Wasco County Innovation Initiative partners have launched a small business pitch competition that invites entrepreneurs in Wasco, Sherman, and Hood River counties to showcase their business ideas and compete for funding and exposure. The competition aims to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation and provide a networking opportunity for participants. Application deadlines are May 17th.

If you are in Rufus or Wasco, OR this spring or summer, and notice more people out in their vegetable gardens, it may be due to the successful launch of the free Seed to Supper class in Rufus this spring! This 6-class program aimed at beginning or low-income adult gardeners was held at the Rufus Community Center (City Hall) on Monday mornings March 20th through April 2023. 

Here are some of this month’s hottest local library events in the Columbia River Gorge! Celebrate Star Wars, Dress up for Comic Con, enjoy tacos and telescopes and much much more!

Abuzz with potential in the setting sun, both of The Dalles’ relay teams performed well, with the girls’ 4x400 team within two seconds of their state time from last year. For the boys’ Distance medley relay, senior Leo Lemann led with the 1200, followed by smoking personal bests in the 400 for Vincent Ziegenhagen (55) and 800 for Tyson Long (2:05), and anchored by a quick 1600 for Juan Diego Contreras. Collectively, they finished at 11:01 - two seconds faster than the previous TDHS record.

Donna Henderson an artist and licensed clinical social worker from Maupin shares how the ordinary power of poetry can impact our lives.

Five years ago I decided that I was going to change my life. I was a 25-year-old who had dropped out of Penn State one semester away from graduating and spent the years after devolving into a deeply depressed, obese alcoholic who worked shi*!y jobs and lived with my parents in my hometown.

The female who works at the store said she was sitting behind the counter, and the robber shoved the gun in her face and he took the money from the till and the lottery tickets, the Sheriff’s log states.

Crestline Construction took down a long-vacant warehouse that once housed The Dalles Soda Works on Thursday, April 27. The Building sits next to Domino’s Pizza at 800 E. 2nd St.

Ultimately, the question is will addiction and behavioral services and physical beds in which to put people catch up with the demand for it in Oregon. Or will the pendulum of public opinion swing before that point to a more punitive law for drug possession before a healthcare approach to addiction can be tested? It’s a wait-and-see if Oregonians can stomach the pain it takes to get up to speed.

What horrors would you commit in the face of promise for a better life? What horrors would you commit in the face of promise for a better life? That’s the question asked by this dark horror comedy musical directed by community theater legends Joe Garoutte and Dan Kenealy.

Columbia High School hosted a Career Day for high school students from White Salmon and the surrounding area to further their knowledge of careers available to them in their region on April 26th, 2023.

Chris Pothier of The Dalles works on some of the details on 18 panels he will erect at the Columbia Gorge Food Bank in the Port of The Dalles. Pothier’s vibrant colors added a nice touch as Spring is finally upon us with temps expected to hit 81 degrees Fahrenheit today, April 27. Temps are only expected to go up from there on Friday and Saturday.

We are looking forward to seeing you all at the annual meeting on May 6, 2023.  It is always a great time to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.  We are meeting at a new venue this year, the St. Mary’s Academy (school) located at 1112 Cherry Heights Road.

Bargeway kicks off a week of entertainment tonight with the inventive chords of Chris Baron. There’s a lot going on in The Gorge this week, including The Little Shop of Horrors, Birds and Brews, Roller Skating, Book Signings, Movies, and tons of live music. Check it all out here.

That’s a big deal for downtown businesses and local museums that cater to passengers and rely on their tourism dollars as they come ashore in The Dalles.

What a weekend. This year’s Cherry Fest drew thousands this year as a 2 and half hour parade with more than 90 entries anchored the downtown festival that had kids clamoring for rides, fries and cherry pies. The smoked meat mac sandwich was another major bomb along with the foot-long corndogs. Earth Day events and the Quilt show added other great dimensions to the fest. See you there next year. In the meantime, take a look at all the fun we had!

Super Escandalo takes the main stage today, April 23, at Cherry Fest in downtown The
Dalles. They are the opener for a two-band show today. They hit the stage at 1 p.m. Chervona will bring some world flavor to the stage at 3:30 p.m. with a mix of Russian, Gypsy, Klezmer, Polka and Ska Music

A fire occurred at Hot Wok Restaurant and Lounge located at 600 State St in Lyle, WA in the early afternoon of April 21st, 2023. 

Starting next Monday, April 24, 2023 the city of White Salmon, Washington water system will be undergoing a critical emergency repair that requires a complete pump replacement at the Well Field. This repair means that the city will need to fully bypass pulling water supply from those associated sources. As a result, the city is asking residents to conserve water use from Monday, April 24 through Friday, April 28 to minimize the impact of the reduced water supply during this repair.

Kotek marked 100 days in office on Wednesday and has pledged to visit each of Oregon's 36 counties as part of a “One Oregon” tour. Kotek is doubling down on her insistence that lawmakers find money to pay for her big three priorities — housing, education, and behavioral health.