Free news: What's happening this week? Free event listing for the Columbia River Gorge.
Free news: Now's the time to start singing. We have three active a cappella choruses kicking off 2026 with new rehearsals starting now. Maybe it's time to try singing again!
Free news: The City Council adopted an updated Dog Control Ordinance amending Chapter 5.20 of The Dalles Municipal Code. The ordinance modernizes local regulations to support responsible dog ownership and protect public health, safety, and welfare.
Free news: Following recent U.S. military action in Venezuela, congressional candidate Dawn Rasmussen issued a statement calling on Congress to reclaim its constitutional responsibility and demanding accountability from Oregon’s elected representatives.
Free news: The Port of Klickitat has completed another clean audit.
Free news: A rally and donation drive to support local families disrupted by recent ICE activities will be held in The Dalles this coming Monday, Jan. 19, in recognition of Martin Luther King Day.
Free commentary: The opinions expressed are “your voice,” and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Columbia Gorge News, its staff, publisher or advertisers.
Free news: About 60 people braved the cold temperatures both on land and in the water to join in the annual New Year’s Day polar plunge in Cascade Locks on Jan. 1.
Sponsored
An alphabetical list of those we lost this year. This page is sponsored by Anderson's Tribute Center and is free to view.
Stevenson City Council, Dec. 18 — Council passed four contracts for law enforcement services (sheriff, prosecutor, probation and court). Members debated cutbacks to key services like code enforcement, animal control, and mental health services. Former council member Chuck Oatfield urged more…
According to the report, farmers’ markets brought $1.6 million to the local economy in 2025, with 75% of vendors owned or co-owned by women.
Free news: Hood River Planning Commissioners has denied Line 29 Architecture’s application for a 135-room Marriott hotel on the former Hood River News site in a 3-2 vote.
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Free news: After 35 years with no significant facilities upgrades, the White Salmon Valley School District (WSVSD) is ready to make sizable improvements. This week, we take a look inside Whitson Elementary.
Free news: Thank you to those who wrote letters to the editor in 2025.
Free news: Interested persons should send a letter of interest and resume with qualifications, telephone, and address to the Board of Education, Columbia Gorge Community College, 400 East Scenic Drive, The Dalles OR 97058, or email to tprince@cgcc.edu.
Free news: United Church of Christ Congregational has a new minister as of Jan. 1.
What's happening this week? Free event listing for the Columbia River Gorge.
Free news from Oregon Journalism Project: Although the total amount of cultivated farmland in Oregon is shrinking, filbert acreage is booming.
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Free news: Following an extensive search process, the City of Hood River has selected four candidates to interview for the position of fire chief.
Free news: Melanie Tucker has joined Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) to become its new Family and Community Wellness Director. She brings 30 years of experience in social services to support the Whole Family Approach.
Free news briefs: Fish get legal win but Columbia Riverkeeper is still in court, and a grant is available for restoration of Hood River area streams.
Free commentary: Columbia Gorge News received 455 letters from 281 individuals in 2025, between Jan. 1 and this issue, Dec. 31. Last year — 2024 — saw 471 letters from 308 individuals.
The opinions expressed are “your voice,” and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Columbia Gorge News, its staff, publisher or advertisers.
FREE: Six local organizations joined together to donate $20,000 to the Columbia Gorge Food Bank and help address increased need in the community: Chenowith Water PUD, the City of The Dalles, Hood River Electric & Internet Co-op, Northern Wasco County People’s Utility District, QLife, and Wasco Electric Cooperative presented the donation on Dec. 18.
THE GORGE — As the seasons shift, fall and winter offer time to discover something new about nature. UCD is starting their seventh Annual Winter Workshop Series, with December, January, and February in-person meetings in White Salmon and Stevenson.
What's happening this week? Free event listing for the Columbia River Gorge.
Free news: Wasco, Hood River, and Sherman counties — and every other Oregon county — are now able to recycle more items, be it curbside or at the transfer station. In July, Oregon moved to a statewide program with one list of what is and is not recyclable, according to Tri-County Hazardous Waste and Recycling Program.
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Free news from Oregon Journalism Project: At 9.7%, Oregon has the third-highest kindergarten vaccine opt-out rate in the country, nearly triple the nation’s 3.4%. Idaho ranks first (15.1%), followed by Utah (10%).
EL GORGE — La vivienda economica es un tema complicado, especialmente en una región como El Columbia River Gorge, donde las oportunidades de desarrollo son limitadas. Durante más de 35 años, Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation (CCHC) ha tenido dos objetivos principales: construir y preserva…
Free news: This press release highlights the work of Mid-Columbia Housing Authority, Columbia Gorge Housing Authority, and Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation.
THE GORGE — As 2025 comes to a close, The Next Door Inc. (TNDI) has announced its Philanthropists of the Year.
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Free news: Hood River County is one of 19 in the state where those who lost food because of recent storms and power outages, bought with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, have more time to ask for replacement benefits.
KLICKITAT CO. — Klickitat County is ready to share recommendations on key transportation safety improvements as part of the update to their Road Safety Plan.
Free news: What's happening this week? Free event listing for the Columbia River Gorge.
FREE: Christmas lights up the whole Gorge.
Free news: Applications for the next round will be online at www.portofcascadelocks.gov, probably in August 2026.
Free news: Somewhere in the neighborhood of $350,000 in donations have poured in to help fire victims, but not one cent of that has yet been distributed.
Free commentary: On this Christmas Eve, many of us will celebrate the story of a brown-skinned baby born in a manger. While the story offers joy and hope, it also chronicles fear.
Free news: Students at The Dalles Middle School (TDMS) have been learning about the history and culture of the local tribes that call the Columbia River Gorge home. Their lessons were amplified recently by a visit from a tribal member to their classrooms.
Free commentary: E-bikes are everywhere, sweeping us off our feet. But are they safe for young riders?
Free commentary: The Christmas Day service at Historic St. Paul’s chapel this Thursday marks a notable historic event: 150 years since the first Dec. 25 worship there.
FREE: Linda and Lonnie Wright started an open house on Christmas Eve with a small group of neighborhood families nearly 40 years ago. Their daughter was 3, and Linda Wright remembered that for the kids, the holiday was magical.
Hungry and patient, the golden eyes of invasive American bullfrogs breach the surface of quiet waters, ready to lunge indiscriminately at any small sign of movement. Under the same moonlight, a different kind of hunter navigates through the water: a team of trained bullfrog removal technicians.
Featured
Free news: The Cascade Locks Retro Christmas Tree Show featured 20 antique trees, all part of the personal collection of Heather Weaver, Cascade Locks resident and member of the tourism committee. The trees ranged in height from less than 2 feet to more than 6 feet and date to the late 1950s to 1960s.
THE DALLES — Following heavy storm damage to the Water’s Edge building at 551 NE Lone Pine Blvd., Adventist Health Columbia Gorge is expecting to reopen many of the shuttered clinics by Monday, Dec. 22, thanks to the quick relocation of staff and equipment to other locations.
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THE GORGE — Hood River experienced high levels of precipitation, similar to levels seen in Portland, with around 2.47 inches in 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) at the time of this publication. The rain has caused flooding on Frankton Road, especially around Alpine V…
Free news: Free sand and sandbags now available at Hood River County Fairgrounds and Hood River County Public Works in preparation for possible flooding.
Free news: The majority of patients impacted by the closure have been contacted and rescheduled. Patients in need of immediate medical care should visit their nearest emergency room.
Featured Weather Alert Breaking Web Only
THE GORGE — The snow has begun and is wet and slushy, making the roads slick and dangerous to drive on. There have been many car accidents today due to the weather conditions. A wind advisory is in effect in White Salmon and The Dalles until Dec. 19, and a flood watch, increasing to a warnin…
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Free news: All HRCSD schools will operate on an early release schedule today, Dec. 18, to ensure students and staff are home before conditions worsen following an emergency declaration by Hood River County.
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Articles
- In Memoriam 2025
- Businesses blame slow year on tariffs, high costs
- Hotel denied at continuance hearing
- Obituary: William Neal
- Obituary: Dominic Cooper
- TDHS senior headed to Dartmouth
- Deaths & Services: Jan 7, 2026
- Turbine falls in Klickitat County following recent windstorm (includes slideshow)
- Obituary: Cate Daday
- One person taken by ICE Dec. 30
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