March entertainment coming in like a lion; Get out there and roar!

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.

Debra's Last Day: No dry eyes as Insurance Agent Klaviter retires

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. 

TD March Kiwanis Programs: Scouting, Bank Mergers, HR Bridge Project, Next Door

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.

Burning man seen near The Dalles

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.

Adventist Health Lays off 59 administrators to save $100 million; MCMC Acquisition still awaiting regulatory approvals

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.