Columbia Community Connection was established in 2020 as a local, honest and digital news source providing meaningful stories and articles. CCC News’ primary goal is to inform and elevate all the residents and businesses of the Mid-Columbia Region. A rising tide lifts all boats, hop in!
All in Wasco County
Travis Fox of Springfield, Oregon, is just one of the dozens of workers brought into The Dalles to work indirectly or directly on projects related to Google’s new data center. The site at 3500 River Road is being prepped for construction and City Planning says they are expecting a building permit any day now.
Lloyd DeKay of White Salmon will concentrate on the Ice Age Floods that developed some of the geologic wonders and beauty we marvel at today. The History forum will take place Feb. 4, at the Original Courthouse in The Dalles at 1:30 p.m. The stunning beauty of the Columbia River Gorge is the result of 50 million years of volcanic arc eruptions, massive fissure eruptions of flood basalts, catastrophic sediment-saturated Ice Age Floods, huge landslides, and massive earthquakes.
For two decades, the Celilo Center’s oncology service has been a game changer for locals staring down a fight with cancer. That will end on Feb. 28 as MCMC is stopping oncology treatment due to staffing issues. Locals seeking chemotherapy and immunotherapy will now have to find treatment elsewhere, which will require the sick to travel to Portland, Vancouver, Wash., Yakima, Tri-Cities, or Bend.
The Next Door Inc. is pleased to announce its 2023 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) workshops! A selection of popular ‘foundational’ DEI workshops are back, including: Latino Outreach, LGBTQIA2S+ Outreach, and Plain Language.
Gregory “Greg” Payne was awarded a Quilt of Valor by the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office on behalf of The Quilts of Valor Foundation on January 23rd, 2022 at the Oregon Veterans Home in The Dalles, Oregon. Several OVH staff, officers, and servicemen from the community gathered to witness the presentation.
Meet some of the members of MCHTTF and learn more about the vital work they perform to ensure the protection of victims, prosecution of offenders, and prevention of all forms of human trafficking through effective coordinated partnerships in the Mid-Columbia.
FLP’s report documenting its investigation of former TD Police Officer Jeffrey Kienlen includes accounts from and about people harmed by him over the years. Their stories feature descriptions of disproportionate aggression by Kienlen, hostility toward people he engaged with, and a disregard for City of The Dalles Police Department policies, including policies on the use of force, encounters with people in mental health crisis, unholstering firearms, and using Tasers.
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.
