HOOD RIVER — Four years ago, the community asked a simple question: what if every child had the opportunity to walk or bike to school? Today, the City of Hood River, Hood River County, and Hood River County School District are celebrating a series of major wins that move that vision from planning into implementation.

DEE — City leaders and staff gathered 11 miles south of Hood River on Aug. 27 for a ribbon-cutting seven years in the making, unveiling the Dee Hydro in-line renewable energy project.

HOOD RIVER — Adapted by detailed paint strokes, sculpture, and ceramics, the Columbia River Gorge’s striking landscapes and biodiverse inhabitants adorned the walls of 301 Gallery on June 5.

HOOD RIVER — Local Eileen Garvin released her third novel, “Bumblebee Season,” this April. Set in a fictionalized Hood River, it’s “a heartwarming new story that returns to the vibrant world of beekeeping in a small Oregon town,” according to the book summary. “It’s not a sequel, but it’s a …

HOOD RIVER — Pirate trails had a history of popping up in Post Canyon, said Rachel Crowder, vice president of the volunteer-run, non-profit, Hood River Area Trail Stewards (HRATS). Through word-of-mouth and outdated maps, she started riding the area in spring 2008 on the unsanctioned trails scattered along the western flank of the Hood River County Tree Farm, run by the Forestry Department.

HOOD RIVER — Dublin, Missouri, is a typical American town with typical American residents, tight-knit but stuck in their ways, dominated by a lucrative cheese plant and domineered by the Catholic Church. Everyone knows everyone, but nobody knows the truth — or maybe they're hiding from it.

HOOD RIVER — On April 30, students from Hood River Valley High School’s (HRVHS) Business Club went on a field trip to Hindustani — many of whom were trying Indian cuisine for the first time — for an on-the-ground lens into local entrepreneurship and hospitality. 

HOOD RIVER — For the first time in Mayor Paul Blackburn’s tenure, the Hood River City Council met as a quorum at the Hood River Middle School auditorium, hearing questions and concerns on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from a passionate, but sparsely populated audience on April 23.

HOOD RIVER — Born in Madison, Wisconsin, the Midwest’s unofficial cycling capital, Megan Ramey had biking infused in her DNA before she could walk. Now at the helm of several bike-forward initiatives, including Hood River County School District’s Safe Routes to School program, the all-star advocate is charting a new, more sustainable path for Gorge youth rooted in soft mobility.

ODELL — For the Columbia River Gorge’s 150-plus community health workers (CHWs), helping people isn’t a job, but a necessity. Every client, every mission, is part of a broad, decades-long movement to bridge the divide between underserved communities and institutionalized health care. 

Students, families, and school staff across Hood River County will celebrate Earth Day by riding together in “Bike Buses” to school on the morning of Tuesday, April 22. These group rides follow planned routes (see map) and create a fun, safe, and visible way for kids to get to school while b…

HOOD RIVER — On Tuesday, March 31, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden stopped by Hood River Valley High School (HRVHS) for a pair of town halls, answering questions from students and community members on immigration enforcement, the democratic process, LGBTQ+ rights and the Trump administration.

BINGEN — Sense of Place presents a special pop-up event: “Jerry Franklin: Rethinking Forests: Then and Now,” taking place Friday, April 24, 2026, at the Bingen Theater.

HOOD RIVER — Sense of Place concludes its 16th official season on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, with “Crag Rats Turn 100: A Century of Service with the Oldest Mountain Search & Rescue Team in America.”

HOOD RIVER — pFriem Family Brewers, Oregon’s second-largest independent beer producer with 120 employees in the Gorge, is eyeing the development of a 5,280 square foot, purpose-built metal building on the south side of its Port of Hood River property to support packaging operations. The preliminary construction estimate is approximately $2.1 million, with potential for minor value engineering reductions.

Central Washington-based naturalist and herpetologist Adrian Slade, who's been infatuated with snakes since early childhood, shared facts and busted myths about our deeply misunderstood neighbors at the Columbia Center for the Arts on March 18 — the sixth presentation in host and curator Sarah Fox’s Sense of Place season 16.

Max Gamboa-Sanchez with his newly acquired ride: a refurbished bike from Anson’s Bike Buddies, a Hood River nonprofit that repairs and redistributes donated bikes to Mid-Columbia children who may not otherwise have access.