Our Columnist Morgan Olson recently caught up with Maddie Dollarhide after she was awarded Youth of the Year by The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce. Olson gives us some insight into Dollarhide and her love of animals as well as getting a glimpse at what motivates the Dufur High School Senior.

Volunteer firefighters from White Salmon, Bingen, and Klickitat County Fire District 3 responded to a trailer fire on Cook-Underwood Road near the mouth of the White Salmon River at 2:33 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 26.

Human trafficking exists in our own backyards, rand local law enforcement says it’s not going away anytime soon. In this story, local survivors of human trafficking share their stories and ask the community to take action to prevent modern day slavery in our communities.

Framers with RBR Construction were working on mixed-use buildings this morning, Jan. 27, that will provide commercial space on the first floor and residential living on the second floor in the Port of The Dalles. The construction has been underway since summer and crews are moving fast to bring the project to fruition.

December marked the start of a new after school opportunity for students at Chenowith Elementary School: Video Club.

The Dalles School Teachers offer up some of the lessons and activities going on in their classrooms of late. Learn about time capsules, polar bears, cells, eyes and eagles.

Council approves a $1-million deal to improve West Sixth Street, talks about hiring a new city manager, annexes property for new houses, gets clean audit and rejects bids for Trevitt Street utility replacement.

The Dalles Planning Commission approved a conditional permit to Tony Cheng to operate a marijuana farm at the former Red’s Trading Post building, 2610 W. Second Street.

The decision came at the Commission’s regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, Jan. 20.

The permit was given on multiple conditions:

Fox joined Insitu in 2022 and is also serving as Boeing’s vice president of Missions and Payloads. Previously, Lynn was senior director of Boeing’s Electronic Sensor and Intelligence Solutions division while also serving as CEO of Argon ST of Fairfax, Va.

A 66-year-old male is in jail accused of arson after police were called out on a disturbance and the place he was living caught fire some three hours later. Oregon State Police Arson investigators are sifting through the scene for evidence.

With a vehicle stolen at knifepoint, Oregon State Police assisted The Dalles Police & Wasco County Sheriff’s Office in subduing suspect in Cascade Square parking lot.

When it comes to live music, Jim Drake can get you plugged in. Our local columnist for entertainment Gorge-wide has a good sampling of coming shows and events, including School boi, Meatloaf, People We Know, Jackson County Kills, Al Hare, Sunny Pache, Stephanie Tama Sweet, Albert Nicholas, Sugar Daddys, Beer, Bring The Heat, Prints from Crow’s Shadow, Ham Radio.

The Dalles Community Meals needs volunteers to serve as Meal Hosts following the retirement of several long-term volunteer groups which has left the current meal host schedule concerningly empty.

The Dalles City Council is poised to make an agreement with the Oregon Department of Transportation to widen West Sixth Street at its regular meeting scheduled for tonight, Jan. 24, starting at 5:30 p.m. Councilors are will also consider utility work on Trevitt Street and property development on E. 18th Street.

District leadership is scheduled to meet first thing Monday morning to evaluate and discuss the current pause on athletics and activities, with the hope of making a decision one way or the other by early afternoon, Monday. Once a decision is made, we will be posting updates.

Question of the Week: What was your favorite toy growing up? Locals had no trouble identifying some of their most joyous moments with their toys and that undefinable time of their youth where maybe they did not control much in the adult world but were masters of their own as they took on the lives of their ships, dolls, trucks and Legos.

The North Wasco County School District Board accepted board member Rebecca Thistlethwaite’s resignation at its regular meeting on Jan. 20. The District is asking now for a resident of the Mosier area to step up and fill her shoes.

Hood River Police Department says Cascade Ave from 20th to Rand Road is closed while officers wait for assistance. Public is asked to remain clear form the area and choose alternate travel routes

Nicholas Kristof’s bid for the Oregon Governorship will first have to run through the Oregon Supreme Court to establish whether he was a resident of Oregon. Kristof, who grew up on a farm in Yamhill and has split time between New York and Oregon, is asking for a swift decision from the court to enable his run in this spring’s primary.

Mid-Columbia Community Action Council will conduct an annual Point-in-Time (PIT) survey to to count the number of people experiencing houselessness in Wasco, Hood River, and Sherman Counties next week. The survey will also provide valuable information to MCCAC about contributing factors to houselessness and the length of time individuals in our region have been houseless.