HOOD RIVER & WASCO CO. — On Friday, Feb. 6, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley held two well-attended, wide-ranging town halls in Mt. Hood and The Dalles. Just off Highway 35 south of Parkdale, the first question raised touched on immigration enforcement.

Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority Project Manager Michael Shannon presented on the current bridge’s deficiencies and the proposed new bridge’s safety and economic benefits. Of note, a pedestrian path could also be used as an emergency bypass lane to keep traffic flowing in the event of an accident.  

HOOD RIVER — The fifth installment of Mt. Adams Institute’s Sense of Place Season 16 will arrive at Columbia Center for the Arts on Feb. 18. Titled “Going Out on a Limb: Life on the Family Farms of Lisa Perry & Ricardo Galvez,” the evening will welcome Perry for a conversation rooted in the agricultural landscape and lived experience of a family farm in the Columbia River Gorge.

CASCADE LOCKS — As the Bridge of the Gods enters its centennial year, its owner, the Port of Cascade Locks, is obtaining new information about the bridge’s condition gleaned from early findings of an ongoing study focused on pedestrian safety, bridge preservation, and seismic resilience.