Taylor Morehouse ended his senior season literally on top, with a fifteen-foot and state championship-winning jump in the pole vault, a half-foot ahead of Silverton’s Joel Rush. With the entire stadium clapping, he barely missed his attempts at 15’9”, which would’ve broken The Dalles’ record. Still, he was pleased with his season- with an improvement of over a foot over the past few weeks.

“I think my advice is, ‘don’t be afraid to just try.’ It’s the same advice I’d give my kids. There’s no harm in pursuing these things because you never know what’s going to click and really resonate with you. Whether it’s a male-dominated field or not, I feel like that’s been my mantra about a lot of things; you might absolutely hate something, but you might just really love it.”

Calling all families with children ages 12 and under! The 2022 Gorge STEM Fair is happening on Saturday, June 4th, 2022. This free, outdoor, family event centers on all things STEM in the Gorge, from making your own creations to learning about local companies and careers. Every booth has something hands-on for children and caregivers to explore together. STEM stands for “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math;” skillsets that are naturally connected and increasingly crucial in our modern world.

Ticket holders for Rent at the Bingen Theater get a second chance after shows are added later this month. In addition, shows and entertainment for the region are still thumping. Venues include TD Civic, River City Saloon, The Pines, Bargeway Pub, Maupin Daze, Discovery Center, The Dalles Art Center, HR Library, Thunder Island, TD Library, Packer Orchards, HR Elks, Sunshine Mill, TD Eagles, Working Hands Beer, Tabby’s, Double Mountain, TD Granada, Clark and Lewie’s, MoCo, Columbia Gorge Interp. Center, Zim’s, The Ruins,

Coffis Brothers are playing tonight and bands and entertainment will be bumpin’ in days and weeks to come at Rivertap, Bargeway Pub, Bingen Theatre, Yoga Samadhi, River City Saloon, Thunder Island, TD Library, HR Library, Working Hands Beer, The Pines, Taphouse, TD Arts Center, Discovery Center, Maupin Daze, Red Carpet, Grateful Vineyard, Double Mountain, TD Civic, MCCCA.

Two The Dalles High School robotics teams battled it out at the Vex Robotics World Championship on May 5th, 6th, and 7th in Dallas, TX. Competition was fierce as 818 teams battled it out to become the Vex Robotics world champion. “Eleven teams from Oregon had qualified for the tournament but only three made it to the elimination round and our teams made up two of those three,” said Webber.

On Monday May, 9th, Yakama Nation Fisheries and Glenwood High School’s Zoology class released twenty tagged adult lamprey into the White Salmon River at the BZ Corner launch site for the first time ever. The tags will enable biologists to track the fish's movements up and down stream.

This is the Youth Empowerment Shelter or YES House, and it's making a comeback after the pandemic temporarily closed its doors. We are the only ones to have a shelter like that east of Multnomah County and East of Deschutes County all the way to the Idaho border. The YES house is our number one diversion from the juvenile justice system.” said Molly Rogers, Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facilities Director.

Thanks to Raices (the Spanish word for roots), Juan and Monika found the strong, supportive community they were looking for, with the added bonus of being able to grow their own vegetables and fruits.

Just a fledgling business some 12 years ago, Dirt Hugger now boasts 32 employees, a retail and industrial site, and it is pulling 55,000 tons of green waste from local landfills, providing major reductions in the greenhouse gas emissions through a reduction in methane in the Gorge. If you’re not buying their products, maybe, you should be.

Samantha Wageman and Tavita Seufalemua had nine lives and then some when it came to the egg they were tossing on Monday, May 9th. The pair pulled off some miraculous bounces and epic rolls to the roar of a crowd that celebrated them as much as each other during National Skilled Nursing Care Week.

Lyle School District has announced a new last day of school, pre-k and kindergarten round-ups, and new student registration dates.

The 8th annual Oregon STEM Week is happening from May 14-22, 2022. STEM week is a week-long celebration of all things STE(A)M happening across Oregon and throughout the Columbia River Gorge!

Billy Bob Thornton is just the tip of the iceberg this week in local entertainment. TD kicks of its First Friday tonight at 5 p.m. with more than 20 businesses participating and music events abound in the Gorge. Read about all your choices here as well as upcoming shows. They include Bingen Theatre, Discovery Center, Bargeway Pub, Maupin Daze, Zim’s, The Pines, Red Carpet, River City Saloon, Ruins, Everybody’s Brewing, Double Mountain, TD Civic, Working Hands Beer, White Salmon Library, Goldendale.

TDHS Girls Soccer kicking some philanthropy into gear. Recent goals include donation of jerseys to Rwanda children and preparing for a free soccer camp in The Dalles for this summer. These photos of Rwandan children playing soccer in TDHS jerseys are priceless. Nice work girls and hats off to coach Colby Tonn!

North Wasco County School District is seeking interested individuals to sit on a Community Bond Planning Committee. As a community-driven process, we are seeking interested parents from each of the district schools, students, and community and business partners to join school and district staff on this committee. Applications are due May 17th.

Come party like an Ewok, bring your Wookie friends! Enjoy themed snacks, games, prizes and activities at The Dalles Library, 722 Court Street. This Star Wars themed event, for all ages, will take place on, of course, May 4th, starting at 3:00 p.m.

KIWANIS PROGRAMS: Kiwanis meetings are held every Thursday at noon at Spooky’s and visitors are welcome. This week’s events include:

Last week, however, at The Dalles’ final home meet and at the Dean Nice invitational in Gresham on April 29 - all eyes were on Zoe Dunn’s outstanding triple jump, which smashed her personal record by nearly three feet and obliterated the school record set by Sharon Engle in 1998.