Staff, teachers, and administrators pulled off some awesome costumes this afternoon, Friday, Oct. 30, as students dawned their own capes, masks, and wigs and came by their schools for a little drive-by celebration.

Here's our weekly news show to keep you informed on news & events in the Mid-Columbia Region.
October 30th, 2020.

The Forest Service and Klickitat Trout Unlimited are proposing a new site development in efforts of enhancing recreation opportunities at the mouth of the Klickitat River. Plans call for adding parking, prohibiting the launch of motorized boats, installing a restroom, and restoring natural vegetation, and eliminating erosion. The proposal intends to improve water quality, scenery, and vegetation in the lower Klickitat National Wild and Scenic River Corridor.

A former marine and a holder of three black belts is putting a family spin on the former Pastime Saloon & Restaurant in Dufur. “This will be a family place,” said new owner Russell Niemeyer. “No hanky-panky going on. And it’s my job to see that it stays that way.”

Dry Canyon Electric’s Chuck Rystedt watched as his son, Zack dug into a 24-foot pole with his spikes on Thursday morning on Highway 197 near 5-Mile Road. Meanwhile, Zach Reid used a “lasher” to entwine two cables as they were finishing a fiber optic line that runs 15 miles from Dufur School to the Columbia Gorge ESD at the Columbia Gorge Community College Campus in The Dalles.

The Dalles City Council is pushing ahead on creating a temporary shelter for the local houseless population. The village of six units is to be located at the end of Terminal Way in a gravel lot between Northwest Natural and Oregon Cherry Growers.

Dawn LeMieux is the program coordinator with The Next Door, through the organization she supports the native families and individuals within our community. Since the pandemic hit, community members in the Celilo Village have faced loss and hardships. With the help of LeMieux The Next Door has supplied an abundance of hope and support for the Celilo Village community in the midst of the pandemic.

Election ballots in Wasco County should be hand-delivered to dropboxes. The last day to mail them was Tuesday, Oct. 27, according to the Wasco County Election website.

The ability to monitor and house people with mental imbalances has been “ripped out of the communities at a local level by the state and never been restored.” As a result, people are breaking down on city streets. They’re breaking laws, impacting the economy, and have local leaders flummoxed as the State of Oregon has failed to fund their treatment.

David Sendejas, 28, Keith Bright, 28 and Chance Sendejas, 26, said it was pretty cold last night. Temperatures dropped a couple of degrees below freezing. The houseless men were resting on Pentland Street next to The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce this morning, Tuesday, Oct. 27. Dalles City Council held a workshop on Monday night bringing in voices from three different counties to discuss the current status of the houseless and those needing mental health assistance.

The Next Door is holding its annual Stories of Hope event to raise money and spread awareness to support over two dozen programs aimed at supporting and empowering people with health promotion services, family services, youth services, economic development services, and treatment services in Wasco, Hood River, Skamania, Klickitat, Sherman, Gilliam, and Wheeler counties.

As of this morning, 7,560 of 18,403 ballots for the Nov. 3 general election had been returned in Wasco County, according to Wasco County Clerk Lisa Gambee. These numbers include ballots dropped off over the weekend but not all of the mail, she said.

Assistant Manager Maria Bartlett was messin’ with Squatch at the West Second Street Market across from Casa El Mirador this morning, Monday, Oct. 26. The new mural, painted by Samantha Bates was completed last week. The market is run by Hattenhauer Distributing Company.

The low water level on the Columbia River near the Union Street underpass reveals pilings from the past this Sunday Morning, Oct. 25. Their symmetrical placement and sheer number beg the question of what stood here at one point. If you know, please tell us about them in our new forum feature.

On Sep. 10th state officials and food providers released a statement saying food insecurity has been increasing statewide in Washington and Oregon. Due to the pandemic, this trend is expected to carry on for months ahead. The Lyle Good Food Pantry teamed up with Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) to provide meals to local families and community members. Their efforts in curbing the food insecurity in our region have supplied an average of 50 local families with a food box each month.

The Parade must go on! The Starlight Parade will look a little different this year with a little role reversal. Floats will be parked on 3rd street and the public will drive past to view the decorated floats.

Almost a third of ballots had already been returned to Wasco County this morning, Friday, Oct. 23, according to Wasco County Clerk Lisa Gambee.

Clinics in Wasco, Sherman and Gilliam counties, and Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles, have recently received rapid COVID-19 tests that produce results in just 15 minutes./ Las clínicas en los condados de Wasco, Sherman y Gilliam, y el Centro Médico Mid-Columbia en The Dalles, han recibido recientemente pruebas rápidas de COVID-19 que producen resultados en solo 15 minutos.

Columbia Community Connection News presents a new weekly roundup of honest local news. Featuring The Dalles' own Yahaira Alvarez, CCC's newest video journalist.

The Dalles Artist Chris Pothier began installation of the All Together The Dalles Mural at 811 E. Second Street this morning. The mural is a painting of a photomontage of iconic buildings in The Dalles area that are stacked into a mountain within the landscape of The Dalles. Everything seems out of place giving our historic places and landscape an entirely different look and, perhaps, appreciation.