Wasco County Commissioners discussed a variety of matters at the April 19th, 2023 regular board meeting held in The Dalles, OR including a request for waivers from Dufur Ambulance Service Area, and a draft of an agreement for $4.5 million in funding from the State of Oregon Lottery to benefit the Columbia Gorge Resolution Center.

Columbia Gorge Food Bank celebrated the completion of their new warehouse, community food center, and learning kitchen located at 3525 Crates Way, in The Dalles, OR on Thursday April 13th. The new space will allow for increased ease in managing the distribution of approximately 2 million pounds of food to some 6,000 families in the region a year.

GoForth Electric CarShare, a collaborative partnership between Forth, Mobility Development, and community-owned utilities is expanding its service area in the Columbia River Gorge to include Bingen and White Salmon, Washington. Services in Bingen and White Salmon may begin as early as June of 2023,

Kindergarten pre-registration for North Wasco County School District will be held the first week of May. Children must be 5 years old by September 1, 2023, to enroll in kindergarten for the 2023-2024 school year. Parents and guardians with incoming kindergartners should contact their neighborhood school from May 1st through May 5th to get started.

The Dalles Wasco County Library has recently installed a short story dispenser on their main floor near the entrance. The interactive installation is a new innovative way to promote literacy and community involvement, allowing people to contribute their own stories and share them with others.

Working to empower individuals through education, Columbia Basin Care is offering a FREE Nursing Assistant class.

The Columbia Gorge Pride Alliance (CGPA) Columbia Gorge Pride was established in 2017 to create a secure space for the LGBTQIA2S+ community in the Gorge. To further understand the needs and strengths of the LGBTQIA2S+ community in the Columbia River Gorge, CGPA is conducting an online survey.

Columbia Gorge Food Bank has moved into their new Warehouse and Community Food Center and will host a ribbon cutting, tour, and information session April 13th, from 5 to 6 p.m.

On Saturday, April 15th, Mid-Columbia Housing Authority, Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation, Columbia Gorge Food Bank and OSU Extension Service will come together with support from GOOGLE to build raised garden beds for Families at Heritage Heights Apartments in The Dalles,

Local Bilingual Family Liaison, Julie Zapien, successfully organized a community fun run and taco feed event centered around celebrating Cesar. E. Chavez and bolstering Latin(e) family engagement at Colonel Wright School in The Dalles, OR. last March.

A local group of citizens has launched a campaign in a bid to gain community support around building a new high school in The Dalles. The events this weekend and website launch, VoteYESTDHS.org is an initiative of the Political Action Committee, North Wasco Strong Community Schools, and aims to build advocacy and rally community support around the goal for a new high school initiative.

The Columbia Basin Care Foundation is offering scholarships to Gorge students pursuing health-related careers.The $2,500 scholarships will support healthcare education in a variety of areas, such as nursing, public health, food and nutrition, social services, health and wellness, and more. Funds may be used for health-related studies at any college, university, or trade school. 

The Hood River City Council held a meeting on April 10, 2023, to discuss Juneteenth, a water ordinance, Ruthton Park trailhead, transit, economic development, and a project list totaling $87 million for the proposed Westside Urban Renewal District.

Thirty year old Kyndal Ray, is walking across America for Mental Health Awareness, Recovery, and Habits 365. Kyndal started his journey on January 1st, 2022, with his feet in the Atlantic Ocean at the Jacksonville Beach Pier in Florida. He is heading northwest to put his feet in the Pacific Ocean in Long Beach, Washington, on Wednesday April 12th, 2023, which is his four-year drug-free date.

Unbeknownst to the world, the late William Gary Harvey, a Wasco County fence builder, who lived alone created more than 60 abstract paintings and drawings and 4 miniature sculptures from found objects. A selection will be on display to the outside world for the first time at The Dalles Art Center from May 4th to May 27th, 2023.

A Community Cleanup and an Easter Egg Scramble had children and Volunteers on the move Saturday, April 8, as Columbia Gorge Toyota and Honda pulled off a double event giving children some glee and locals some pride after cleaning up parts of West Second and Sixth Streets in The Dalles.

Downtown The Dalles will be bubbling with beverages, flowers, and fun tonight as Downtown The Dalles kicks off its First Friday season with an ode to Spring. Morning Showers are expected to give way to temperatures in the 60s this afternoon, making for great conditions to go sidewalk cruising and boutique beverage consuming.

A dozen teens and half as many adults from Hood River and The Dalles spent spring break in Costa Rica, working on a conservation project, learning about cacao and coffee production, coming face to face with wildlife, using their Spanish skills, and enjoying the beauty and hospitality of this Central American country.

The Dalles Kiwanis welcomes Bill Weiler an outdoor biologist and founder and member of the Board of Directors of Gorge Ecology Outdoors, an environmental education organization based in Hood River. He will speak about wildlife habitat and conservation in the Gorge.

Wasco County Commissioners held their regular meeting on Wednesday, April 5th, 2023 at 9 a.m. and approved several important items on the agenda. At the top of the list was the YouthThink Overdose Prevention Subcontract between Wasco County and North Central Public Health District which was approved, and will provide much-needed support for the prevention of drug overdoses in local communities.