Open Gorge: The Skamania Dispatch & Klickitattler

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 Malave
• Stevenson's official Pride Month Proclamation
• The Hop-Farm Campground standoff and legal threats
• Protecting Stevenson's fifteen million dollar treatment plant from industrial waste
• Financial incentives in the newly revised Sewer Ordinance
• Alarming state estimates regarding the Cape Horn Bridge

Resources & Links:

• Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.com
• Skamania County man arrested after estranged wife found dead at Stevenson apartments
• City 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 Gorge

The 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 Episode

• Following 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 & Links

• Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.com
• Cascade Renewable Transmission SEPA Scoping Portal
• EFSEC Meeting Agendas and Complete Packets (efsec.wa.gov)

Stay Connected with the Gorge

The 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 Episode

• The formal creation of the new Community Development Department
• The purchase of a new motor grader for the East End
• A local resident's push to name "Schoolhouse Creek" and flag illegal fill dumping
• Upcoming deadlines for fire districts on a potential fireworks ban

Resources & Links

• Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.com
• Review the raw agendas and minutes at the Klickitat County Website
• Learn more about the Washington State Supreme Court Caseload Caps driving the public defense crisis
• Read up on the national push to reclassify 911 Dispatchers from "clerical workers" to first responders

Stay Connected with the Gorge

The 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 Analysis
• 2024 WAGAP Community Needs Assessment
• Visit 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 Gorge

The 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.com
• View the May 27th BOCC meeting materials
• Submit written public comment to the BOCC: [email protected]

Stay Connected with the Gorge

The 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 Council
• Updates on the Cascade Renewable Transmission (CRT) project
• A "hard reset" on city finances following state audits
• The Planning Commission advances the Critical Areas Ordinance

Resources & Links:

• Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.com
• View meeting agendas and minutes at the North Bonneville City Website
• Track the CRT project at the Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) Active Projects page

Stay Connected with the Gorge

The 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 Gorge

The 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.com
• Skamania County Agendas and Zoom Information: https://www.skamaniacounty.org/
• Skamania school district hails long-awaited reauthorization of Secure Rural Schools fund

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 Gorge

The 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 Report
• Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.com
• Review agendas and minutes on the Klickitat County website.

Stay Connected with the Gorge

The 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.com
• Review agendas, packets, and public comment forms at the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority Website.

Stay Connected with the Gorge

The 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.