Oregon’s unemployment rate held at 5.2% in November as payroll employment rose by 1,600 jobs, led by gains in leisure and hospitality and health care, according to state employment data.

An exhibition of 11 Columbia Gorge artists is on display at Cathedral Ridge Winery through Feb. 12, with a Jan. 15 meet-the-artist event highlighting regional creativity from across the Gorge.

Sense of Place begins the new year with More Than A Fish: Stories of Salmon and Sovereignty in the Pacific Northwest with Dylan Hedden-Nicely. The conversation will take place at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River, Oregon on January 21st. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., and the show begins at 7:00 p.m. A livestream option is available to all ticket holders. 

Students at Cascade Locks Elementary turned a jogathon into a smoocharama after exceeding their fundraising goal, prompting Principal Adrienne Acosta to keep her promise and kiss a goat during a school assembly.

A new dog control ordinance takes effect Jan. 7 in The Dalles, clarifying leash expectations, licensing rules and nuisance standards, with an initial focus on education rather than enforcement.

The Dalles Public Library will host a full slate of January programs, including winter reading, STEAM activities, crafts, storytimes and family events, with offerings for preschoolers through adults throughout the month.

Thanks for checking out the Gorge Giggin’ Guide! What better way to start 2026 than supporting our own “Gorge Stars” in Dancing with the Gorge Stars - a true community effort that dazzles the crowd year after year! There’s A Lot of Music this week - enjoy!

The Dalles Public Library was transformed into a storybook kingdom Friday afternoon during its third annual Prince and Princess Tea Party, drawing families for an afternoon of crafts, dancing and imaginative play.

Kiwanis meetings are held every Thursday at noon at Spooky's, and visitors are welcome.

West First Street in The Dalles will close Jan. 13 for about seven weeks as crews upgrade the sanitary sewer main, restricting through traffic between Union Street and Webber Street.

Following an extensive search process, the City of Hood River has selected four candidates to interview for the position of Fire Chief. 

He never quoted scripture, but the truth of it lived in him — the idea that sometimes the branches that look the healthiest are the very ones you have to take off, because they steal the light from where the real fruit  grows.

As 2025 comes to a close, residents of The Dalles paused to reflect on moments that mattered — from family milestones to personal goals — and shared quiet hopes for the year ahead.

The Dalles Public Library will host a full slate of family-friendly programs from Dec. 30 through Jan. 3, including craft nights, teen activities, live performances and an adults-only fantasy-themed evening.

Oregon State Police responded to multiple crashes during Christmas week, including several DUII arrests and rollover wrecks on I-84 and U.S. 197 that damaged barriers and disrupted traffic.

It’s the New Year’s Eve Blowout Edition of the Gorge Giggin’ Guide! You’ve made it through 52 weeks of Gorge Entertainment, and we’re celebrating with a Champagne Toast! All of the music and special New Year’s Eve events are here - and we’ll see you soon in 2026! Happy New Year!

On Monday, January 5, 2026, the City of The Dalles Public Works will begin repairs to a catch basin on the 6th Street Bridge. The catch basin is creating a road hazard and must be repaired.

Some of the most fulfilling work doesn’t happen in front of an audience. For Mark, it happens in kitchens, in gardens, and in small, but powerful, everyday moments.  

Just three business days after extensive storm damage closed its largest clinic building, Adventist Health Columbia Gorge reopened about 80% of its affected clinical services on Dec. 22 by relocating them to its other facilities in The Dalles and Hood River.

Six local organizations joined together to donate $20,000 to the Columbia Gorge Food Bank to help address increased need in the community. Chenowith Water PUD, the City of The Dalles, Hood River Electric & Internet Co-op, Northern Wasco County People's Utility District, QLife, and Wasco Electric Cooperative presented the donation on Thursday, December 18.