With spring itself just around the corner, the Mt. Hood Community College baseball and softball teams have been training and playing preseason games to prep for their 2024 season. The Saints players are eager to get started and to compete for real against other regional college teams in their Northwest Athletic Conference, the NWAC. The Mt. Hood baseball team has its season opener tomorrow (Saturday, March 9) at Clackamas Community College, playing two games against the Cou

The Super Bowl LVIII halftime show on Feb. 11 was a fantastical mix of sparkly fashion and behind-the-scenes madness. Photo by Godofredo A. Vásquez Usher, who has been in the music industry for 30-plus years, headlined the show along with several celebrity personalities, including his ex-girlfriend, Alicia Keys, H.E.R, will.i.am, Ludacris, and Lil Jon. The performance itself was a wonderful showcase of the many hits over his own successful R&B/pop career and paid homage to p

Gambling has long been a part of our society, an entertaining way for people to play their favorite card games and perhaps to win a large sum of money. Familiar games such as poker, blackjack, or slot machines quickly come to mind. But there is another way of gambling rapidly expanding across America: legalized sports betting, which offers fans an opportunity to win big payouts but also take big losses. Sports betting places money (a wager) on a particular outcome for a prof

(Right) Center Grace Merrill grabbed 18 rebounds against the Roadrunners. (Left) Guard Autumn Baumgartner led the Saints scoring with 21 points. Photos by Kane Finders The Mt. Hood women’s basketball team hosted a barn-burner of a game against Linn-Benton Community College’s Roadrunners on Jan. 29, eventually losing 66-55 in double overtime. Although the Saints did end up losing, the performance of the players was still very good. The first point was scored by Saints guard Au

Men’s By Kane Finders The MHCC men’s basketball team dropped the ball, figuratively, at their home game against Portland Community College on Jan. 24, losing 107-88. The Saints started out strong, maintaining a slim lead over the Panthers with the first half ending with the home team ahead, 46-42. However, things soon took a turn for the worse, with the Saints losing their lead quickly. Within the first 10 minutes of the second half they had eight fouls called against them,

In its first home game of the season, the Mt. Hood women’s basketball team came out on top, 69-62, in an intense game on Nov. 29 against the Pacific University junior varsity squad. Pacific had a fierce team that played hard and well together; the Saints just played harder that night. The Saints started out building a great lead of 20-plus points in the first half of the game, which ended 44-21 in their favor. Even with that large gap, the Pacific players never let their foot

This winter is a perfect opportunity to try new and fun winter sports. While most people know of the typical winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding, there are other less popular sports that anyone can try when snow is abundant on Mount Hood or in other wintry regions. One amazing way to get out and enjoy the lush forests and/or beautiful Mount Hood is by going snowshoeing. Snowshoeing involves using special large, webbed footgear strapped to the bottom of your shoes th

This past Monday, on Oct. 30, the magazine France Football awarded the most prestigious individual award of soccer, the Ballon d’Or (the Golden Boot), as well as other individual and team awards. Lionel Messi with his trophy Web Image The awards were for the 2022-23 soccer season, which ran from August 2022 through July 2023 and notably included the 2022 men’s FIFA World Cup. Lionel Messi claimed his eighth Ballon d’Or, extending his record for the most Ballon d’Ors won by a

Mt. Hood Community College came out victorious against Chemeketa Community College during the Saints’ last home volleyball game on Nov. 1, winning all three sets, 25-15, 25-21, and 25-15. Image by Kane Finders It was also Sophomore Night, where the families of the second-year players came to celebrate their time as Saints, honoring each of them individually. After the brief celebration, the game started with Chemeketa’s Emma Hall scoring a point. However, Mt. Hood went into t

Nestled deep within the temperate rain forest of Oregon lies Camp R&R, a bastion for adrenaline junkies and airsoft operatives. In the clandestine woods of Gales Creek is a replica battlefield founded in 1998 by Ray Marty and Tim Eyre when they bought the property, once the location of the old Consolidated Timber Co. About an hour Northwest of Portland, BB warriors meet once a month to test their skills, show off their kits, nerd out over each other’s gear, and engage in mock

When you turn on your favorite local sports game – possibly the Portland Trail Blazers, the Seattle Seahawks, the Mariners, or the new NHL team, the Seattle Kraken – you watch ROOT Sports, a regional sports network (RSN). Regional sports networks are now how most professional sports fans can watch their favorite local teams. Most fans don’t have much of a choice as to how they watch their favorite teams; they either go to a live game or watch it televised on an RSN. This depe

Photos by Kane Finders The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area is home to many wonderful hikes – and one of my favorites is just a half-hour drive from Troutdale. If you travel east on Interstate 84 past the Bonneville Dam you will come across the Eagle Creek recreation area. There are any trails accessible from Eagle Creek, but the focus here is on getting to the Wauna Viewpoint. This is a fairly quick hike, clocking in at only around 3 miles roundtrip with a climb of

As we Saints begin the new academic year, there is a need to highlight for all students – new and returning alike – the opportunities present in Mt. Hood Community College’s sports and recreation facilities. Whether you are looking to take a dip in the water or scale a towering wall, there is no need to look further than our very own campus. The MHCC sports facilities at the southern end of the main Gresham campus provide free or low-cost ways to remain fit, and to have fun.

On Sept. 27, the Trail Blazers traded Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks, ending a three-month saga that began July 1 when Lillard asked to leave Portland, after playing 11 seasons here. In this major trade, Lillard went to another small-market team, Milwaukee, while veteran guard Jrue Holiday and a first-round draft pick moved to Portland. The Phoenix Suns were also involved, receiving Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson from the Blazers. In return, Portland acq

As we Saints begin the new academic year, there is a need to highlight for all students – new and returning alike – the opportunities present in Mt. Hood Community College’s sports and recreation facilities. Whether you are looking to take a dip in the water or scale a towering wall, there is no need to look further than our very own campus. The MHCC sports facilities at the southern end of the main Gresham campus provide free or low-cost ways to remain fit, and to have fun.

STANLEY CUP RECAP In October 2021 the National Hockey Leagues’s 32nd franchise took the ice for its inaugural season. Year One was mostly a bust for the expansion Seattle Kraken, who finished 27-49-6, third-worst in the league. Not so in Seattle’s second year in the NHL: On April 6, a day “Krakheads” (their fans) will never forget, not only did the Kraken beat the Arizona Coyotes 4-2 on home ice, they also clinched their very first spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs. They would

Mt. Hood once again hosted the NWAC Championship track & field meet this season, on May 22-23. The Saints women’s and men’s teams both finished in ninth place (Lane Community College won both team competitions). Only the top eight finishers in each event score points for their team, and MHCC athletes had several strong showings. Top Eight finishers for Mt. Hood women/men: Women: Makaelyn Jennings, 2nd place, javelin Grace Lam-Tiang, 8th place, javelin Grace Lam-Tiang, 3rd pla

Around 30 minutes’ drive from Gresham, the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge sits right off State Highway 14, just east of Washougal, Washington. With five miles of trails, this refuge offers a wonderful hiking experience. I recently spent around three hours to see most of what the area has to offer, namely the three distinct trails available to explore. If you arrive at the main entrance off Highway 14, you will start your journey on the Mountain View Trail, which wi

Team photo by Sara Martin The Saints entered the NWAC Softball Championship tournament as the No. 5 seed but things got off to a slow start. First, the defending champs were upset 7-3 by Lower Columbia, so were sent to the consolation bracket where another loss meant elimination. They played again on Thursday night, falling behind Spokane 2-0 early before they blasted to an 8-2 lead. But the Sasquatch fought back to force extras and it was 8-8 in the bottom of the 8th before

The highly anticipated 2023 National Basketball Association Draft Lottery took place on May 16, granting basketball fans a sneak peek into the upcoming NBA Draft in late June. NBA teams anxiously awaited learning their draft order, sparking excitement over which would secure the first overall pick and the opportunity to acquire the exceptional French talent, Victor Wembanyama. For those unfamiliar with basketball, the Lottery is an annual event hosted by the NBA to determin