A steady rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low 43F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..
A steady rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low 43F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.
Updated: November 13, 2026 @ 3:16 pm
Do you look through Columbia Gorge News and wish there was more information from your neck of the woods? Maybe you live in Parkdale or Cascade Locks, Maupin or Dufur, Underwood or Appleton (or one of the many other towns sprinkled throughout our area) and you’ve been thinking, “There are columns for Lyle and Glenwood; why not here?”
Well, do I have a proposition for you!
Columbia Gorge News — as I have explained many, many times now — covers five counties with a very small staff. How small, you ask? Well, I can count who’s in the editorial department on one hand (COVID, new business, there are reasons for this). And because there is a limit to human capacity, the five of us cannot be everywhere at once.
Which is where columnists come in.
Fun fact, I started at Hood River News as the Odell columnist in 2001. I wrote about club activities, what was happening at the elementary and middle schools, church news, meetings, special events at the fairgrounds and fire department, and what my neighbors were up to. It was super fun. And I heard many times how people enjoyed reading about what was going on in Odell — about life in our community.
There aren’t really any rules for writing a community column — you just have to be willing to report on what is happening in your part of the Gorge. Need ideas on what you might cover? I can help with that!
This is off the top of my head — I’m sure there are plenty of other topics that could be covered. (And keep in mind this is a hypothetical list, not a requirement.) I always found the news found me when I had my column, and eventually had a great list of contacts who submitted items on a regular basis. It was truly a group effort.
As for workload, some columns might run twice a month, while some might run once a month. If you live in a community that doesn’t yet have its own column and you think you’d like to give it a whirl, contact Chelsea Marr, Columbia Gorge News owner and publisher, at 541-386-1234 ext. 100 or chelseam@gorgenews.com — she will be able to answer any questions.
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