After nearly two years of construction, the full weekend closures of The Dalles Bridge have finally come to an end.

Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer has big hopes for his final term as sheriff. The 77-year-old, third-term sheriff’s goals for the next four years include: establishing an animal shelter, proclaiming Klickitat County a constitutional county, increasing his posse to 200, and hiring Washington gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp to run the Klickitat County Jail.

Choice is huge this week as Jim Drake brings us the latest, greatest in entertainment happenings throughout the Gorge. Music, Literature, and Comedy, are springing up like wildflowers as we tilt closer to the sun. Check out this week’s most comprehensive listing here. There is something happening near you. Looking for a show tonight - check out our community calendar. It’s got it all.

The Wasco County Commissioners held their regularly scheduled meeting on March 1st, 2023 at 9 a.m. Among the items on the agenda were the approval of a Secretary of State grant amendment, a personal services contract, and a proclamation declaring March as Red Cross Month.

A Montana-based car dealership with holdings in Klamath Falls and Walla Walla purchased Ray Schultens Motors, Tuesday, Feb. 28th. Jennifer Dewey of Schultens confirmed the sale on Tuesday evening. The deal had been in the works since last fall. 

On Tuesday, Feb. 28, Debra Klaviter hugged her clients and thanked them as they came into her Farmers Insurance agency at the corner of Fourth and Washington Streets. Farmers took a chance on her 22 years after she worked for years with Steve Hudson at State Farm. “They said they were going to make me a star. I jumped in a fast-running river running and I had to swim to shore,” she said of her first few years in business. 

The roundtable group was created for the purpose of opening the lines of communication and facilitating ongoing conversations between D21 students and the school administration, and also to empower students to drive their own learning and discuss ways to enhance the student experience.

Mar. 2 speaker is Deidre Baumgarten on opportunities to serve through Scouting programs. Mar. 9 speaker is Amanda Lawrence from Next Door. Feb. 16 Kevin Greenwood from Port of Hood River will address the H.R. Bridge project. Mar. 23 Columbia Bank managers Carmen Myers and Rod Cole will talk about what’s happening in banking and their bank’s merger with Umpqua Bank.

According to reports, scammers are posing as representatives of the Sheriff's Office and are using various tactics to trick people into giving them money or personal information.

The tree that caught on fire was along west 10th St., as the property lies on a corner lot. According to police, no one was harmed in the blaze. A quick response led to a speedy extinguishing of flames.
Facebook posts following the fire stated that no chickens were injured.

CCCNews’ Jim Drake interviews Erin and David from the world-traveling classical crossover group Empire Trio, coming to The Dalles Civic Auditorium on March 7. Drake talks with the band about the show, what it’s like making your way in the classical music world, and what opera you should be listening to!

The annual Northwest Cherry Festival is set to take place in The Dalles, Oregon, from Friday, April 21st through Sunday, April 23rd, 2023 This year's festival, is themed "Homegrown Happiness."

The Oregon Dept of Education, Early Learning Division (ELD) is conducting a community engagement initiative called Raise Up Oregon, aimed at improving support for families with children, prenatal to age five, locally here in the Mid-Columbia and across the state.

Van Nevel Concrete & Curb, Inc. will be installing ADA ramps in various area's throughout the City of The Dalles from March 1st to June 1st, Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-5 p.m. 

Kids participating in SMART Reading programs have the opportunity to read each book and cast their vote in person. This year, for the first time ever, SMART is opening up the contest to all children in Oregon. Kids can read the selected titles and cast their votes at https://bit.ly/BookAward2023 until midnight on Sunday, Feb. 26. 

Victorino Rodriguez beat the cold this morning, Feb. 24, as he lit off a long line of cherry wood pruned from McClaskey Orchards next to Highway 197 just south of Auction Sales Company in The Dalles. The 39-year-old from The Dalles warms his back here in this photo. He originally hails from the state of Durango, Mexico, where average temperatures range in the 70s during the day and the 30s at night in February. Check here to see what the weekend weather looks like.

There will be a public reception to present the awards on Friday, March 3 at 6:00 pm at The Dalles Art Center, 220 E. 4th Street.  The public is welcome to attend and learn about this year’s grant recipients, their projects, the WCCTC, and the Oregon Cultural Trust. Find out who received grants here.

Adventist Health is in the process of purchasing Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles with promises of investing $100 million over the next ten years. Fierce Healthcare Just reported Adventist is laying off 59 administrators at its headquarters in Roseville, Calif. The money will be reinvested into its hospitals and clinics “to help realign directly where care is delivered.” Meanwhile, the buyout of MCMC is awaiting regulatory approvals from both the Oregon Health Authority and the Department of Justice.

A new bipartisan bill, Oregon Senate Bill 431, has been introduced to provide $125 million in state funding for the construction of a new Hood River-White Salmon Bridge. If the bill passes, the bridge replacement project will reach 42.3% of its funding goal in July of 2023.

Our Klickitat Prevention Coalition and its partners are hosting an opioid panel in Trout Lake on March 14, 2023, from 6-8 p.m. at Trout Lake School. Teens and adults are encouraged to attend, and childcare will be provided.