Open Gorge: The Skamania Dispatch & Klickitattler

Kate
  • 5.0 (2)
  • NEWS

Welcome to Open Gorge, your audio bridge to local government, infrastructure, and community news in the Columbia River Gorge. Hosted by the founder of Open Gorge, Kate Bertash, this podcast brings the in-depth, civic-minded reporting of The Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler newsletters straight to your headphones. We break down the public meetings you didn't have time to attend, track local infrastructure projects, and decode the regional policy decisions that directly impact your daily life. Whether you are a Columbia Gorge resident commuting across the river, following local elections, or tracking where your tax dollars are going, we provide clear, factual summaries of what’s changing and what’s coming next. Our unified feed covers the entire Gorge. Check the title of each episode to see if we are covering Skamania County, Klickitat County, or regional issues that impact us all. Listen to what matters most to your neighborhood, or stay tuned for the full regional picture. Subscribe to the written newsletters and join the community at SkamaniaDispatch.com.

  1. 15H AGO

    [Klickitat] 🧸 The Childcare Zoning Crisis - White Salmon April '26 Round-Up

    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 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.

    7 min

  2. 3D AGO

    [Skamania] 📡 911 Internet Failures - North Bonneville April '26 Round-Up

    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 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.

    4 min

  3. 4D AGO

    [Klickitat] 🌊The Great Downtown Flood & Red Rag Mystery - Bingen April ‘26 Round-Up

    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 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.

    7 min

  4. 5D AGO

    [Skamania] 🚁 Reckless Hiker Fines & The FYS Funding Crisis - 5/5 Skamania BOCC

    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 commiss@co.skamania.wa.usStay 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.

    6 min

  5. 6D AGO

    [Skamania] 🚰 Stevenson's Sewer Rebellion - April '26 City Round-up

    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 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.

    3 min

  6. MAY 8

    [Klickitat] 🍼 Childcare as "Economic Infrastructure" - Klickitat BoCC 4/21 & 4/28

    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 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.

    4 min

  7. MAY 6

    [Skamania] 🥾 $1000 Fines for "Reckless" Hikers? - Skamania BOCC 4/21 & 4/28

    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 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.

    6 min

  8. MAY 5

    [All-Gorge] 🍎 The Town That Was: Remembering Underwood's 1946 Fire - 5/5

    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 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.

    7 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Welcome to Open Gorge, your audio bridge to local government, infrastructure, and community news in the Columbia River Gorge. Hosted by the founder of Open Gorge, Kate Bertash, this podcast brings the in-depth, civic-minded reporting of The Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler newsletters straight to your headphones. We break down the public meetings you didn't have time to attend, track local infrastructure projects, and decode the regional policy decisions that directly impact your daily life. Whether you are a Columbia Gorge resident commuting across the river, following local elections, or tracking where your tax dollars are going, we provide clear, factual summaries of what’s changing and what’s coming next. Our unified feed covers the entire Gorge. Check the title of each episode to see if we are covering Skamania County, Klickitat County, or regional issues that impact us all. Listen to what matters most to your neighborhood, or stay tuned for the full regional picture. Subscribe to the written newsletters and join the community at SkamaniaDispatch.com.

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