A bronze elk appears to be leaping through the sage brush and pine of the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center on a recent sunny day.

Thieves stole the plaque on the antelope statue outside the Wasco County Courthouse sometime last week, officials said. The statue was donated to the county in 1986 by the community of Antelope. The plaque stated the statue was “Dedicated to all who steadfastly and unwaveringly opposed the attempts of the Rajneesh followers to take political control of Wasco County. 1981-1985.”

Cherries bloom along 3-mile road