Walden town hall Wednesday

About 75 people were in attendance at a Rep. Greg Walden town hall in Cascade Locks’ Marine Park Pavilion on July 3. After being introduced by Cascade Locks Mayor Tom Cramblett, Walden spoke about legislation in Congress dealing with forest management in respect to fire prevention, including the Resilient Federal Forest Act, which expedites clean-up and replanting burned areas. Regarding immigrants at the border, he said, “We have a humanitarian crisis, a border security crisis and we have got to do something to take care of these kids,” citing a $1.6 billion piece of legislature to address the crisis. He also spoke of healthcare legislation, including the high cost of “surprise billing,” based on an existing Oregon model to be expanded to other states. As part of the town hall, Walden presented a flag that had flown over the Capitol to Dalles-area girl scouts, from left, Lucy Tolehn, Alexis Crofton and Ruby Tolehn. More coverage will run in upcoming print editions.