Washington 14th District State Representative Gina McCabe hopes a bill requested by the Department of Labor and Industries to decrease the penalties paid by mobile and manufactured home owners can open the door for other rule changes.  The bill, passed unanimously by the House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee, will drop the fine imposed on owners who do not use a certified installer for manufactured homes from $1,000 to $250.  McCabe, who sponsored the bill, hopes this can lead to working with the agency to deal with other issues.

Boys Basketball Hood River Valley 66, The Dalles 63:  HRV held off the Riverhawks in a wild game at Vannet Court.  Dakota Kurahara scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, while Jonah Tactay scored 20 points off the bench to lead the Eagles to the win.  Dakota Murr tallied 32 of his 33 points in the second half to give The Dalles an opportunity to win.  The Riverhawks took the lead briefly in the third quarter, but HRV went on a nine-point run at the end of the period to take the lead for good, helped by two three-point field goals from Trenton Hough.   LaCenter 71, Columbia 60 King’s Way Christian 66, Stevenson 63 Horizon Christian 68, Condon-Wheeler 44   Girls Basketball The Dalles 54, Hood River Valley 38:  The Riverhawks made seven three-pointers in the first half to take control of the game.  Brooke McCall scored 14 points and Jodi Thomasian added 12 for The Dalles.  Hannah McNerney led HRV with 11. King’s Way Christian 43, Stevenson 30 Horizon Christian 59, Condon-Wheeler 23

To those who live in lower elevations, this has been a winter with much larger amounts than in recent years.  But in the mountains, the snow pack levels are similar to what they were one year ago.  Scott Oviatt of the Natural Resources Conservation Service says at this time the Hood, Sandy, and Lower Deschutes basins are at 111 percent of their normal snowpack level, and 122 percent in the Upper Deschutes basin.  Oviatt says last year a warm spring negated those snow pack numbers.  Oviatt adds having more snow at lower elevations helps agricultural operations maintain soil moisture from record precipitation in October.

As legislative leaders in the Washington State Senate and House release plans to revamp education funding in the state, rank-and-file members will be sorting through them to learn their strengths and weaknesses.  14th District Representative Gina McCabe is one of those who will be going through the process.  The Goldendale Republican says she wants to make sure the basics are funded, and school districts don’t have to rely on maintenance and operations levies anymore.  McCabe expects the final solution will be a hybrid of all the various plans, adding finding the money to pay for it all will probably be the biggest hurdle.

Boys Basketball Stanfield 82, Sherman 80 Goldendale 54, Lyle-Wishram 40   Girls Basketball LaCenter 65, Columbia 14 King’s Way Christian 54, Stevenson 49 Stanfield 46, Sherman 38

A man accused in the stabbing death of another man in The Dalles on Thursday made his first appearance Monday in Wasco County Circuit Court.  21-year-old Zoey Austin Pike, who lists his residence as The Dalles, received an indictment accusing him of murder and unlawful use of a weapon in the incident at 517 Liberty Street.  Pike is being held in NORCOR without bail, and the law firm of Morris, Stearns, and Sullivan was appointed to represent him.  Earlier in the day The Dalles Police Department said 21-year-old Nathaniel Orio Preyapongpisan was the victim who succumbed to injuries at the scene of the incident.  The release did not indicate where Preyapongpisan lives, but last week police indicated they believe the victim is from the Seattle area.  Pike will make next court appearance on February 22.

The Lyle School District is asking voters to approve a two-year replacement maintenance and operations levy worth slightly over one million dollars per year.  Superintendent Andrew Kelly says the levy would make up about 24 to 25 percent of the district’s budget, replacing the current M&O levy along with a three-year federal grant that is about to expire.  The estimated property tax rate for the levy is $2.99 per $1,000 of assessed property value, similar to the historical levels.  The levy proposal is on the February 14 ballot.

Boys Basketball Pendleton 70, The Dalles 35 Bend 69, The Dalles 47 King’s Way Christian 75, Columbia 51 Stevenson 87, Seton Catholic 82 LaCenter 68, Stevenson 61 Dufur 67, Mitchell-Spray 27 Dufur 56, South Wasco 33 Arlington 40, South Wasco 36 Horizon Christian 69, Condon-Wheeler 44 Sherman 68, Horizon Christian 55 Sherman 84, Ione 48 North Clackamas 55, Trout Lake 44 Yakama Tribal 58, Lyle-Wishram 42 Lyle-Wishram 56, Bickleton 52 Bickleton 51, Klickitat-Glenwood 50 Sunnyside Christian 69, Klickitat-Glenwood 35 Naches Valley 44, Goldendale 43   Girls Basketball Pendleton 60, The Dalles 48 The Dalles 38, Bend 34 King’s Way Christian 41, Columbia 39 LaCenter 88, Stevenson 30 Dufur 51, Mitchell-Spray 13 Arlington 40, South Wasco 34 South Wasco 49, Dufur 28 Sherman 69, Ione 38 Horizon Christian 65, Condon-Wheeler 30 Horizon Christian 66, Sherman 20 North Clackamas 44, Trout Lake 29 Yakama Tribal 58, Lyle-Wishram 13 Klickitat-Glenwood 56, Bickleton 39 Bickleton 43, Lyle-Wishram 41 Sunnyside Christian 65, Klickitat-Glenwood  15 Goldendale 55, Naches Valley 44   Wrestling Mountain View 55, Hood River Valley 12:  Justin Lane, Jason Shaner, and Justin Wilson recorded wins for HRV.   Hood River Valley finished tenth and The Dalles 18^th in the Hood River Elks Tournament at Vannet Court.  Jason Shaner of HRV won the 126 pound division with four straight wins.  Mountain View won the team title.   Alpine Skiing Hood River Valley won both the boys and girls races in a Mt. Hood League giant slalom at Mt. Hood Meadows.  Josie Peterson won the girls’ race to lead a group of five Eagles in the top seven.  The HRV boys placed five in the top ten, with Nash Levy leading that quintet with a second place finish.   The Dalles finished fifth in both races, with Martin Carter earning a fourth place finish individually in the boys’ race.   Nordic Skiing Hood River Valley’s Leif Bergstrom finished third in the boys’ race and Daisy Dolan tenth in the girls race in Northern League competition at Mt. Bachelor.

A 21-year-old man has been arrested and lodged at the Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facility on suspicion of murder in a stabbing death on Thursday in The Dalles.  According to The Dalles Police Chief Pat Ashmore, officers were dispatched to 517 Liberty Street on a report of a stabbing, where they administered first aid to the victim until it was confirmed the victim was dead.  Officers took Zoey Pike, who lists his residence as The Dalles, into custody at the scene without incident and eventually arrested him for murder and unlawful use of a weapon.  No formal charges were filed and no court date has been set at this time, even though Ashmore anticipated Pike would appear in court on Monday.  The name of the victim has not been released, but police indicated that person is from the Seattle area.

Boys Basketball Hermiston 69, Hood River Valley 61:  The Bulldogs used a solid third quarter run to to take control of the game.  Xavier Rambo led Hermiston for the second straight night with 21 points, while J.J. Mears had 16 points and Dakota Kurahara 15 for HRV. King’s Way Christian 68, Columbia 56:  King’s Way shot 53 percent from the field on the way to the Trico League win.  William Gross topped the Bruins with 17 points.   Girls Basketball Hermiston 55, Hood River Valley 25:  Three Bulldogs scored in double figures in grabbing the victory.  Emily Curtis topped the Eagles with 7 points. Columbia 50, King’s Way Christian 43:  Kathrin Hylton topped CHS with 14 points as the Bruins moved into third place in the Trico League. Stevenson 52, Seton Catholic 41:  The Bulldogs grabbed their first Trico League with, as Kaitlyn Rathgeber had 14 points.