It’s officially winter in Oregon, which often means a sharp spike in energy bills as you crank up the heat. Homes can lose up to 60% of the energy used to keep the space warm through inefficient equipment, poor insulation and hidden air leaks.
News from around the Gorge
Free news: The American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon, the statewide professional association representing private engineering firms, has awarded its State Project of the Year honor to the Port of Hood River and its structural bridge engineer of record, HDR, for their response to a June 27, 2024, emergency on the Hood River–White Salmon Bridge.
Free news: The Community Foundation for Southwest Washington has opened public nominations for its 2026 Philanthropist of the Year and Community Champion Awards.
Free news: Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD) is seeking interested candidates involved with the Food and Beverage Industry within our five-county region for an opening on the MCEDD Board of Directors.
Free news from Congressman Cliff Bentz: This legislation includes funding for the Department of Defense (DOD); Financial Services and General Government (FSGG); the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; National Security; the Department of State and Related Programs (NSRP); and Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD).
Local police activity in The Dalles, Wasco County, Hood River, White Salmon and Bingen.
Editor's Pick
HOOD RIVER — An eruption of sound emerged from Columbia Center for the Arts on Jan. 29, as a quintet of award-winning musicians, The Volcano Listening Project (VLP), strummed, fiddled and blew along to the erratic beats of sonified volcanology.
THE DALLES — The Columbia Gorge’s largest city, commonly cited as a robust agricultural hub above all, is rarely acknowledged as a creative destination by outsiders. But for residents Marcus Swift and Rian Beach, founders of the nonprofit, all-volunteer event organizer The Dalles Overground (TDO), its vibrant creative foundation represents a community hungry for broadened cultural programming and further artistic avenues.
QLife, transit, libraries, health boards, NORCOR, White Salmon planning and tree board decisions.
THE GORGE — The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) licensed Goldendale’s Energy Storage Project on Jan. 22 over the objections of 17 tribal governments led by the Yakama Nation — which was excluded from signing the agreement that allows development to proceed on an site with both religious and cultural importance, otherwise known as Pushpum.
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THE DALLES — The Columbia Gorge’s largest city, commonly cited as a robust agricultural hub above all, is rarely acknowledged as a creative destination by outsiders. But for residents Marcus Swift and Rian Beach, founders of the nonprofit, all-volunteer event organizer The Dalles Overground (TDO), its vibrant creative foundation represents a community hungry for broadened cultural programming and further artistic avenues.
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THE DALLES — On Jan. 15, Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) published an investigative article detailing The Dalles’ push to expand its water reservoir capacity in the Mount Hood National Forest through a bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz.
Free news: Gorge Grown Food Network is accepting applications for businesses to attend the Hood River Farmers Market’s regular season. Farmers and food vendors should apply by Feb. 12. Artists and craft makers must apply by March 2. Email HRFM@gorgegown.com or call 541-490-6420 with any questions.
HOOD RIVER — The Port of Hood River Commissioners authorized a federal grant application that would help construct a terminal building at Ken …
HOOD RIVER — The Port of Hood River’s Marina Basin should be managed as a shared, multi-use community asset, serving not only marina operation…
GOLDENDALE — A proposed Trout Lake senior center will not be built in that town’s Guler Park. Klickitat County Commission Chair Ron Ihrig said…
Gorge Life
About 100 people join a rally on Jan. 19 in solidarity with Minnesota, where Renee Good was killed.
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Articles
- City officials rebuke OPB data center story, follow-up
- Obituary: Mark Keever
- Deaths & Services: Feb. 4, 2026
- One person stabbed in Bingen, two in Cascade Locks last week
- Obituary: Virginia Baker
- Dangerous bus stops and endangered funding at Gorge Transit
- Arrest made in homicide investigation
- Obituary: Yolanda Mora
- New law enforcement program shows early impact
- Deaths & Services: Jan. 28, 2026
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- Mid-Columbia Economic Development District Seeks Food and Beverage Industry Board Member
- One person stabbed in Bingen, two in Cascade Locks last week
- News briefs: Feb. 4
- Support for Minnesota
- Entertainment Update Feb. 4-11
- Bald Eagle sighting
- Police briefs Feb. 4-11, 2026
- Seismic sounds with The Volcano Listening Project
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