2021 Year In Review: The Top 10 Gorge stories of 2021

The year 2021 began with the arrival of COVID-19 vaccinations in the Gorge, with demand for the vaccine far exceeding supply. It ended with the nation holding its breath as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus drove yet another spike of infections in December, reported in the Columbia Gorge News under the headline, “Biggest wave of pandemic will hit Ore. by January.”

In between was a roller-coaster of on-again, off-again measures taken to combat the global pandemic as it surged into its second year. With rising death tolls and hospitals in crisis — contrasted with protests against mask and vaccine mandates — the pandemic impacted every aspect of life in the Gorge.

Gorge counties began the year with restaurants and bars closed by state decree and students not knowing if or when they would return to class after nearly a year of online learning, and Wasco and Hood River counties classified as “extreme risk,” the highest level of risk in the state’s rating system, introduced to allow strategic relaxations of state restrictions as threat levels eased.

In January, COVID vaccinations began in the Gorge, with regional healthcare and emergency workers being administered first doses. As vaccine availability increased, older adults were prioritized, followed by essential workers and the general public.

By the end of January, Oregon and Washington both had loosened restrictions. In February, elementary students were beginning a staged return to the classroom. Restaurants and bars began to reopen. Older adults became eligible for vaccination. A March headline read, “COVID-19 risk levels drop as virus takes a dive” as COVID infections continued to decrease.

Vaccination eligibility was quickly expanded, and campaigns were launched throughout the Gorge. Although COVID cases increased at the end of April, businesses were opening. In May, The Dalles-Wasco County Library reopened for browsing after more than a year of outside services, and events at the Hood River waterfront returned. City and county boards began meeting in person in July, and states lifted COVID restrictions.

In August, COVID returned to the Gorge, the Delta variant spreading quickly nationwide. City and county board meetings returned online. An outbreak at a care center in The Dalles claimed six, and hospital visits were restricted at area hospitals.

By Sept. 1, Gorge hospitals in Wasco, Hood River and Klickitat were at capacity, even as small “medical freedom” protests were held throughout the region, protesting vaccination requirements. At the same time, area residents banded together to provide support for hospital workers Gorge-wide.

As schools opened for fall classes, including a “normal” sport season, protests began at board meetings of the Hood River County School District regarding mask requirements for students. Threats and disruptions forced the board to return to online meetings. Similar disruptions in The Dalles School District board meetings followed, and those meetings were also returned to online-only. Klickitat County commissioners attempted to fire the county health officer over COVID restrictions.

In October, a headline at the end of the month read, “COVID spike could end by Christmas.” But in late December, the Omicron variant began its spread. “Biggest wave of pandemic will hit Ore. by January,” read a Dec. 22 headline describing a press conference held by the Oregon Health Authority.

Clearly in leaving behind the year of 2021, we will not be leaving behind the pandemic.

No. 2: Jan. 6 attack sharpens divide, draws criticism

By Kirby Neumann-Rea and Jacob Bertram, Columbia Gorge News

On Jan. 6, 2021, during a joint session of Congress to ceremonially receive and certify the electoral vote count and finalize the election of Joe Biden as president, supporters of former President Donald Trump laid siege to the U.S. Capitol. The Capitol Complex was locked down and lawmakers and staff were evacuated as rioters assaulted law enforcement officers and reporters, vandalized property and occupied the building for several hours. Five people died and many were injured, including 138 officers.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore), in a “virtual town hall” livestream on Jan. 11, described the capitol violence as a domestic terrorist attack. “My view is that this was an assault on our democracy,” Wyden said. Wyden said events at the capitol Jan. 6 represented “the textbook definition of domestic terrorism,” as participants attempted to use “force, violence and intimidation to achieve a political objective.”

Wyden said violence is “always unacceptable,” regardless of where it takes place and where perpetrators fall on the political spectrum.

Oregon 2nd District Rep. Cliff Bentz also condemned the attack, despite his support of the failed GOP minority effort that had claimed fraud or irregularities in the November General Election, and had called on Congress to create a commission to review the Electoral College results.

Bentz first described events at the U.S. Capitol as “a protest gone really wrong, really bad,” in a Jan. 7 article in the Oregonian newspaper. In response to questions from Columbia Gorge News, Bentz wrote on Jan. 10, “...Now having seen the videos of the invasion of the Capitol and the extensive damage done by the mob, I would characterize what happened in the Capitol as far from mere protest.”

Bentz also downplayed the role of then-President Trump, who has been accused of making statements that incited the Jan. 6 riot.

“Our focus should be on a peaceful transition to the next administration and how we can address the pressing issues facing our country and Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District,” Bentz said in the email. (The questions were sent electronically after repeated requests for a phone interview on Jan. 7-8 were not met.)

Asked Jan. 10 about his basis for continuing to join the electoral challenge after the numerous legal rulings, Bentz defended his participation among a minority of Republicans in the process. (Bentz’s opposition was limited to Pennsylvania.) He wrote, “Indeed there have been numerous rulings regarding a number of concerns in many states. However, at the time of the vote, there remained pending litigation in Federal Court regarding the constitutionality of the actions of Pennsylvania’s Secretary of the Commonwealth and the state’s Supreme Court.”

Trump was later impeached by the House of Representatives on a charge of “incitement of insurrection” on Feb. 13. Ten Republicans defied party lines and voted their approval of the measure, one of which being Jaime Herrera Beutler, Washington’s 3rd District Representative. In a statement, Herrera Beutler shared an explosive account of Trump’s refusal to call off the Capitol insurrectionists during a phone call with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the contents of which were relayed to her by McCarthy. The anecdote became centerpiece to the attempt by Congress to impeach Trump, which ultimately failed.

No. 3: Schools reopen to in person learning

By Trisha Walker, Columbia Gorge News

Schools around the Columbia Gorge were deep into online learning in January 2021, having discontinued in person classes nine months earlier.

But as early as February, that began to change. White Salmon Valley schools began with a staggered transition Feb. 1, with kindergartners, first graders and fourth graders welcomed back to Whitson Elementary; second, third, fifth and sixth graders came back Feb. 8. Masks were required, as were complete health checks before entering the building.

In Hood River, Hood River County School District sites began the return to in person learning on March 8 with elementary students. Secondary students returned to campus in April, a full year after COVID forced classes online. Masks and health checks before entering the building were required, and students and staff who tested positive for COVID-19, as well as their close contacts, had a mandatory two-week quarantine at home.

North Wasco County District 21 in The Dalles, kindergartners and sixth graders began the transition to hybrid learning (online and in person), on March 15, with first, second, seventh and eighth graders returning March 18-19. Freshman orientation began March 18, with all other grades returning to school March 29. Students were split into “cohorts” or consistent group of students to attend class with, in order to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and assist in contact tracing. Masking and social distancing were also required, with students and staff being screened for COVID-19 symptoms before entering buildings. Gorge-wide, the return to classes also meant abbreviate sports seasons beginning with fall sports in March, spring sports in April and winter sports in May.

In April, White Salmon Valley schools welcomed Sean McGeeney as their newest superintendent after the retiring of long-time District Superintendent Jerry Lewis.

A COVID outbreak was reported at Goldendale High School in May, with more than 60 students and staff were absent from classes due to quarantine measures.

But in June, it looked like things were starting to get back to normal. Mask mandates eased as vaccination rates climbed for those 16 and older. By August, however, mask mandates were reintroduced as cases again began to climb.

North Wasco County School District 21 welcomed a new superintendent, Dr. Carolyn Bernal, in July, and by Columbia Gorge News’ Aug. 18 edition, plans for a full return to in-person classes Gorge-wide were being formulated. Demonstrators took to the streets, first in White Salmon, then in The Dalles and Hood River, against mask requirements in schools and for “medical freedom” even as area hospitals again began to fill with COVID patients, thanks in part to the delta variant.

A protest group disrupted the Hood River County School Board’s Sept. 22 meeting, prompting stricter measures at the Oct. 13 meeting, which again saw protesters.

HRCSD also announced updated options for unvaccinated staff with medical and religious exemptions, opting for additional PPE (personal protective equipment) and extra distancing rather than placing them on unpaid leave. North Wasco County School District 21 dismissed two teachers for failing to comply with state vaccination mandates, the first at the Nov. 18 board meeting, and the second at the Dec. 16 meeting, as per Oregon Administrative Rule 333-019-1030, requiring all teachers, school staff and volunteers show proof of full vaccination by Oct. 18, or approved for medical or religious exemptions. Also in the Nov. 18 meeting, the North Wasco County District 21 School Board was served a lawsuit by parents claiming the masking mandate in schools was a violation of civil rights.

Both Hood River and Wasco county districts returned to online board meetings — Hood River in October and Wasco County in December — amid growing concerns of public disregard for masking and distancing, as well as rising COVID rates.

Also in December, White Salmon Valley appointed student representatives to the board for the first time. Columbia High seniors Leo Wilson and Oscar Robles will serve a one-year term.

No. 4: Google growth plans move forward

By Mark Gibson, Columbia Gorge News

In February 2021, Google (Design LLC) proposed entering into a tax abatement agreement with the City of The Dalles and Wasco County to build as many as two new data centers and related warehouses on property purchased by Google — primarily consisting of the former aluminum plant site and nearby rodeo grounds in The Dalles. Two public hearings were held that month, one hosted by the county, a second by the city.

“This will have a lot of repercussions; citizens should know what is going on,” The Dalles Mayor Rich Mays said regarding the agreement. Mays was a member of the six member negotiating committee made up of city and county representatives. “I think this is a good deal for the city, all six of us believe it is a good deal for the community.”

Although final decisions on the Strategic Investment Program (SIP) agreement sought was anticipated in March, that decision was delayed. A related agreement between the city and Google regarding connecting to the city’s water supply was also being negotiated, the city reported at the time. That agreement proved controversial because the amount of water the new data centers anticipated using was not disclosed because the information was considered a “trade secret” by Google. A public information request by the Oregonian was granted, but that decision was appealed by the city.

Following a 6-month delay, the SIP agreement was approved by the county on Oct. 20 and the City of The Dalles Oct. 25. On Monday, Nov. 8, The Dalles City Council voted unanimously to enter into a new water agreement with Google. Public Works Director Dave Anderson noting that because Google will be providing the city with 3.8 million gallons a day in water rights that they inherited from the old aluminum smelter site, the city will actually have access to more water than it did before the agreement was reached.

No. 5: College opens new housing, skills center

By Mark Gibson, Columbia Gorge News

Columbia Gorge Community College opened a new workforce training skills center, and on-campus housing, at The Dalles campus in the fall of 2021. Financing of the projects was secured in 2019, and the 2 projects broke ground in 2020.

The “Chinook Residence Hall,” named for the college’s mascot, will emphasize affordability. There are 12 units with four beds each, as well as two studio apartments for residential managers who may also be students. Each four-bed unit has a study area, bathroom and kitchenette. There’s a common kitchen on the first floor and a student lounge on the second floor, and a laundry on each floor. Rooms on the south side overlook the campus; those on the north overlook the Columbia Gorge.

The skills center will offer new career-technical programs to provide students with family-wage skills. It will emphasize dual credit training for high school students as well as high-demand training for people of all ages in fields such as welding and construction.

The skills center and residence hall were completed almost precisely one year after ground-breaking. The combined value is $16.1 million, but no tax levy was needed for the project, which was funded through state grants and enterprise zone funds paid by Google and dedicated to the project by the City of The Dalles and Wasco County.

No. 6: Heat, not just fires, impact Gorge

Staff report, Columbia Gorge News

Forest managers throughout the Gorge were warning in April 2021 of “unseasonably dry forest conditions” resulting in a number early wildfires, primarily from debris pile burning and campfires. Wasco County was one of the first to burn, when the Valley View Fire was ignited on the southeast corner of The Dalles. That fire, however, was held to fewer than 1,000 acres, which fire officials credited to effective response both locally and by the Oregon fire marshal. “Without the resources we had today, including the three additional task forces and air support from the Oregon State Fire Marshal, we would not have stopped it as quickly and the fire would have grown much larger,” Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue Chief Bob Palmer told Columbia Gorge News.

By mid-July, Oregon was experiencing August-like fire danger conditions and state managers warned the state could see a historic fire season for the second year in a row. Land managers in Oregon and Washington, including Hood River and Klickitat counties, closed many lands to recreation.

But although a firework-related wildfire threatened homes in Lyle, the Gorge was largely spared the catastrophic wildfires it experienced in the past few years.

In August, temperatures soared into the triple digits and salmon were observed dying on the Little White Salmon River in Klickitat County. Local tribes held a vigil for the dying sockeye salmon, noting the dams of the Columbia River had increased water temperatures generally, and were to a large degree responsible for the historically fatal temperatures in the river.

No. 7: Law enforcement highlights

By Jacob Bertram, Columbia Gorge News

A number of law enforcement officers and public attorneys in the Gorge made headlines in the Gorge throughout the year.

Sheriff Matt English

In January, Hood River County Sheriff Matt English, sworn in for his third term on Jan. 6, was recognized as Oregon’s Sheriff of the Year by the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association. Active with the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association (OSSA) since he took office in 2013, English has served the organization in a variety of capacities, including secretary, vice-president, and president. He has served on countless committees, worked with state lawmakers, and testified before the legislature, all with the goal of improving public safety in Hood River County and across the state.

“It’s humbling and an honor to be recognized,” said English. “I’ve always viewed my work with OSSA as a way to ensure Hood River County and our residents have a seat at the table. I believe strongly in the pay it forward mentality. Through the work and relationships we’ve built through OSSA in the last eight years, the return on investment to our community is immeasurable.”

Sheriff Bob Songer

Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer made headlines June 30 when he released a statement which called for the arrest, detainment and recommendation for prosecution of governmental officials he unilaterally believed were acting outside the bounds of the constitution. The statement drew immediate pushback from county commissioners, who said they and county employees felt threatened and intimidated by the messaging.

Songer’s June 17 statement sent ripples in county circles.

It impacted the day-to-day operations of the county health department and weakened the feelings of security of many county residents who work in local government, said county staff and commissioners.

Following a public discussion, the Board of County Commissioners responded to the sheriff with a written response condemning Songer’s public statement for invalidly interpreting laws, a duty not prescribed to him in his official role as sheriff, and for putting county staff’s safety and security at risk.

During the discussion, Board Chair Dave Sauter said upon examining the letter over and over, he concluded that the letter is not limited to focusing on the governor’s mandates on the COVID-19 emergency. “The more I read it, it upsets me more, because … that is a general statement about any bureaucrat or government official, mayor, commissioner, whoever, that is perceived by a single individual, namely the sheriff, to be violating somebody’s constitutional rights, (and) is subject to arrest and detainment.

“That is a chilling thing to say,” Sauter said. “That is the path to authoritarian regimes.”

Former District Attorney Nisley

Former Wasco County District Attorney Eric Nisley’s work, and that of his chief deputy Leslie Wolf, came under scrutiny in January 2021, and an investigation lead to the filing of a new bar complaint against Nisley and Wolf in April.

Current Wasco County District Attorney Matthew Ellis filed a bar complaint in April against the former district attorney and his chief deputy regarding the former DA’s decision not to disclose a disciplinary letter against former The Dalles Police Officer Jeffrey Kienlen.

Alleged wrongdoing on behalf of Kienlen and his subsequent dismissal by Ellis from testifying as a state witness — which prompted The Dalles city officials to terminate his position on the force — bled into allegations made by Ellis that Nisley and Wolf failed to disclose the a “notice of discipline” regarding the officer, which was issued in 2011.

Ellis alleged in his April ethics complaint to the Oregon State Bar that Nisley and Wolf violated bar rules relating to fairness and truthfulness.

The bar complaint remains active. A spokesman for the Oregon State Bar told Columbia Gorge News such a complaint, should it be seen through to a formal hearing and final decision, could take years to realize its conclusion.

No. 8: SDS Lumber Company sells operations, timberland

By Jacob Bertram, Columbia Gorge News

In 2021, SDS Lumber Company announced the sale of their extensive timber and lumber operations to three organizations, culminating a year-long search for new ownership for the company.

The consortium of organizations — including Seattle-based Twin Creeks Timber, LLC, The Conservation Fund, and Carson, Washington-based Wilkins, Kaiser & Olsen, Inc. (WKO) — announced in October they will take over joint ownership of the timberlands and related timber and lumber operations.

Included in the transaction are the lumber and plywood mills, associated assets in Bingen, and more than 96,000 acres of timberlands with environmental and community importance near the Columbia River in Washington and Oregon.

The sale was finalized in early December, and employees of the former SDS logging/forestry, construction, and retail divisions were terminated following their acquisition by Carson-based Wilkins, Kaiser, and Olsen, (WKO) Inc. WKO president Mike Engel confirmed in a phone interview that 36 positions — the entirety of those divisions — were terminated.

Engel explained that WKO focuses solely on manufacturing and has not historical- ly utilized in-house logging or constructions crews, instead opting to work with local logging contractors and purchasing timber on the open market. In keeping the company’s mission, Engel said WKO will continue to focus on manufacturing.

Engel said he has worked to encourage his numerous partnerships in the timber industry to hire back those employees to local logging groups, and said a number of former SDS employees have since been rehired by WKO’s sister companies, including at least two at the Carson site.

At the Bingen sawmill operations, WKO has decided to keep the SDS name and logo attached to the worksite, and in addition has increased production, Engel said.

No. 9: MCMC announces plans for new hospital

By Mark Gibson, Columbia Gorge News

In November 2021, Mid-Columbia Medical Center proposed building a new state-of-the-art hospital campus on property owned by Wasco County west of Weber Street in The Dalles, and re-locating the Kramer Field currently located on the property across the railroad tracks to 35 acres slated to be transferred to county ownership as a result of the Strategic Investment Program agreement between Google, the City of The Dalles and Wasco County.

“This is a bold vision, four years in the making,” Dennis Knox, president and chief executive officer at MCMC, told the Wasco County Board of Commissioners Nov. 3. The plan is all conceptual, he added, noting that he was hoping for commission support to move the idea forward.

The new hospital portion would be funded by MCMC, Knox added. Knox told the commissioners the average age of hospital infrastructure in the U.S. is 11 years. “Our current hospital is 62 years old,” he said, and is outdated and costly to maintain. “It’s a money pit,” he said.

Under the proposal, the current hospital located at 1700 E. 19th St. in The Dalles will be used for residential housing. Facilities and services currently spread out in the community would be consolidated at the new hospital site.

All MCMC medical disciplines would offer services in a single, three-story medical office building, with a five-story hospital, two-story cancer center and single story inpatient behavioral health facility all located nearby. The combined facilities would greatly facilitate the comprehensive care offered by MCMC, Knox said. “There are huge benefits to building a new hospital,” he said. “It’s going to be a better healing environment.”

No. 10: Man struck by lightning 'once-in-a-lifetime event'

By Alana Lackner, Columbia Gorge News

The year 2021 provided a (hopefully) once in a lifetime experience for Jason Smith in June. The Hood River man was struck with lightning Sunday while taking photos on Ehrck Hill, near the community of Odell.

Smith was at his sister Heather Muma’s house, taking pictures of the storm when the incident occurred. Lightning struck a nearby tree and traveled through the ground, electrocuting both Smith and his truck, which was parked next to him.

Smith said he had been struggling to get good pictures of the storm and had actually wished it was closer. “I literally said out loud, ‘I wish it was closer,’ and eight or nine seconds later, everything blew up,” he said.

Smith said that, more than anything, the strike was disorienting. There was a flash of white light and then he went flying sideways.

Muma was on the porch watching when the lightning hit and it was terrifying, she said. She watched it strike the tree and watched her brother fall to the ground.

“When it hit the tree, the tree just shattered,” she said. “He went down and he was ducking because stuff was falling out of the tree. I actually thought the tree was going to fall on him.”

Smith thought so too, hearing bits of the tree falling next to him, and was trying to get up and get out of the way, he said, but his legs wouldn’t work. “I was paralyzed from the waist down,” he said.

“So I’m like crawling, dragging myself, and I kept getting shocked for a few seconds after the initial boom … Every time I picked my hand up I was getting shocked over and over and over again. I was getting pretty pissed.”

Smith said that halfway to the porch, after about 20 or 30 feet, he was finally able to get his feet under him. He stumbled to the porch, continuously falling and managing to climb back up.

One of Smith’s biggest regrets from the night is that he was unable to buy a lottery ticket because everything was closed. He figures if he was “lucky” enough to be struck by lightning, then the lottery would’ve been a piece of cake.

Muma said that though the situation was terrifying and not at all funny at the time, she’s glad they can laugh about it now.

“Leave it to my brother. If it was going to happen, it was going to happen to him,” she said.