A decision by the Oregon Department of Education to freeze the current list of Priority and Focus schools through the 2016-17 school year with the recent passing at the federal level of the Every Student Succeeds Act will impact two North Wasco County School District 21 elementary schools.  Chenowith has been a Priority school since 2012 and Colonel Wright a Focus school both because they faced challenges to close the achievement gap.  Superintendent Candy Armstrong feels at least one of the two schools would have come off the list after this school year, adding it’s a disappointment for staff at both locations.  With the freeze, the state will continue to provide support to Priority and Focus schools until a new accountability model is developed and applied.

Tourism continues to grow in the Gorge.  Hood River County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mike Glover says transit room tax revenues throughout the region, which includes the Mount Hood area, showed double digit percentage growth in 2015 for the fifth year in a row.  Glover notes most of the marketing efforts for the region are now targeting multi-night stays.  He says the multi-night visitors tend to spend more money in the community than the single night guest.  Marketing is currently centered on bringing visitors in during the slower first quarter of the year.

Boys Basketball LaCenter 53, Columbia 31 Dufur 68, Mitchell-Spray 39 South Wasco 54, Arlington 39 South Wasco 58, Dufur 37 Horizon Christian 56, Condon-Wheeler 43 Sherman 82, Ione 30 Sherman 58, Horizon Christian 45 Sunnyside Christian 59, Lyle-Wishram 43 Lyle-Wishram 70, Kllickitat-Glenwood 60 Naches Valley 54, Goldendale 37 Cle Elum-Roslyn 71, Goldendale 45   Girls Basketball The Dalles 49, Pendleton 39 Hermiston 78, Hood River Valley 43 Seton Catholic 43, Stevenson 37 Dufur 51, Mitchell-Spray 48 South Wasco 49, Arlington 35 Dufur 41, South Wasco 36 Condon-Wheeler 55, Horizon Christian 44 Ione 42, Sherman 35 Horizon Christian 52, Sherman 35 Sunnyside Christian 80, Lyle-Wishram 54 Lyle-Wishram 67, Klickitat-Glenwood 41 Naches Valley 80, Goldendale 41   Wrestling Hillsboro won the 20-team Hood River Elks high school wrestling tournament at Vannet Court, as Hood River Valley finished eighth, Columbia 17^th, and The Dalles 20^th.  Jason Shaner and Junior Manzo earned second place finishes to lead the HRV effort.  James Bell paced CHS with a fourth in his weight class.   Alpine Skiing Hood River Valley’s boys finished first and the girls second behind Summit in an Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association non-league race at Mt. Hood Meadows.  Muir Emmons and Elkin Parker had top five finishes for the HRV boys, while Daisy Dolan and Denali Emmons did the same for the Hood River girls.

The Hood River County School District board has directed its staff to draw up a resolution that will put a 20-year, 57-million dollar bond measure on the May ballot that will not raise the current tax rate, address major maintenance needs at all of the district’s facilities, and construct a new May Street Elementary School on the same property as it is located now.  Superintendent Dan Goldman says the district wants to use the bond measure to reduce the growing impact maintenance of aging buildings has on its operating budget.  The district has a bond expiring this year, so this measure would not raise the current tax rate.  Another district bond comes off the books in 2023.  District staff will present the resolution to the board at their next meeting on February 10 for a formal vote to place the measure on the May ballot.

Stage one of the History Museum of Hood River County’s project to stabilize and renovate its paddle wheel is complete.   Workers this week lifted the 27,000 pound wooden wheel and its axel off its supports, and new timbers treated to prevent weathering were lowered into position to stabilize it.  The paddlewheel was originally part of the Henderson sternwheeler, which was built in 1902, and the wheel was rebuilt by former Nichols Boat Works part-owner John Hounsell and given by him to the museum.  The next planned phase of renovation is replacement of the paddlewheel’s rotten wood buckets.

Boys Basketball Hood River Valley 85, Hermiston 72:  The Eagles scored 50 second half points on the way to snapping an 11-game losing streak.  Dallas Buckley scored 27 points while Tyrone Stintzi and Parker Kennedy each scored 23.  Austin Naillon led Hermiston with 19, while Chance Flores added 17.  The game was whistle-filled…with 51 fouls called between the two teams. Pendleton 83, The Dalles 48:  Caden Smith scored 25 points to help the Buckaroos to their second straight Columbia River Conference win.  Colin Noonan led The Dalles with 15.   Girls Basketball LaCenter 65, Columbia 27   Wrestling Hermiston 76, The Dalles 6:  Gage Shipley won the lone match of the night for the Riverhawks. Zillah 54, Goldendale 34

The Oregon Department of Transportation is conducting an on-line survey on transit in the Gorge.  ODOT spokesman Don Hamilton says the Gorge Transit Study is part of a response to increased automobile traffic through the region.  Hamilton uses Multnomah Falls as an example of a growing congestion problem, with ODOT installing a gate to shut off access to the site from Interstate 84 when the parking lot there is full.  Hamilton says ODOT is considering the establishment of a shuttle bus so people can visit the Gorge without bringing their cars.  The survey is on-line through Sunday at gorgetransitstudy.org.

Columbia Gorge Community College will be offering help Friday (January 29) for those looking to fill out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid.  CGCC’s Sara Viemeister says the FAFSA form is the gateway to finding help with paying for higher education.  Help in putting together FAFSA applications will be available from 9 a.m. to noon Friday in Building 3 of CGCC’s campus in The Dalles and the Indian Creek campus in Hood River.  Bring your social security number and last year’s tax information for yourself or your parents if you are under age 24.  CGCC Student Services will help with FAFSA forms anytime, call 541-506-6011 in The Dalles and 541-506-8211 in Hood River.

Fishery managers from Oregon and Washington have set spring Chinook salmon seasons for the Columbia River.  Above Bonneville Dam, state fishery managers approved a Chinook retention season starting on March 16 and continuing through May 6 with an expected recreational harvest of 900 fish.  The recreational springer season on the Columbia from the river mouth upstream to Bonneville Dam will be open from March 1 to April 9, with two days off during that period to allow for potential commercial fishing periods.  The Columbia River spring Chinook season is based on a forecast of 299,200 returning spring Chinook, which includes an expected 188,800 upriver spring Chinook.  The prediction is down from last year’s banner return of 415,200 springers but above the 10-year average return of 285,000 fish.

Boys Basketball Stevenson 81, Seton Catholic 73:  The Bulldogs outscored Seton 22-12 in the fourth quarter to pull out the Trico League win.  Ryan Fielding led the Bulldogs with 26 points.   Girls Basketball Stevenson 50, Seton Catholic 40