Oregon Department of Transportation crews on Monday will begin repairing and replacing approximately 400 timber guardrail posts on the Historic Columbia River Highway between Rowena and The Dalles damaged in the 2025 Rowena Fire. That work will run from Highway 30 milepost 64 to milepost 71. The highway remains closed to through traffic between Rowena and The Dalles, but residents of that area will continue to have access to their homes and driveways throughout construction. Most work will be completed with one lane open and alternating traffic directed by flaggers with minimal delays. At a few narrow locations, ODOT says crews may need to temporarily close the highway to safely complete work. If that’s necessary, residents traveling beyond the closure area may need to use Interstate 84.
Author: mbailey
Bridge Inspection Starts Monday
The Oregon Department of Transportation will be conducting its bi-annual inspection of the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting this Monday and continuing for two weeks. The Port of Hood River says these routine inspections help ensure the bridge remains safe and reliable by checking the condition of key structural components and identifying maintenance needs before they become larger issues. Most inspection activities will take place beneath the bridge. The Port says minimal traffic impacts are expected, but motorists should use caution and be aware of workers and equipment in the area.
Agencies Conduct Mass Fatality Training
A number of different regional agencies recently took part in a mass fatality training. Daron Ryan of the Hood River County Health Department says it is important as a region to practice when a catastrophe strikes. Ryan says the incident they practiced involved 19 victims. One of the biggest challenges in this region is the capacity of these agencies to handle a major emergency. Ryan noted that in this community, a lot of people have multiple responsibilities, and that can complicate response.
MCCAC To Operate Gloria Center Pallet Shelters This Winter
Mid-Columbia Community Action plans to operate its pallet shelters at the Gloria Center in The Dalles on a seasonal basis starting this coming winter. Last winter, the eighteen shelters that can each hold two people were only used on an emergency basis, opening only during the December rain and wind storms. Community Action Executive Director Leslie Naramore says they had not been using them for the season due to staffing issues, but they are now able to do so. Community Action will also continue to operate its shelter at 1733 Oak in Hood River this winter. Naramore says 66 people used the 26-bed capacity shelter in the eighteen weeks it was open last winter.
MCFR Deals With Two Tuesday Fires
Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue crews had a busy Tuesday evening. A little after 5:30 p.m., a pair of engine crews responded to a reported explosion and fire involving a forklift outside Sawyer’s Ace Hardware on Third Street. MCFR says employees acted quickly in attempts to suppress the flames and prevent the fire from spreading. Firefighters arrived and contained the incident to a single forklift and were able to fully extinguish the fire within minutes. A little over three hours later, five MCFR units, Dallesport firefighters, and a National Scenic Area crew responded to a brush fire in the Mill Creek drainage near the 3000 block of Mill Creek Road. The fire was burning in very steep, brush and grass heavy terrain, but coordinated work between responders, local property owners, and neighbors kept the fire to about half an acre. Crews completed mop‑up operations, and the area will be patrolled over the next few days.
Watershed Group Starts Project
Hood River Watershed Group has started a project on the Hood River just below where the Powerdale Dam used to be to add some side channels in the old flood plain. Watershed Group Executive Director Cindy Thieman said a pipe to send water down to the Powerdale Powerhouse created a berm along the river that cutoff the flood plain. This project is removing some of that fill at connection points to create another perennial side channel to provide good habitat for fish. Thieman adds there is one channel there already that the project is mimicking where coho salmon spawn. The project will take about a month-and-a-half to complete.
Farmers Irrigation Puts Watering Limits In Upper & Middle District Areas
Farmers Irrigation District in Hood River County is requiring its customers in the upper and middle portion of the district to limit their watering to 75 percent of their water right, or 4.2 gallons per minute per water right acre. The District says demand and water supply will determine if further water restrictions will be required later in the summer, adding everyone limiting water demand, and maintaining a lower but more consistent usage rate, will help water supplies stretch through the season. The District also said it is seeing very high water demand in the lower section, and patrons are asked to practice good water management and water conservation. Low river flows are likely to bring more sediment into the delivery system, so users should anticipate cleaning their filter(s) more frequently. More information, including a map of the sections of the district, is available at fidhr.org.
Health Council Receives Award For Rural Senior Care
The Columbia Gorge Health Council will receive an approximately $618,000 award from the Oregon Health Authority’s Rural Health Transformation Program for connected care for older adults to help rural seniors stay healthy, independent, and safely in their homes. The OHA says this project addresses a critical gap in care for older adults in rural communities who are not currently receiving in-home support. Through a clinic-based community health worker model, individuals will receive in-home visits and coordinated care focused on maintaining independence and preventing avoidable health crises. Funding supports workforce capacity and service delivery. This work is expected to improve health outcomes, reduce strain on emergency services, and help older adults remain safely in their homes.
Regional Recreation Grants Awarded
Experience Mt. Hood and the Gorge Regional Destination Management Organization has awarded $120,000 through its 2026 Strategic Investment Fund grants to support six projects that enhance public infrastructure, outdoor recreation access, visitor experience, and community livability across the area. Public infrastructure was identified as the region’s top tourism priority in Travel Oregon’s most recent tourism industry survey. Main Street Mosier received the largest grant, $26,580, to support pedestrian safety enhancements at Mosier Confluence Park and connect downtown Mosier to trails and Mosier Creek. The Port of Cascade Locks will get $25,000 to pave the existing gravel parking lot and access road and add ADA-accessible parking spaces at Herman Creek Cove. Bike The Gorge is receiving $15,000 for installation of three bike racks at Hole-In-The-Wall Falls along the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail. And Wylde Wind & Water was granted $4,770 to support infrastructure upgrades at the organization’s Hood River waterfront dock site.
Governor Seeks Help For Pear Growers
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture for disaster relive for Columbia Gorge and Oregon pear growers, as bins of Oregon pears that cost $300 to grow may fetch nothing on the market as farmers confront the consequences of a disastrous 2025 season. Kotek’s letter notes pear growers face bin prices.of $0 to $150 on some varieties, owing to a weak market fueled in part by global competition. Kotek’s request comes at a crucial time for growers. Pears are harvested around August or September, but farmers aren’t paid for their crops until they are sold, often months after they’re stored in cold facilities. That means Oregon pear growers are waiting for final checks from the 2025 season as they push into the 2026 harvest, and Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers chair Lesley Tamura said in a statement that the combination of excessive heat, low snowpack and a destructive pest known as pear psylla cut grower revenue in half this year. She adds some growers don’t have enough money to cover their current production expenses. Kotek’s request to the USDA, if granted, could bring emergency credit to family farms, and help some growers reach the end of the 2026 harvest. Tamura’s statement says growing state regulations, including rules for farmworker housing and overtime, have further tightened orchardists’ fiscal margins.