At left, amongst a crowd of red shirts, worn in support of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, Laura and little Mason McConville watch others dance the at Fort Dalles Readiness Center on May 2.
At left, amongst a crowd of red shirts, worn in support of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, Laura and little Mason McConville watch others dance the at Fort Dalles Readiness Center on May 2.
In May, Columbia Gorge News went behind-the-scenes with Columbia Land Trust and Yakama Nation Fisheries to examine restoration efforts on the Rattlesnake Creek, the White Salmon’s largest tributary. Beginning in 2024, the two groups had placed over 60 structures designed to emulate historical log jams and provide more diverse habitat.
Aerial view of one of the log jams in Rattlesnake Creek.
David Lindley photo
Over 400 people then attended the third annual Columbia River Round Dance in honor of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People on May 2. Organized by the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, the event featured testimonies from advocates and those who have lost a loved one, booths with trauma-related resources and saw people dancing well into the evening.
A few weeks later, May 20 marked two years to the day that Ivan Howtopat, a Yakama Nation citizen, committed suicide in the Klickitat County Jail, leading to a settlement agreement that outlined necessary changes to the facility, which Columbia Gorge News reviewed.
Separately, Klickitat County commissioners approved an occupancy certificate for the controversial glamping site Under Canvas. The White Salmon City Council also passed its Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan after several tense meetings, and residents learned that the Jewett Boulevard redesign was further delayed. Additionally, Wasco County officials expressed support for Sheriff Lane Magill’s decision to not re-hire an employee fired for “Hitler interplay.”
Project partners ceremoniously break the ground at Mariposa Village, Hood River’s largest affordable housing development in over a decade, on May 30.
Nathan Wilson photo
To finish the month, project partners held a groundbreaking event for Mariposa Village, Hood River’s largest affordable housing in over a decade, which will provide 130 additional units of housing for folks earning up to 60% of the median income. Over half of Hood River residents are rent-burdened, according to a city report, and the ceremony came at a time when the Trump administration requested a $26 billion cut to federal rental assistance programs.
Vietnam War veteran Gene Baskins finally received his Bronze Star Medal for Valor 58 years after his service, apparently due to a paperwork error, as well.
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