The Dalles City Council has approved a request from Mid-Columbia Senior Center for a reduction in transportation systems development charges as they install a new elevator for better access to the basement of the building.  The move gives two 50 percent reductions to the SDC, one based on an ordinance allowing staff to approve such a request and another for non-profit groups.  Councilors noted the work being done at MCSC does not increase the burden on infrastructure.  In other business, the Council approved a new contract with the municipal employees’ union.  And they accepted the proposed alternate route for the eastern end of the Riverfront Trail that would cross the freeway to the south side of I-84.  That paves the way for the Riverfront Trail committee to begin to solicit funding for the project.

Softball Hood River Valley splits with Pendleton:  The Eagles lost the completion of a suspended game 7-2, but came back with three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to win the regularly scheduled contest 3-2.  Lizzie Weekly brought home the tying run with a sacrifice fly, and Lauren Decker’s two-out single brought home the game winner.  Pendleton remains one game in front of HRV atop the Columbia River Conference standings with one game to play for each team. Hermiston 6, The Dalles 0:  The Bulldogs moved a game ahead of the Riverhawks for the CRC’s final play-in spot.   Baseball The Dalles 6, Hermiston 5:  The Riverhawks scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning to draw even with the Bulldogs for the CRC’s final play-in spot with each team having just one game left. Hood River Valley 11, Pendleton 3   Southwest Washington Class 1A District Baseball Tournament Castle Rock 4, Columbia 2:  The Bruins meet Elma in a loser-out game on Friday.   Southwest Washington Class 1A District Boys Soccer Tournament Columbia 1, Elma 0:  The Bruins will meet Toledo in a semi-final game on Thursday at King’s Way Christian.   Girls Tennis Stevenson 4, Northwest Christian 1   Boys Lacrosse Lincoln 15, Hood River Valley 7

The Historic Columbia River Highway east of Rowena Point may remain closed for two to three weeks due to the extensive rock slide that occurred there Sunday evening.  The Oregon Department of Transportation says the rockfall is about 200 feet long, scattered across the highway.  The rock fell from a wall next to the highway at about 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.  Some of the rocks are so large that ODOT will have to bring in special equipment to handle its removal.  ODOT spokesman Peter Murphy says the agency is bringing in geology specialists to examine the area for potential future rockfall and to insure that cleanup crews will be safe performing their duties, along with special rock scaling crews to deal with remaining hazards.  In the meantime, the historic highway remains closed to all vehicles, including bicycles, and hikers in the vicinity of the slide.

The Dalles City Council is making a counter-offer to The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce for their tourism services in 2017.  Mayor Steve Lawrence made the request to make the counter-offer to the Chamber’s proposal for $243,844, which is down by over $2,600 from last year but removes the cruise ship program that will be operated by The Dalles Main Street with a contribution of $40,000 from the City.  Lawrence felt shifting the cruise ship relations to Main Street should have reduced the cost further.  The City’s counter offer is $215,000.  But Chamber Executive Director Lisa Farquharson said even if the ship program was in the organization’s request, it would have increased to keep their marketing efforts competitive with other areas, noting only the three summer months see over 70 percent occupancy in the city’s hotels.  The Council voted 3-2 to make the counter offer, with Darcy Long-Curtiss and Tim McGlothlin opposed.  Long-Curtiss said she was frustrated that the proposed cuts were being put forward at a late hour in the process, noting the issue never came up in Council goal-setting session and the Chamber’s efforts had increased transient room tax revenues.  Farquharson said the counter offer would go to the Chamber board…and the issue will be back to the Council on May 22.

A motorcycle rider was taken by Lifelight to a Portland hospital after being ejected off of his motorcycle in an accident on Highway 142 at Glenwood Road Monday evening.  According to the Washington State Patrol, 46-year-old Jimmie Burr of Colville, Washington was westbound on Highway 142 near milepost 22 at about 5:10 p.m. on Monday when he lost control and slid across the roadway.  He was ejected from the motorcycle, and came to rest down a 25-foot embankment.  Burr was first taken to Klickitat Valley Hospital in Goldendale, then flown to Legacy Emanual Medical Center in Portland with undisclosed injuries.  The WSP said speed was a factor in the accident.

The continuing resolution approved by Congress recently does include the Low Income Energy Assistance Program after it did not appear in the White House budget for the upcoming fiscal year.  Jim Slusher of Mid-Columbia Community Action, which administers the LIEAP program in Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman counties, says the funding is at similar levels to the current fiscal year.  Slusher noted the extremely cold winter the Gorge endured this year meant they could not provide assistance to pay heating bills to all who applied with the agency.  Community Action will hold a community barbecue and open house on Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 312 East 4th in The Dalles to celebrate Community Action Month.

Southwest Washington District Class 1A Baseball Tournament First Round Columbia 7, Montesano 3:  William Gross drove in three runs and pitched a four-hitter as the Bruins defeated the Evergreen League champions.  Trenton Howard had two runs batted in, as the Bruins took advantage of five Montesano errors.  Columbia is at Castle Rock for their second game in the tournament today.   Baseball Dufur 19, Riverside 9:  The Rangers run their record to 20-0.   Boys Tennis Hood River Valley 8, Pendleton 0

The Historic Columbia River Highway is closed below Rowena Loop between The Dalles and Hood River due to a rock slide that occurred on Sunday.  Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Peter Murphy says crews are still assessing the situation, and there is no estimate on when Highway 30 will reopen.  He said they are dealing with an overhang that leaves open the question of whether everything that could fall has done so.  Murphy says crews called scalers will be brought in to move down from the top of the hillside and make sure anything that could fall is removed.  The slide is also rather large, over 75 feet long.  Another question is whether some of the bigger rocks in the slide can be moved out by ODOT equipment, or if they will have to be crushed first.

Ballots are being returned for next Tuesday’s special districts election at a very slow pace.  Wasco County reported a return rate of just under 11 percent as of Monday morning, while Hood River County was at 7.4 percent.  The low returns are in spite of a busier than usual special districts ballot.  In Wasco County there are contested races for the Columbia Gorge Community College and Port of The Dalles boards, while in Hood River County there are plenty of candidates for seats on the Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation, Port of Hood River, and Hood River County School District board.  Ballots can be returned by mail, or at designated drop boxes.  In Wasco County those are at the Courthouse on 511 Washington in The Dalles or at Maupin City Hall, while in Hood River County they are at the County Administration Building on 601 State in Hood River or at Cascade Locks City Hall.

If the Oregon Legislature doesn’t reinstate $40,000 per year to each Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area county to help administer Scenic Area land use ordinances, Hood River County may consider no longer offering the service.  That would involve the County repeal from its land use code administration of the Scenic Area, which would send applicants to the Columbia River Gorge Commission.  Commission Chair Ron Rivers says with the county’s ever-tightening budget situation, he’s not sure they can afford to do the work without state funding.  The funding has not been in state budget proposals to this point, but passage of a fiscal plan for the upcoming biennium by the Legislature is still weeks from happening.