“I wrote this book to save myself.” said Keath Silva, transgender herbalist, bodyworker, medium, and writer from Hood River, OR. Keath’s moving and down-to-earth collection of poems titled Lady Death, and other poems venerating change is a window into the transgender experience, and can be a companion to anyone who may be on a journey of coping with loss, letting go of falsity and embracing authenticity. It’s also the perfect read for trans day of visibility.

The Oregon Department of Transportation has announced that The Dalles Bridge repair project is behind schedule and will not be completed by May 30th as originally planned. In light of this, ODOT has assured the public that there will be no weekend closures of the bridge during peak season for cherry harvest in June and July.

Varsity baseball plays host to Forest Grove Tuesday, March 29, at Bob Williams Field at the Q, first pitch is slated for 5 p.m. We’d also like to welcome our new volunteers to the Riverhawks’ baseball family, as Ray Bustos is serving as our PA announcer, and TDHS Ski Coach Dane Klindt will be running scoreboard.

The Dalles City Council will hear an update on the City’s buildable lands inventory at its regular meeting this evening, Monday, March 28, starting at 5:30 p.m. The buildable lands inventory is used in guiding decisions and requests affecting local employment and the economy.

“Oh!” exclaimed Karen Murphy, laughing, when I asked her what her and Steve Murray are planting this year. “How much time do you have?”

On March 25th, 2022 protesters gathered in Hood River, OR, and cities across the world to denounce government inaction on fighting climate change. The protests were inspired by Fridays for Future, a youth lead environmentalist movement founded by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. The Hood River protest was led, in part, by several youth activists who said they wanted to do something “other than tweet and retweet” about climate change.

“We recognize that food insecurity is a big issue in our town and we’re more than happy to do our part to help alleviate that in any way we can,” said Rachel Carter, Marketing Coordinator for Columbia Gorge Toyota.

Gorge robotics students from The Dalles took top honors at the Oregon State VEX Robotics Championships recently and will advance to the World Finals in Dallas, Texas, May 5-7.

The Gorge Youth Mentoring program at The Next Door has persevered through the pandemic and is changing youths lives for the better.

CyberMind Gaming is exactly what it sounds like… a haven for PC gamers from around the Gorge. “I wanted to have a safe place where my kids, and other youth in our community can play games together, have fun, and stay out of trouble,” said Tyler Smith, Owner.

The Dalles City Council officially hired Matthew Klebes as the new City Manager of The Dalles this evening, March 23.
Klebes, who is the current Wasco County Administrative Services Director, will start with the City on May 16.

Downtown The Dalles will be "Alive after Five" with multiple businesses partnering and hosting local makers and artisans in their spaces for. "Love Where You Live" is the theme for the first scheduled "1st Friday" in Downtown The Dalles. This ongoing event kicks off on April 1st from 5p.m.-8p.m.

“In order to best understand how to address houselessness we need to have solid data that assists with our decision-making,” said Kenny LaPoint, Executive Director of Mid Columbia Community Action Council. “We are grateful for the many partners and community volunteers who came together to make the 2022 Count a success.”

Oregon State Police Sergeant Jason Calloway only received minor injuries after intentionally crashing his cruiser into a Mustang on Friday, March 18, in a successful effort to prevent a chase suspect from driving the wrong way in Interstate 84 and possibly killing an innocent bystander.

“I went from making fifty grand plus a year and taking care of my kids just fine, to having nothing,” said Jaime Gehrig, a guest at Mid-Columbia Community Action Council shelter in The Dalles. In 2018 Jaime got sick, lost her leg and her ability to work. Then, last October, doctors told Jaime she had one year to live. But she’s still kicking. And thanks to MCCAC she’s getting connected to the services she needs to move forward.

Recycling cans and bottles may not be the most glamorous work. Especially when you lift a garbage bag full into a truck and the accumulated liquid of old beer soda, and who knows what, leaks down your arm or hits you in the face. But, darn, if it doesn’t pay well for our furry friends

The Wasco County Commissioners Meeting held their regularly scheduled meeting at 9 a.m. on March 16th, 2022. Highlights from the meeting included a presentation by Mid-Columbia Community Action Council on rates of houselessness in Wasco County, and public comments on MCACC’s Navigation Center.

The Dalles City Council authorized Mayor Rich Mays and City Attorney Jonathan Kara to offer the city manager job to the Council’s top candidate and enter into an employment contract with that candidate during a short open meeting on Thursday, March 17.

City and County Officials must come to terms with Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue as time is running out on brokering a deal on how to split future Google Community Service Fees that could be worth $37.5 million over 20 years. Locals could lose control to the state if negotiations fail. They are slated to meet again tonight, March 17.

“This would be a commercial facility,” said Dan Spatz, Capitol Project Director for Columbia Community College. “Such a facility would provide an essential service for test runs and small batches for mid- and large-sized brewers. In concert with the AA in Food Science & Fermentation, this facility could also provide students with valuable and necessary hands-on experience.”