The ballot in the region is topped by NORCOR’s request for a permanent tax rate of 26-cents-per-thousand dollars of assessed property value to help fund operations of the regional jail for Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, and Gilliam counties.  That rate matches what taxpayers paid after passing the bond measure to build the jail, and just came off the tax rolls.  There are numerous positions for special district boards on the ballot, particularly in Hood River and Wasco counties.  The latest reported ballot return rates are right around 21 to 22 percent in both Hood River and Wasco counties.  Ballots must be turned in by 8 p.m. in Hood River County at the County Administration Building or Cascade Locks City Hall, and in Wasco County at the County Courthouse or Maupin City Hall.  Election officials remind voters to be sure to follow instructions for signing their ballot, and don’t put their ballots in the mailbox at this point.

Hood River County Commissioners have decided to tell the Oregon Department of Transportation to go ahead with re-alignment of Tucker Road at the Country Club and Guignard Drive intersections, and not do the work at Nobi’s Corner.  Commission Chair Ron Rivers says they made the decision after a long discussion, adding it was a change from an earlier lean to have the Nobi’s Corner work done, but they decided with Tucker Road at that location being a state highway, therefore its work should be a state issue, and these other two projects are beyond the highway designation.  The County was forced to make a choice between the projects when they were informed by the state a new Environmental Protection Agency rule on soil testing would significantly increase the County’s share of the costs to do all three of the projects, which were approved for state funding.

The Dalles Civic Auditorium is partnering with the Gorge Community Foundation to form The Dalles Civic Auditorium Endowment Fund.  The Civic fund will combine designated donations of all sizes to be professionally invested and managed by GCF, which manages over $5.5 million for a long list of gorge- focused organizations and individuals.  Civic board member Beverly Erickson says they hope to launch a donation-match campaign in the near future.  Civic Board President Dennis Morgan says the endowment fund is vital to The Civic’s future, noting the progress of theatre renovations and plans to focus on preservation and long-term funding support.  The Civic’s former Foundation will be dismantled and its remaining account balance added to The Dalles Civic Auditorium Endowment fund.  Donations to The Dalles Civic Auditorium Endowment Fund can be made at www.gorgecf.org and following their donation button prompts.

Work will begin this coming Monday on improvements for the Hood River Waterfront Trail, directly underneath the Hood River Bridge.  The portion of the trail that lies between the Port of Hood River offices and the area just west of the Hood River Inn will be closed for the week of May 22 while work is done.  Trail pedestrians and cyclists will be detoured via the crosswalk at the Button Bridge Road/ Marina Drive intersection.  The project is expected to last for about one week, with the trail opening back up on May 26th by 5:30 p.m.  Crestline Construction is the contractor on the project.

Oregon Class 5A Boys Golf Tournament The Dalles is tied for third with Corvallis after the first round of the Oregon Class 5A Boys Golf Tournament at Quail Valley Golf Course in Banks.  The Riverhawks are 15 shots back of team leader Summit headed into today’s final round.  Chase Snodgrass had the best first round for the Riverhawks, shooting a six-over-par 78.  That has him in a tie for fifth, four shots back of the leaders.   Oregon State Girls Lacrosse Playoffs First Round Lincoln 13, Hood River Valley 10:  Abigail Bartles scored four goals for the Eagles, who finish the season with a 12-5 record.

The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Sunday with free admission and a host of activities.  The Center in The Dalles is the official interpretive center of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, and was dedicated in May 1997.  Discovery Center marketing manager Susan Buce says everyone is invited to attend.  There will be wildflower identification walks, raptor presentations, and Native American demonstrations.  The Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., as it is every day.

The Dalles Public Works Department will be closing one lane of East 2^nd Street Saturday and Monday to install a sanitary sewer main line east of the Boat Basin Overpass.  Work will occur between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. both days.  The City will have flaggers in place to guide drivers around the work area, but delays are expected.  To avoid the congestion it is suggested using the detour route of Brewery Grade, up to 10^th Street, east to Old Dufur Road and down Fremont Street to Highway 197.  Proceed with caution in that area during construction and observe all temporary traffic control devices.

Track and Field Hood River Valley was second and The Dalles third in both the boys and girls standings at the Columbia River Conference Track and Field Championships in Hermiston.  During Thursday’s finals…HRV’s boys won four events:  Owen Ramsey in the 100 meters, Jesse Wiley in the 1500, Chad Klaas in the pole vault, and Jonah Tactay in the triple jump.  Hood River’s Reed Bauer won the girls’ 800 meters, The Dalles’  Cameron Perez was first in the boys’ javelin, and the Riverhawks’ Tressa Wood won the girls’ 1500 meters.  The Eagle boys grabbed 14 entries in the state Class 5A meet in Eugene next week, the HRV girls earned eight, The Dalles girls four, and the Riverhawk boys three.   Goldendale’s boys were third and the girls fourth in the SCAC West Sub-district track and field meet at Highland.  Dillon Rising won two events for the Timberwolf boys, while Michael Jageliski and Mykhail Lembke were also victorious.  Ellie Rising, Allison Gilliam, and Ocean Bryan were event winners for the Goldendale girls.   Southwest Washington Class 1A District Boys Soccer Tournament Semi-Final Toledo 1, Columbia 0:  Jonathan VanVleck scored the only goal in the final minutes of regulation as Toledo defeated the Bruins for the third time this year.  CHS plays Montesano tomorrow at noon at King’s Way Christian for third place in the district and a spot in the state 1A tournament.   Boys Lacrosse Grant 13, Hood River Valley 9

The Dalles City Council has decided to proceed with seeking a request for qualifications from any entity that might be interested in restoring the historic Gitchell Building.  The building on the National Register for Historic Places located on First Street along the railroad tracks was deemed unsafe for entry by City staff a few years ago, and its proximity to the tracks could limit or make unusable the southern portion of the structure.  Assistant to the City Manager Matthew Klebes says the RFQ is looking for ideas, adding studies have shown rehabilitation could be expensive.  The City will take its time waiting for proposals, but Klebes says if they don’t receive any the Council will have to take a look at other options, ranging from the City paying to rehabilitate the building either for occupancy or as a landmark to seeking a demolition permit.