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
Locals are kicking off some parties this afternoon as the 57th Superbowl is set to start at 3:30 p.m. And if our totally unscientific analysis of 9 people means anything, the Eagles are favored to win this year’s Championship. But there is a lot of music, drinks and chili to get through first.
Show love to your loved ones and your community by celebrating love locally this Valentine’s Day.
The Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) has acquired the Oregon Motor Motel, located on the edge of downtown The Dalles, Oregon, with the aim of converting it into transitional housing and shelter. The $3.25 million acquisition was made possible through a $4.27 million grant from the Project Turnkey 2.0 program, which MCCAC applied for at the end of the summer of 2022.
With several key aspects of the renovation now complete, the vision of a true Community Food Center is finally coming to fruition — offering a significant boost to efforts to end hunger and its root causes throughout Sherman, Wasco and Hood River counties.
Columbia Gorge Community College board members agreed Tuesday, Jan. 31, to engage a professional search firm as the college prepares for the departure of Dr. Marta Yera Cronin, CGCC’s president in June.
We are coming down the home stretch for the Winter Sports season, as we have teams preparing for the postseason as early as this week, while other programs are finishing their final couple of weeks of regular season play with the hopes of qualifying for state competition!
Leads on the possible identification of this individual were received by the Sheriff’s Office in the following days and weeks; numerous reporting parties indicated they believed the remains to be that of David West, Jr., a man who had disappeared from Sherman County trying to cross the John Day River during a large flooding event in 1964.
CyberMind Gaming, a PC gaming and eSports center in The Dalles, which opened it’s doors in March of 2022 will close it’s doors on February 17th, 2023.
When an active shooter incident began in Hood River this past week, Hood River County School District was ready to respond immediately to maintain student safety. While the threat was on Cascade street, one mile from the closest public school, the district immediately placed lower valley schools in “secure status” and notified parents via email and text messages.
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.
