The Port of The Dalles has been working on the concept of a value-added food lab to utilize agricultural products produced in the region.  Port Executive Director Andrea Klaas says Oregon State University Extension has worked on a lot of value-added concepts in the region, and the Port sees a role it can play.  Klaas says the bottom line goal is to bring more financial return to are farmers and help them diversify their options.

Baseball Hermiston 5, Hood River Valley 4 Pendleton 5, The Dalles 1 Warden 15, Goldendale 2 Dufur sweeps Sherman 10-0 and 12-6:  The Rangers clinch the Special District 6 title and runs its record to 19-0.   Softball Hermiston 1, Hood River Valley 0 Pendleton 13, The Dalles 0   Track and Field Lyle-Wishram’s Brandon Montoya won both the 100 and 200 meters and finished second in the long jump at the Spudder Classic in Ridgefield Trout Lake took both the boys and girls team victories in a five-school meet at Bickleton.  Kevin Bren won three events for the Glenwood boys, while Hannah Funkhouser and Sidney Becker won three each for Trout Lake. Mykhail Lembke won two events to lead the Goldendale effort at the High Mountain Classic in Cle Elum. Irrigon’s boys and Mitchell-Spray’s girls won team titles at the Arlington Invitational.  Dufur’s Asa Farrell and Ezekiel Stelzer, and South Wasco’s Ana Popchock won two events apiece. Sherman’s boys were second and the girls fourth at the Madras Invitational.  Reese Blake won the boys’ 1500 meters and Desiree Winslow the girls’ pole vault for the Huskies.   Boys Soccer Columbia 10, Castle Rock 0   Boys Golf The Dalles earned a berth in next week’s Oregon Class 5-A Championships with a third place finish at the Special District 2 Tournament at Eagle Crest.  Chase Snodgrass was the top Riverhawk finisher, shooting 15-over-par for the two round tournament and finishing fifth, six shots behind medalist Issac Buerger of Ridgeview.  The state tournament is next Tuesday at Quail Valley Golf Course in Banks.   Boys Lacrosse Summit 13, Hood River Valley 8 Hood River Valley 9, Mountain View 3 Bend 16, Hood River Valley 12   Girls Lacrosse Hood River Valley 11, Tualatin 10

The Dalles Blue Zones Project will launch in The Dalles later this month with a series of focus group meetings to talk about what they love about the community and what they would like to see change.  The Dalles was recently selected to host one of four Blue Zones Projects in Oregon, a community well-being initiative to make healthy choices easier.  Five topics will be explored during the focus group meetings on May 22 and 23 at The Dalles Civic Auditorium: Community policy, worksites, schools, engaging individuals, and faith-based communities.   Information from the focus groups, along with a community survey and other activities, will help put together a strategic plan to be created later this summer by volunteer leaders, local staff and national experts.  Each focus group will be offered three times and will take up to 90 minutes, and schedules and sign-ups to take part are available at go.bluezonesproject.com/thedalles_rsvp.

White Salmon officials are looking into the possibility that building a new community swimming pool might not cost as much as has been estimated.  Mayor David Poucher and City Councilors learned about an Ellensburg firm that constructed a single lap pool in Tonasket for about $760,000, with the total project coming out to $1.25 million.  After receiving earlier estimates above $3 million, Poucher says they want to learn more about what Tonasket did, and thinks White Salmon can get its costs down to $1.25 million to $1.5 million.  Poucher says some City officials will go to look at the Tonasket pool and visit with the contractor that built it to investigate the possibility further.

Oregon 29th District State Senator Bill Hansell says he wants to wait to see more details before taking a position on a House Democrat leadership plan to create a new business tax to help fill a budget shortfall or any other business tax overhaul proposal.  The Athena Republican does say there needs to be more of an emphasis on containing state expenditures, otherwise it will be difficult to generate any GOP votes.  House Speaker Tina Kotek and other leaders in that chamber are proposing a tax of 95-one-hundreths of a percentage point on a sales by companies with more than five million dollars in Oregon sales, while smaller businesses would pay just 250 dollars.  The trio says it would raise $2.1 billion this biennium and commit a minimum 75 percent of revenue generated through business tax reform to education.

Baseball Columbia 9, Castle Rock 7   Boys Soccer LaCenter 7, Stevenson 0

The Hood River County School District budget committee passed the budget presented by staff for the 2017-18 school year.  District Superintendent Dan Goldman says they used an estimate of the state K-12 education funding number for the upcoming biennium of $8.02 billion dollars, and the budget includes $800,000 in program cuts and uses a little over $2 million dollars in reserve.  He says they will have less staff, cut back on book buying, reduce teacher training, and plan less maintenance and repair.  Goldman believes personnel reductions can be achieved through attrition.  The budget will go the district board for approval in June.

Three senior House Democrats released what are they are calling the Oregon Education Investment Initiative, which would replace Oregon’s corporate income tax system with a new Commercial Activity Tax.  The plan by House Speaker Tina Kotek, House Revenue Committee chair Phil Barnhart, and Ways and Means Committee co-chair Nancy Nathanson proposes a tax of 95-one-hundreths of a percentage point on a sales by companies with more than five million dollars in Oregon sales, while smaller businesses would pay just 250 dollars.  The trio says it would raise $2.1 billion this biennium and commit a minimum 75 percent of revenue generated through business tax reform to education.  Republican 59th District Representative John Huffman is skeptical this kind of gross receipts tax will get business support, and questions the need for it.  He calls for more cost containment measures.  The lawmakers also proposed $200 million in tax relief for low- and middle-income households.

The 30th annual Community Clean Up event in The Dalles will take place this Saturday.  The Dalles residents can dispose of yard debris and other unwanted items by taking them to the old Wasco County Public Works yard on Walnut Street between nine and three on Saturday.  Approach the site from the south on 10th Street and exit toward 6th.  Cindy Keever of The Dalles Public Works says people can help by looking around their own neighborhoods and icking up litter.  The Reuse Fair will once again encourage residents to bring usable goods, and residents will be allowed to take what they need. Those who dispose of items are asked to donate canned food to benefit The Dalles Area Food Share.  Details on the Clean Up are available by calling The Dalles Public Works at 541-296-5401, and during the event at 541-288-6267.

The Wasco County Pioneers Association is holding its 95th annual reunion and luncheon on Saturday at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center.  Association president Rod Runyon says everyone is welcome to attend and share stories and see numerous pictures about Wasco County’s history.  Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. with lunch available for 15 dollars at 11:30 a.m.  The guest speaker during the program that begins at 1 p.m. will be Marilyn Urness.  She will be talking about her new book “Chinatown.”