BINGEN — Emotions quickly boiled over at the Bingen City Council meeting on July 7, as irate business owners and concerned residents demanded leadership address downtown’s sluggish recovery from flood damages, which occurred after a water main break in mid-April.
Sean Avery
HOOD RIVER — In the face of rising personal transportation costs, Hood River’s Bikes Buddies and Sol Rides are teaming up to pilot residents’ comfort level with alternative means. Their new e-bike library and rebate program grants eligible participants a free, two-week test drive for daily transit, pre-curated to match their lifestyle.
THE GORGE — “She never quits,” Jim Jones said, describing his beloved hound and veteran Search and Rescue (SAR) K9 Ellie May. “She’s my best friend.”
HOOD RIVER — After months of frustration and urgent pleas from growers throughout the valley, including a packed listening session June 30 at the Pine Grove Grange, Governor Tina Kotek signed a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture July 2 requesting federal disaster designation for Hood River, Wasco, and contiguous counties affected by a catastrophic 2025 pear crop.
ODELL — For over 20 years, conductor Mark Steighner has graciously led the Gorge Sinfonietta, a principal ensemble within the Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association (CGOA). That storied tenure reached its final chapter at Wy’East Middle School on June 21, where flittering piano melodies, booming horns, and elegant strings rounded out CGOA’s epic 2025-2026 season finale, “Piano Summit.”
HOOD RIVER — Last January, after multiple hearings and months of public pushback, Hood River’s Planning Commission denied Line 29 Architecture’s application for a 135-room Marriott hotel on the former Hood River News lot, citing compatibility and traffic concerns.
THE DALLES — Between an absent Mayor Rich Mays and another lengthy executive session to cap the evening, The Dalles City Council Meeting on Ju…
BINGEN — The Bingen Theater will look slightly different when the musical “String” opens on July 31, now sporting an upgraded seating arrangement installed by community volunteers on June 10-11.
HOOD RIVER — From a warm early afternoon and well into a breezy evening, people of all ages gathered in the name of freedom and community, dancing their way through Black in the Gorge’s (B.I.G.) fourth annual Juneteenth celebration at Jackson Park.