Builder Breakfast – Town Hall: Building a Better Business Model for Housing Construction of affordable housing project begins in Hood River Mariposa Village will have a total of 130 affordable housing units in six buildings as well as a community center An alteration permit is under review for the Rodeway Inn & Suites at Jantzen Beach The city of Seattle has awarded a $5.5 million contract for improvements at a theater on Mercer Street Construction is under way on an approximately $87 million building intended to boost liquor distribution effic[...] The elimination of more than $3.6 billion of funding may spell disaster for numerous communities and their inf[...] Two alteration permits were issued for upgrades on floors 9 and 10 of a Brewery Blocks building in the Pearl D[...] The Oregon Department of Transportation has awarded a $927,532 contract for installation of a new fuel storage[...] Sign up for your daily digest of DJC Oregon Daily News BRIC is proud to announce Octavio Gutiérrez’s promotion to associate principal BRIC is proud to announce Ed Herrera’s promotion to associate principal Sundt Construction welcomes the addition of Devanta Black as project manager for its growing Northwe[...] Hacker has promoted John Dalit to associate He is a registered architect and a member of NOMA with [...] Hacker has promoted Sophia Tan to associate She contributes to diverse projects spanning civic Jason Murakami has been promoted to preconstruction manager at R&H Construction Sara Stone is now vice president/project manager of Pioneer Waterproofing Company Christine Schlicker has been named chief operating officer of Deacon Construction Daily Journal of Commerce provides 24/7 legal news coverage and events honoring top legal professionals Get our free DJC Oregon Daily News & breaking news notifications Subscribe for access to the latest digital and special editions What’s Happening is a free service of Columbia Gorge News and may be edited for length. Notices run as space allows. Send to kelsiec@gorgenews.com at 701 Struck Road (between Lyle and Centerville) cash prizes; minors must be accompanied by an adult 18 or over at both the Goldendale and White Salmon offices In recognition of Drinking Water Week and Electrical Safety Month Different theme each month; see old technology in action May 10 — Columbia Gorge Wine Festival, noon to 5 p.m. at the Hood River County Fair-grounds. Hosted by Hood River County Education Foundation and Columbia Gorge Wine Association. Tickets prior to event at tickettomato.com for $30; limited number will be sold at door for $35 starting at the Skamania County Chamber office 6 tasting tickets and a map of all the tasting locations and other activities May 12 — Friends of the Library, 11 a.m. in the Jean Marie Gaulke Room, Hood River Library; public welcome. More at hoodriverlibrary.org/friends May 12 — Monthly Grief Group, 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the White Salmon Pioneer Center, 501 NE Washington St. For anyone grieving a loss. More info at maggie@maggieconverse.com or 503-395-4738 May 13 — Odell Garden Club Meeting, 10 a.m. at the Hood River County Fairgrounds Community Building. For more info, contact President Norma Curtis, 541-806-1019 or nlcurtis@hrecn.net May 13 — Survivors of Suicide Loss Support Group, 5:30-630 p.m. Meets second Tuesday of the month. Email belinda.ballah@hoodrivercounty.gov for more info at the History Museum of Hood River County May 15-16 — Hazardous Waste Collection, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hood River Garbage and The Dalles Disposal, respectively. For households and small businesses of Wasco, Hood River, and Sherman counties. Pre-registration is required to attend; visit www.tricountyrecycle.com/HR&TD to get signed up May 17 – Gorge Rebuild-it Earth Day Event, noon – 4 p.m., 995 Tucker Road in Hood River. This is a rescheduled event. www.rebuildit.org May 17 – WSVSD Art Walk presents Empty Bowls Donate $15 to receive a handcraft bowl to fill with gourmet soup donated by local restaurants May 21 — Columbia Gorge Beekeepers Association Meeting, 6 p.m. at the Hood River Extension, 2990 Experiment Station Drive. All are welcome. Visitors may attend in person or via Zoom; info at admin@gorgebeekeepers.org May 25 – End of Life Educational Series in Hood River: End of Life Planning, 12:30 p.m., at the Rockford Grange at 4262 Barrett Drive in Hood River. Event is hosted The Mid-Columbia Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Donations accepted. For more information go to mcuuf2.org First & Third Sunday — Family Devotions Mondays — Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association Voci Community Choir Rehearsals, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Hood River Valley High School. All welcome. Questions to info@gorgeorchestra.org Shop is a nonprofit store that supports the Mid-Columbia Senior Center Suggested donation for seniors 60 and over is $3.50 Monday thru Friday — Klickitat Senior Services Telephone Support Staff will direct callers to available resources assist with online benefit applications and issues with Social Security and Medicare Seniors can also call for essential grocery delivery In conjunction with Hood River Valley Adult Center; suggested $5 donation Tuesdays — White Salmon-Bingen Rotary Club, noon to 1 p.m. Learn more at www.whitesalmon-bingenrotary.org, www.facebook.com/whitesalmonbingenrotaryclub, or email rotary.club.323@gmail.com For more info contact Rebecca at 510-861-2212 Tuesdays — Harmony of the Gorge, 6-8 p.m. at Providence Down Manor, Hood River. Please check the website for rehearsal details at www.harmonyofthegorge.com; info at 541-490-2481 Tuesdays — Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association Sinfonietta Rehearsals, 7-9 p.m. at Hood River Valley High School (music room). All welcome. Questions to info@gorgeorchestra.org Tuesdays thru Fridays — Senior Chair Yoga, 9:15 a.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, fourth floor, The Dalles. Cost is $4 per class. Contact debra.lutje@gmail.com for info Every Second and Fourth Tuesday – LGBTQSIA+ Adult Group Meet-up stories and announcements for all kiddos who haven’t begun school Wednesdays— Youth Drop-In, 3:15-5:15 p.m. at Hood River Alliance Church, 2650 Montello Ave. A free, fun, safe place for middle and high school youth to participate in physical recreation, to hang out with their peers, and to get help with homework. Email melissa@hralliance.org about transportation Second Wednesday – Hood River Library Book Club, 12:30 p.m. at the Hood River Library Meeting Room, 502 State St. in Hood River. Meetings are hybrid, so folks are welcome both in-person and online. Books are chosen monthly. For more information, go to hoodriverlibrary.org Second Wednesday — Dufur Recreation District Meeting, 7 p.m. at Dufur City Hall. Visit website www.dufurcitypark.org for agenda and virtual attendance information Second Wednesday – Rainbow Reads Book Club for Queer and Allied Parents Thursdays — Hood River Art Club, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the FISH Food Bank Community Room, 1130 Tucker Road, Hood River. For more information contact Kori Walsh at Heronbird@aol.com Thursdays — Hood River Toastmasters Club, 6:30-8 a.m. via Zoom and in-person at Bette’s Place, downtown Hood River. Drop in or email HRToastmasters@proton.me for link Thursdays — Take Pounds Off Sensible (TOPS) Support Group Thursdays — The Dalles Kiwanis Club Meetings, noon at Spooky’s; visitors welcome. For more information go to www.thedalleskiwanis.org/ or The-Dalles-Kiwanis-Club on Facebook Third Thursday — West Klickitat Regional Fire Authority Board Meeting at the White Salmon Fire Station at 119 NE Church St Friday and Saturday — Hood River Valley Adult Center Thrift Shop at Hood River Early Childhood Center (formerly Pine Grove Elementary) Fridays — Storytime in Cascade Locks and Parkdale at the library branches in those communities Fridays — Reflections on the Life of the Spirit at the United Methodist church in White Salmon Explore spiritual identity and what it means to be human contact White Salmon Bahá’ís at 509-637-3311 For kids 5-10 in the John and Jean Thomas Children’s Wing games; each week is different and always fun at the Hood River Library and Crafty Saturdays at the Cascade Locks and Parkdale library branches (same times) Saturdays — Chess Lessons, 1 p.m. at The Dalles Library. Free, for all ages and skill levels, beginners to advanced. Register at wascocountylibrary.com/events Saturdays – Teen Programs, 2 p.m. at the Hood River Co. Library, 502 State St. Pick one or all that look fun and be creative, volunteer, play games, discuss books and eat snacks. Open to ages 12-18. For more info, contact Teen Librarian Rachel or go to hoodriverlibrary.org Doors open 4 p.m.; new players should arrive by 5 p.m Ages 8-18 must be accompanied by legal guardian Elks/Knights of Columbus scholarship fundraiser supports scholarships and charities dinner available for purchase; 18 and older First and Third Saturdays — Hood River Farmers’ Market under the Ferment Brewing Company tasting room Sundays — Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association Jazz Collective Rehearsals, 4-6 p.m. at WAAAM. All welcome. Questions to info@gorgeorchestra.org Information from the News and our advertisers (Want to add your business to this to this feed?) Sign up to receive notifications when a new Columbia Gorge News e-Edition is published Would you like to receive our news updates? Signup today Receive weekly updates on obituaries and death notices Oregon Capital Press presented by Columbia Gorge News Receive updates on upcoming promotions and special sections Receive weekly updates on local sports news there are no recent results for popular videos Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Skip the interstate and throttle down to 25 mph: Oregon’s truest story is printed in block letters on its downtown marquees and poured from taps you can reach in a single stroll From river-lapped settlements founded by stern-wheelers to high-desert outposts tiled in ponderosa-pine dust the state’s best main streets read like a rotating flight of IPAs: each pour singular What makes these seven towns exceptional isn’t scale or postcard vistas (though both abound) but the way commerce and deep-running history interlock at curb level: blacksmiths repurposed as vinyl bars Think of this lineup of main streets as a self-guided tasting: seven blocks of Oregon terroir you can sample without ever leaving pavement McMinnville situated in the heart of Oregon's wine country affectionately known as "Oregon’s Favorite Main Street." McMinnville’s agricultural roots are evident in its local wine and culinary offerings making it a gastronomic hub in the Willamette Valley Notable for its significant contributions to Oregon’s aviation history home to the famous Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose," anchors the city’s historical and technological appeal offers farm-to-table Italian dishes and a backroom speakeasy for a local wine experience The gallery at Currents Gallery showcases work from local artists adding a cultural depth to the browsing experience visitors can retreat to the historic McMenamins Hotel Oregon which provides a rooftop bar with sweeping views of the valley Hood River is renowned for its dynamic landscape and the corresponding outdoor-centric culture that dominates the area providing every block with striking views of water and windsurfers This street vividly embodies the town’s identity intertwined with a legacy of orchard farming and a reputation as the world's windsurfing capital The town's strategic location has historically served as a pivotal point for timber and fruit trade Pfriem Family Brewers offers award-winning craft beers alongside hearty encapsulating the local love for quality and community which features works primarily from regional artists the Hood River County History Museum provides insights into the rich past of the area from Native American heritage to pioneer settlers Ashland is prominently recognized for its cultural richness anchored by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Ashland’s Main Street and Lithia Way serve as the cultural spine of the city blending Elizabethan architecture with modern-day amenities This area thrives on a unique blend of arts with Southern Oregon University contributing to its lively atmosphere Visitors to Main Street can explore a variety of attractions The Oregon Cabaret Theatre offers dinner and show-style entertainment with high production values known for its locally-sourced cuisine and inventive cocktails celebrated for artisan pastries and organic coffee Jacksonville stands out from the rest of the entries on our list with its stunning gold rush era architecture The town sprang up in the 1850s following the discovery of gold nearby and has since retained much of its 19th-century charm is lined with brick buildings and wooden boardwalks that echo the sounds and stories of its pioneer past visitors can engage with a variety of specific historical and cultural offerings offers guided tours that depict life in the Victorian era Art aficionados will appreciate the Art Presence Art Center which showcases local artists and hosts art events the Bella Union Restaurant and Saloon offers meals that reflect local flavors in a setting that recalls the saloon culture of the gold rush era The GoodBean Coffee Company presents a modern twist on the traditional serving locally roasted coffees in a historic 19th-century building Sisters captures the essence of a quintessential Western town, with Cascade Avenue presenting a striking visual tableau reminiscent of a classic Western film set. This main street features buildings with false front architecture, which originated during the rapid development of frontier towns in the American West. Sisters is strategically located at the base of the Cascade Mountains combined with local traditions and events like the annual Sisters Rodeo firmly establishes its cultural identity rooted in the historical American frontier Cascade Avenue hosts a variety of unforgettable spots The Sisters Gallery and Frame Shop offers artwork primarily from local artists focusing on Western and Native American themes Dining options include the iconic Sisters Coffee Company a family-owned establishment housed in a rustic cabin-style building which serves locally roasted coffee and homemade pastries For those interested in the local heritage the Sisters Historical Society provides insights into the town’s pioneer past the Clearwater Gallery presents a blend of fine art and custom framing Known as the "Mural City," Silverton's transformation began with the Silverton Mural Society which sought to depict the town's rich history through large-scale public artworks over 30 murals are scattered throughout the town illustrating everything from its settler past to famous locals like Homer Davenport Bistro and Bar offers a cozy atmosphere for breakfast and lunch Silver Falls Brewery provides a taste of local craft beer alongside live music events the Lunaria Gallery presents works from regional artists in monthly exhibitions Coolidge McClaine Park provides a natural retreat with picnic areas and walking paths along Silver Creek is deeply rooted in its cowboy and rodeo culture a distinctive feature that makes its Main Street unforgettable This town is renowned for the Pendleton Round-Up one of the largest and oldest annual rodeo events in the world which fills the streets with a vibrant Western atmosphere every September Main Street reflects this heritage through its architecture and public spaces adorned with bronze statues of bucking broncos and rodeo scenes starting off with Hamley Steakhouse & Saloon which offers a taste of authentic Western dining in a setting that resembles a saloon from the 1900s complete with leather saddles and cowboy artifacts known for producing iconic wool blankets and clothing features a store and offers tours that highlight its history and impact on the town the Pendleton Center for the Arts provides a space for regional artists to showcase their work in a historic Carnegie Library building linger off the interstate and let your odometer mark memories rather than miles Each of these seven main streets is a living tasting room where Oregon’s past and sip deeply; your next revelation is likely painted on a brick That’s Oregon’s promise: discovery at 25 miles an hour photos and original descriptions © 2025 worldatlas.com please have patience while we stay live during this process Terms of Service Privacy Policy Subscribe to our mailing list to get a weekly local news recap in your Inbox We use cookies to provide you with a great experience and to help our website run effectively Artists and partners in the fledgling Industrial Street Studio Dyana Fiediga Page Case. Photo by Meg Kalmach  2025 — A group of local artists in Hood River are working to establish a collective studio and community space in a building owned by the Port of Hood River addressing a shortage of small artist studio spaces in the area Aliza McHugh, board president of the Industrial Street Studio Cooperative said her board has been working for over a year on the project The initiative began when artists discovered additional space was available in the Big 7 Building at 616 Industrial Street which is already home to Wolf Ceramics and The Clay Commons "Sarah Wolf of Wolf Ceramics and Dyana Fiedega of the Clay Commons hosted a meeting a year ago in March," McHugh said "We discovered the building still had a 5,000 square foot space available." The group is now leasing the space with plans to create 20 different studio spaces ranging from 50 to 150 square feet leads a cooperative board that includes an architect She explained that these affordable studios will serve artists seeking appropriately sized creative spaces and resources for artists and makers looking to be part of a vibrant creative community in the Gorge," McHugh said "Those artists will support one another while having a showcase for their work through public events and gatherings." Here is the space at the Big 7 building that will eventually be built out into studio spaces A cooperative is a business owned and controlled by its members with each member typically having one vote "It will be a communal workspace and a cooperative where it is not owned by any of us," McHugh explained The group signed the lease recently and is now focusing on fundraising efforts "We're getting the word out to artists and to everyone about our fundraising," McHugh said on Tuesday "We are looking to raise funds for the build-out of the space and initial operating costs." The facility will provide not only a creative workspace but also a dedicated classroom and a gallery to exhibit works "We have a list of over 40 artists that are interested," she said noting some are painters and photographers McHugh acknowledged that "some art mediums might not be feasible in the shared space," specifically mentioning oil paints or art that creates loud noise The group has already received $30,000 in donations toward its goal of $200,000 to build out the space. They expect to complete construction over the summer and be ready to move in by August. Click here for their gofundnme. "This began with artists coming together to envision something our community desperately needed," McHugh said "We're not just building studios—we're hopefully cultivating a creative ecosystem that will represent the Gorge’s artistic landscape This space represents our collective vision for affordable Here is the location of the Big 7 building on Industrial street where the new studio would be located Lead Editor here at Columbia Community Connection Get local news updates from the Mid-Columbia region in your inbox Columbia Community Connection was established in 2020 as a local honest and digital news source providing meaningful stories and articles CCC News’ primary goal is to inform and elevate all the residents and businesses of the Mid-Columbia Region Contact us: News@columbiacommunityconnection.com - Tel: (541) 980 - 2756 Powered by Immense Imagery Columbia Community Connection409 Lincoln St,The Dalles Privacy Policy Terms of Service — Three people are now facing murder charges after they allegedly hit and killed a man in Hood River last Friday as he was trying to stop them from stealing his bicycle A Hood River County grand jury indicted Johnathan Matthews as well as two counts of first-degree robbery Matthews faces additional charges of first-degree manslaughter Investigators say Matthews stole a Ford F-150 from Jacobs Sanitation in The Dalles on April 11 before picking up Hardy and Bowman and driving to Hood River Hardy is accused of trying to steal Hayes’ bike and put it in the back of the stolen pickup Hayes’ partner saw the theft happening and warned him about the situation He ran out of their home to confront the thieves “Stephen grabbed onto the passenger side of the truck while the driver tried to drive away from the scene,” Hood River County Dist The three suspects are then accused of driving to Post Canyon overnight They allegedly painted the bike and covered sanitation company logos on the truck with marking paint Police arrested Hardy and Bowman the next day The three suspects will be arraigned on the charges on Monday was held across from Solstice Pizza on The Hood River Waterfront from 7:30-8:30 p.m and co-workers how much he is loved and missed,” according to a Solstice Facebook post April 11 when police say he attempted to stop thieves from stealing from his vehicle and they hit him with a vehicle as they fled the scene 2025 — Authorities arrested a man from The Dalles suspected of driving the pickup that hit and killed Stephen M according to a press release from the Hood River Police Department The Columbia Gorge Major Crimes Team were scouring The Dalles on Tuesday a houseless man suspected of driving a the stolen Ford F-15- pickup that killed Hayes The Dalles as posted on the Hood River County Sheriff’s Facebook Page Austin Ell found Matthews in a camp behind Sherwin Williams in The Dalles and Matthews fled on a bike towards Safeway where patrol caught him,” said The Dalles Police Chief Tom Worthy Hood River District Attorney Matthew Ellis listed Matthews as a person of interest and the suspect who was driving the stolen pickup that hit Hayes in a DA’s information filed in Hood River County Circuit Court Matthews was allegedly with William Edward Hardy Jr when they were attempting to steal items from Hayes vehicle near the intersection of June and Fifth streets in Hood River around 3:45 p.m officers found Hayes confronted burglars who were stealing property from his vehicle and was mortally injured while the suspect vehicle attempted to flee the scene according to the Hood River Police statement Hood River Police Chief Neal Holste says 38-year-old Hayes was found laying in the roadway in the area of 5th and June streets Efforts to revive Hayes failed after emergency responders attempted life saving procedures Suspects Hardy and Bowman were arrested by police on Saturday April 12 and were arraigned in Hood River County Circuit Court on April 14 Hardy is being held on bail at NORCOR jail on $1 million bail Bowman is being held at the jail on $100,000 An all out effort was made by police the last several days to find the third suspect according to a Hood River Police press release Hardy and Bowman were both charged with stealing Hayes’ Trek mountain bike and then fleeing as passengers in a white F-150 Ford pickup stolen from Jacobs Solutions which manages the waste water treatment plant in the Port of Hood River They are believed to be accomplices to murder for the hit and run death of Hayes They are believed to be passengers in the pickup that hit Hayes Hardy and Bowman are both charged with murder according to a Hood River District Attorney Information who is the suspected driver in the hit and run killing is being held on the same charges and is currently lodged at NORCOR The Columbia Gorge Major Crimes Team with detectives from the The Dalles Police Wasco County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police are assisting the The Hood River Police in the ongoing investigation The Hood River Police Department thanked the Team for their assistance in the press release by Shelby Slaughter One of Hood River’s “sweetest souls” is being remembered on Monday after police say he was killed while trying to stop two people from stealing his bike they responded to the intersection of 5th and June Street around 3:46 p.m he died at the scene despite efforts by paramedics Members of the community left flowers and drawings along the sidewalk near his home to remember him "That's been pretty remarkable for his partner I guess,” neighbor Samantha Irwin said in an interview with KATU News READ ALSO: Kayak recovered, kayaker remains missing as search over Willamette River continues The two people arrested in connection with Hayes’ death appeared in court on Monday on charges of murder Both 41-year-old Elizabeth Bowman and 36-year-old William Hardy face the same charges A judge set Bowman’s bail for $100,000 and Hardy’s for $1 million Court documents name a third person potentially involved in Hayes' death Hood River County Sheriff's Office said "Johnathon Matthews" is a person-of-interest Anyone with information on Matthews' whereabouts is encouraged to contact the sheriff's office at 541-386-2711 or submit a report online. Bowman is due back in court on April 15 and Hardy is due in court next week Family friends have created a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs HOOD RIVER — Hood River Valley ventured across Portland to Hillsboro for a Northwest Oregon Conference three-way track and field meet April 23 when the Eagles posted 38 personal bests and a couple of all-time top 10 school marks Those came from pole vaulters Francisco Solberg Sylvaine Farr cleared 10-4 in the vault at the meet 6 on the girls track and field all-time list Also moving up the all-time list was high jumper Wyeth Droege He also won the 110-meter hurdles in a personal best 16.44 seconds Other girls wins or best event times or marks of note came from Georgiana Williams in the 100 (13.36) and 200 (28.33); Katie Godkin in the 800 (2:44.8); Hailey Harjo in the shot put (29-6); Lilah Tactay in the discus (87-7); and Alex Bronson in the triple jump (31-2.75) Jack Miller continued his consistent season in the javelin with a winning throw of 147-6 and a runner-up finish in the shot put at 42-2 Sam Knoll registered a distance double of 4:34.81 in the 1500 meters and 10:12.92 in the 3000 meters And Jacob Smith’s ran a sprint double of 23.88 in the 200 and 11.77 100 HOOD RIVER — Hood River Valley senior Kai Wagner held off a stellar field and set a school r… there are no recent results for popular images there are no recent results for popular commented articles HOOD RIVER — There are several contested races on the May 20 special district ballot Columbia Gorge News begins our election coverage with candidate Q&As Note: Incumbent Jen Kelly did not file for reelection will be held across from Solstice Pizza on The Hood River Waterfront from 7:30-8:30 p.m 2025 — A Hood River woman and houseless man from The Dalles remain in NORCOR jail this afternoon and charged as accomplices to murder for the hit and run death of Stephen M a beloved member of the Solstice Pizza crew on the HR waterfront were arraigned in Hood River County Circuit Court this morning is also a person of interest and the suspected driver in the crime CCCNews has requested additional information from Hood River Police in regard to whether Matthews is in custody or not and will report when information is made available Hardy and Bowman are both being held on bail Hardy’s was set at $1 million this morning and Bowman’s at $100,000 Hood River Police Chief Neal Holste says 38-year-old Stephen M Hayes was found laying in the roadway in the area of 5th and June streets at around 3:45 p.m Intersection of 5th and June streets in Hood River Hardy stated he has been a lifelong resident of Oregon in his release interview Bowman has a DUI conviction in Benton County from 2017 and has had 30 failure-to-appear charges She also had a violation for possession of less than an ounce of heroin in 2021 and was charged last summer for harassment and criminal trespass in regard to an incident at the Hood River Safeway The release interview states that Bowman was confused on whether she was employed She then went on to say she did an outreach program and she worked for a government agency as an agent for revenue and does some community work Meanwhile, workmates of the deceased Hayes are lamenting the loss of a dear friend, according to a Facebook post on Solstice Wood Fired Pizza “Stephen was one the finest members of our SolCrew We are grieving this wonderfully special human being who died tragically yesterday just trying to do the right thing,” it states and passion for traveling & nature inspire us Please join us at the Waterfront (picnic shelter across from Solstice) from 7:30-8:30 p.m for a candlelight vigil to show his girlfriend and co-workers how much he is loved and missed Let's show how community means showing up to grieve together and strengthens our ability to heal Stephen's beautiful heart and spirit are guiding us People with information regarding the case are asked to call Hood River Police Detective Erin Mason at (541) 387-5257 or email him at e.mason@cityofhoodriver.org The Hood River Valley boys varsity golf team HOOD RIVER — Hood River Valley’s boys golf team won the Pendleton Golf Invitational on a warm clear day April 17 at Birch Creek Golf Club and Davis Kerr shared medalist honors with their 80s and Wyatt Bahn an 86 to complete the Eagle team score The 327 team total by HRV beat host Pendleton by seven strokes Hood River is in the Class 5A Northwest Oregon Conference which includes four of the state’s top six ranked teams 2025 — A Hood River man who confronted a car clout was killed when the alleged thief reportedly hit him with his pickup on Friday Hood River Police Chief Neal Holste says 38-year-old Stephen Hayes was found laying in the roadway in the area of 5th and June streets at around 3:45 p.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene.  officers found Hayes confronted a person who was stealing property from his vehicle according to the Hood River Police statement.  That vehicle of the alleged assailant is described as a white truck with an extended cab.  The investigation is on-going   Locals are asked to call Hood River Police Detective Erin Mason at (541) 387-5257 if you have information to help bring the perpetrator of the death to justice Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight Columbia Gorge News begins our election coverage with candidate Q&As Only Cascade Locks residents will vote on Measure 26-258 Hood Community College seeks approval for bonds in a maximum principal amount of $136,445 million to finance capital costs including expanding career education facilities and meeting growing demand Levy rate estimated at $0.25 per $1,000 assessed value Actual levy rates may differ due to changes in interest rates at issuance or assessed property value Ballots will be mailed to local voters beginning April 30. All Hood River County election information can be found online at www.hoodrivercounty.gov; click the Services tab Election coverage will be updated online at columbiagorgenews.com through May 20 Three cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) — one confirmed and two suspected — have been identified in Hood River County HOOD RIVER — Three cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) with the other two listed as “probable.” Two people have died Hood River County Health Department believes these are the first cases ever reported in the county CJD is “a rare, fatal brain disorder within a group of illnesses called prion diseases,” according to the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation “The incidence of CJD cases worldwide is one or two per million individuals public information officer for Hood River County Health Department said the risk of CJD to the public is “extremely low,” and that “there is currently no evidence of person-to-person transmission of CJD.” There is also no evidence that prion diseases are associated with vaccinations Hood River County Health Department first reported the cases in a media release dated April 11, which read in part: “These cases have been found in the past eight months The health department is limited in what it can say about the cases because of patient privacy laws and since this is an active investigation but Ryan was able to give general information any connections between cases had yet to be identified though Ryan said the investigation is ongoing in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) No additional cases have been identified in the Gorge About 500 cases are diagnosed in the United States each year Most are classified as “sporadic,” or without a known cause “it may be spread through certain medical exposures to infected brain or nervous tissue or by eating infected beef,” according to the health department Provisional data from the Oregon Health Authority shows that there were 13 cases in Oregon in 2024 all in the 60 to 84-plus age range; six were male and seven were female Seven total cases within the same age range were reported in 2023 “This [current] grouping of cases may likely be determined a random finding of sporadic disease with assistance from OHA and National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center,” Ryan said Local health departments receive notification from medical providers or through Oregon’s electronic disease surveillance system of any suspected the notified health department begins investigation protocols the Hood River County Health Department investigation includes “patient age past surgical procedures involving the central nervous system including certain eye procedures history of blood transfusion or receiving specific human growth hormones “This investigative process includes ongoing consultation with subject matter experts at Oregon Health Authority (OHA) pathologists at OHSU [Oregon Health and Science University] and the specialists at National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center.” Ryan said that a CJD diagnosis can be made when a patient is still alive but a confirmed case cannot be made without a brain biopsy or autopsy other diagnostic methods can be used while the patient is alive but only will result in a presumptive case diagnosis,” Ryan said including MRIs and cerebrospinal fluid diagnostics.” According to the Mayo Clinic, early symptoms of CJD include personality changes (KATU) — Hood River Police have arrested two people in connection with the death of a man killed Friday afternoon He died at the scene despite efforts by paramedics Officers discovered the man was killed while trying to keep thieves from stealing property from his vehicle was struck by the suspect's truck as they attempted to flee Both suspects are charged with 2nd degree manslaughter Both suspects are expected in court on Monday Hood River County in Oregon reported three cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease a rare human brain disease very similar to "mad cow." Three cases of a mad cow-like disease with a 100% fatality rate have been reported in a single county in Oregon Hood River County is located south of the Columbia River on the Washington-Oregon border Two of the people with the condition have died One case was confirmed by autopsy, while the other two are presumptive, The Oregonian reported told The Oregonian that the presumptive cases can only be confirmed after death by examining brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid — the clear fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord — and she said this process can take months there is no identifiable link between these three cases," the health department added so seeing three CJD cases crop up is statistically unusual Related: Here's how dangerous, deadly prions spread to the brain meaning it's caused by abnormally folded proteins that damage brain tissue; in CJD this causes sponge-like holes to form in the brain The prions also cause normal proteins in the brain to turncoat transforming into prions that then inflict further damage Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox The most common type of CJD is "sporadic," meaning normal proteins in the brain spontaneously transform into prions for unknown reasons. The next most common type is genetic, triggered by inherited mutations in a gene called PRNP The gene carries instructions to make prion protein (PrP) which is known to be active in the brain but whose normal functions aren't fully understood Some studies suggest the normal version of PrP may help protect neurons from injury and form connections between neurons Another potential source of prions is through medical exposures such as a person getting a transplant or blood transfusion from a donor with CJD —Lab tech develops fatal brain condition after accident with 'mad cow disease' samples —Man dies from extremely rare disease after eating squirrel brains —Alzheimer's is transmissible in extremely rare scenarios The Hood River County Health Department has not announced which type of CJD is likely implicated in the recent cases but Elliott told The Oregonian that they don't think infected cattle are the cause it appears that the three cases aren't linked to one another "The risk of getting CJD is extremely low," the department's statement emphasized The department is conducting an "active and ongoing investigation" of the cases and has partnered with Oregon Health Authority and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "The health department will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed of any risk to public health." DisclaimerThis article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice Nicoletta LaneseSocial Links NavigationChannel Editor HealthNicoletta Lanese is the health channel editor at Live Science and was previously a news editor and staff writer at the site She holds a graduate certificate in science communication from UC Santa Cruz and degrees in neuroscience and dance from the University of Florida she also remains heavily involved in dance and performs in local choreographers' work you will then be prompted to enter your display name Diagnostic dilemma: A rash 'migrated' across a man's body from his anus 'Vaccine rejection is as old as vaccines themselves': Science historian Thomas Levenson on the history of germ theory and its deniers Why should residents consider you for the Hood River County Library District board I believe that libraries should be safe and welcoming spaces for all and that libraries are essential to a thriving I will support initiatives that reduce barriers to access for all our library services What is the role of the library district in our rural county are positioned to provide resources above and beyond books audio books and ebooks such as access to internet and computers community connections through programming and outreach and educational support with story times for little patrons and homework help for older students What do you see as the library’s greatest challenge going forward One of the greatest challenges facing the Hood River County Library District in the years ahead is to continue to evolve programming and services to meet the needs of a changing population We need to listen to what our patrons need and work hard to serve them with the resources we have available How will you continue to support the Hood River County Library’s vision of coming “together to create an inclusive and creative community where everyone belongs and there are opportunities for all” I will continue to support bilingual services hands on activities such as kids and teen programming and will strive to make the library a safe space where all feel welcome  I want to bring a diverse perspective that amplifies the voices of Latino families in our community ensuring their experiences and needs are represented I also believe in the importance of fostering inclusivity and strengthening connections between the library and the broader community Quisiera aportar una perspectiva diversa que amplifique las voces de las familias latinas en nuestra comunidad garantizando que sus experiencias y necesidades estén representadas También creo en la importancia de fomentar la inclusión y fortalecer las comunicaciones entre la biblioteca y la comunidad en general  To create inclusive environments where everyone feels safe and is encouraged to learn as well as provide accessibility to diverse learning materials such as: Crear entornos inclusivos donde todos se sientan seguros y motivados a aprender además de tener acceso a diversos materiales de aprendizaje  Securing long-term funding and sustaining community support Garantizar financiación a largo plazo y mantener el apoyo comunitario How will you support the Hood River County Library’s vision of coming “together to create an inclusive  I plan to continue building relationships and fostering collaboration across different community groups by:  •Reaching new audiences and encouraging greater community engagement • Strengthening partnerships with local schools and organizations to enhance library outreach • Increase public awareness of the library’s programs • Encourage youth and families to take greater advantage of the library’s educational and cultural offerings Planeo seguir fomentando la colaboración entre los diferentes grupos comunitarios mediante: • Llegar a nuevos públicos y fomentar una mayor participación comunitaria • Fortalecer las colaboraciones con escuelas empresas y organizaciones locales para mejorar la difusión de la biblioteca • Aumentar el conocimiento público sobre los programas • Animar a los jóvenes y a las familias a aprovechar al máximo la oferta educativa y cultural de la biblioteca No one cares more about Hood River than someone who was born and raised in Hood River Nadie se preocupa más por Hood River que alguien que nació y creció aquí Hood River County residents deserve to be served by a board that values and understands the best things that a good library brings to a community: a place to learn to immerse oneself joyfully in the adventure of the written word and to find a steward of those valuable things One isn’t born with the ability to do research; people often need guidance to learn how to find solid and accurate information and understanding of a subject the library been that place since I was a child The role of the library in our rural area is to equalize knowledge for folks who live in the rural part of our county with the more urban parts of our world can have the same opportunity to learn and grow as anyone as well as the library van and little nooks that are shared by community members Fundraising: To make up for the financial assistance the library may lose from the federal government because Oregon is a sanctuary state Censorship: I’ve seen some courageous librarians standing up for full access for their patrons and some have been blessed with board members who support their efforts Community education: As Ben Franklin wrote in 1771 “These libraries have improved the general conversations of the Americans and made the common tradesmen and farmers as intelligent as most gentlemen from other countries.” This is the best thing about what a library does — every American of any age can learn and become a wise and learned citizen I will reach out to remind folks how well our library serves us and to help people understand our library may need the community’s support and helping them want to support their library I would listen to our community’s voices and stand beside them to protect and honor what Ben Franklin meant for us all to have when he created the first library in America — the freedom for each of us to learn because the knowledge inside those doors is free to each of us Sign up to receive notifications when a new Columbia Gorge News e-Edition is published. Would you like to receive our news updates? Signup today! Receive weekly updates on obituaries and death notices. Receive updates on upcoming promotions and special sections. Receive weekly updates on local sports news. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account. LLC | PBS FRONTLIINE | PBS NewsHour)April 6 2025 1 p.m.For Hood River artist Amirra Malak creating installations of liminal space offers a journey through time Malak is a multidisciplinary Egyptian-American artist living in the Columbia River Gorge OPB producer Brooke Herbert films Amirra Malak with her immersive video installation at The Ruins in Hood River liminal space is the space between,” Malak said The term liminal space has been used in anthropology to describe the ambiguity of existence during cultural rites of passage — like a ritual marking the transition of a child becoming an adult It can also describe the aesthetic of an abandoned place waiting to be repurposed Malak says she feels most at home in liminal spaces and visual sensation to create healing experiences for people Her immersive video installations explore bridging past and future through the combination of ancient craft and modern technologies in video and textile installations inspired by Egyptian khayamiya tent appliqué — a craft that has been passed down through many generations of Egyptian tentmakers “I was blessed to be able to visit the Street of the Tentmakers in Cairo — one of the oldest she received an Oregon Arts Commission and Ford Foundation grant to be able to study with a master khayamiya artist named Mostafa Ellassy and he’s part of a multi-generational family that sews khayamiya,” She said Ellassy’s family is one of the last of seven families that hand sew khayamiya at the tentmaker’s street Malak’s art is keeping a thread of that tradition alive She mixes ancient khayamiya art with modern media to create liminal spaces for people to experience the transition between where they’ve been and where they’re going physically she draws khayamiya designs onto adhesive paper cuts out the patterns and irons them onto translucent fabric panels slow process that could be sped up with technology but Malak believes the work of hand-crafting honors her heritage and her teachers Malak hangs the khayamiya panels in a corridor formation and projects video she captured of natural scenes — like shimmering light on water — onto and through the panels she will accompany the installation with an audio recording of her voice reading a poem she wrote The result offers an immersive experience through liminal space that feels soothing and meditative Malak says experiencing her art can have a regulating effect on a person’s heart rate A forthcoming book by authors Sam Bowker and Seif El Rashidi with the working title, ”Art of the Egyptian Tentmakers” (American University in Cairo Press) will feature Amirra Malak’s take on the future of the khayamiya art form as both material and symbolic Tags: Art Beat, Arts And Culture Stand with OPB and protect independent journalism for everyone Listen to the OPB News live stream (opens new window)Streaming Now Developers and designers answered questions and spoke with residents about a proposed Marriott Hotel on the site of the former Hood River News HOOD RIVER — Developers and designers hosted a community meeting on March 19 to answer questions and present renderings for a four-story hotel that is being proposed on the 1.46 acre lot of the former Hood River News building on State Street and developers said the community meeting was step one towards a site plan review About 25 residents gathered in a conference room to question site plans for a Marriott Hotel principal architects from Line29 Architecture brought preliminary designs for the approximately 130-room hotel Gabe Duus is the prospective developer and answered questions related to the building’s height Duus has completed other projects in Hood River and The Dalles Proposals would include tearing down the existing building and constructing a brick hotel to emulate other historic buildings in downtown Hood River Staff said that the renderings meet code requirements put forth by the city Residents in attendance focused on the building’s height economic impact and code regulations and voiced their concerns Developers acknowledged that the building could impact property value along Sherman Avenue Ann Marie Jelderks has lived on Sherman for 30 years and didn’t see any benefits to the new hotel She and other Sherman residents were concerned the hotel could negatively affect parking conditions on Sherman and State Street She said many downtown workers already use Sherman to park during the day Duus said he didn’t know if employees will park on Sherman but they anticipate 130-140 parking spaces on the property Other residents questioned the stormwater drainage emergency response and the hotel’s close proximity to the Riverside Church which is reportedly undergoing their own capital improvements When asked if the hotel would compromise Riverside’s foundation Duus said they have “built lots of buildings next to big buildings before,” and that the engineers would take the church into careful consideration The site proposal is just outside the Downtown Historic District boundary and zoned Commerical-2 Residential housing such as condominiums or mixed-use housing “doesn’t pencil in,” said Duus Hansen said the renderings displayed at the meeting were conceptual and are guaranteed to change upon the city’s review Duus and Hansen said if plans are approved they aim to begin construction in the summer of 2026 and expect it to take 14-16 months the Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency (URA) board heard a proposal from Sunshine Mill owner James Martin and his… Hood River County School District (HRCSD) confirmed it will move forward with approximately $4 million in budget reductions for the 2025–26 school year in response to a growing structural budget shortfall This update follows several months of engagement The budget shortfall is driven by multiple factors “Making reductions is incredibly difficult especially when it impacts the people and programs that contribute so much to our students' success,” said Superintendent Bill Newton and transparency as we make these necessary adjustments to maintain long-term financial sustainability.” Approximately 80% of the school district’s general fund is allocated to staffing which means that reductions will impact licensed and administrative positions at the district Notifications to impacted staff will begin the week of April 14 “We want to be clear — these roles are deeply valued,” said Newton “These are not value judgments about the people or the quality of their work These are value-driven decisions made in the context of very limited resources.” the school district is committed to preserving its core commitments The school district encourages community members to stay informed and engaged in the budget process. Resources are available at www.hoodriver.k12.or.us/budget The HRCSD Budget Committee will meet in April and May with final budget adoption anticipated in June Adjustments may be revisited depending on the finalized State School Fund allocation and we are grateful for the support of our community,” Newton said “We remain committed to doing the very best for every student shows the projects he and his classmates crafted during the 2024 Migrant Education Program Summer School at Mid Valley Elementary in Odell HOOD RIVER — Hood River County School District (HRCSD) is expanding its summer learning offerings in 2025 after being notified that it is eligible to apply for $564,000 in state grant funding to support summer programs announced following Governor Tina Kotek's signing of two bipartisan education bills will allow the school district to serve more students and offset the use of current Student Investment Account (SIA) funds securing $35 million in state funding for summer reading programs this year and establishing long-term support for summer learning through 2027 The legislation prioritizes evidence-based literacy instruction and resources for school districts with the highest needs “This state grant gives us the flexibility to increase access to high-quality summer learning experiences,” said HRCSD Superintendent Bill Newton “It enables us to reach more students while preserving key school district resources.” HRCSD is planning at least three weeks of summer learning in July at Mid Valley Elementary School and Hood River Valley High School Families of invited students will receive invitations later this spring In addition to the district-run summer school the Migrant Education Program will also offer expanded summer learning June: Language and math enrichment at Mid Valley Elementary for students in the Migrant Education Program July: Continued partnership with HRCSD for three weeks of joint summer school August: Additional sessions of language and math enrichment for students in the Migrant Education Program The school district will also provide various options for Extended School Year (ESY) services in June and August for eligible students as determined by their Individualized Education Program (IEP) to maintain necessary skills over summer break HRCSD is also exploring ways to support the transition to kindergarten for the youngest students in the Hood River County community “These summer learning opportunities — made possible through state and grant funding — represent a shared commitment to student growth and academic recovery,” said Newton “We are grateful to Governor Kotek and the Oregon Legislature for prioritizing literacy Why should residents consider you for the school board’s at large position I offer a fresh and thoughtful perspective grounded in real-world experience and I are proud to have raised our two children in this district and we’re deeply grateful for the opportunities it has provided I know we can do even more to ensure students remain at the center of every decision I bring a focus on strategic prioritization As we prepare to update the district’s strategic plan and make important decisions about our facilities I hope to contribute a perspective that supports our students and community What do you see as the school district’s greatest challenge going forward The recent budget adjustments underscored the importance of strengthening the bridge between the district and our community We must ensure we maintain the fiscal responsibility the community expects while improving the educational resources needed to enhance the lives of our kids We’re blessed to live in a diverse community and fulfilling the educational needs of each student must remain the focus of the school board and access to programs all remain top issues for us to solve in the coming years What changes do you think the district needs to make to any of its policies District policies should reflect the unique needs and common values of our community and not national political trends I believe we need to stay grounded in our district’s strategic goals and focus on what truly supports students and aligned with improving educational outcomes We must ensure our policies prioritize classroom support and responsible resource use while resisting distractions that do not serve our students How will you support the district’s mission of “Every student graduates with the knowledge and courage to learn I work in an industry where technology moves quickly I’ll support the district’s mission by prioritizing curriculum that prepares students for this rapidly evolving world — especially in technology We must equip students not just with knowledge but with adaptable skills for life beyond graduation That means investing in modern learning tools and expanding career and technical education pathways to reach every student every student should leave our schools ready and prepared for life after school and a mom to kids in our local schools — including a daughter with special needs who recently graduated I know what it feels like to not always be represented but serve as a bridge between my community and the board Our schools need leaders who reflect our diversity and speak up for families who feel unheard I’ll work to ensure every student feels welcome The biggest challenge is making sure every student feels they belong and can succeed That means more support for students with special needs I know many families don’t feel included in school decisions We need to do more to make schools welcoming — especially for communities that haven’t had a strong voice Equity isn’t about treating everyone the same but giving each student what they need to thrive Our district must close opportunity gaps and lift every child We need policies that are easier to understand and more supportive of families especially for those with special needs children or who speak another language I’ve seen how hard it is for some families to get help or understand their rights We should also make sure all families are invited into the decision-making process When policies reflect the real needs of families we create schools where everyone feels like they belong and can succeed I will support this mission by making sure schools give every student the tools and support they need I know how important it is for children to feel seen and encouraged I want to help build strong partnerships between schools and families and support teachers with training and resources I have lived in Hood River for nearly 15 years and have two children at Westside Elementary I have worked in executive search for 17 years which has exposed me to wide variety of organizational problems and leadership styles I see high quality public school education as every American’s birthright and am committed to stewardship of HRCSD to ensure kids can graduate high school with a diploma as well as the critical thinking and educational foundation they need to achieve their full potential the challenge is navigating the current budget shortfall with minimum impact to students and teachers our challenge is creating an educational environment that maximizes student and parental engagement with school while expanding our view of success beyond state testing results I have been part of the HRCSD tech task force to make recommendations on use of phones and devices in school both for personal use and as part of the curriculum I’d like to see the work of this group continue to minimize distractions in schools from phones and generally reduce the screen time our kids are exposed to I’d like academic rigor to be a focus of the school district and provide opportunity for all students to experience what its like to set goals and develop the necessary grit and dedication needed to achieve them The end of school is when life’s real challenges begin and our students deserve to be adequately prepared for them Columbia Gorge News will provide a Facebook Live stream of the Rotary’s HRCSD board candidate forum May 1 beginning at noon. Go to facebook.com/gorgenews Three students were honored at the April 14 Hood River City Council meeting for their participation in the annual “If I were mayor” contest hosted by the Oregon Mayor’s Association said it’s the first time in recent memory the city has participated The posters are currently on display at city hall and will additionally be shown at the library in the coming months HOOD RIVER — All six council members and the mayor were present at the April 14 Hood River City Council meeting with two action items and three ordinances passing unanimously Finance Director Christopher Longinetti presented the first action item a gradual increase of Maximum Allowable System Development Charge (SDC) fees for water Also adopted was a transportation SDC for growth impacts to the city’s transportation system The fees will be gradually increased over a five-year period “SDCs are intended to recover a fair share of the cost of existing and planned utility facilities that provide capacity to serve future users,” he said Public Works Director Adam Schmid presented the second action item that awarded a construction contract for the Dee Bridge Hydroelectric Project to Ajax Northwest for $884,200 and authorized an additional $89,000 in contingency funding Construction will start next month and is expected to be completed in September City Manager Abigail Elder said the equivalent of 300 households will be served by the power generated As previously reported in Columbia Gorge News it will be located near the intersection of Punchbowl Falls Road and Lost Lake Road and capture wasted pressure at a potable water vault each taking effect in 30 days: Ordinance 2090 which limits the sale of fireworks from June 23 to July 7 each year and prohibits lighting consumer fireworks between July 15 and Nov 13 (professional fireworks shows are not affected); ordinance 2091 which allows “transportation network companies” such as Uber to operate in addition to taxis and pedicabs; and ordinance 2092 which annexed a property on Elliot Drive to enable connection to the city’s sewer Tina McNerthney and Brandon Kammer were reappointed to the city’s budget committee and Arthur Babitz were reappointed to its landmarks review board View the entire meeting at cityofhoodriver.gov by clicking the “Meetings” tab Council will next meet on April 28 at city hall led by Pastor Keith Sietstra is thrilled to announce the launch of *Journey House* a groundbreaking sober living transitional home—the first of its kind in the Hood River area *Journey House* is dedicated to providing individuals in recovery with a supportive environment and essential resources empowering them to achieve lasting success on their journey to sobriety community members from Hood River Alliance Church gathered for a collaborative work party to assemble beds and prepare the house for its future residents The heartfelt effort signifies the strong community commitment behind this initiative bringing their shared passion and commitment to this transformative project "Journey House is more than just a house—it represents a promise of hope and an opportunity for individuals to rebuild their lives in a supportive and structured environment," the Ryans shared Integral to this initiative are Tina and John Combs who serve as the Ministry Leaders of Celebrate Recovery further strengthening the program’s foundation.(Room Photo ### Building Partnerships for a Healthier Future  Journey House is already laying the foundation for meaningful collaborations with local agencies Partners such as Mid-Columbia Center for Living and Mid-Columbia Community Action Council are offering their support to strengthen the initiative’s impact The Co-Directors are eager to forge additional partnerships with organizations in the area to expand the resources available to residents and maximize their chances of success The community is warmly invited to celebrate the opening of Journey House by attending our Open House on April 3 from 3:00 to 5:00 PM at 1217 May Street with a Ribbon Cutting at 4:00 will be announced soon and is anticipated to be within the next four to six weeks This event will provide a first look at the home and serve as an opportunity to acknowledge the incredible community effort that brought this vision to life Journey House will accommodate up to four men please contact Journey House at 458-588-1469 Journey House originated from a unique opportunity where local nonprofits proposed potential uses for a house slated for eventual demolition as part of the Heights Development plan Hood River Alliance Church envisioned a transitional home that would address a pressing need in the community.  By offering a safe and stable environment for individuals on their sobriety journey Journey House is poised to reduce the burden on emergency services Hood River Alliance Church’s vision is to be a transformed community that loves God and loves others The mission is to practice the way of Jesus for the sake of others Hood River Alliance Church has sought to bring beauty 2025 — Come celebrate the Hood River Library Foundation’s annual Feast of Words Gala and Fundraiser on Saturday the Hood River County Library District offers a wide range of services to everyone in the community The annual gala offers a fun evening of food Appetizers and desserts from Boda’s Kitchen Beer from Ferment Brewing Company and wines by Peter Cushman Live auction hosted by auctioneer Steve King Admission Tickets$30/person adult—purchase online at www.hoodriverlibrary.orgChildren under 17 accompanied by their parents receive free admission.Activities and games will be available in the children’s library Golden Tickets$60 each—purchase online at www.hoodriverlibrary.org or at the event.Only 50 Golden Tickets will be sold. Prior to the auction, there will a drawing for Golden Ticket holders. The winner may choose any one of the available auction items as their prize.Preview Auction Items at www.hoodriverlibrary.org or at the event.Must be present to win Raffle Tickets $5 each, 5 tickets for $20 or 10 tickets for $35—purchase online at www.hoodriverlibrary.org or at the event.Preview Baskets at www.hoodriverlibrary.org or at the event the Library Foundation directs all proceeds from the gala towards specific projects requested by the Library District the goal is to raise $50,000 to fund the following two projects: PROJECT 1Goal of $25,000 to purchase and implement Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) for Library Materials PROJECT 2Goal: $25,000 to create a new website For more information about the event, please contact the Hood River County Library District at 541-386-2535, email info@hoodriverlibrary.org, or visit their website at http://hoodriverlibrary.org April 10Marcos Galvez is one of the many performers and musicians in "The Watershed Rock Opera," a rock opera about the Columbia Gorge He stars as the character of the wastewater wizard in one of the opera's movements which he is shown in this photo rehearsing with other members of the production in Hood River on April 9 a multimedia rock opera might not be the first thing that comes to mind But that’s exactly the vehicle producer Sarah Fox chose to showcase the unique history “The Watershed Rock Opera” unfolds in five movements that symbolize the cycle of the watershed itself descends into the Cascades and moves through a pear orchard before it ends in a kind of homecoming at the mighty river that connects the people and communities who call the Gorge home (There’s also a comedic detour and duet prompted by a clogged toilet.) Fox recorded interviews with five storytellers who provided the narration in the rock opera and inspired its musical score, which 20 local musicians and performers will bring to life this Friday for a series of sold-out shows at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River a fourth-generation pear orchardist in Hood River composer and arranger Eric Kaneda and music director and percussionist Leila Kaneda Note: The following transcript was transcribed digitally and validated for accuracy readability and formatting by an OPB volunteer Dave Miller: This is Think Out Loud on OPB Sarah Fox has been telling the stories of the people and places of the Columbia River Gorge She’s done so with podcasts and essays and live events but she has never done anything on as big a scale as her new project It’s called “The Watershed Rock Opera.” It’s a five movement multimedia extravaganza with live music 20 local performers will bring it to life starting tomorrow night in a series of sold-out shows at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River Sarah Fox joins us now along with three of the people she has been working with Leila Kaneda is a music director and a percussionist Lesley Tamura is a fourth-generation pear orchardist Fox: I knew that would be the first question out of the gate my goal is always to seek out interesting stories and then do everything I can to consider how best to share them And there’s so many different ways to share stories but as we sort of have more and more ways of getting information you have to figure out new ways to cut through and get people to listen And what I had noticed is musical storytelling We had a lamprey biologist who rapped about lamprey And so I started thinking about how we might use music to tell stories Miller: If you want to get people to pay attention to lamprey… Miller: And if you want people to listen to climate change How can we consider new ways of telling stories because if my goal is to do the best I can sharing a story like Lesley’s then I need to consider what’s going to be the way that I can draw in new audiences Because that’s really important to me; I don’t want to just preach to the choir I want new people to come and listen to this story And music ended up being a… it’s obviously one of our oldest ways of telling stories and then you pair that with Mother Nature’s plotline of the watershed and it was a natural combination Fox: For a couple of years I’ve been struggling with two questions when it comes to telling stories how do I get people to pay attention to stories that maybe don’t seem that interesting on the face but which I know are really important stories And so in thinking about changing up that format the idea of using music in a rock opera and producing a rock opera came about And when Oregon Humanities gave me the fellowship as a community storytelling fellow I want to try to tell as many stories as I can from the Gorge So how can I tell multiple stories in a single setting And then how can I make sure those stories connect in some way And so music became a way to connect them all and the watershed provided the through line so that I could connect Lesley’s story to the other stories in the opera what was your reaction when Sarah told you about her idea and asked you to be involved And in trying to understand what Sarah was saying this is… and I started asking some questions and kind of went down some rabbit holes and quickly kind of got lost in it And then many times this has happened: Leila is like Miller: But you have a day job ‒ you both do ‒ in the computer world Kaneda: So what actually happened was I said yes and then realized so I actually declined after maybe within a week And then my day job had kind of calmed down a little bit more to then take on this project later around August a lot of what people are going to be hearing tomorrow night is recordings that you’ve done of interviews with various people in the Gorge some of this narration or interview segments We’re gonna hear something from Thomas Morning Owl an Indigenous linguist and member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Fox: The very first sense of place that I hosted featured the creation story and traditional forced food stories as told by women from Yakima Nation in talking about stories of a place and especially the Gorge that leading with stories from those who’ve been here the longest made sense And it also was a natural framework for where this watershed was going to begin and as you also see Miller: Let’s have a listen to part of this first movement Thomas Morning Owl [with musical accompaniment]: The story of the water Knowing that it impacts us every day of our lives And it becomes the very blood in our bodies what was the composing challenge for having these different interviews and then creating music that would work with them it was about lining things up in such a way that it had good flow and that nothing was too much or too little Another challenge was that this is 50… we clocked in the music at 53 minutes of total music and it’s also the pacing of each of the parts as it relates to itself.  We didn’t want to have two movements back-to-back that were super quiet or two movements back-to-back that were super duper intense So thinking about that and not… I think the biggest challenge was I didn’t have quite enough information at some points to be able to write and kind of plan things out and so when some of those ‒ when I compose ‒ and when some of these details aren’t there or hasn’t arrived yet in my mind on a consistent schedule every single week for about five months so what does it mean to be the musical director for a project like this it means that you are responsible for herding all of the musicians Miller: Making sure that they are where they belong making sure the rehearsals happen and the show gets to where it’s going to be for a production like this the role was more expanded so it involved all of that: identifying the musicians but it also involved a lot of working with the composer to make sure that the music was written in a way that we could learn it in one month or two months and be ready to premiere That it worked with the people we had available to us even if some of them we didn’t know at the time of writing as well as the creative process and scope of making sure that Sarah’s intention the stories from all of our advisors were represented as intended or as close to intended as possible So I became a little bit more of a music director Miller: You both moved here to Hood River about four years ago in the terrible teeth of the pandemic Did working on this introduce you to more people in the community especially moving in the middle of the pandemic neither of us had really gotten out in the community to do anything musically I’m a professional performer and all of my gigs so I would still commute or take jobs that way we were forced to meet as many people as we could to find the players for this And so this is really like the first time playing in town and it’s helped us create some relationships to know that hey let’s work with these people and bring music to the Gorge instead of always going to Portland I want to play a little bit from the second movement which is about a little animal called the Cascade fox I apologize to that fox for neglecting its important color This biologist who lives in the Gorge in 2008 was doing research up on a mountain and happens to catch a photo of a fox that in 2008 most people had no idea lived in the Gorge And this is a native fox that has genetic connections to the foxes that originally came over and it could have just disappeared and we would have never known if it wasn’t for the research that this biologist was doing this movement tells the story of that discovery what it takes to learn about this animal in a remote place and then what comes of that biologist’s research Miller: And the biologist is Jocelyn Akins Jocelyn Akins: [with musical accompaniment] I was going through the photos from one of the cameras that I set And I was just scrolling through photos of rayjays and Pacific martins you have found the elusive Cascade red fox.’ you’ve done a lot of straight-ahead interviews about what it means to be a fruit grower What has it meant to you to have your stories be a part of this very different version of storytelling Tamura: It’s been an interesting experience for sure When Sarah first told me she was embarking on this project and she asked me to be an advisor for this movement I was game and I sat down and spoke with Sarah and she recorded me talking about the entire growth season I did not know at the time that my voice would be featured so heavily in the performance itself I thought I was just providing information so it was a bit of a bait and switch on that did you know at the time what it was going to be used for we’ve now worked together enough that she knows once she answers my call but I didn’t realize it until I met Eric for the first time ‘I’ve listened to you speaking over and over and I’m pulling soundbites and here’s how I’m using those soundbites.’ And I went Miller: You mentioned that what you talked about which has been now turned into this movement ‒ we can hear a live version of it in just a second ‒ but it is based on basically the four seasons So we’re talking in early to mid-April right now Where are we in the work cycle for pear growers Tamura: We are in what we refer to as the busy spring or the spring rush when everything is just overlapping We are trying to finish up our pruning season that starts in the winter We are trying to watch the flowers as they bloom We have to watch them very closely to make sure we’re bringing in our beehives at the right time so that the flowers can be pollinated We are aiming to plant nursery trees by the end of the month to replace older trees that we’ve had to remove And we are also in the midst of frost season when we are watching the overnight temperatures very carefully and using our frost fans and our heaters to keep everything warm enough so that we don’t have frost damage Miller: It seems like a time of a lot of excitement and maybe a lot of nerves Frost season is always a difficult time because you just never know what the weather’s going to bring we have springs where we don’t run our fans one time So you just have to be ready to adapt to whatever Mother Nature brings you and move forward was to take the nuts and bolts of pear growing and we just got a short version of just a couple a month period of that over the course of the year but to take that and to turn it into percussion And I should say that you have a bunch of instruments with us here and I’m hoping you can illustrate how you translated some of the orchardist’s work into percussive sounds So it’s actually funny a little bit how we started and we knew what was going on with the movement and I told her I can’t write anything until I know what I’m working with can we come out to the orchard and test out things?’ And of course she’s like come on out.’ So we go and we’re walking around and Lesley’s like This is how it’s used in the orchard.’ Some of them are ‘this is a family heirloom that’s been here for generations and we pass it down’ Are you sure it won’t break?’ And she’s like Miller: With the idea that she would give you a tour and you would hit sticks against things to see what they sounded like Tamura: She climbed inside my fruit bin and sat in it and drummed on different parts and yeah she just drummed on it to see what it would sound like but it seems like one of the great things about being a percussionist is that anything can be an instrument if you have your hands or you have a couple of things to hit with but show us some of the things that you turned that tour into So one of the things I have with me here is called the smudge pot And that’s one of the things that’s used to keep the plants warm on the orchard especially like when Lesley was talking about during frost or some of these other times when they need to keep the trees at a warmer level And the one that we have is one that is no longer in use they’ve I think switched to more efficient ones with a base at the bottom and the way that we use it in the show is a couple different ways So the first way is we use some drumsticks and a mallet to hit it which will sound something like this [metallic drumming] But then later on when we have a nice delicate section which will sound something like this [metallic drumming].  And so we can get different timbres from this one little piece of metal When we brought it home and told Eric that ‘okay we’re using this in the show,’ he looks at this metal thing and he says ‘what am I going to do with this?’ And I said and we pulled out my entire bag and tried a bunch of different implements on it and got the different sounds Miller: I’m hoping we can hear a stripped down version of just one part of this third movement There’s one more instrument I think we’re going to hear it’s a cajón ‒ a wooden box percussion instrument ‒ and we’re going to play the recording on top of you playing some percussion live And this is part of Lesley’s interview when she’s talking about how a commercial pear growing operation knows that it’s ready for pears to be picked So take it away and then we’ll hear Lesley the interview on top of what you’re playing live Tamura [recorded]: In a commercial orchard pears are always picked before they’re ripe and the primary way we know when they’re ready to be picked is the pressure test The pressure test measures how many pounds of force it takes to push through the skin of the pear They always test it a few times and then once they have a really good idea of when you’re going to start putting it into the picking bag that’s strapped across their chest They are emptying that picking bag into our bins our large boxes that hold about 1,100 to 1,200 pounds of pears Those bins are transported by tractor to a central area where it’s loaded onto a truck taken to a packing house and that’s where it’s processed and then it eventually makes its way out to the stores and the consumers Miller: I want to go back to what Sarah was saying before it’s part of her job not just to find stories that are worth telling What are you hoping that either folks in Hood River or the Gorge or Oregonians more broadly that they will understand about the job that you and other orchardists do that they might not be aware of right now Tamura: I think what I would love people to take away from this movement is just the varied types of tasks that are integrated into the growing process A lot of people assume that they know what it means to grow fruit or grow produce and they have the basics of it but there’s so many things we do that are necessary to the process to put high quality And I think a lot of people are unaware of that And I think some of the things that we have to do in that process people find very inconvenient And I would love for people to understand we’re not doing it to inconvenience anybody This is how it works and we do it because it’s necessary Miller: What’s an example of the tensions you’re talking about between an industrial scale agricultural operation and say nearby homes there are towers that are high up in the sky Some people have described it as sounding like a plane is taking off or landing near them especially where we have residential homes nestled right next to commercial orchards That’s when the trees need to be kept warm enough to protect the buds Miller: So to them it sounds like planes landing and to you it sounds like the possibility of pears in the fall It’s the difference between having a crop to harvest later in the year or not having a crop at all which is about toilets and the sewer system so three years ago I found myself sitting across from a former city manager and I couldn’t help but be like ‘what the heck does a city manager really do?’ And so I asked I’m not going to be able to sell this at a dinner party What’s the one thing that every city really needs to keep running?’ And she leans in “Wastewater management.” And then she goes on to explain why this thing that is so mundane is really the underpinnings of all of our lives this is the thing that connects every single one of us And as someone who cares about showing people how they’re connected and how we’re in this together at some point I would want a song written about wastewater management and this project finally made it happen Miller: Unlike the other parts that we’ve talked about so far that have whether it’s a wildlife biologist or a linguist or a pear grower and you have their actual interviews and then you had Eric and Leila have music with that Fox: I felt the sell on this was going to be a little bit trickier if anyone can convince people of the importance of wastewater management And so she was one of the first people I talked to and I said I want to show people how important this is and she wrote the lyrics and they’re incredible there’s one other thing that I really want I think there needs to be a Wastewater Wizard because I spent a lot of time paying attention to what’s going on and I had been to a local choir concert where I could not take my eyes off this one man who seemed to be having the best time that guy at some point I want to work with Miller: You didn’t just go for the person who was clapping the most in the audience He was in the back row singing and I was like And so when it came time to figure out who our Wastewater Wizard was I was like “I’m on board,” and so he’s our Wastewater Wizard tell this story in a way that nobody will forget And my hope when I spoke with Eric about the music “I want a hook that people are singing as they walk out the door at night.” And I can tell you over the past months of hearing this song and seeing our different musicians and singers play it Miller: And you were generous enough to give us a recording of a recent rehearsal It’s a little bit hard to hear some of the fastest parts of the lyrics So can you give us a sense for what we should be listening for What is happening that these two characters are going to be singing about Fox: So the Wastewater Wizard is trying to convince Molly And so they’re going into the city and kind of going down underground and learning about all this amazing stuff that’s happening under all our feet You’re not picking up what you’re putting down There’s a city at work underneath this town All we do is go to and fro without a thought to what goes down below Marcos Galvez [singing]: When the pipes don’t flow It takes the pipe that’s made to swipe and turns it upsettingly small It was just a simple clog and that might just be all maybe this is like a who’s your favorite child kind of a question but do you have a favorite moment from this whole work There’s a certain guitar solo that I really love some of the most exciting moments are when I have seen the thing that I hoped for from the beginning which is people who may not have been previously connected People who may not have known each other’s stories sharing them When I see those moments come to life and something that Lesley shared with me comes to me and then comes to Eric and comes to Leila and comes to our musicians and all of a sudden her story is being shared in the language of all these different people those are the moments where I feel like we’ve been successful and done the thing that I hoped we could do Miller: How did you get everybody to take part I understand that some people are getting a small amount of money here especially growing up with creative parents to do everything I can to not ask creative people to donate their time And so one of my jobs was really to try to raise some funds so that I could pay people and no one will get what any of us deserve I honestly think that people getting on board both as performers which I never expected as many from the community as we did is really a reflection of how much this sort of thing is needed When I was asking the initial questions that prompted this how do we tell lots of stories in unique ways How do we get new audiences in the theater Those were things that I see as losing some in our culture And I think the fact that so many different people from fourth-generation orchardists to musicians all of their enthusiasm for this project over the past year is evidence that this kind of thing is wanted And so I think getting them on board was really just giving the opportunity for that point of connection and joy and storytelling that people want Miller: You mentioned Oregon Humanities at the beginning of our interview we talked with the executive director of Oregon Humanities about the out of nowhere email they got saying that their federal funding for the next two years has been eliminated What has Oregon Humanities meant for the work you’ve done Fox: Their fellowship… so they selected me as a Community Storytelling Fellow in 2024 because there were these questions that I was struggling to answer and ways that I was trying to improve how I produce and do my job because I care very deeply about how I tell the stories that are shared with me they gave me the chance to try something new and to take a risk multiple different staff people backed me up with these crazy ideas I want to do this thing that we agreed to do and I want to do a little bit more it’s so often difficult because it’s not this hard and fast black and white thing to sell But the humanities in that type of work and what we’re doing here is that glue that holds people together is that thing that creates a sense of community “We have an epidemic of loneliness.” When I see Robert Putnam’s book “Bowling Alone” getting republished and then talking about how the community is not sticking together And I’m never going to make a huge difference on a grand scale but in my own little way in this community with people I care about those are the kind of things in the back of my mind and in my support of things like the humanities what should we know about the sort of the final piece of this circle Fox: Movement five gets started off by a Gorge resident named Terrie Brigham who I’ve known for a while and it’s important to me and to her that she and her storytelling but she is so much more than that and you hear some about that But she really characterized the fifth movement for us as a sense of coming home and a sense of belonging but then you also hear from all the other voices we’ve heard before as a reminder of how we connect a place and how we connect to each other Again you’ll also once again hear Thomas Morning Owl Miller: Sarah Fox is a producer of the new Watershed Rock Opera which premieres tomorrow in Hood River Lesley Tamura is a pear grower and the owner of Tamura Orchards Eric Kaneda is the composer and arranger of this new multimedia extravaganza Leila Kaneda is the musical director and one of the percussionists If you’d like to comment on any of the topics in this show or suggest a topic of your own, please get in touch with us on Facebook, send an email to thinkoutloud@opb.org or you can leave a voicemail for us at 503-293-1983 The call-in phone number during the noon hour is 888-665-5865 Tags: Think Out Loud, Columbia River Gorge, Culture, Arts (KATU) — A third suspect was arrested in connection with the death of Stephen M who was killed while attempting to prevent a robbery Don Cheli from the Hood River Police Department said The murder happened on Friday afternoon at the intersection of 5th and June Street Responding officers found 38-year-old Hayes lying in the roadway around 3:46 p.m Police reported that Hayes was hit by the suspect's truck as they fled after attempting to steal property from his car They were seen at a Walmart parking lot after a detective recognized the suspects' car and were later arrested at a Dairy Queen nearby Both appeared in court on Monday facing charges of murder A judge set Bowman's bail at $100,000 and Hardy's at $1 million while Hardy is scheduled to appear next week with the help of The Dalles Police Department had been trying to locate 31-year-old Johnathon Bradly Matthews since the incident on Friday as a third person-of-interest the City of The Dalles Police Department posted on Facebook that Matthews was captured in The Dalles by The Columbia Gorge Major Crimes Team He was booked and lodged on charges of murder in the second degree Matthews is a houseless resident of The Dalles and was believed to still be in the area To report any information relevant to the case Austin Ell of The Dalles Police Department at aell@ci.the-dalles.or.us or Detective Erin Mason at the Hood River Police Department at (541) 387-5257 or email e.mason@cityofhoodriver.gov Picture from the Hood River County Walk and Roll to School Facebook page 2025 — The City of Hood River is proud to announce it has been awarded an Accelerated Mobility Playbook (AMP) Technical Grant from City Thread a national non-profit organization that helps make communities safer and better connected through transportation City Thread’s Technical Assistance Grant endeavors to support Hood River’s ongoing efforts to expand mobility options and improve transportation safety by providing expert guidance facilitating collaboration among local leaders and stakeholders and connecting the City with a national network of peer communities working toward similar goals “We are thrilled to welcome Hood River into our cohort of cities prioritizing mobility projects,” said Sara Studdard “We look forward to providing Hood River with the guidance and strategies needed to achieve its transportation goals faster than thought possible.” While the City of Hood River has no walking or biking master plan active transportation has been a focus through several planning efforts including the creation of a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) plan funded by the Oregon Department of Transportation Since the plan was accepted by the City Council in 2022 nearly $10 million in funding has been raised for programs and infrastructure The AMP will provide a strategy to assist with SRTS network implementation and project coordination and amplify public support for SRTS infrastructure improvements “Our community has been vocal about the need for safe and accessible transportation options and Council goals include creating a safer more efficient transportation system for everyone,” said Hood River Mayor Paul Blackburn “The AMP program will help us create a practical roadmap for immediate action to reach those goals.” The Hood River County School District (HRCSD) has also made meaningful progress in promoting safer the district has implemented various programs including bike education in physical education classes and collaborative demonstration projects with the city to engage the community Ramey was recently named Educator of the Year by the League of American Bicyclists an award honoring individuals who elevate bike education in their state or community we recognize the importance of creating a seamless network of safe convenient walking and biking routes to inspire more families and students to adopt active transportation for school and after-school activities,” said Bill Newton “This grant represents a valuable opportunity to further those efforts.” the most recent AMP Technical Assistance Grant recipients include Burlingame City Thread has facilitated more connected and more equitable transportation infrastructure systems in more than 20 U.S The City of Hood River’s mission is to provide essential services at the lowest possible cost to continually enhance the quality of life in Hood River The City of Hood River incorporated in 1895 is located at the confluence of the Hood River and the Columbia River Total area of the City is 3.4 square miles The Hood River County Court House has requested funds to repair and update facilities HOOD RIVER — Hood River’s courthouse has been deemed one of the “lowest ranked/highest need” courthouses in Oregon the county reports that it is unfeasible to self-fund the update of the courthouse and administrative facilities so they are requesting general obligation funding from the state Concerns have been raised at several county meetings over the years about the dire need for facility updates the courthouse was later remodeled and expanded in 1979 the county courthouse was ranked 46th out of 48 in the statewide Courthouse Facilities Assessment It was assessed as “expecting to suffer severe structural and non-structural damage in the design earthquake,” meaning it is not seismically reinforced The assessment also rated the building configuration “excessive upgrade required” in order to meet state courthouse design standards When asked for specific examples of courthouse deficiencies County Administrator Allison Williams listed security and space as two of the top issues She wrote that the courthouse currently has “no space for jury assembly,” so that is done in the hallway where the public Judges do not have secure routes from the courtroom to their offices parking is scarce and unsafe with ADA concerns and overall HVAC improvements and roof replacements are also part of the discussion Wilson mentioned that new construction was determined “much more efficient” than retrofitting the current building Staff has put forward a timeline to work on courthouse improvements showing that the planning phase will be completed by June 2025 and additional funding or grant opportunities will be assembled in 2026 Construction design will follow in 2027 with actual groundbreaking progress expected by 2029 They estimated a 24-month construction window The board of commissioners approved a capital funding request for the state to share project costs The county is requesting 31% of that from Oregon The crowd of more than 1,500 began at the Hood River waterfront and ultimately ended up at Overlook Memorial Park's salmon fountain Becky Miles and Audrey Irwin all with CGWAN and Martha Verduzco and Amber Rose of Hood River Latino Network protest began at the Hood River Waterfront Protesters begin moving towards Overlook Memorial Park Counter protesters stand on the opposite side of the Second Street Overpass April 5 The protest ended at Overlook Memorial Park Crowds lined both sides of Second Street and State Street HOOD RIVER — An estimated 1,500 people from around the Gorge rallied on April 5 in Hood River to take part in the national Hands Off! day of protest coordinated by 50501, the national Indivisible group, MoveOn.org and more than 100 other progressive organizations to “stop the most brazen power grab in modern history” (handsoff2025.com) “We are gathering here and across the nation because our country is in a constitutional crisis and our democracy is at stake,” said Becky Miles of CGWAN our relationships with our longtime allies are being destroyed and financial stability across the world will have dire impacts on everyone Our only remaining guardrails are the courts and the force of the people in a unified resistance It is time to rise up and defend our human and civil rights and the future of our democracy.” The protest began in the green area across from pFriem at the Hood River waterfront participants began walking across the Second Street Overpass towards Overlook Memorial Park’s fish fountain There were so many in attendance that 45 minutes after the march began people were still waiting to join the walk to the fountain There was a counterprotest consisting of fewer than 10 people “It is vitally important for us to come together right now in our communities and stand up for each other and our most basic human rights every day and in every way,” said Amber Rose of HRLN and our social services must remain accessible to everyone and folks living with disabilities are all welcome here and such an integral part of our community The beautiful people of the Columbia River Gorge say I wish I could be with all of you instead of here in Washington But I can feel and hear your “people power” at this rally and others just like it today across Oregon and our entire country Elon Musk and their Republican accomplices all too willing to do their bidding are feeling and hearing the “people power” fighting back against their unprecedented authoritarian and unconstitutional assault on American democracy There are plenty of tough fights ahead to undo the damage that’s been done But this week showed the cracks are starting to form in this attack by Trump Musk and their MAGA marionettes on America Look at the election results in Wisconsin where “people power” prevailed Look at the Senate where “people power” got through to enough Republicans for a majority to reject Trump's tariffs on Canada And look at Trump’s falling approval ratings to know large majorities of Americans aren’t on board with Trump’s insane trade war his illegal theft of congressional investments in American infrastructure Keep the pressure up on all elected officials And keep your eye on the prize by picking your passion and fighting back against the authoritarian takeover of American democracy by Trump I’ll say this again -- This isn’t going to be easy But with all of us doing everything we can – blowing the whistle on this administration’s lawbreaking and cruelty -- we can battle back History shows the pendulum can swing back toward justice even when challenges look bleakest So huge thanks to all of you for coming out today and pushing that pendulum back to a better America HOOD RIVER — Roughly $4 million in budget reductions for the 2025-2026 school year was confirmed at the Hood River County School District’s (HRCSD) April 9 board meeting Superintendent Bill Newton and Chief Financial Officer Mark DeMoss provided the update The budget has been a reoccurring item on board meeting agendas — it was also discussed Jan. 22 and Feb 26 — and at community and staff listening sessions expiration of federal pandemic relief funds and a $2.5 million increase in Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) contributions are all factoring into the shortfall “I’ll be honest with you that this meeting tonight is not something I’ve been looking forward to,” Newton said “While we’re undergoing reductions similar to many school districts throughout the state it still doesn’t reduce the level of concern that I and others have regarding the underinvestment in education in our state … Despite our efforts to prevent a reduction in force we will unfortunately need to lay off some licensed staff.” Personnel make up the largest piece of the district’s general fund at approximately 80% and it is particularly hard when people’s livelihoods are impacted,” Newton said Creating a budget is always a challenge for Oregon districts because of how the state funds education; districts are required by law to file their budgets by June 30 but often don’t know how much money legislators will set aside for education until June or July As Oregon School Board Association Communications Specialist Jake Arnold puts it “School budgeting is one part science and one part educated guesses seasoned with unforeseen circumstances and a pinch of hopeful thinking baked under a constant heat of state and federal requirements Few of the key numbers are under school leaders’ control." HRCSD will hold its first budget committee meeting on April 29 The budget will be brought forward for board approval in June we’ll have potential budget staffing adjustments depending on the finalized school funds,” Newton said “… We may need to come back to the table and take a look at further reductions.” five parents and one student representing Cascade Locks Elementary (CLE) gave public comments in person urging the board to consider the needs of the community before making cuts to teaching staff and sharing concern that its students would fall behind if a blended classroom model was adopted Cascade Locks Mayor Brenda Wood also provided comment saying schools are the hub of a community and cuts would have a devastating impact She also shared concerns about a lack of representation on the board represents both Westside and Cascade Locks elementary schools.) Newton addressed CLE specifically during the discussion and explained budget reduction details as it pertains to the school CLE has the lowest enrollment — 65 students — and the highest cost per student to operate in the district “Multi-age classrooms are necessary to normalize your costs,” he said emphasizing how the district will support the change such as ongoing professional development training and collaboration time for licensed and classified staff The school will continue to have a full-time student support specialist as well as math and reading intervention and early language development (ELD) specialists “I would love for our committee to trust every decision that we make is the best decision that we can make with what we have,” said Director Julia Garcia-Ramirez during board member comments “I really want to put that out there — please trust that the decision that the district and the board makes is the best that we can with what we are.” Board members also thanked Newton and DeMoss and expressed appreciation for the district’s transparency They also encouraged stakeholders to contact elected officials and advocate for education funding “I know it feels a little hopeless right now and I’m sure a lot of people feel the same way,” said Board Chair Corinda Hankins Elliot “but the only way that forward is really working hard as a community to try to recoup some of that funding … I really encourage everyone to use their voice.” Education Advocacy Day is April 24 in Salem with personal stories about how cuts — or more funding — would affect their child For more information on the budget cuts, visit www.hoodriver.k12.or.us or columbiagorgenews.com 2025 — The City of Hood River’s “Hosted Homeshares and Vacation Home Rental” code was recently upheld in federal court The City welcomes the recent ruling affirming Ordinance 2026 which places restrictions on short-term rental (STR) licenses in residential zones amended Hood River’s existing zoning regulations by adding provision 17.04.155 titled “Hosted Homeshares and Vacation Home Rentals.” This provision requires that STR license holders in residential zones either reside on the property as their primary residence or have a designated lessee who does The ordinance granted nonconforming STR license-holders a seven-year grace period to come into compliance license holders who did not meet the residency requirement were no longer eligible to renew their STR licenses which confirms that the City acted within its legal authority to prioritize our community and full-time residents over vacation rentals,” said Hood River Mayor Paul Blackburn “This outcome supports our ongoing efforts to address the housing crisis in Hood River and to limit the spread of vacation rentals in our neighborhoods.” The plaintiffs argued that the ordinance’s residency requirement violates the Dormant Commerce Clause by discriminating against out-of-state homeowners thereby limiting their ability to participate in the vacation rental market Judge Adrienne Nelson of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon found this argument without merit The ruling clarified that out-of-state homeowners may still lease their properties to long-term residents and negotiate contracts that permit continued STR use The residency requirement applies equally to in-state and local homeowners who do not use the property as their primary residence “Plaintiffs have not met the threshold requirement of showing that the ordinances impose a substantial burden on interstate commerce… The Court accepts the explanation provided in the ordinances that their purpose is to ensure housing supply and reduce hardship on out-of-state property owners.” The City is committed to fostering a thriving, year-round community and addressing the housing shortage head-on. Restricting STR use is not the only action the City has taken to preserve and increase housing inventory. For more information on City-led housing efforts, please visit: https://cityofhoodriver.gov/housing-projects/ Big River Community Land Trust (BRCLT) Executive Director Alysha Sherburne and BRCLT Board President Doug Baker celebrate the purchase of acreage on Avalon Drive The land will be used to build affordable workforce housing HOOD RIVER — Big River Community Land Trust (BRCLT) has purchased 2.7 acres on Avalon Drive from Faith Bible Church to create permanently affordable housing for the community’s workforce and families “With the potential to develop up to 50 homes for purchase this project will provide much-needed housing opportunities that ensure local workers can continue to live in the community they serve,” said BRCLT in a press release a “mission-driven real estate development firm with a strong track record in sustainable and community-oriented projects,” according to the press release they will design and construct high-quality modestly-sized homes that will remain permanently affordable — by leveraging the community land trust model the homes will be priced at approximately half of market rates The development will prioritize energy efficiency “Our goal is to address the growing crisis of housing unaffordability in Hood River,” said Alysha Sherburne “Too many of our workers are being forced to commute from outside the area due to skyrocketing home prices This project is a critical step toward keeping families in the community where they work and go to school.” BRCLT is actively seeking community support, including financial contributions from individual donors and local organizations to help make the vision a reality, said the release. For more information about the Avalon Drive project or to support BRCLT’s mission, visit www.bigriverclt.org or email alysha@bigriverclt.org It is with great sadness that the family of Nathan “Nate” Lain announces his peaceful passing on April 16 Nate was the firstborn and only son of Jack and Pat Lain was the first naval air station of many to which the Navy would move the family and graduated three moves later from Oak Harbor High School he excelled in music as a percussionist in both the high school concert and stage bands as well as being the lead baritone in both the concert and the elite madrigal choirs His first full-time job was pumping gas at a Chevron Station in Oak Harbor where the on-site mechanic took him under his wing and started him on his path to being an auto mechanic He continued this career path in California and Nate worked at Owen’s Chevrolet and a couple of other small shops eventually ending up at Cumming’s Auto and Repair Service (C.A.R.S.) working as a Weed & Pest Control Tech for the county for three years before transferring to be the County Building Maintenance Tech Nate enjoyed hunting (rifle and bow) and was a long-time member of the AppleKnocker Bowmen Archery club He participated in the HR County Golf league the HR County Bowling league and rode motorcycles He and Sandi also volunteered for the OSP (Oregon State Police) Fish and Wildlife division Nate and Sandi shared an active life—RV camping and cruising the western part of the country on their bike/trike they spent quality time with their Harley family--the Triple D’s (Dan’s Darling Ducklings) Emily and Emanuel Provost; his four great-grandchildren Cassie Whieldon; his niece and her husband Jack Lain and Pat Lain (nee Amer); his mother from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm at Anderson’s Tribute Center (1401 Belmont Avenue followed by an outdoor celebration of Nathan’s life at Stave & Stone Winery (3827 Fletcher Dr Memorial contributions in Nate’s name can be made to the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) Foundation, Inc. (https://cjdfoundation.org/) or the American Cancer Society ( https://cjdfoundation.org/ ) Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center • 1401 Belmont Avenue Oregon 97031.  Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family Serving the Columbia River Gorge since 1921 With Locations in Hood River and The Dalles From Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Replacement Project: 2024 — The Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Replacement Project will receive an additional $8 million in federal funding after Congress approved two separate requests late last week This latest round of funding comes just months after the project was awarded a $ 200 million federal grant from the U.S The project now has $327 million in committed funds about 63% of the estimated total project cost of $520 million “We’re committed to delivering a new bridge by October 2029 and this funding brings us that much closer,” said Mike Fox co-chair of the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority every dollar we get from the government is a dollar local residents won’t have to repay in tolls on the future bridge We’re incredibly grateful to the Congressional delegation from Washington and Oregon for securing funding for this critical interstate connector.” The $8 million approved by Congress last week came from two $4 million appropriation requests submitted last spring—one from Washington State and one from Oregon Klickitat County sponsored the Washington request and that $4 million will support preliminary engineering and design of the new bridge including seismic resiliency and accommodations for cyclists and pedestrians The Oregon request was sponsored by the Port of Hood River That funding will be set aside to acquire any land required to complete the project and to fulfill commitments to local tribes as identified in the federal approval process the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority will work with both agencies that received the appropriations to ensure the funds are properly applied toward the project The authority is the governing body overseeing the construction of the new bridge Both of these areas are crucial to starting construction of the new bridge in 2025 and completing the bridge in 2029 “Our community has needed a new bridge for decades and this funding will help make that a reality,” said Jacob Anderson “Washington residents are particularly reliant on the bridge for our everyday lives and we can’t wait to have a new bridge with wider lanes and fewer closures Thank you to our federal representatives for ensuring this project gets the funding it deserves.” If you ask Randy Kiyokawa what it takes to grow the perfect apple Kiyokawa should know. His orchard in Parkdale, just south of Hood River, Oregon was once named “best apple orchard in America” by USA Today Randy Kiyokawa shows off his smallest and largest apple varieties during the annual apple tasting event at Kiyokawa Family Orchards visitors flock to the large fruit stand and u-pick area at Kiyokawa Family Orchards for its 125 varieties of apples—plus a cornucopia of pears But it’s the apples that are Kiyokawas' signature fruit “Everything the taste buds can go and imagine,” Kiyokawa says Randy manages the orchard while sisters Connie Margie and Becky travel back to Parkdale to help during the busy fall harvest season turned 101 in 2024 and still lives on the family property She walks two miles every day while listening to Elvis songs and can’t get enough chocolate “I am stubborn,” she joked with daughter Connie That stubbornness might in fact be the Kiyokawas’ fourth success ingredient Theirs is one of the few remaining Japanese American-owned orchards in the Hood River Valley — a rare multigenerational enterprise that survived the forced relocation of Japanese communities into concentration camps during World War Two; and persisted in returning to work the land The Kiyokawa family in front of the farm stand in 2006 less than 40% of Issei (first-generation Japanese immigrants) and Nisei (second generation) returned to Hood River,” said Linda Tamura who has written two books about the Hood River Valley’s Japanese Americans and is herself a third generation Sansei with family ties to the valley “Hood River apples have really symbolized the highs and the lows of my hometown.” The Kiyokawa family has been farming the area since 1911 Randy’s grandfather Riichi followed a wave of immigration from Japan to the Hood River Valley — first landing in Hawaii then California and making his way up the West Coast working on railroad lines his work brought him to the upper Hood River Valley where he was able to acquire a 5-acre plot of land and begin planting fruit trees Riichi Kiyokawa farmed a plot of land in Dee “Hood River had a reputation for the quality of its apples from the late 1890s and early 1900s,” said Tamura Hood River won international recognition for the quality of its apples at world events.” the Hood River Valley had Oregon’s largest population of Japanese Americans outside of Portland and were also producing 25% of Hood River’s fruit Roosevelt’s signing of Executive Order 9066 and it later turned out Nisei citizens as well would be removed from their homes and sent to concentration camps on American soil,” Tamura said The shockwave soon reached the Hood River Valley they understood that they would need to leave their homes.” Many Japanese Hood River farming families scrambled to make agreements with neighbors friends and whoever they could to care for their land “My grandfather was fortunate enough to lease his land to the Stadelman family,” who owned tracts of land and fruit businesses in the area Japanese citizens were actually offering their property for sale because they didn’t believe they’d be able to come back,” Tamura said Michiko Kiyokawa, née Jinguji, was a teenager living in Tacoma, Washington at the start of the war. She and her family were eventually sent to the notorious Tule Lake concentration camp in Northern California “Tule Lake was a dry lake bed and it was unconscionably hot (and) dry,” said Linda Tamura a single light bulb and the family lived there together But when reflecting on her memories from Tule Lake one in particular stands out for Mich Kiyokawa “That’s where I met my future husband,” she said They would drive around and we had Hood River people on our block Michiko Kiyokawa née Jinguji holds a picture from her wedding day in 1945 The two met while incarcerated at Tule Lake War Relocation Center in Northern California Mamoru “Mam” Kiyokawa had grown up on his family’s orchard in Dee Mich and Mam married in 1945 while Mam was serving with the U.S and eventually returned to the Hood River Valley “His family had an orchard and he bought a place in Parkdale,” Mich remembers that’s the first time I was smelling dirt.” Randy Kiyokawa also remembers that his grandparents and many others who had lived through World War Two incarceration didn’t speak openly about their experience even to family members “That was part of the gaman “The perseverance that Issei learned to demonstrate.” Mich and Mam raised five children and worked the land at the base of Mount Hood until 1987 Randy returned to take over the operation of the orchard “Even going through high school and even college knew that I’d be coming back to the farm,” he said admires Randy’s leadership of the family business “My dad was a traditional orchardist and you can count how many apple and pear varieties they had on one or two hands,” Kiriu said “Randy had taken over the farm and has just pushed the envelope on all kinds of things.” One of Randy Kiyokawa’s ideas was selling all of his apples direct-to-consumer visitors travel in droves to the large farm stand and u-pick area not just to fill up fruit boxes but also to enjoy a lineup of events like the Honeycrisp Harvest Festival and apple tasting Kiyokawa fruit can be found at many of the Portland Metro area’s farmers markets Some of the 80 different varieties of apples at Kiyokawa Family Orchard’s annual tasting event held on Oct “We get to have direct contact with people,” Randy Kiyokawa said For Japanese Americans with memories of connection to the land the feelings associated with harvest time transcend any single season whose family was also rooted in the Hood River Valley equates the fall apple bounty with the joy of cultural continuity “When I go into Kiyokawa Orchards and see the fruit and the busy people there’s some pride that I have in recognizing what they’ve done,” said Tamura “To bring back memories of my grandparents and my parents There’s a real joy and power in knowing that this is continuing.” her feelings can be described simply as gratitude for generations past “I’m grateful to my parents and my grandparents on both sides for having the courage of crossing the ocean and setting up a place that we can live,” said Kiriu A spring rainbow lights up the sky over the Kiyokawa Family Orchards Illustration by Sharon Albor / image source: the Kiyokawa family Tags: Oregon Experience, Business, Farming, Farmers, Hood River, Asian-American, Superabundant Federal funding for public media is under threat immigrant experiences and foodways—crafting stories through an inclusive and experiential lens Prior to his current role, Arya was the co-creator and showrunner of \"Superabundant,” OPB’s award-winning video series exploring food systems of the Pacific Northwest He honed his craft at IFA Media in Singapore where he developed and produced TV documentaries for international networks such as the History Channel the National Geographic Channel and ARTE France Arya got his start freelancing for Vanity Fair. He co-produced a video for the magazine’s 2008 essay on waterboarding, “Believe Me, It's Torture.” The story is credited as the catalyst for former U.S Attorney General Eric Holder’s investigation of the interrogation practice Arya holds a master of fine arts degree from American University's School of Communication in Washington Arya Surowidjojo is a documentary filmmaker and the Executive Producer of OPB's history documentary series \"Oregon Experience.” His body of work focuses on histories Hood River sophomore Addi Van Metre (8) swings through a hit The Hood River Valley Eagle softball team remains undefeated in the Class 5A Northwest Oregon Conference (NWOC) Hood River (12-2 overall) and La Salle Prep are the two teams with perfect league records — both Canby and Wilsonville have one loss The fourth-ranked Eagles and head Coach Madelynn Vallejo had just one game last week a 10-0 shutout win against Putnam (4-9 overall Starting pitcher senior Grace Rowan pitched a complete game The HRV offense was led by five players who recorded at least two hits: Kenadie Lucas (2-for-4 Next up is arguably HRV’s toughest NWOC test May 2 against No 6-0 NWOC) in Hood River; first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m at the ballpark on Belmont (Westside Elementary) Port of Hood River board and staff at the Dec The port is currently looking for a new office space HOOD RIVER — As the Port of Hood River board of commissioners met for the first time this year on Jan a driver crossing the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge collided with the bridge railing causing minor damage to the bridge and major damage to the truck’s camper The accident caused delays but no structural damage was reported by staff Commissioner Ben Sheppard led the meeting as Board President Kristi Chapman and Vice President Heather Gehring were not in attendance Public comment was opened with some of the port’s own staff the port commission asked staff to look into shutting down the toll booth permanently (story to appear online and in an upcoming edition) The board approved the consent agenda which contained the 2024 Annual Report of the Board of Commissioners This report recognizes the accomplishments and major events during the 2024 calendar year They authorized a contract with Barrett Business Services (BBSI) to not exceed $75,000 for help filling seasonal staffing positions who is also currently contracted with cities of Hood River and The Dalles Following a presentation from pFriem co-owner and CEO Rudy Kellner the commission welcomed Kelley Wilson of SUM Design Studio to review their Master Services Agreement to conduct a Port Office and Maintenance Facility Relocation Study Wilson and his team interviewed full-time staff and took inventory of the square footage to get an idea of what staff needs from their next office location Wilson said the offices will most likely remain in the same location during construction of the new bridge the administration building is listed at 5,045-square-feet and the maintenance outpost is 3,980-square-feet Wilson brought up the possibility of conducting future operations from separate locations If the administration and maintenance were to move to a new location together they would require the same amount of space and Wilson estimates costs would be lower If admin and the maintenance departments were to operate on separate parcels of land Wilson said it could be easier to acquire property Kelley recommended that the admin and maintenance “closely mirror the current buildings and site in terms of size and area.” Following a discussion about the criteria to consider for a new location Greenwood said he would check in with the commissioners and get their thoughts on what they want from their next office location said that there are two parties who are interested in redeveloping the 2.83-acre property that is currently Marina East (old chamber of commerce building) and West (DMV offices) He detailed their intentions to build a three to four story boutique hotel with coffee shop Bacci said the construction would cost in the range of $30-$50 million The port would be responsible for the land lease and the developers would build the hotel on their own dime Bacci added that they would be looking for a 99-year land lease that would provide the port with $120,000-$160,000 in annual revenue Commissioners said they were open to listening to ideas Wrapping up the executive director’s report Greenwood said Airport Manager Jeff Renard met with contractors at the Lower Hanel Mill in Odell to discuss the possibility of building storage units to boost revenue authorizing the closure of the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge toll booth beginning April 1 Finance Director Debbie Smith-Wagar gave a short update to commissioners a crane on Friday pulled a Ford station wagon from the Columbia River that officials believe belonged to an Oregon family who disappeared while on a trip 66 years ago to collect Christmas greenery The vehicle came apart in the process and only the frame with wheels attached came out as the crane lifted it out of the water came off the frame in the retrieval process Related: Car found in Columbia River could be tied to family missing since 1958 The car will be wrapped and sent to a warehouse where a forensic team will try to learn more about its owners But officials felt certain the found the car they were looking for make and model of the Martin vehicle,” Hughes said The search for the Martin family was a national news story at the time and led some to speculate about the possibility of foul play with a $1,000 reward offered for information “Where do you search if you’ve already searched every place logic and fragmentary clues would suggest?” an Associated Press article wondered in 1959 A Christmas photo of the Ken Martin family from left are Two of the family’s children were found in the river later that year though the remaining members never turned up Salvage efforts were called off just before dark on Thursday and resumed early Friday as crews tried to clear mud that buried much of the car The station wagon thought to belong to Ken and Barbara Martin was found last fall by Archer Mayo a diver who had been looking for it for seven years Mayo pinpointed the likely location and dove several times before finding the car upside-down about 50 feet deep “This is a very big development in a case that’s been on the back of Portland’s mind for 66 years,” Costello told The Associated Press An undated provided photo of shows the tailgate of a vehicle in the Columbia River Mayo discovered a car in the Columbia River that may belong to Ken Martin said one car had been previously identified and the second was an unknown Volkswagen The Martins took their daughters — Barbara The children left the Sunday newspaper comics scattered about Dishes remained in the sink and a load of laundry in the washing machine Officials narrowed their search for the family after learning that Ken Martin had used a credit card to buy gas at a station near Cascade Locks a small Columbia River community about 40 miles east of Portland “Police have speculated that Martin’s red and white station wagon might have plunged into an isolated canyon or river,” the AP reported “The credit card purchase was the only thing to pin-point the family’s movements.” A waitress reported seeing a family that could have been the Martins at the Paradise Snack Bar The family had been out looking for a Christmas tree the body of the youngest daughter was found “bobbing in a Columbia River slough,” according to the AP “The body of Susan apparently floated free of the wreckage in the spring current and was washed to a back water slough near Camas Virginia Martin’s body was found the next day about 25 miles upstream from where her sister’s was located who was a Marine veteran and graduate student at Columbia University in New York at the time and told the AP he believed his family was dead a United States Navy Pharmacist's mate who is stationed at Ft looks at a 1952 Christmas photo of his missing family on April 2 “It’s been a high public interest case,” Hughes told the AP on Thursday After Mayo provided part of the license plate number and other vehicle identifiers the sheriff’s office and the Columbia Gorge major crimes team Mayo runs a business that finds things that were lost in the river but also helps with the recovery of drowning victims He had been looking for a research vessel that sank in 2017 when he learned about the Martin family Mayo began digging up material on the family and used modeling to pinpoint the possible location Tags: Columbia River, Cars Three generations at the Height’s Floral in Hood River The shop creates arrangements as well as sells a variety of indoor plants and pottery vessels A flower arrangement ready to make someone's day The old Heights Floral van is ready to make deliveries in this vintage photo The florist's shop also includes green and tropical plants cacti and other succulents as well as plant care products Tanner Hall in front of the store on the Heights in Hood River HOOD RIVER — The Heights Floral in Hood River — also known as Tammy’s Floral — has grown into one of the most recognizable businesses in the Gorge and the local flower and plant shop took another step forward when Tanner Hall stepped in the store’s ownership role He became the third generation to own the store after his mom purchased the building from Bonnie and Ray Calmettes on Feb The Calmettes had owned the building since the 1930s and Woosley described her first experience owning a flower shop during Valentine’s Day “It was pretty overwhelming,” Woosley said They survived that first Valentine’s Day and 23 more after that when Woosley turned the business over to her daughter in 2002 Cederstam had already been in charge of another store in The Dalles She owned and ran both shops for several years and later closed The Dalles store serving everyone from the Hood River location The shop creates arrangements for weddings but a lot of their business continues to come from their wire services system local flower shops can prepare and deliver flowers worldwide and every single city and they’ll have affiliated florists in each one,” said Hall Wire services and ordering directly through their website remain two of Heights Floral’s most popular services When Hood River became a popular wedding destination Cederstam noticed a rise in demand for locally-sourced flower arrangements it was brides calling from all over that were wanting to come and getting married,” she said The business was forced to adapt again when the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the country The shop introduced green and tropical plants which became an outlet for many during lockdown “People were wanting to buy these plants to decorate their zoom area offices,” Cederstam said she was able to bring a few employees back and the shop was able to stay afloat Cederstam owned the shop for more than 20 years before she felt it was time to pass the torch to her son Hall took over in January and said he has learned more about plants and flowers in the past few months than he has in his entire life Hall has been in the real estate industry for 10 years and said he never saw himself as the owner of a plant and flower shop and it’s been a really kind of neat journey to figure those pieces out,” he said Hall credits his team for the shop’s vision Heights Floral currently employs five people these people that have space and have this ability to see things and to put things together in a certain way that evokes beauty,” he said Employees are expected to have a savvy business sense and nimble fingers to create small boutonnieres but even more important is their eye for creativity Each bouquet or arrangement will look slightly different depending on the customer’s situation the arrangement should be something they remember Some customers are specific in their requests and others leave it up to the florists Different flowers have different kinds of meanings,” he said “You must keep in mind that whatever you are designing or arranging for Hall said they always put their “crispiest greens” along with an odd number of flowers to best mimic nature “You’ll oftentimes never see two of the same flower or four of the same flower The reason why is because that invokes nature He added that when they are an odd number of flowers your eyes tend to move around the whole arrangement The flower and plant shop has been on the Heights since the 1970s but Hall still wants to cultivate the human connection He said they are planning to host workshops in the future next to the Tropicali Fruit Bar on the Heights Hood River residents spoke out against development at the Marina East property during the Feb 18 Port of Hood River board of commissioners meeting 18 Port of Hood River Board of Commissioner’s meeting opened with 20 minutes of public comment after residents learned private parties had expressed interest to redevelop the site of the former chamber building and DMV building presented information to the board in regard to the possible relocation of port offices Bacci said he has been in contact with two interested parties regarding the Marina East and West properties for redevelopment The Marina Green and waterfront trail were not included Upon hearing the possibility of commercial development many residents referenced a 1995 ordinance that was passed by residents to “protect the Port Marina Park from uses inconsistent with public use and waterfront recreation,” according to a pamphlet from Citizens for Responsible Waterfront Development (CRWD) 2,467 voted to reserve the space and 2,242 against the Port Marina Park Ordinance according to records from Hood River County Board members cannot respond directly to public comment Commissioners Mike Fox and Ben Sheppard both said they did not know about the ordinance beforehand “The port’s attorney is looking into this,” Port Executive Director Kevin Greenwood told Columbia Gorge News there is interest in protecting Marina Green and the harbor-side trail.” The discussion ended with agreement that staff will prepare a presentation that encompasses the entire marina and waterfront and present to commissioners for further consideration The board expressed interest in conducting an open house to receive additional public input Foundation’s Specialty License Plate program the Port of Hood River Foundation held a meeting and heard updates on the Oregon Specialty License Plate project from Gretchen Goss the project would financially support the Port of Hood River Foundation commissioners and staff directed Goss to gather additional information on cost Goss estimated the project would take at least 16 months in order to have license plates on cars no later than 2027 The foundation would generate revenue every time a user registers their vehicle or renews the plate The project plans to open a design contest March 1 to local artists who will be able to submit their designs for consideration and prize money — $500 for first place $300 for second and $200 for third — with the winner determined by the board of commissioners The project must pay a $5,000 administrative fee and get approval from the DMV local police and sheriff departments as well as the Oregon State Patrol Division before moving forward with production and then must sell at least 3,000 vouchers to interested parties the foundation could expect to receive $35 for every plate sold The project would need to sell 5,000 plates in order to “break even.” Commissioners opted to remain patient and gather additional information from stakeholders before moving forward with the design contest the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority (HRWSBA) has made a request to the Port of Hood River for $500,000 to cover administrative expenses such as rent lobbying efforts and other indirect project costs The six-member commission has generated more than $320 million in state and federal grants from several different programs toward the bridge replacement project The HRWSBA is looking for $500,000 from the port’s $5 million Bridge Fund The port commission approved the loan for $500,000 that will come out of the port’s Bridge Fund It was noted that the loan will most likely not be repaid until the new bridge is built The commission also agreed to let the HRWSBA access the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) reserve fund as a way to cash flow grant-eligible expenses As state and federal reimbursements are received There is approximately $5 million in the TIFIA reserve fund generated from the September 2023 toll increase Marina and Waterfront Recreation committees dissolved 2024-25-21 that disbanded the Waterfront Recreation Committee and Marina Committee in order to establish stakeholder groups that will assist with waterfront and marina planning Waterfront and Marina Manager Daryl Stafford recognized the previous committees’ contributions to the port Staff proposed a model that will convene stakeholders in hopes of increasing public participation The resolution aims to generate input from “diverse waterfront users groups to guide planning and development.” The proposed stakeholder groups would address specific topics such as water safety the port has contracted with an alternate temporary staffing provider after negotiations with Barrett Business Services our attorneys and BBSI’s attorneys were unable to reach an agreement on certain contract terms,” the memo said The port commission approved a contract with Boly:Welch to not exceed $75,000 for temporary administrative and seasonal support on an as-needed basis Boly:Welch is a Portland-base job recruiting agency Columbia Area Transit (CAT) has signed another contract with the port which will allow the transportation agency to park at the event site from November to March to provide shuttle rides for Meadows employees the Port of Hood River board of commissioners held their spring planning session to hear updates from department heads and continue the march towards self-sufficiency Finance Director Debbie Smith-Wagar opened the presentations to commissioners after Executive Director Kevin Greenwood briefly reviewed the Strategic Business Plan and outcomes from the fall planning session on Nov Those outcomes included safety as the port’s top priority but also listed goals such as improving transparency pursuing revenue-generating projects and cost-efficient practices preparing for the bridge replacement and investing in employee training and education Smith-Wagar said they are getting a feel for the new finance software and the port is using a 10-year forecast model to estimate future revenue and expenses for all of their individual business centers The port is preparing to end the 2024-25 Fiscal Year on June 30; the deadline to file their annual budget is July 15 Commission President Kristi Chapman thanked staff and said the spring planning forecasts are “a total game changer,” and Smith-Wagar said despite dealing with vacancies on various port properties the industrial property cost center is a reliable source of revenue future expenses and the new bridge to help the commission create a long-term plan Smith-Wagar said she took the new bridge price estimation and conducted the budget process with the assumption that the new bridge would be operational by 2032 The port recently transitioned to fully electronic tolling and closed the toll booth which removed a total of about four full-time positions and cut their annual wage expenditures by approximately 30% or $299,227 The budget and spring packet is available on the port’s website under the “Governance” and board meetings tab Hood Meadows and Columbia Area Transit (CAT) has been in place for the last two winter seasons to provide shuttle rides for Meadows employees to alleviate parking congestion on the mountain and generate positive revenue for the port Waterfront Manager Daryl Stafford and staff met with CAT Executive Director Amy Schlappi and they agreed on a contract in which CAT will pay a one-time fee of $2,000 for parking at the event site parking lot from November to March Stafford is meeting with the Meadows Transportation Director this week to discuss fees for the 2025-26 season port commissioners directed staff to bring more data to their next meeting to determine appropriate next steps The port has been pursuing additional paid parking at the Hood River waterfront and have contracted with HRK Engineering and Field Services for design work the port reported a net gain of $212,440 from the sale of parking passes and pay-to-park sales The port is looking at two vacant lots west of the Maritime building and another to the south of Ferment near the food cart area the City of Hood River finished their review of the project two weeks earlier than anticipated which leaves the door open for construction to occur before the busy summer months Commissioner Mike Fox wanted to prioritize the construction of storage units in Odell He said the project would have less impact on the public and generate more revenue during months when there are fewer visitors to Hood River Greenwood said the storage units project is “a ways off” in the future and they have no budget authority to start engineering or design the port is anticipating a $598,808 deficit at the Lower Hanel Mill property center (this number is subject to change by June 30) Commissioners directed staff to move forward with construction of the waterfront parking lots with the stipulation that the lots be open to the public by July 4 The commission said if the timeline does not support a July 4 completion date they directed staff to wait until after Labor Day to begin construction Fox suggested implementing financial penalties for the design and construction teams if they are unable to finish by July 4 Columbia Gorge News will continue its coverage of the port’s spring planning session in the April 30 edition Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInHOOD RIVER Ore the Port of Hood River announced it will be permanently closing the tollbooth on the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge on April 1 The decision was made unanimously by the Port Commission this wee The Port expects to save around $100,000 annually with the full closure