Open Gorge: The Skamania Dispatch & Klickitattler

Bingen City Council spent thirty minutes in July listening to its own residents and legally could not answer a single question. Four downtown businesses have been closed since a contractor struck a water main in April, one of them is now closed for good, and the city says it cannot lend a dollar to fix it. We walk through both July meetings, plus a rail Quiet Zone that just slipped by a year.In This EpisodeWhy the city attorney told a packed room "there will be no response, and that goes for everybody here"The constitutional rule that makes a city loan illegal, and why "just help them" has no legal formThe contractor the city would not name, which the newspaper had already printedThe city's July 20 press release, the July 6 estimates, and the resident who called it a lieMugs Coffee is not reopeningThe BNSF Quiet Zone diagnostic visit finally happens, and the timeline slips to two summers outBingen writes its first fence rulesBoth Public Works employees retire within a day of each otherThe public comment box that quietly went nowhere for eight monthsResources & LinksRead the full written Dispatch at SkamaniaDispatch.comBingen agendas, minutes and meeting recordings: bingenwashington.org/AgendaCenterNext meeting: Tuesday, August 4, 2026, 6:00 p.m., in person and by ZoomOur prior Bingen coverage: https://skamania-dispatch.ghost.io/a-green-light-for-the-quiet-zone-bingen-june-26-round-up/ and https://skamania-dispatch.ghost.io/water-main-breaks-red-rag-clog-mystery-in-bingen-april-26/Columbia Gorge News reporting cited in this episode: Sean Avery on the July 7 meeting, and Nan Noteboom on the July 21 meeting, at columbiagorgenews.comStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

Goldendale's City Council spent both July meetings fighting over one sentence in its new backyard-homes rule: whether somebody has to actually live on the property. It passed anyway. Also this month, a five-year airport engineering deal, an award-winning sewage plant, and a resident who asked the mayor point blank whether the city plans to sell its water to a data center.In This EpisodeGoldendale adopts an accessory dwelling unit code, and why the objection that opened the hearing turned out to rest on a misreadingThe owner-occupancy clause, and the police chief's question that actually changed the ordinanceA wider runway that starts with a culvert, and a three hundred sixty thousand dollar plan trimmed to seventy-one"Are we going to sell our water to the data center?"Six years running for the wastewater treatment plantSidewalks, outdoor dining, and who actually gets blockedCommunity Days, a ceremonial key, and a centennial nobody can confirmResources & LinksRead the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comCity of Goldendale agendas, packets and minutesCity of Goldendale City CouncilPrior coverage: Smoke, Weeds and Fireworks, Goldendale's June round-upPrior coverage: Data Centers Come Knocking, Klickitat CountyStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

The North Bonneville City Council filled its last empty seat in a single evening, then spent the rest of the month finding problems. A typo in a five year old planning document nearly sank a grant application. The city's equipment fund turned out to be spent by January. And a long awaited Bradford Island discussion happened with the Army Corps in the room and unable to answer questions.In This EpisodeNorm Woods interviewed, appointed, and sworn in on the same nightA Capital Facilities Plan correction and a grant deadlineWhy Chambers says the equipment fund is at ninety nine percentBradford Island, the Restoration Advisory Board, and a transmission line under the riverThe city's contract planner asks about his own jobMoss, moles, and squirrelsWhat's next: the August fourth zoning hearingResources & LinksRead the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comNorth Bonneville agendas, minutes, and recordings: northbonneville.netZoning periodic review documents: northbonneville.net/planning/periodic-reviewBackground on the transmission project: our special report on Cascade Renewable TransmissionStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

White Salmon's biggest land-use hearing of the summer was over in minutes, before it ever opened. Sixty-nine people had already written in about a proposed convenience store across from Rheingarten Park, staff had recommended denial, and then the applicant asked to postpone. In this episode: the White Salmon City Council, the Planning Commission, the Tree Board, the Community Development Committee, and City Lab, the city's climate board, which we are covering for the first time.In This EpisodeTwo street grant applications, and the three hundred sixty thousand dollars of city money riding on themWhy the city's own main street is the most expensive place in town to closeA tree ordinance that charges four hundred dollars for a tree, and the housing question hiding inside itThe twenty-inch water main, and the leak nobody knew about until they went to pull the old pipeBalcony solar, and why it died in OlympiaChildcare, asked for again, at two levels of governmentResources & LinksRead the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comWhite Salmon agendas, packets and recordings: whitesalmonwa.gov/meetingsWritten comment to Council: [email protected], by noon the Wednesday of the meetingOur June round-up, including the thirty percent short-term rental rule: https://skamania-dispatch.ghost.io/june-in-white-salmon-an-ev-mandate-a-denied-appeal-and-the-30-rule/Our coverage of childcare at the county level: https://skamania-dispatch.ghost.io/childcare-as-economic-infrastructure-klickitat-bocc-4-21-4-28/Meeting notes for the Tree Board, the Community Development Committee and City Lab come from Columbia Gorge Documenters, powered by Uplift Local, CC BY 4.0: https://upliftlocal.news/columbia-gorge/columbia-gorge-documenters/Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

Stevenson's Planning Commission spent an evening on half an acre, and ended up asking a question the city cannot currently answer. Meanwhile the City Council's long sewer rewrite finally got the escape hatch septic owners have been asking for since spring. This episode covers the Stevenson Planning Commission and the Stevenson City Council for July 2026.In This EpisodeThe rezone on Southwest Attwell Road, and why one written comment put the whole argument in five wordsWhy the commission refused to decide, and the two questions it sent staff away withA new appeal route for homeowners whose septic fails and who cannot afford to connectNew engineering standards, and the clause that got pulled for another lookA new Planning Commission chairOne July council meeting we cannot report on, and whyResources & LinksRead the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comStevenson agendas, packets and meeting video: ci.stevenson.wa.us/meetingsPrior coverage: June 2026 and May 2026Next up: Planning Commission, Monday August 10. City Council, Thursday August 20.Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

Klickitat County's third and last candidate forum before the August 4 primary (vote by tonight!) happened July 21 in Goldendale, and the questions were the bluntest of the three. Three sheriff candidates were asked when they last worked patrol in Washington, and one answered "never." Klickitat County Commissioner Lori Zoller was asked to defend the Board of County Commissioners' takeover of the county jail. We also walk the final Public Disclosure Commission filings for both county races, and the Federal Election Commission reports for the open 4th District congressional seat.In This EpisodeKlickitat County Sheriff: Bruce, Warren and Matulovich on patrol currency, the sheriff's posse, and what "constitutional sheriff" means after Bob SongerCounty Commissioner District 2: Kallinen, Zoller and Klejeski, and the jail question nobody wanted to read out loudWhy we are not printing the jail settlement's dollar figures, and what a typed record does confirmRetiring Sheriff Bob Songer is funding candidates in both county racesThe 4th District open seat, where outside groups have outspent every county candidate combined, several times overWhy Klickitat and Skamania readers are voting in different congressional racesResources & LinksRead the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comOur earlier coverage of the July 9 and July 14 forums: https://skamania-dispatch.ghost.io/your-klickitat-2026-primary-ballot-preview-7-9-7-14-candidate-forums/Nathan Wilson, "Meet the three candidates for Klickitat County sheriff," Columbia Gorge News, July 21, 2026: https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/meet-the-three-candidates-for-klickitat-county-sheriff/article_2ff1d474-c44f-487b-b2b6-59faa63e30f2.htmlNathan Wilson, "Tony Warren's tenure at the Bingen-White Salmon Police Department," Columbia Gorge News, July 28, 2026: https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/tony-warrens-tenure-at-the-bingen-white-salmon-police-department/article_3aadf406-29b9-49d2-ba26-7659a4898eb3.htmlKlickitat County Elections and ballot drop-box locations: klickitatcounty.govLook up any candidate's donors yourself at the Public Disclosure Commission: pdc.wa.govFederal filings for the congressional races: fec.govStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

 Overnight bridge closures are coming in August, and we've got the full schedule. Plus the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority spent July untangling three separate insurance headaches at once, while the Port of Hood River made a real concession on handing over land.In This Episode:Overnight bridge closures coming August 17 through September 11Kiewit takes the lead on test pile liability, ending a month-long standoffUSDOT rules the INFRA grant construction-only, tightening the cash timelineOne invoice stuck in federal review for 417 daysThe Port of Hood River signals it'll hand over land for constructionThe stalled Marina Park dispute with federal park officialsWhy "special district" status keeps coming up, and why the Authority still doesn't have itWhether rising construction insurance costs are a Gorge problem or a national oneResources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at SkamaniaDispatch.comPort of Hood River: Overnight Bridge Closures notice (schedule also posted in Spanish)HRWSBA meeting agendas & materialsPrior coverage: Bridge Test Piles Halted by Insurance Hurdles (June)Prior coverage: $3.4M State Park Dispute Hits Bridge Project (March)Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

July was quiet in the room at the Skamania County Board of Commissioners, and busy underneath. Commissioners closed the books on the county's old budget system, seated a batch of new volunteers, and watched two long-running fights inch forward: the Storedahl gravel quarry, whose public comment window closes July 30, and the arrival of the state's energy-siting council in the National Scenic Area.In This Episode:Commenter pleas against the Storedahl quarry, and the July 30 comment deadlineEFSEC, the state energy council, reaching into the Scenic Area for a transmission lineSupplemental Budget #1: the first budget fix under the county's new finance systemNew faces on the Board of Equalization and the Homeless Housing CouncilForest Youth Success survives another summer, with a donor shout-out (and a disclosure)Carson traffic, a hatchery guardrail, and 850 racers on the riverResources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at SkamaniaDispatch.comComment on the Storedahl Draft EIS before July 30: see the county's project page at skamaniacounty.govSkamania County Board of Commissioners agendas, minutes, and audio: skamaniacounty.govCatch up on the quarry fight: our June BOCC recapThe bigger EFSEC story: The Nuclear Plant Wants Power, Skamania Wants AnswersStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

Join us for the July round-up of the Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, the board that decides where the Gorge's big energy projects go. A Skamania County councilmember asks who actually permits the underwater power line proposed for the Columbia, and the answer surprises. Plus a new director, two ownership transfers that drew zero public comment, a plan to make the state's one nuclear plant produce more power, and a correction we owe you.In This Episode:Why there is no local county permit for the Cascade Renewable Transmission line, and where the real comment window isMarco Lowe steps in as EFSEC's new executive director, and there is no August meetingColumbia Solar and Goose Prairie Solar change owners, with a Norwegian sovereign wealth fund among the buyersA correction on Ostrea Solar's operating statusEnergy Northwest wants to uprate the Columbia Generating Station nuclear plant near RichlandHorse Heaven's final turbine layout, and Badger Mountain's wait on the power gridResources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comOur June EFSEC edition, for the resource-adequacy backstory: https://skamania-dispatch.ghost.io/the-northwest-is-nine-gigawatts-short-efsec-june-2026/Our special report on the Cascade Renewable Transmission line: https://skamania-dispatch.ghost.io/special-report-cascade-renewable-transmission-an-underwater-power-line-with-a-long-road-ahead/EFSEC agendas, packets, and project pages: efsec.wa.govComment on active projects: comments.efsec.wa.govStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

Skamania County has two mining fights going at once. A Canadian company wants to drill toward an open-pit copper mine near Mount St. Helens, and a gravel quarry on the west end could put five hundred truck trips a day onto Highway 14. But underneath the copper fight sits a law from 1872 that almost nobody mentions, and it decides who gets paid. This episode covers recent discussions at the Skamania County Board of Commissioners, Skamania County Community Development, and the long history they're inheriting.In This Episode:Why hardrock minerals on federal land pay no royalty, to anyoneThe Nevada senator who wrote the law, and why it never expiredWhat happened the last time this promise met a place like oursCoal, oil and gas pay. Copper doesn't. Why the difference matters to the county budgetButte, Montana and the bill that outlasted the boomWhat three Montana councils actually won from a mining company, and what Skamania could ask forWhich of these two fights Skamania can actually shape, and the July 30 deadline to do itResources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch: https://skamaniadispatch.comComment on the Storedahl Quarry draft EIS (due July 30): https://www.skamaniacounty.org/departments-offices/community-development/storedahl-quarryThe Stillwater Good Neighbor Agreement (Northern Plains Resource Council): https://northernplains.org/good-neighbor-agreement/Montana's Hard Rock Mining Impact Board, on making mines pay local government costs: https://comdev.mt.gov/Programs-and-Boards/Hard-Rock-Mining-Impact-Board/Hard-Rock-Impact-Plan-InformationPrior coverage, "A Mine, a Closed School, and a County Locked in a Box": https://skamania-dispatch.ghost.io/a-mine-a-closed-school-and-a-county-locked-in-a-box-skaman/The law itself, 30 U.S.C. §22 (Cornell Legal Information Institute): https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/30/22GAO on hardrock royalties: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-08-849rInterior's 2025 Critical Minerals List: https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-department-releases-final-2025-list-critical-mineralsNational Archives, Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868: https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals/1868.htmlEPA, Silver Bow Creek / Butte Area Superfund site: https://www.epa.gov/butte/backgroundFailed reforms to outdated hardrock mining law https://www.hcn.org/articles/south-mining-2-democrats-kill-chances-of-reforming-the-outdated-hardrock-mining-law/Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

Four summer meetings of the Klickitat County Board of County Commissioners, in one sitting. The Board maps out how a data center would actually get approved, weighs shrinking where solar can be built, gets its first real short-term-rental numbers, bets on a City of Seattle trash contract, and redraws the map of which rural roads get a painted safety line. Plus fire season, a "hiring freeze" fight, and a mid-year budget check.In This EpisodeThe county's new data-center permitting roadmap, and what "community benefit" could meanA Planning Commission move to shrink the county's solar zoneThe first hard short-term-rental data: 143 properties, and sixteen rented illegallyThe road-striping decision: Snowden, Bickleton, and Canyon Road for just under thirty-eight thousand dollarsRepublic Services, the Roosevelt landfill, and a Seattle-sized bidThe "hiring freeze" that commissioners say is really "a conversation," and a calm mid-year budget reportA hard fire weekend, new radio agreements, and a new 911 coordinatorA shrinking public-health contract, a childcare workshop, and Dallesport wastewater ratesResources & LinksRead the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comKlickitat County agendas, Zoom link, and meeting recordings: klickitatcounty.orgSubmit written comment: [email protected] Gorge's Public Benefit Lab (mitigations and community-benefit options for data centers, battery storage, solar, wind, and transmission): opengorge.org/public-benefit-labStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

The Columbia River Gorge Commission just rewrote its own open-government rulebook, over a protest from Friends of the Columbia Gorge and a lone no vote. This episode covers what the new rules actually give you, the one-year Burdoin fire rebuild scorecard, a commissioner's on-the-record dissent about tribal voice and two energy projects, and a new Gorge spider with a Sahaptin name.In This EpisodeThe Commission adopts its first full rules overhaul in decades: what changed for records requests, meeting notice, and executive sessionsFriends of the Columbia Gorge's notice objection, and why the Commission voted anywayDisaster-recovery rules become ordinance: the no-application RV process and the rebuild size ladderOne year after Burdoin: who has rebuilt, who is still waitingCommissioner Pah-tu Pitt's dissent on Pushpum and Cascade Renewable silence, and a commissioner-pay equity proposalA farewell to Barbara Bailey, and a live fact-check on the resolutionGorge 2030, the 40th anniversary, and the $80,000 farm-income testResources & LinksRead the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comGorge Commission agendas, Zoom links, and the new rulemaking notice list: gorgecommission.orgNext full Commission meeting: September 8, 2026Budget deadlines: Oregon July 31, Washington September 15Disclosure: during the Executive Director's report, Commissioner Fowler praised a public comment on accessory dwelling units "from Kate Bertash," saying she'd "done a spectacular job of setting the stage of where we are in the Gorge right now." That comment, a regional ADU policy brief, was submitted by the author of the Skamania Dispatch, who hosts this podcast and maintains the Open Gorge Public Meetings Archive. It is independent analysis, speaks for no government, and you can read it in the meeting record.Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

Every spring, reassessment notices land in mailboxes across Skamania and Klickitat, and every spring they get misread as a bill. This episode explains what your assessment actually is: your share of a fixed check, capped by Washington's one percent levy limit, the same in both counties. We use real Home Valley numbers to show why your bill can climb while the county still runs short, and why the two facts do not cancel out.In this episodeThe dinner-check idea: why your assessed value is a seat at the table, not a billWhat a $100,000 reassessment really does to your bill, and to the county's budgetThe one part that surprises everyone: your bigger share is your neighbors' smaller shareThe 1% cap versus the roughly 5% real cost of running a county (Skamania and Klickitat both)The December decision each Board of Commissioners makes (Skamania skipped it once; Klickitat took it every year)The two ways a county's bill can actually grow, and why one wears everyone outWhy this is on ballots across the country this NovemberResources & LinksRead the full written explainer at skamaniadispatch.comSkamania and Klickitat County Assessor certified levy sheets (public record)Washington Department of Revenue: how the 1% property tax levy limit worksWashington State Auditor filings (county operating costs)Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

 Klickitat County is picking a new sheriff for the first time in a decade. Longtime Sheriff Bob Songer is retiring, and three career lawmen (John Bruce, Tony Warren, and Dwayne Matulovich) are running to replace him. We walk through two candidate forums, dig into the campaign-finance filings (including who the outgoing sheriff is funding), and cover the three-way County Commission race and the quiet PUD contest almost nobody is watching.In this episode:Why the sheriff's seat is suddenly open, and how the three candidates differ on the posse, Flock cameras, and "constitutional sheriff" politicsFollow the money: who is raising what, who is self-funding, and the out-of-state donorsHow the retiring sheriff is helping fund both a successor and a commissioner candidateThe County Commission, District 2 race and the Dallesport data-center splitThe contested PUD race with no forum, and the rest of the ballotHow and when to vote in the August 4 primaryResources & links:Read the full written round-up at skamaniadispatch.comCandidate sites: johnbruceforsheriff.com · tonywarrenforsheriff.com · dwaynematulovich4sheriff.comCampaign-finance data: Washington Public Disclosure Commission (pdc.wa.gov)Sheriff retirement and the new posse law: OPBWatch the League of Women Voters of Klickitat-Skamania sheriff forum on their Facebook and YouTube pagesRegister to vote and check your ballot: klickitatcounty.govStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

Bingen City Council had a packed June. The new Hood River-White Salmon Bridge reached sixty-percent design, the city hired an engineer to push its long-awaited railroad Quiet Zone forward, and Olympia's latest housing rules landed on the council's desk. Here's your plain-English guide to what it all means for you.In This Episode:The new bridge at 60%: the roundabout, the overlooks, and the toll-and-TIFIA mathQuiet Zone: Gray and Osborne hired, the BNSF agreement signedWhich of the state's new housing rules Bingen has to follow, and why it can't require affordable unitsFree e-bikes coming to Daubenspeck Park, plus new stop signs and a possible 20 mph limitTextMyGov emergency text alertsAn early wildfire season, and lead paint at the Gorge Heritage MuseumResources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comBingen City Council agendas and minutes: bingenwashington.org (AgendaCenter)Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority: hrwsba.govStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

Your 2026 primary ballot is about to arrive, and the Skamania County Chamber and both county parties put the contested candidates on one stage in Stevenson to preview it. In this special edition we walk the whole ballot: the nine-way race for Congress in District 3, both 17th District statehouse seats, and the county races for Commissioner, Assessor, and Clerk. Then we follow the money, and it tells a story of two very different elections stacked on one ballot.In This EpisodeCongressional District 3: a top-two field of nine, and the two themes that dominated (election rules and timber)17th Legislative District: how redistricting reshaped it, plus the mail-in voting split and the state capital gains "millionaire tax"County Commissioner District 3: both candidates reject the automatic 1% levyCounty Assessor: a real fight over how your property gets valuedCounty Clerk: the friendly raceFollow the Money: $80,000 statehouse races on top of $0 county racesEvery date you need for the August 4 primaryResources & LinksRead the full written edition at SkamaniaDispatch.comCheck your registration and see your ballot: voter.votewa.govOfficial state voters' guide (candidate statements): voter.votewa.govCampaign finance filings: Washington Public Disclosure Commission, pdc.wa.govSkamania County candidate Q&A: skamania.orgStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

It was a packed June for the Goldendale City Council, the county seat of Klickitat County. In two meetings, the council rescued a stalled housing rule by standing up a temporary planning commission, locked in a $221,000 grant to replace the historic library's elevator, and spent a good chunk of fire season arguing over smoke, dry weeds, and Fourth of July fireworks. Here's what it means for you.In This Episode:Why Goldendale's Planning Commission went defunct, and the six-month workaround that keeps the ADU (backyard-cottage) ordinance moving.A $221,000 federal grant to replace the Goldendale Community Library's 40-year-old elevator.The first-quarter budget: a paper deficit, a $480,000 grant-timing swing, and a softening in retail sales tax.A downtown "burnout" event that filled a neighbor's home with smoke, and the older, thornier fight over unmowed weeds during fire season.Why both the fire and police chiefs argued against a Fourth of July fireworks crackdown.A statewide visit: the Secretary of State and international consuls tour Goldendale.Resources & Links:Read the full written round-up on SkamaniaDispatch.comCity of Goldendale agendas, packets, and meeting info (Zoom: 415-762-9988, Meeting ID 373 290 5204).Next regular council meeting: Monday, July 6, 2026, 6:00 p.m., Council Chambers, 1103 S. Columbus Ave.Community Days: July 10 and 11.Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

What does it really cost to build a house near a wetland in North Bonneville? This month the City Council turned a routine environmental-rules update into a debate about affordability and local control. We also cover the North Bonneville Planning Commission, a firefighter bill four years overdue, a library open just six hours a week, and why sewer pipes are quietly straining budgets all across the Gorge.In This EpisodeThe Critical Areas Ordinance heads to the state, and one councilor's cost analysis that reframed the whole debateThe city pays off firefighter-pension dues unpaid since 2022, and a vote where the record and the recording disagreeSixty-five hundred dollars in tourism funds for a summer car show and Gorge DaysA library that gets used every day but is staffed only six hours a weekBlackberries, faded road lines, and a striping machine the city could not buyWhy North Bonneville's fifty-year-old sewer lift stations are part of a Gorge-wide storyWhat is next: a July 7 zoning hearing and a July 28 look at the Bradford Island Superfund siteResources & LinksRead the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comNorth Bonneville City Council agendas, minutes, and audio (the new "Supplemental Documents" link holds sheriff reports and written public comment)North Bonneville Planning Commission meetings & minutes: the draft Title 20 zoning revisions and the July 7 public hearingFort Vancouver Regional Library: send comments on the North Bonneville branch through the FVRL websiteWashington Department of Fish and Wildlife Priority Habitats and Species and Department of Ecology Critical Areas / wetlands guidanceStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

The Skamania County Board of Commissioners rewrote the rules for rebuilding after a wildfire, giving burned-out families ten years instead of one. In this episode of Open Gorge, we walk through a busy June for the Skamania County Commissioners: a five-million-dollar storm road program, a mining company circling the Green River Valley, a sharpening fight with the Forest Service over timber money, and the first real talk of visitor fees as tourism strains the county.In This EpisodeTitle 22 is adopted: up to ten years to rebuild after a disaster, bigger footprints for small homes, RVs allowed on-site during a rebuildA road program reshaped by December's storms, and how the Wind River Highway detour is hurting Carson businessesThe timber-revenue fight: "I want the floor to be fifty percent," a second school closure, and a state error that cost the schoolsCascade Forest Conservancy's mine warning, and a county that says it's "locked in a box"Budget season opens with a "hold the line" message and a new finance system going liveTourism pressure turns toward fees; a shake-up at the Homeless Housing Council; Title III requests from six agenciesTwo retirements, and a July 30 deadline to comment on the Storedahl quarryResources & LinksRead the full written Dispatch, with links to a year of past coverage, at skamaniadispatch.comSkamania County agendas, minutes, and meeting audio: www.skamaniacounty.orgComment on the Storedahl & Sons Quarry Draft EIS by July 30 (on the county website, at the library, or printed on request)Written comment to the Board: [email protected], by noon the day before a meetingNext meetings: Tuesdays, July 7, 14, 21, and 28, 9:30 AM, at the courthouse in Stevenson and by ZoomStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

This month, the White Salmon City Council voted to make every new home EV-ready, and the debate was really about who pays for it. We've also got a denied housing appeal at the Planning Commission, a ten-thousand-dollar snag for the Fourth of July parade at the Community Development Committee, and a storm that closed a road. Here's your June in White Salmon.In This EpisodeThe City Council adopts an EV-ready ordinance, 5-0, and wrestles with affordabilityThe six-year transportation plan, storm damage on Skagit and Scenic, and a drought summerCluster mailboxes retired, Knowledge Bowl state champions, and a state housing-board appointmentThe Community Development Committee reworks heritage months and hits a $10,000 parade-closure wallThe Planning Commission denies the Wyers Street reconsideration and eyes the short-term-rental "30% rule"Resources & LinksRead the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comWhite Salmon agendas, packets, and meeting recordings: whitesalmonwa.gov/meetingsSubmit written public comment: [email protected] up: City Council July 1, Planning Commission public hearing July 8Community Development Committee coverage draws on a recording from the Columbia Gorge Documenters, powered by Uplift Local (CC BY 4.0).Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

This episode: Stevenson's June meant a sewer-ordinance rewrite that's almost across the line, a move to scrap downtown parking minimums, and a Board of Adjustment that granted one hotel parking relief while sending an accessory-dwelling-unit case back for more homework. We cover the Stevenson City Council (June 18) and the Stevenson Board of Adjustment (June 10), plus a city-administrator hire that fell through at the last minute.In this episode:The revised sewer ordinance: who has to connect, who doesn't, and the one clause still holding up a voteWhy Stevenson wants to drop its downtown parking minimums, and the national movement behind itThe Artbliss Hotel parking variance, grantedA continued ADU variance, and a fact-check on whether ADUs are "just money makers"A CPA hired for financial oversight, and a stalled administrator searchWhat's next: the July 9 retreat, the July 16 council meeting, and a mid-July Board of Adjustment hearingResources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch, with every source linked, at skamaniadispatch.comCity of Stevenson agendas, packets, and meeting video: ci.stevenson.wa.us/meetings and vimeo.com/cityofstevensonGoing deeper on parking reform: Strong Towns (strongtowns.org/parking) and the Parking Reform Network (parkingreform.org)The ADU data: UC Berkeley's Terner Center and the Florida Housing Action LabStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

This month the Klickitat County Board of County Commissioners moved a public-records job to the Prosecutor's Office, absorbed roughly four hundred thousand dollars in public-health cuts, and heard a sobering update from the county jail, all while residents pressed them on data centers and Fourth of July fireworks. We connect June's decisions to the Gorge's longer story on mental health and the justice system.In this episode:Why the county is creating a Public Records Administrator, and the resident who keeps calling in to oppose itA candid jail update: a shrinking population but harder cases, a new local opioid-treatment partnership, and a proposed body scannerThe Health Department's roughly four-hundred-thousand-dollar cut, and what it means alongside jail spendingData centers floated for the old aluminum site and DallesportA fireworks survey pointing toward a partial ban with designated areasBackyard-cottage (ADU) rules, a Goldendale rezone, and short-term-rental trackingAnd a warm send-off for a longtime volunteer pilotResources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch - https://SkamaniaDispatch.comKlickitat County agendas, packets, and meeting recordings: https://www.klickitatcounty.govSubmit public comment before a meeting: [email protected] coverage: "Mental-Health Crisis Deepens" (Nov. 2025) and "The 2-Year Wait for Disability Services" (Apr. 2026)Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

This month the Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council — EFSEC, the agency that permits the Gorge's biggest energy projects — got a sobering look at the region's power math: a forecast that the Northwest could fall about nine gigawatts short by 2030. We also cover a brush fire at a Gorge-area solar farm, two ownership transfers headed for a July vote, and a finalized tribal-consultation policy.In This EpisodeWhy a regional study says the Northwest has to build energy at a pace it hasn't seen in 25 yearsA May 28 brush fire at Ostrea Solar, and why it's a land-management story, not a solar storyColumbia Solar and Goose Prairie Solar ownership transfers head to a July decisionCarriger Solar's court fight may pause for settlement talks with the Yakama NationTwo oil-loss events at the Columbia Generating Station nuclear plantA new Commerce councilmember, a finalized tribal-consultation policy, and budget cloudsResources & LinksRead the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comEFSEC project pages and agendas: efsec.wa.govThe E3 / Public Generating Pool resource-adequacy study: https://ethree.com/ra-pnwThe U.S. Department of Energy's primer on wildfire and solar farms: energy.gov/fempStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

A major wave of bridge closures is coming to Klickitat County this summer, with six local bridges slated for mandatory repairs and detours. Plus, we look at a looming crisis in the East District Court as state Supreme Court rules complicate the hiring of critical public defense attorneys, and explore the severe statistics and regulatory red tape defining the Gorge's "childcare desert."In This Episode:The pre-development trap and regulatory costs stalling early educationState limits on public defender caseloadsThe creation of a new unified Community Development DepartmentThe push to centralize public records requestsResources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comReview the full June 2 BOCC Meeting Agenda & Minutes at klickitatcounty.orgLearn more about the Boardman childcare modelStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

In this episode of Open Gorge, we break down the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority meetings from May 27th and June 8th. The Authority locked in a nearly 67-million-dollar operating budget for the coming year, but a critical test pile program is facing delays due to a complex liability insurance gap.In This Episode:Navigating the insurance gap for Kiewit Construction's upcoming test pile program.A bureaucratic standoff with the National Park Service over federal land mitigation at Marina Park.Funding strategies while waiting for massive federal grant announcements.Updates on the Umatilla Tribe Memorandum of Agreement.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.com.View meeting agendas and past minutes at hoodriverbridge.org.Documenter notes are available for republishing under Creative Commons license CC by 4.0. With thanks to Columbia Gorge Documenters, powered by Uplift Local: https://upliftlocal.news/columbia-gorge/columbia-gorge-documenters/Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

Goldendale took a massive step this month toward protecting your drinking water by securing over a hundred acres of vulnerable watershed land. Plus, a record drug bust highlights the escalating strain on local law enforcement and our rural courts.In This Episode:New fifteen-dollar public records feesA major fentanyl seizure and county probation renewalsAirport updates and the grounded courtesy carWildfire preparation and prescribed burns near city limitsResources & Links:Read the full written Klickitattler at SkamaniaDispatch.comCity of Goldendale official website and meeting agendas: ci.goldendale.wa.usAssociation of Washington Cities (AWC) Behavioral Health Fact SheetStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

This month, we are looking at the heavy and the controversial coming out of the Stevenson Planning Commission and the Stevenson City Council. In the wake of a tragic local murder, residents are stepping up to the microphone to demand better domestic violence intervention from the county, while a controversial hop-farm campground faces a massive wall of legal and neighborhood opposition.In This Episode:The community response to the murder of Candice MalaveStevenson's official Pride Month ProclamationThe Hop-Farm Campground standoff and legal threatsProtecting Stevenson's fifteen million dollar treatment plant from industrial wasteFinancial incentives in the newly revised Sewer OrdinanceAlarming state estimates regarding the Cape Horn BridgeResources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comSkamania County man arrested after estranged wife found dead at Stevenson apartmentsCity of Stevenson Website & Agendas: https://www.ci.stevenson.wa.us/Submit public comments to City Hall or via email prior to noon on the day of the meeting.Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

The state's Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council hit a major procedural bottleneck this month regarding the proposed Cascade Renewable Transmission line. We break down the May 20, 2026, meeting where local leaders and state officials debated how to balance rigid public comment deadlines with expanding, sovereign tribal consultations.In This EpisodeFollowing the money: Corporate reshuffling and upstream financial accountability for Columbia Solar and Goose Prairie Solar.Ostrea Solar wrapping up its final construction obligations and pushing for full grid integration.A rare vandalism incident and subsequent physical security repairs at the Kittitas Valley Wind facility.A massive leadership transition and strategic overhaul inside EFSEC itself.Resources & LinksRead the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comCascade Renewable Transmission SEPA Scoping PortalEFSEC Meeting Agendas and Complete Packets (efsec.wa.gov)Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

Summer is bringing a wave of mandatory infrastructure repairs to Klickitat County, threatening to temporarily sever key recreational and emergency routes. Plus, we look at how statewide mandates and national labor trends are compounding severe local workforce shortages in public defense and 911 emergency dispatch. This episode covers the May 26 and June 2 Klickitat County Board of County Commissioners meetings.In This EpisodeThe formal creation of the new Community Development DepartmentThe purchase of a new motor grader for the East EndA local resident's push to name "Schoolhouse Creek" and flag illegal fill dumpingUpcoming deadlines for fire districts on a potential fireworks banResources & LinksRead the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comReview the raw agendas and minutes at the Klickitat County WebsiteLearn more about the Washington State Supreme Court Caseload Caps driving the public defense crisisRead up on the national push to reclassify 911 Dispatchers from "clerical workers" to first respondersStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

In this episode, we dive into the growing friction between statewide housing mandates and local zoning codes playing out over a four-unit multiplex on Wyers Street. Plus, we cover infrastructure headaches for Snohomish Place residents, and how the City of White Salmon is pushing to modernize heritage months and establish a brand new tree fund. This episode covers the May meetings of the White Salmon City Council, Planning Commission, Community Development Committee, and Tree Board.In This Episode:City Council: Communication delays on major water line replacements, committee rule updates, and public frustration over Republic Services' waste management.Planning Commission: The Wyers Street multiplex debate, the push to review short-term rental policies, and a hard line from the city on shared water utilities.Community Development: Phasing out park reservation fees and revamping the city's approach to heritage month calendars.Tree Board: Drafting new fee-in-lieu ordinances for developers and planting the U.S. 250th Liberty Tree.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.com for deep-dive context boxes and full meeting logistics.View all White Salmon meeting agendas, packets, and Zoom links at whitesalmonwa.gov.2023 White Salmon Housing Needs Analysis2024 WAGAP Community Needs AssessmentVisit the new Wildfire Ready Hub at wildfirereadyklickitat.org.Documenter notes are available for republishing under Creative Commons license CC by 4.0. With thanks to theColumbia Gorge Documenters, powered by Uplift Local: https://upliftlocal.news/columbia-gorge/columbia-gorge-documenters/Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

The Skamania County Commissioners pumped the brakes on a controversial ordinance that would have fined negligent hikers a thousand dollars. We look at why local search and rescue veterans pushed back during the May 27th meeting.In This Episode:Skamania joins a multi-county lawsuit against the state over new stream buffer logging rules.Bureaucratic red tape delays the Sheriff’s new radio equipment.The county transitions to a new financial system this July while keeping the 2027 budget process analog.Drone flight testing is headed to the Wind River Business Park.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comView the May 27th BOCC meeting materialsSubmit written public comment to the BOCC: [email protected] Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

Welcome to the May municipal round-up for the North Bonneville City Council and Planning Commission. In this episode, we unpack a highly misspelled email reprimand from the Mayor that exposes deep friction over meeting decorum, and we look at a massive new energy infrastructure project making waves at the state level.In This Episode:A clash of operational styles on the City CouncilUpdates on the Cascade Renewable Transmission (CRT) projectA "hard reset" on city finances following state auditsThe Planning Commission advances the Critical Areas OrdinanceResources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comView meeting agendas and minutes at the North Bonneville City WebsiteTrack the CRT project at the Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) Active Projects pageStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

In this episode, we break down the Bingen City Council meetings from May 5th and May 19th. We look at how the city is moving forward with a massive 2.2 million-dollar grant to silence train horns downtown, and why a recent water main strike has triggered new digging mandates for construction crews.In This Episode:The new "potholing" mandate for utility verification.The city exempts small backyard chicken coops from setback rules.Upcoming night shifts at the Bingen Point roundabout.A massive drop in the city's water system leakage rates.Resources & Links:Read the full written newsletter at SkamaniaDispatch.com.Read the raw agendas and minutes at the City of Bingen Website.Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

In this episode, we dive into a tense Skamania County Board of Commissioners meeting from May 19th. What was supposed to be a standard leadership handoff with the Friends of the Columbia Gorge quickly turned into a public confrontation over leaked emails, aggressive public relations tactics, and the ongoing struggle for our local tax base.In This Episode:A severe 21% cut to local public health funding handed down from the state.Exploding recreational traffic and dangerous, unsanctioned parking at Highway 14 boat launches.A major missing detail in the environmental review for the Storedahl Quarry expansion.The finalization of redline updates for county zoning rules under the Gorge Management Plan.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comSkamania County Agendas and Zoom Information: https://www.skamaniacounty.org/Skamania school district hails long-awaited reauthorization of Secure Rural Schools fundDocumenter notes are available for republishing under Creative Commons license CC by 4.0. With thanks to Columbia Gorge Documenters, powered by Uplift Local: https://upliftlocal.news/columbia-gorge/columbia-gorge-documenters/Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

In this episode, we unpack the growing friction in Klickitat County over code enforcement and the reality of RV living in a housing-strained region. Plus, we look at why a federal grant for Dallesport Park was denied and what it means for future county projects.In This Episode:The upcoming June 18th workshop on code enforcement and RV fines.Why federal funders passed on the Dallesport Park project.Department consolidation: creating a unified Community Development Department.Sheriff's department tactical upgrades and jail maintenance contracts.The start of Burn Ban Zone 3.Resources & Links:WAGAP Community Needs ReportRead the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comReview agendas and minutes on the Klickitat County website.Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

The Hood River White Salmon Bridge Authority is moving forward with a counter-intuitive interchange design that would have you temporarily driving on the left side of the road when you land on the Oregon side. In our recap of the 4/13/26 to 5/11/26 meetings, we break down why engineers love the "Safety Paradox," why cyclists are raising concerns, and how the bi-state agency plans to manage its new sixty-seven million dollar budget.In This Episode:Unanimous approval of the Authority's $66.9 million annual budget.The cash-flow friction keeping pressure on the Port of Hood River loan.A brewing regulatory standoff over replacing protected parkland.Federal lobbying efforts and the push for Bridge Investment Program (BIP) funding.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comReview agendas, packets, and public comment forms at the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority Website.Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

A tense day for the Columbia River Gorge Commission as legal counsel issues a stern warning over public records, while state leaders from Oregon and Washington deliver a "cold shower" on the upcoming budget cycle. This episode covers the May 12, 2026, Commission meeting at Elk Ridge Golf Course.In This Episode:The ADU Debate: A new working group is formed to look at Accessory Dwelling Units.Climate Crosswalks: How the Gorge is aligning with new Executive Orders from Governor Kotek.Vital Signs: Why the Deschutes River is losing its status as a cold-water refuge for salmon.The "Data Center" Rhetoric: Residents and tribes push back against new transmission lines.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comOfficial Meeting Materials & VideoThe Vital Signs Data HubStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

In this episode, we dive into the April meetings for the White Salmon City Council and the White Salmon Tree Board. We’re looking at a growing push from residents for municipal childcare solutions, the rising costs of our water infrastructure, and why a procedural rule might accidentally doom a historic oak tree.In This Episode:Water rates, reservoir cleaning, and the search for new infrastructure funding.How new state mandates are forcing changes to police body camera public records.The city's strategic grant application for the Bluff Trail's southern trailhead.The Tree Board's battle against a flat-fee loophole for developers cutting down mature canopy.The delay on the Gaddis Park volunteer cleanup.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comWhite Salmon City Council Agendas & Minutes: whitesalmonwa.govWhite Salmon Tree Board Agendas: whitesalmonwa.govDocumenter notes are available for republishing under Creative Commons license CC by 4.0. Please credit Columbia Gorge Documenters, powered by Uplift Local, and link in show notes to https://upliftlocal.news/columbia-gorge/columbia-gorge-documenters/Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

This month at the North Bonneville City Council, a long-simmering frustration with failing internet infrastructure escalated into a full-blown life-safety crisis. We break down the stark warnings from residents about disabled fire alarms, and how a regulatory gap leaves the city with limited leverage to fix the problem.In This Episode:Water System Risk: Why the city had to authorize an emergency withdrawal from its Money Market account for a critical well pump.Fire Department Strain: Cascading vehicle failures and the ghost of a pre-COVID FEMA grant.The Dais is Full(er): Jeff Blakeley is appointed to Seat #4, and why the council rejected a mayoral pay raise.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch with comprehensive metrics and jargon-busters at skamaniadispatch.com.Join the next meeting: Stream or attend North Bonneville City Council on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m.North Bonneville City Website & AgendasStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

Bingen's downtown takes a hit as a contractor strikes an unmarked water main, flooding local businesses and forcing month-long closures. We dive into the major flood that swept through town, and our request to help solve the mystery of who is clogging the city’s water system with a distinctive item: red cotton shop rags!In This Episode:The missing locate wire and the fallout for Carmen's KitchenSewer plant upgrades and the expensive problem with red shop ragsThe BNSF Quiet Zone diagnostic timeline and the Walnut Street hurdleState-mandated middle housing friction on Lois LaneThe new Building Committee and Gorge Heritage Museum repairsA forthcoming Immigrant Community Support StatementResources & Links:Read the full written text at skamaniadispatch.comWater main break floods Bingen businesses, forces closuresBingen City Council Agendas & Minutes: City of Bingen WebsiteStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

In this episode, we dive back into the new proposal to fine reckless hikers $1000, including the legal strategy to keep that money local. We also cover the urgent bureaucratic "pinch point" threatening the Forest Youth Success summer program and how local businesses can access federal disaster relief. This episode covers the Skamania County Board of Commissioners meeting held on May 5, 2026.In This Episode:The SAR Fine Debate: Why the Sheriff’s Office wants to bypass state revenue-sharing, and why rescue pros are worried it could make trails more dangerous.The FYS Funding Crisis: A federal contract rejection has fifty-four local students in limbo.SBA Disaster Relief: How to access up to two-million dollars in storm recovery loans.Local Safety: A shout-out to the Crag Rats and where to find hiking safety essentials.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comHiking Safety Essentials: The Ten Essential SystemsApply for Disaster LoansOfficial Meeting Agenda & PacketReach out to provide feedback or make a public comment at [email protected] Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

 In this episode of the Skamania Dispatch, we dive into the April 16th Stevenson City Council meeting, where residents staged a highly organized pushback against the city's mandatory sewer connection ordinance. We break down the difference between "proximity" and "condition-based" rules, and look at how neighboring cities in Oregon and Washington are softening the financial blow for homeowners.In This Episode:Balancing pedestrian safety and stormwater runoff on Lasher Street.Securing the Rock Creek water intake before summer.The appointment of a new City Council member.Approaching deadlines for the permanent City Administrator search.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.com.Review the April 16 Meeting Packet & AgendaWatch the full City Council Video via the city website.Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

Klickitat County is shifting how it views childcare, moving from a private family issue to treating it as critical economic infrastructure. We look at a recent site visit to Boardman, Oregon, to see how public-private partnerships might cure our local "childcare desert." We also break down the county's pushback against state energy codes, and why housing experts are warning that our regional fear of short-term rentals might actually be making the housing crisis worse.In This Episode:A $21 million state public health funding cut forces lean operations locally.The new "Frontier Defense" strategy against state energy mandates.How the Planning Commission is updating ADU rules, and the "Option-Value" catch-22 of missing middle housing.Bids awarded for Courthouse exterior stucco and painting.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comRead Nathan Wilson's reporting on the county's childcare desert in the Columbia Gorge News.View the official meeting agendas and packets at the Klickitat County website.Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

Did you pack your map and compass? We are diving into the April 21st and April 28th Skamania County Commissioner meetings, where the Sheriff's Office introduced a controversial new proposal: a one-thousand-dollar fine for negligent hikers who trigger Search and Rescue missions. We unpack the county's funding strategy, the pushback from national rescue professionals, and what it could mean for your next weekend on the trail.In This Episode:Armed Auxiliaries: The county officially approves a new volunteer Sheriff's Auxiliary force.Quarry Tensions: The Storedahl Quarry Environmental Impact Statement is finally public, sparking immediate pushback from the West End.Space Crunch: Why the Hegewald Center's community meeting space is being eliminated.Boat Launch Crackdown: County officials coordinate with state wildlife agents to monitor unpermitted commercial fishing guides.Library Hours: Good news for readers as the Stevenson library prepares for seven-day-a-week operations.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch with deeper policy analysis at skamaniadispatch.com.Audio recordings and full meeting packets for the April 21 and April 28 meetings are available via the Skamania County meeting portal.Documenter notes are available for republishing under Creative Commons license CC by 4.0. With thanks to Columbia Gorge Documenters, powered by Uplift Local: https://upliftlocal.news/columbia-gorge/columbia-gorge-documenters/Trail Safety Resources:Ready, Set, GORGE!: Your local guide to trail conditions and seasonal hazards.The Ten Essentials: A checklist of the ten items you should never hike without.WTA Trail Smarts: Expert advice on navigating PNW terrain safely.Safety Tip: Always text a friend your exact route and a "panic time" to call for help if you haven't checked back in.Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

Today marks exactly eighty years since the devastating May 5, 1946 fire that wiped out the bustling riverside village of Old Underwood. In this special anniversary episode, we explore the sheer ambition of the early Gorge fruit growers, the “Sunday conflagration” that changed the town's trajectory, and the new life taking root on the waterfront today.In This Episode:The ancient Indigenous roots of the Underwood crossing.How a pioneer boat landing became "The Most Famous Fruit Belt in the World."The perfect storm of economic shifts that kept the lower commercial core from rebuilding.Underwood’s hopeful next chapter, happening right before our eyesA shoutout to our favorite local historical archives.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at SkamaniaDispatch.comUnderwood Through the Years by Mary Kapp and Kathy LaMotteThe Upbuilding of the White Salmon Area: Historical Misinformation Exposed by Ralph BrownColumbia Gorge Interpretive Center MuseumConfluence ProjectYakama Nation Cultural CenterColumbia Inter-Tribal Fish CommissionUnderwood Park and Recreation District (UPRD) Gorge Heritage MuseumHistoryLink.orgStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

At the April 2026 EFSEC meeting, the state is pushing forward on major energy infrastructure, clearing significant pre-construction hurdles for the massive Horse Heaven project, including legally binding plans to track local pronghorn antelope. We're also breaking down averted state budget cuts, new legal rules for authentic tribal consultation, and what the latest environmental scoping means for local transmission lines.In This Episode:The Cascade Renewable Transmission project hits a major environmental review milestone.A deep dive into how wildlife mitigation actually works on the ground for solar projects.Good news for the agency's budget and technical hiring freeze.New state laws changing how the council conducts government-to-government tribal consultation.Brief updates on the Columbia, Hop Hill, and Wallula Gap solar sites.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comText of Bill SHB 2496Horse Heaven Clean Energy CenterRead the full April 15 meeting packet and agenda, and watch the full video at EFSEC's website. Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

During the 4/14 Skamania Board of County Commissioners meeting, we learned summer road construction is officially hitting the Wind River Highway, bringing a single-lane bottleneck and detours to Carson starting this May. Plus, we're breaking down a thirty percent drop in projected timber harvests for the county, and looking at why federal food assistance rules are suddenly straining our local support networks.In This Episode:FEMA relief is finally unlocked for December's winter storm damage.WAGAP leadership transitions and a new tribal housing partnership.Commissioners voice frustration over a stagnant Homeless Housing Council.An early noxious weed season brings temporary staff to the county.Celebrating twenty-five years of service from Chief Deputy Clerk Paula Diaz.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comView the BOCC agendas and Zoom links at the Skamania County WebsiteSNAP Cuts in OBBBA/H.R. 1: Billionaires Win, Working Families Lose2024 Columbia Gorge Community Health AssessmentDocumenter notes are available for republishing under Creative Commons license CC by 4.0. With thanks to the Columbia Gorge Documenters, powered by Uplift Local: https://upliftlocal.news/columbia-gorge/columbia-gorge-documenters/Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

On this episode, we unpack the April 14th Klickitat County Board of Commissioners meeting, focusing on the mounting pressure facing our local emergency medical services. With 911 calls steadily rising, we look at how the county is managing the strain and why a dedicated non-emergency "day car" is suddenly on the table.In This Episode:Addressing the severe childcare and preschool shortages in rural areas like Wishram and Bickleton.Debunking local rumors about billionaire land buyouts and identifying the county's actual major landholders.Construction funding updates for the Columbia Gorge Community College advanced manufacturing facility.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comKlickitat County BOCC Portal & Meeting AgendasColumbia Gorge Community College Facilities UpdatesStay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

Procedural gridlock is freezing Gorge housing policy. The Economic Vitality Committee missed its quorum for the second straight meeting, stalling crucial votes on Accessory Dwelling Units. We unpack the debate over short-term rentals, look at the reality of building on agricultural land, and review the agency's new media rules. This episode covers the April 8 Economic Vitality Committee and April 9 Communications Committee meetings.In This Episode:Discussing ADUs and whether the fear of illegal use is just a "red herring"Testing the "Ag Income" Rule: Is it a filter for farmland, or a wall against development?The Rules of "Strategic Silence": New media protocols and social media limits for Commissioners.Permitting Delays: Why Klickitat County's new online portal is stuck waiting on the Oregon state budget.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comView raw agendas and videos for the Economic Vitality Committee and the Communications Committee.Documenter notes are available for republishing under Creative Commons license CC by 4.0. With thanks to the Columbia Gorge Documenters, powered by Uplift Local: https://upliftlocal.news/columbia-gorge/columbia-gorge-documenters/Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.

In this episode, we unpack the April 7th meeting of the Trout Lake Community Council (with lots of relevant updates for all Klickitat county residents) where Skyline Hospital executives made an urgent, last-minute plea for a property tax hike. But with recent school levies already squeezing wallets across the region, local councilors are warning of serious "tax fatigue" ahead of the April ballot.In This Episode:Skyline hospital looks to lift its tax levy lid to bring critical medical services closer to home, but will "tax fatigue" be a barrier?Trout Lake's affordable housing survey reveals a massive demographic blind spot and confirms a total lack of rental inventory.Why missing data from young, working families could cost Klickitat County vital state parks funding.Community radar: Rumors of DNR logging near the airfield and a church's new local land purchase.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comView the Skyline Hospital Value Report & Levy Info hereDocumenter notes are available for republishing under Creative Commons license CC by 4.0. With thanks to Columbia Gorge Documenters, powered by Uplift Local: https://upliftlocal.news/columbia-gorge/columbia-gorge-documenters/Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.