Seven fire agencies pulled together to tackle the problem of creating defensible space as wildfires are expected to be a looming threat in years to come as tinder-dry conditions likely to persist in most of Wasco County.

The Hood River Urban Renewal Agency (URA) has endorsed a letter of support to transfer the jurisdictional transfer of State Highway 281, from Oak Street to Pacific Avenue, in the Heights of Hood River to the City of Hood River. The jurisdictional transfer is a necessary step for the Agency to move forward with The Heights Streetscape Plan.

Dufur students were awarded $83,000 during the evening. There is more to come from the Jerri Walker Depriest Memorial Scholarship fund which will be awarded during graduation at Henderson Field, on Saturday, June 1st.

Black in the Gorge will host its second annual Juneteenth celebration at Jackson Park from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on June 16, 2024! Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and is a day of reflection and celebration of African American freedom and achievements. The free community event will feature an afternoon filled with plenty of music, food, crafts, dancing, and fun with various activities and a community art project celebrating freedom, liberation, community spirit and the contributions of the Black community in the Columbia Gorge.

Mark your calendars for the 2024 Gorge STEM Fair - a free, outdoor, family-friendly event focused on all things STEM in the Gorge! Everyone in the community is welcome to attend! This year’s STEM Fair will take place on Saturday, June 22, 2024, from 10 a.m. to noon.

One evening, as my co-leader and I closed a group meeting for family caregivers, I reminded those in attendance that one of the major benefits of participation in any support group is the opportunity it creates to simply check in with ourselves on a regular basis— to pause, to listen to our own thoughts and feelings and experiences, and to give voice to them— when that is often the one thing there is not time for in the midst of the sometimes all-consuming experience of caregiving itself. “Oh!” said one man in attendance, “It’s like the line in that song: ‘I just dropped in the see what condition my condition was in.’”

The Columbia Gorge Pride Alliance has unveiled their “30 Days of Gay” event schedule for LGBTQIA2S Pride Month, with a variety of events from book clubs to dance parties; game nights to lego builds; trivia to drag shows, there’s something for introverts and extroverts! No matter where you are on the rainbow spectrum. There’s even a “Speed Friending” event for those who want a little help forging new connections with other LGBTQIA2S+ folx in the gorge!

This Saturday, Gorge Roller Derby (GRD) is hosting their final bout of the season, on June 1st at The Fort Dalles Readiness Center at 402 W Scenic Dr in The Dalles. Proceeds from the event and raffle basket will benefit Columbia Gorge Pride Alliance (CGPA).

Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) is pleased to announce the grand opening of The Gloria Center, a one-stop multi-agency supportive services center located in The Dalles The formal grand opening event will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 31st at 2505 W. 7th St. in The Dalles. 

The Dalles Aquatic Center will open its doors for the summer season starting Saturday May 25. The Aquatic Center will be open weekends from 1 to 6 p.m. until the end of the school year. The pool will be open daily starting June 10th. 

Kara Davis increased her lead by one vote in her race against Travis Marston for Wasco County District Attorney. The race has been a nail-biter for arguably the most important position in law enforcement in Wasco County. It appears Davis has captured the seat.

The Dalles is set to receive $1 million in grants from the  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to clean up the former Chenowith Middle School and The City’s Westside and Downtown Historic Area.

The Dalles Wasco County Library will kick off the 2024 summer reading program on Tuesday, June 18th with party complete with bounce houses, face painting, crafts, prizes, and games!

Today Mosier Community School hosted an event featuring a traditional Pow-Wow dance, celebrating the rich cultural heritage of Native American tribes in the region including the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Yakama, and Umatilla tribes. The event was organized by Lucille Begay, the Native American Liaison at Columbia Gorge ESD and a substitute teacher.

A card skimmer was discovered at Windmaster Market, a family owned and operated business at 1650 Tucker Rd in Hood River this morning at around 9:20 a.m. Windmaster is the latest in a string of local businesses including Treebird Market, Carson General, the Hood River Walmart and Hood River Astro, that have been targeted by skimmers this week.

Voter PSA: Did you know you can look up candidates' campaign spending on the Oregon Secretary of State's website? Well, you can. Voters can utilize campaign spending tools to learn a lot about a candidate by following the money and this year’s Wasco County District Attorney race is no exception.

With initial ballot counts showing just 100 votes separated Wasco County DA Candidates Kara Davis and Travis J Marston, an updated count at midnight narrowed the gap even further to just 47 votes separating the two candidates. 

The elections team wrapped up counting all available ballots before heading home at 11 pm last night, including the drop boxes in Simnasho, Maupin, Dufur, The Dalles, and Mosier. 

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Director Sejal Hathi, MD, MBA, met with health leaders and partners on Thursday in Hood River and The Dalles as part of a series of visits around the state to hear about community health needs.

Initial election results of the Wasco County May 21 primary election show a voter turnout of 30.96% with 5,760 ballots cast out of 18,605 registered voters as of 9 p.m. today. Unofficial results will be updated at midnight. Updated results that include postmarked ballots will be posted on May 24. May 28, 2024 is the last day the County will receive valid postmarked ballots by mail.