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.

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).

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. 

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.

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 Oregon Women Lawyers (OWLs) will be conducting their annual book drive to support the library at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, Oregon’s only women’s prison, May 13-29. There will be book collection boxes situated near the court clerks' offices in courthouses at The Dalles, Hood River, Condon, Wasco, and Fossil.

The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission hosted its second annual Columbia River Round Dance last Friday, drawing 430 attendees to honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People (MMIW/P). 

Brick City & Games is celebrating becoming a sanctioned Magic the Gathering store by inviting the community to come out and play Magic the Gathering on Friday nights at 5 p.m. and enjoy some community, fun and games!

Wasco County Clerk’s Office has reported a slight increase in voter turnout in the early stages of this year’s election compared to previous years. According to the Wasco County Clerk's office, as of May 7, the county has seen a modest rise in voter registrations and early voter turnout.

Wasco County District Attorney candidate Travis J. Marston has officially been admitted to the Oregon State Bar just 19 days before the election, according to the Oregon State Bar and court records. This recent admission ends ongoing voter speculation and confusion about his eligibility for the position due to him previously lacking an active bar license in Oregon.

The Dalles Lock and Dam Visitor Center opened up for the summer season last Friday. The Visitor Center will be open Friday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Memorial Day.

The Dalles Wasco County Library hosted "Star Wars Day” on May 4th. Community members and families enjoyed cosplaying as their favorite characters, cupcakes, inflatable lightsabers, an R2D2 trash can take and make kit, and more.

The skies over Klickitat County will see a notable absence after May 1, 2024, as Doug Herlihy, also known as "Air-1," has retired from the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office Airwing. For twenty years, Herlihy has piloted his yellow Piper Cub, logging over 1,411 hours of his impressive 19,000 career flight hours in service to the county.

Hood River Latino Network (HRLN) hosted an International Worker’s Day March in the heights of Hood River on May 1 to raise awareness for working conditions and labor rights. 

This May Dalles Wasco County Library is celebrating Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month, by hosting cultural appreciation events and activities including a poi fire dancing workshop and performance, origami, games, traditional foods, a 1,000 cranes community project and more.

The Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency (CGURA) is seeking public input on the redevelopment of a prime piece of downtown property located at 2nd and Federal street, (the former location of Tony’s Town & Country.)

280 Earth is seeking a 5-year Enterprise Zone Tax Abatement in Wasco County. The CO2 reduction plant is looking at $195 million in investment locally in years to come and is looking for a boost in the form of reduced property taxes from the Port of The Dalles, The City of The Dalles and Wasco County.