The Dalles Art Center has hired a new executive director, Sally Johnson. Volunteering since March 2023 as interim director and leading a successful financial sustainability plan for The Dalles Art Center with the board of directors, Johnson moves into the permanent role.

The City of Hood River, in collaboration with the Urban Renewal Agency Board (URAB), is making progress in refining the design for the Heights Streetscapes project. Following feedback from community partners and public input, a hybrid design has been selected as the preferred alternative. This design entails a new roundabout, a new traffic light, the closing of Belmont between 12th and 13th, one-way traffic and a bike path on 12th Street, and two-way traffic on 13th Street.

The Dalles Middle School Music and Theater Department presents Disney’s Moana JR. at The Dalles Middle School on Friday and Saturday, May 12-13, 2023 and Friday and Saturday, May 19-20, 2023. The 90-minute musical adventure, designed for middle school-aged performers, is based on the 2016 Disney film Moana. The seventh and eighth grade cast and crew includes 45 students led by TDMS Music Teacher, Leslie Sullivan.

Set in an old car-wash, in downtown White Salmon, this newly repurposed space may just become your new go-to destination for all things home goods and furniture.

The proposed changes are: 1) to decrease Fixed Routes fares within The Dalles city limits from $1.50 to $1.00 per one-way ride, and 2) to increase Dial-a-Ride service fares within The Dalles city limits from $1.50 to $2.00 per one-way ride. These changes are scheduled to go into effect on May 29, 2023,  but could occur later if extra time is needed to address any concerns brought out by this process.

The meeting held at City Hall drew about 25 audience members, 19 in person, and brought comments from seven different neighbors. Some were concerned The Dalles was going the way of Hood River who logged numerous complaints about short-term rentals until changes were made in their codes. 

The Dalles Middle School pulled out all the stops on Thursday, May 4 as it put together a school-wide Carnival that featured, well, about everything. First responders, popcorn, clowns, traditional dance, hallway guitar players. Oh but why bother reading, take a look for yourself:

The 1st annual round dance in honor of missing and murdered indigenous people will be held on Friday May 5th, 2023 from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Wahtonka Community School, in The Dalles, OR. The family friendly event is free to attend. All gorge community members, allies, and native people, are invited to gather, dance, raise community awareness, and promote healing together.

Gorge local, Julie Zapien, shares some of the history of Cinco de Mayo plus some of the best ways you can celebrate this holiday on May 5th, 2023. “Many Mexican-Americans (myself included) do still tend to enjoy what the day brings, yet It is a holiday that has more meaning than just tacos and margaritas...” says, Zapien.

Using local lore, history and reports filed in store, Margie's Outdoor Store has compiled a full-color illustrated guide to the Columbia River Gorge region’s most intriguing and mysterious paranormal hot spots to encourage others to go out and have a real-world adventure of their own.

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. 

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

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.

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.

The raffle to support students in The Dalles and Hood River is aiming to put someone in a new car while local communities pay it forward for sports and extra-curricular activities at high schools in TD and HR. Tickets are $10 for a chance to win a new ‘23 Toyota Corolla. The raffle has the potential to bring $150k.

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.

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.

Food insecurity is on the rise in Columbia River Gorge communities which heavily rely on imported goods rather than local food systems. Here’s a simple and brief explanation of the problem and some ideas on what you can do to help.