Due to dry and hot conditions, campfires are prohibited across the Mt. Hood National Forest beginning Friday, July 12, 2024.

Hood River will host its annual 4th of July festivities, starting with a parade at 10 a.m., organized by the Hood River Lions Club. Fireworks will follow at 10 p.m. on the Hood River Waterfront.

The Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge reopened on Sunday, June 30th, three days after a semi-trick accident that resulted in significant damage to its span lifts.

In a move planned nearly two years ago, the Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) Board of Directors announced that Jennifer Pauletto will be the new executive director as of July 1, 2024. Juan Reyes has been selected to join her as the new associate director.

A semi-truck crashed on the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge this morning, Thursday, June 27, 2024, closing the bridge until further notice. The incident occurred when a semi-truck, pulling an excavator on a flatbed, failed to lower the excavator's arm sufficiently. As the truck crossed the bridge, the excavator's arm struck the span lifts, causing severe damage. 

In anticipation of this summer’s dangerously hot temperatures and wildfire smoke events, Mid-Columbia Houseless Collaborative partners will have free cooling kits available for houseless residents. They have also compiled lists of local sites where people may seek safety when life-threatening conditions set in.

The Columbia River Gorge Festival of Nations returned to Cascade Locks Port in Marina Park after a 14 year hiatus on Saturday, June 15. More than 1,000 people traveled from across the region to celebrate the traditions and culture of the Columbia River tribes.

Hundreds of Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) members from six Providence hospitals including Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital, have participated in a three-day strike that began early Tuesday, June 18. At some hospitals, picket lines began forming at 6 a.m. Nurses are striking for adequate paid leave, fair labor practices, affordable health insurance fair market wages, and smaller patient-to-nurse ratios.

The City of Hood River Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on July 1, 2024, to consider amendments to the City’s Transportation System Plan (TSP). The hearing will focus on transportation improvements recommended in The Heights Streetscape Plan, a transportation refinement plan that reflects three years of community input and public meetings.   

The affordable housing development at 780 Rand Road has secured the final pieces of funding needed to move forward. Community Development Partners (CDP) and Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation (CCHC), the City of Hood River’s chosen developers for the project, have been awarded $36.4 million in private activity bonds and a 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credit allocation of $3.2 million by Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS). 

Over 250 people attended Black in the Gorge’s (BIG) 2nd annual Juneteenth celebration at Jackson Park in Hood River on Sunday, June 16. The event featured food, fun, and performances from Boka Marimba Band, dance lessons from African Dance Instructor Ebenezer “Ne” Amartey, the Gorge Freedom Choir, and a DJ.

The Next Door Inc. (TNDI) recently marked a significant milestone with the first two student graduations of 2024 at its alternative high schools, Klahre House and Kelly Avenue School. These schools serve as beacons of hope for at-risk and disenfranchised youth who have struggled within the traditional public education system.

From the Columbia River to the shores of Mexico, three-time Stand Up Paddleboard World Champion Fiona Wylde has navigated waters around the globe. Now she’s making a splash in her hometown of Hood River with Wylde Wind & Water, a non-profit which aims to create equitable access to water sports through water safety education, youth water sports programs, free community programs for all ages and much more!

The Hood River Latino Network (HRLN) is set to celebrate the grand opening of the new Immigrant Help Center on Saturday, June 15th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 1406 12th St. Suite 102 in Hood River.

On Saturday, June 8, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Klickitat County Trout Unlimited will host a Kids Fishing Day event from 9 a.m. to noon. The event is beginner-friendly and open to the public free of charge.

Notice is hereby given of a vacancy on the Hood River City Council, position of Councilor. The term for this vacancy expires on December 31, 2026. 

The Hood River Urban Renewal Agency (URA) has endorsed a letter of support to transfer the jurisdictional transfer of State Highway 281, from Oak Street to Pacific Avenue, in the Heights of Hood River to the City of Hood River. The jurisdictional transfer is a necessary step for the Agency to move forward with The Heights Streetscape Plan.

The Hood River City Council approved a resolution to increase compensation for future City Councilors and Mayors to foster a more inclusive and diverse community leadership. The resolution aims to reduce financial barriers to civic participation and make service on the City Council more accessible and attractive to a diverse range of candidates.

Black in the Gorge will host its second annual Juneteenth celebration at Jackson Park from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on June 16, 2024! Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and is a day of reflection and celebration of African American freedom and achievements. The free community event will feature an afternoon filled with plenty of music, food, crafts, dancing, and fun with various activities and a community art project celebrating freedom, liberation, community spirit and the contributions of the Black community in the Columbia Gorge.

The Dalles is set to receive $1 million in grants from the  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to clean up the former Chenowith Middle School and The City’s Westside and Downtown Historic Area.