New! Gorge Gigging Guide Highlights gives you a quick look at the week ahead in music, comedy, performance, festivals, and more! It’s a Great Way to get a handle on planning for the Best in what The Gorge has to offer! 

They say tariffs are about fairness. They call them leverage. They tell us to "hold the line" for the good of the nation. But when you’re the one standing in the line of fire, all that tough talk starts to sound a little hollow.

From aerospace engineer to craft brewing pioneer, Matt Swihart’s path to founding Double Mountain Brewery was anything but ordinary. In a recent appearance on the CCC News Podcast, Swihart shared his story of how passion, persistence, and a touch of rebellion shaped one of Hood River’s most beloved breweries and pubs.

It is the end of an era for Second Hand Rose, the community thrift store in Bingen operated by Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP). The store, which was already undergoing a remodel to downsize, has officially received notice from the WAGAP Board of Directors, which voted unanimously in June to permanently close the space.

Check out the CCCNews events guide calendar for the gorge-wide comprehensive listing.

Fed creates new $16 billion fund for Local farmers and ranchers impacted by wildfires, drought and other natural disasters in 2023 and 2024. You can now apply for federal assistance through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Disaster Relief Program.

The Oregon Legislature approved matching funds last week for Washington’s $125 million commitment to replacing the 100-year-old Hood River-White Salmon Bridge. 

Combined, the state funding covers about a quarter of the project’s estimated $1.12 billion cost. 

The Week kicks off with more Gigs than a Crate of Firecrackers, the Calendar is Chock-Full and your Social Schedule is going to explode!  Check out the CCCNews events guide calendar for the gorge-wide comprehensive listing.

Thoughts from the Tractor Seat: Labor in Limbo

From early-morning runs to late-night fireworks over the Columbia, Gorge communities are celebrating Independence Day with full-day schedules of family-friendly festivities on Thursday, July 4. Whether you're in The Dalles or Stevenson, there’s a celebration nearby for everyone.

Effective July 1, 2025, Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) will refer qualifying low-income community members from Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman counties who are seeking home weatherization services to NeighborImpact, a private not-for-profit organization based out of Redmond, Oregon.

Today we speak with "Burton," a 25-year military veteran living with severe PTSD, about his powerful healing journey with psilocybin. Burton shares his transformation—from an angry, unstable, and deeply struggling existence to becoming a calmer, more peaceful version of himself. The psilocybin sessions he experienced at Vital Reset in Hood River reshaped his life in ways that pharmaceuticals and traditional therapy could not. Join us for a deep dive into this raw and profound story of trauma, hope, and healing.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the American dollar. Not the paper itself, but the worth behind it. What should a dollar really be? What should it buy? What does it stand for? From where I sit—on a tractor seat in the cherry orchards of The Dalles—there’s a growing sense that a dollar just doesn’t stretch like it used to. Inputs are up. Groceries are up. Fuel is up. And while prices climb, the value of hard work seems to shrink.

This Week it’s Cover Band Mania - The Beatles, Pink Floyd - and that’s just the start of a Huge Week of Music! Check out the CCCNews events guide calendar for the gorge-wide comprehensive listing.

This Week John Caparulo roasts The Dalles; Juneteenth in Hood River features Portland’s Queen of Soul, LaRhonda Steele + band; and the 32nd Annual Gorge Blues and Brews Festival hits Stevenson. Check out the CCCNews events guide calendar for the gorge-wide comprehensive listing.

As fire victims pick up the pieces after hundreds were impacted by the Rowena Fire that destroyed 56 homes and another 77 that were inundated with smoke and damaged other wise, CCCNews has attempted here to put together the list of places both to find clothing, household items, food and other items as well as places to donate.

The Salvation Army is ready to serve wildfire evacuees and/or firefighters of The Rowena Fire in The Dalles as needed

Gorge Giggin Guide Goes Streamline! This abbreviated column provides a guide for some of the best events on tap for the week. Not finding what your need? Check out the CCCNews events guide calendar for the gorge-wide comprehensive listing.

Black in the Gorge and The Next Door, Inc., are very happy to invite everyone to the 3rd Annual Gorge Juneteenth Celebration! This will be our biggest celebration yet,  with more music, BIPOC vendors with crafts and food, as well as participatory opportunities for all ages, including art, African dance, and drumming!

A structure fire in the 3100 block of Lingren Road has led to the death of a 64-year-old woman and the hospitalization of her husband.