While the national Braver Angels organization was established in 2016, the Columbia Gorge Alliance of Braver Angels is celebrating its first year of operation in July of 2024. Braver Angels is dedicated to bridging the political divide, holding America together, and preserving our democratic republic.

From the Columbia River to the shores of Mexico, three-time Stand Up Paddleboard World Champion Fiona Wylde has navigated waters around the globe. Now she’s making a splash in her hometown of Hood River with Wylde Wind & Water, a non-profit which aims to create equitable access to water sports through water safety education, youth water sports programs, free community programs for all ages and much more!

“I have the best job in The Dalles,” said Executive Director Scott Baker. “I work with awesome people who wake up every day with the goal of making The Dalles an awesome place to live.” There could be a paid position for you on the team. Check out these job opportunities.

Hood River’s First Friday event served rainbow accented looks, prideful allyship, music, fun, and community resources on June 7 in downtown Hood River. The event aimed to foster community acceptance, raise awareness of local resources, and promote local businesses.

Over 250 students from North Wasco County School District (both TDHS and Innovations Academy), grades 9-12, gathered together for an event focused on mental health, wellness, and resilience on June 4th.

Northern Wasco County Aquatic Center will be open daily starting June 8th! The community is invited to come out and swim to celebrate the start of the summer season! More of a land lover than a swimmer? Northern Wasco County Parks & Recreation has plenty of other events planned for this summer!

Klickitat County Commissioners have decided to form a new County Department of Corrections which would oversee operational changes and improvement to Klickitat County Jail. Including appointments of a Jail Administrator to run and operate the jail and the establishment of a medical clinic on site. The new Jail Administrator will report directly to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer has opposed the decision.

Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue (MCFR) received a call at around 11:07 a.m. of a structure fire at Celilo Inn. According to MCFR Chief Bob Palmer, the fire started in a  room in the middle of the complex on the upper floor.

North Wasco County School District 21 and Union leaders are still embroiled in difficult negotiations about next year's contracts. The district faces a $1.5 million to $2 million financial deficit due to a decline in enrollment. During recent bargaining meetings D21 has proposed what they feel is the best solution to the budget shortfall: capitalizing on staff attrition to cut 10 positions without doing any layoffs.

Fifth graders at Colonel Wright Elementary enjoyed a fun-filled water race organized by retired teacher Steve Chance. Mr. Chance, who returned to the school as a substitute teacher this year. Mr. Chance volunteered to revive the event, hoping to pass the event on to his son, a current teacher at the school in the future.

The group will discuss how to use Strategic Investment Program money from Google through recent agreements for the two new data centers being built on former aluminum smelter property in The Port of The Dalles.

On Saturday, June 8, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Klickitat County Trout Unlimited will host a Kids Fishing Day event from 9 a.m. to noon. The event is beginner-friendly and open to the public free of charge.

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!