Hood River County School District Superintendent Dan Goldman says the district is going to release students early (Tuesday, February 7). Elementary students will be sent home at 12:10 p.m., Hood River Valley High School students at 1:10 p.m., and middle schools at 1:25. Buses on snow route. All activities are cancelled.

The North Wasco County School District 21 board has taken a trio of steps to make up for class time lost to weather-related cancellations in the past two months.  Monday, February 20, President’s Day, will now be a class day for students, as will Friday, May 26.  The district has also eliminated early release and late start days in the month of March.  D-21 Superintendent Candy Armstrong says the changes were made so the district wouldn’t have to receive a waiver from the state for classroom hours being under requirements.  Armstrong said if the district loses more class time to weather, they will probably have to look at adding days at the end of the year.

The Hood River County Chamber of Commerce asked its member businesses to tell them what kind of impact this winter has had on their business, and the answers have been mixed.  Chamber Executive Director Mike Glover says December seemed to go well in spite of snow, but there was more of an impact in January.   He said businesses closer to the freeway did better than those in downtown and the Heights.  The responses to the Chamber survey were anonymous.  Glover added none of the businesses who responded said the winter caused such problems that it put the business itself in jeopardy.

Boys Basketball Sherman 82, Mitchell-Spray 9 South Wasco 66, Condon-Wheeler 58 Dufur 75, Ione 38   Girls Basketball Sherman 56, Mitchell-Spray 26 Condon-Wheeler 38, South Wasco 32 Ione 56, Dufur 39

Rich Truax has been tabbed to take a vacant position on the Hood River County School District Board.  Truax was picked from five applicants for the at-large position being vacated by Jan Veldhuisen-Virk after serving on the board for 18 years.  Truax is a licensed engineer, and has been on the school district’s finance advisory committee and served on local option and capital bond campaign committees.  He has also been board president for the Cooper Spur Ski Race Team and the Port of Hood River’s budget committee.  Truax was chosen unanimously by the board to fill the seat, and will be formally sworn in on February 8 at the district office.

Oregon 52nd District State Representative Mark Johnson says he wants to see the state have a position in the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to provide policy guidance on outdoor recreation issues.  Johnson believes the position is needed to provide guidance on how outdoor recreation is impacted by decisions involving land use and environmental laws, tax policy, and transportation.  Johnson’s proposal calls for the position to be paid for through a combination of public and private funds.

Mid-Columbia Medical Center will host its annual Heart Expo at Water’s Edge in The Dalles on Friday as part of Go Red for Women’s Heart Health Month.  Planetree Health Resources Center coordinator Linda Stahl says they are trying to raise awareness of heart disease in women through the expo, which will feature demonstrations, information booths, and screening opportunities.  The Heart Expo is Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Water’s Edge in The Dalles.  In addition, the Heart Truth 3K/5K/10K walk and run will be Saturday, with registration at the Kiwanis Pocket Park on Klindt Drive at 9:30 a.m., and the walk and run beginning at 10 a.m.

Boys Basketball Stevenson 99, Columbia 78:  Austin Brannan scored 24 points as the Bulldogs moved into third place in the Trico League.  Four players scored in double figures for Stevenson.  William Gross led Columbia with 31 points.  The two teams play again tonight at 7 p.m. in Stevenson.   The Dalles 46, Mac-Hi 37:  The Riverhawks won their third game of the season.   Wrestling St. Helens 36, Hood River Valley 30:  St. Helens dominated the upper weight classes to score the dual match win.  Justin Lane, Ryan Zeller, and Chad Muenzer all won by fall for HRV.

North Wasco County School District 21’s Long Range Facilities Planning Committee held its second workshop on Tuesday night, and received the cost of replacement of many of the district’s facilities.  The panel was told it would cost about 64 million dollars to replace The Dalles High School, while elementary school replacement ranged from 16 to 22 million dollars apiece.  D-21 Superintendent Candy Armstrong says they also discussed what school buildings require for teaching and learning today.  The committee meets again on Feburary 21 to continue to discuss that topic.

Oregon Senator and ranking Finance Committee member Ron Wyden blasted Republicans on the panel for approving President Donald Trump’s choice of financier Steven Mnuchin as Treasury Secretary without the nominee supplying more information on how he handled thousands of mortgage foreclosures at the firm he took over.  Democrats boycotted committee votes on Mnuchin and Congressman Tom Price for head of Health and Human Services.  Republicans changed the rules to allow that vote to move forward, and Wyden believes that was wrong, saying it violated democratic principles and advanced the interests of “two candidates with serious ethical problems.”  Republicans said Mnuchin’s long tenure in finance is an ample prerequisite for the Treasury job.  The nomination must still be approved by the full Senate.