Six friends from recent graduating classes from The Dalles High School laced up this morning for a little fun run before the holidays. Erin Nelson, Luke McLean lead the pack of pals on Dry Hollow Road this morning. In the back doing their best Rocky Impressions are from left, Mark Feldermen, Molly Nelson, Corey Cameron and John Miller.

Thrift Store Hero Jim Drake makes an outrageous buy this week with two quarters, a dime, a nickel and three pennies. See what our local denizen of all things media stumbled into when 1965 sang out to him like a huge and dark tenor saxophone. Read more here.

Thanks to our readers - CCCNews is carbon neutral with 5 metric tons of high-quality CO2 offsets purchased from Bonneville Environmental Foundation’s improved forest management offsets portfolio. And it was not that difficult or costly as you, our readers, are willing to embrace a digital format and forgo the cost of print and its environmental impact.

Rumors and readers prompt a search for the original Sugar Bowl and we came up with a lot more than that. Thousands of Wasco County kids may have never danced or rode a pony had it not been for the original tavern and ice-cream handout.

Frontline healthcare workers throughout the county to be the first to receive the vaccine

Harper Kane shows off some fancy footwork at a recent Riverside Gymnastics Academy outdoor practice. The statewide freeze on athletic clubs is putting the kibosh on indoor activities. So coach Audrey Hinatsu took it outside. Closures, however, are sacking revenue generators for nonprofit clubs such as Riverside as well as privately run athletic clubs. The Oregon Health and Fitness Alliance is asking Gov. Kate Brown to allow limited reopenings.

Mark and Max share lunch and in downtown The Dalles and talk about what it might take to take our community from surviving to thriving.

A couple of construction projects in The Dalles have crews burning the candle at both ends. J.J. Castro Crew members Jaime Tello and Sergio and George Herrera were piling broken concrete this morning, Wednesday, Dec. 16. The work is being done in front of a new building in The Port of The Dalles near Klindt’s Cove.

The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office is working through a series of reports involving a stolen vehicle from Washington, stolen license plates in Mosier, multiple car prowls in Dufur, and one man fleeing from police in Madras on Saturday afternoon. No one is in jail. But people are missing a lot of their belongings.

City of The Dalles Small Business Relief Grant began accepting applications from eligible small businesses and small non-profits, based in The Dalles, today, Dec. 15. The application period will close at 5 p.m. on December 21, 2020.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee has announced a historic equity policy package of $365 million in equity-related decision packages and budget items which would advance equity, increase accountability for police use of excessive force, and invest in equitable access to online learning for students.

Twelve more shelters will be added to the current village for the houseless at the end of Bargeway Road in The Dalles. Once the units are delivered and erected in weeks to come, the shelter village will have grown from 6 units to 18, with the ability to house, at maximum, 36 houseless people from The Dalles.

Local health officials are not expecting coronavirus vaccines to be available in Wasco County this week, but rather, are likely to come in on a second shipment on Dec. 22.

Local amateur astronomer Jo Cruz makes his debut here at CCCNews with the Geminid Meteor Shower and the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter. Try and get above the clouds tonight for the best show of the year!

Local businesses hurting from the pandemic can now apply for grants that need to be awarded by the end of the month. MId-Columbia Economic Development District- MCEDD- turned on the online applications this morning.

The City of The Dalles has done it again. City officials are granting $10,000 to Windy River Gleaners so that they can continue to distribute food to local families hard hit by the coronavirus. It is the second such donation in as many weeks.

The Stevenson Warming Shelter is preparing to open soon to provide a safe and warm overnight space for homeless persons during the cold winter season.

Starbucks Officials have yet to release a statement in regards to why the Starbucks in Cascade Square in The Dalles has temporarily closed. Jory Mendes, a Starbucks media relations representative, is looking into the situation and expects to provide comments in the near future.

The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce and Mid-Columbia Health Foundation is looking for nominations for The Annual Distinguished Citizens Awards. This year, the event will be aired via a recording highlighting all the winners on Thursday, January 21st, 2021.