Providence Hood River nurses Ashley Dodson, Curtis Dodson and Autumn Sanchez march along May Street during the Oregon Nurses Association strike in January.
As per usual, 2025 opened with newly elected officials assuming their national and local seats. Most notably, Rep. Maxine Dexter took over Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District from longtime Rep. Earl Blumenauer. Likewise, county commissions welcomed several new faces, including Chad Muenzer and Arthur Babitz in Hood River, Jeff Justesen in Wasco and Ron Ihrig alongside Todd Andrews in Klickitat, as well as several others on city councils.
Dexter and Sen. Jeff Merkley held a joint town hall in Hood River on Jan. 25, just five days after President Donald Trump was inaugurated, where questions largely revolved around Gaza and threats to immigrants. Amidst a flurry of executive orders, Trump had already revoked asylum for people crossing the southern border, moved to end birthright citizenship and authorized immigration raids in Seattle, Los Angeles and other cities. That prompted action from local school districts, and deportation fears remained top of mind for the rest of 2025.
Following Hood River’s move in December, the White Salmon Valley School District adopted a resolution outlining existing protections for undocumented students and reaffirming its support for equal educational opportunities. The North Wasco County School District issued a similar statement and made internal preparations in the event federal agents tried to enter district property.
Providence Hood River nurses Ashley Dodson, Curtis Dodson and Autumn Sanchez march along May Street during the Oregon Nurses Association strike in January.
Noah Noteboom photo
Unrest continued as nurses at Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital submitted their notice to strike after talks lasting nearly a year prior had stalled. On Jan. 10, they joined 5,000 other union-represented nurses and doctors at eight hospitals and six clinics, making it the largest healthcare strike ever recorded in Oregon until an agreement was reached in February.
Sticking with healthcare, and overall well-being, nearly $500,000 in grant awards went to five entities in Wasco County, from local schools to the jail, for overdose prevention. The funding came from a nationwide settlement with several pharmaceutical companies over their role in the opioid crisis. After about four months of work, the new playground at Sorosis Park in The Dalles also opened.
While already deep into a La Niña winter, wildfire touched the Gorge in January. A former Hood River couple lost their home during the fires in Los Angeles, while Aaron Baumhackl, who owns Solstice Pizza with his wife, Suzanne, prepared meals for firefighters on the ground. West Klickitat Regional Fire Authority Chief Wes Long drove down with a strike team and provided suppression support, too.
Owner Bruce Humphrey stands in the concession area of Columbia Cinemas, now closed.
Chelsea Marr photo
Somewhat unusually, several animal-related stories graced our pages during January. James Szubzki, owner of The Gorge Outdoor Store, began his venture for a Bingen-based TV series about the paranormal “Klickitat Ape Cat;” a steer named Guppy crossed State Route 14, navigated the entire Columbia River and slept for a few days on an island near Mosier until being corralled on Interstate 84; and Columbia Gorge News unpacked the local risk of bird flu.
And the month ended with changes. The Port of Hood River announced its transition to solely electronic tolling on Jan. 22, effective at the beginning of April, and David Jensen assumed the helm of Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue after former Chief Bob Palmer retired.
Lastly, Columbia Cinemas closed its doors on Jan. 26, exactly 29 years to the day after Bruce Humphrey opened the four-screen theater in 1996. “I really miss the days when we were busy because my favorite part of working at a movie theater has been greeting people as they leave and seeing that they had a good time,” Humphrey said.
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