Take your pick. From Pink Martini to Nerve Damage. From Lord of the Rings to Saturday Night Fever. Fun facts, bad movie jokes and secret salsa are all part of the gamut this week in the Gorge’s most inclusive listing of entertainment options, including country and western. You can’t go if you don’t know. Check it all out here.

Food is a global issue with local impact. During the pandemic, emergency allotments helped keep households and 42 million Americans afloat by providing a 15% increase in food benefits. Now that those allotments are ending experts warn that the decrease in food benefits, climate change and international conflict will exacerbate the issues of hunger, food shortages, and food costs both locally and around the world.

This is the second time the Pioneer Building has sold in the past 17 months. The latest price for the 13,374-square-foot building was $750,000 according to Wasco County property records dated September 23, 2022. That’s up $250,000 from the last sale in April 2021 to Wise Rentals LLC. 

Dr. Marta Yera Cronin, president of Columbia Gorge Community College announced her resignation effective June 30, 2023. CCCNews learned of the resignation earlier this week through rumors and requested an interview to discuss her departure and the current status of the college in regard to transition, enrollment and finances. No dice.

Members of the Mid-Columbia Houseless Collaborative are preparing for the 2023 Point in Time (PIT) Count, which will take place in Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Klickitat, and Skamania Counties between Monday, January 23rd—Friday, January 27th. 

In the settlement, announced by The Oregonian on Dec. 14, The Dalles agreed to provide public access to 10 years of data on Google’s water use and to honor future records requests.

If you’re considering a cannabis career, or your profession involves the emerging cannabis industry in other ways, Columbia Gorge Community College now offers the skills for success.

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley held an in-person town hall at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center in The Dalles, OR on Friday, January 13th, from 1-2 p.m. Many community members were in attendance and asked questions on a number of topics including housing, healthcare, minimum wage, the disappearance of town halls across the nation, the January 6th insurrection and more.

The Wasco County District Attorney's office will no longer seek “harmful” and “discriminatory” monetary sanctions such as court fees, and fines, and will work to minimize the collateral consequences of legal system involvement.

Federal funding to stabilize people during the COVID-19 public health emergency is set to run out. This reduction will affect some 300,000 people utilizing the Oregon Health Plan who will no longer qualify. In addition, extended long-term support, providing extra food benefits are also coming to an end. Find out what to do here.

The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ODVA) will increase the maximum loan limit for the Oregon Veteran Home Loan for 2023, conforming to loan limits for mortgages set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). ODVA will now accept loans up to the new maximum loan amount of $726,200, an increase of $79,000 from $647,200 in 2022, for funding on or after January 1, 2023. 

Senator Jeff Merkley has announced in-person town halls for Wasco, Hood River, Sherman, Gilliam, Morrow, Lincoln, Tillamook, and Clatsop counties.

Games abound in this week’s round-up of local social events, music offerings and local shows. Scrabble, pool and poker options sit along side productions such as Dancing with the Gorge Stars at The Dalles High School Auditorium or “Ripchord” at the Bingen Theater.

This year’s regional history forum series includes presentations on the geology of the Columbia River Gorge, local vineyards and wineries, Eleanor Borg, and Fort Dalles.

Comedy, music, a fundraiser for a friend. It’s all happening in the Gorge. Check out our latest listings here.

Another move downtown has the commercial district shaking. The Salvation Army is headed east to a leased building on Second Street and their old digs are up for sale for $1.65 million. The 0.29-acre lot with 24,000 square feet of building space and 10,000 square feet of parking provides a lot of potential to a would-be investor. Housing, restaurants, food carts? Who knows. Time will tell.

It’s time to blow the doors off 2023. Jim Drake gives us a nice little tour of what is happening in the Gorge to ring in the new year. Check out the shows and parties coming up this Saturday, Dec. 31.

Santa has sent us letters and drawings from local 2nd and 3rd graders to help us rekindle the magic of this holiday season through these innocent and hopeful writings. Santa has quite a group of pen pals from The Dalles, Dufur, Mosier and Lyle. Check them out here.

With a major uptick in flu cases, the U.S. Center for Disease Control has sent out a Health Advisory to healthcare providers regarding the importance of prescribing antiviral medications for patients with the flu this year. Flu shots are available. Click here to find out more.

The Dalles Wasco County Sheriff partnered with Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) staff and volunteers and anonymous donors from the community to deliver some Christmas magic to two families in need on Wednesday December 21st.