The Hood River Urban Renewal Agency (URA) has endorsed a letter of support to transfer the jurisdictional transfer of State Highway 281, from Oak Street to Pacific Avenue, in the Heights of Hood River to the City of Hood River. The jurisdictional transfer is a necessary step for the Agency to move forward with The Heights Streetscape Plan.

The Hood River City Council approved a resolution to increase compensation for future City Councilors and Mayors to foster a more inclusive and diverse community leadership. The resolution aims to reduce financial barriers to civic participation and make service on the City Council more accessible and attractive to a diverse range of candidates.

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.

Mark your calendars for the 2024 Gorge STEM Fair - a free, outdoor, family-friendly event focused on all things STEM in the Gorge! Everyone in the community is welcome to attend! This year’s STEM Fair will take place on Saturday, June 22, 2024, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Kiwanis meetings are held every Thursday at noon at Spooky’s and visitors are welcome

One evening, as my co-leader and I closed a group meeting for family caregivers, I reminded those in attendance that one of the major benefits of participation in any support group is the opportunity it creates to simply check in with ourselves on a regular basis— to pause, to listen to our own thoughts and feelings and experiences, and to give voice to them— when that is often the one thing there is not time for in the midst of the sometimes all-consuming experience of caregiving itself. “Oh!” said one man in attendance, “It’s like the line in that song: ‘I just dropped in the see what condition my condition was in.’”

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!

Memorial Day at Sorosis Park featured a traditional ceremony to honor fallen soldiers. The event included the laying of wreaths, the playing of taps by a bugler, and speeches from high-ranking military and government officials. Attendees enjoyed patriotic music performed by a local band, and a gun salute highlighted the ceremony.

The fourth exhibit of 2024 at The Dalles Art Center (TDAC) is “Don’t Throw It Away, Baby! Up-cycled Function Art by Barbara Kilkenny, Abigail Kaehler, Denise Jiminez, and Jan Byrkit.” Fondly known as the Freedom Sisters Road Show, these four artists have been friends and artistic peers for decades through multiple life stages including marriage, raising children, and the operations of family life.

Over 350 students will experience Water Jam 2024 on May 30 & 31 at Spring Creek National Fish Hatchery in Underwood, WA. Water Jam is an annual culminating experience for students rearing salmon in their classrooms on the Washington side of the Columbia River 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).

Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) is pleased to announce the grand opening of The Gloria Center, a one-stop multi-agency supportive services center located in The Dalles The formal grand opening event will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 31st at 2505 W. 7th St. in The Dalles. 

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. 

Kara Davis increased her lead by one vote in her race against Travis Marston for Wasco County District Attorney. The race has been a nail-biter for arguably the most important position in law enforcement in Wasco County. It appears Davis has captured the seat.

Last weekend, 14  Riverhawks competed in their final events of the season at the State Track & Field meet at UofO. Compared to Districts, racing conditions in Eugene were about perfect: clear, cool, and with that special dose of “Hayward magic” on the track. Somewhere between magic and hard work, many saw PRs and competitive placings: a satisfying close to a great season.

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.

The Dalles Wasco County Library will kick off the 2024 summer reading program on Tuesday, June 18th with party complete with bounce houses, face painting, crafts, prizes, and games!

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.