Open Gorge: The Skamania Dispatch & Klickitattler

[Klickitat] 💧 Protecting the Watershed - Goldendale May '26 Round-up

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 fees * A major fentanyl seizure and county probation renewals * Airport updates and the grounded courtesy car * Wildfire preparation and prescribed burns near city limits Resources & Links: * Read the full written Klickitattler at SkamaniaDispatch.com * City of Goldendale official website and meeting agendas: ci.goldendale.wa.us * Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Behavioral Health Fact Sheet [https://wacities.org/docs/default-source/legislative/factsheetbehavioralhealth2025.pdf] 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 [https://www.google.com/search?q=https://facebook.com/OpenGorge].

[Skamania] 🕯️ Demanding Answers to Domestic Violence - Stevenson May '26 Round-Up

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 [https://katu.com/news/local/cousin-of-stevenson-woman-killed-by-estranged-husband-speaks-out-oregon-washington-southwest-skamania-county-domestic-violence-custody-murder-homicide] * City of Stevenson Website & Agendas: https://www.ci.stevenson.wa.us/ [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 [https://www.google.com/search?q=https://facebook.com/OpenGorge].

[All-Gorge] ⚡ Scoping Deadlines & Tribal Consults - EFSEC May '26

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 [https://efsec.wa.gov/hearings-and-meetings/2026/cascade-renewable-transmission-sepa-scoping-public-comment-hearing] * 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 [https://www.google.com/search?q=https://facebook.com/OpenGorge].

[Klickitat] 🐟 Fish Windows & Budget Trapdoors - Klickitat BOCC 5/26 & 6/2

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 [https://www.klickitatcounty.org] * Learn more about the Washington State Supreme Court Caseload Caps [https://www.courts.wa.gov/] 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 [https://www.google.com/search?q=https://facebook.com/OpenGorge].

[Klickitat] 🏗️ The Multiplex Fight - White Salmon May '26 Round-Up

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 https://www.whitesalmonwa.govwhitesalmonwa.gov [http://whitesalmonwa.gov]. * 2023 White Salmon Housing Needs Analysis [https://www.whitesalmonwa.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/city_council/page/10978/white_salmon_housing_needs_analysis_-_final_june_22_2023.pdf] * 2024 WAGAP Community Needs Assessment [https://www.wagap.org/newsfeed/community-needs-2024] * Visit the new Wildfire Ready Hub at wildfirereadyklickitat.org [https://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/ [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 [https://www.google.com/search?q=https://facebook.com/OpenGorge].