Hood River, situated within the magnificent Columbia River Gorge, is a energetic small city with a strong leisure scene. The fantastic thing about the encompassing setting is the most important attraction. The gorge is lined with magnificent waterfalls, basalt cliffs rise excessive above the Columbia River’s blue water, and Mt. Hood looms within the background.
Hood River is situated within the Columbia River Gorge, on the confluence of the Hood River and the Columbia River. Mount Hood, the state’s tallest peak, is about 30 miles north of the town. It’s situated on the opposite facet of the Columbia River from White Salmon, Washington. The Hood River Valley, located south of the town, is famous for rising apples, pears, and cherries. As per the US Census Bureau, the town has a complete space of three.35 sq. miles, of which 2.55 sq. miles is land and 0.80 sq. miles is water.
When the Lewis and Clark expedition handed by on October 29, 1805, the world was inhabited by Native Individuals. They found a camp location referred to as “Waucoma,” that means “place of enormous bushes.” The camp was close to the junction of what grew to become referred to as the Canine River and the Columbia River. Mrs. Nathaniel Coe, a widely known valley pioneer, later objected to the identify Canine River and was profitable in having it modified to Hood River. Hood River was first talked about on a map in 1856. Hood River County, which was as soon as part of Wasco County, obtained formal independence on June 23, 1908, and its boundaries have remained intact to this present day. Nathaniel and Mary Coe had been the rightful house owners of a 319-acre authorities land grant that was bounded on the east by Entrance Avenue, the north by the Columbia River, the west by Thirteenth Avenue, and the south by Might Avenue. The Nathaniel Coe household filed a land declare on farmlands that at the moment are a part of the Metropolis of Hood River in 1854. They had been rapidly adopted by the households of William Jenkins and Benson.
Coe was one of many first folks within the Hood River Valley to plant fruit bushes. From 1890 to 1920, apple orchards prospered on this fertile valley, and Hood River grew to become well-known for its apples. A killing freeze struck many apple bushes in 1919. To beat the loss, farmers changed the apple bushes with pear bushes and therefore, the Hood River County now ranks first on the planet for Anjou Pear manufacturing.
Hood River, situated on the transition zone between moist temperate rainforest to the west and dry shrub-steppe desert to the east, has a reasonable local weather with wet winters and heat summers, although rainfall is barely decrease than in Portland and different close by Willamette Valley areas. Hood River usually receives 30 inches of rain per yr, and the world is understood for its persistently excessive winds that channel down the Columbia River Gorge. Temperatures are barely cooler all year long than in most different low-elevation cities within the area, particularly at evening, as a consequence of air drainage from the encompassing mountains.
In response to the newest US Census estimates, the present inhabitants of Hood River, Oregon, is 8,011. Hood River is increasing at a 0.88 % annual charge, and its inhabitants has grown by 10.27 % for the reason that 2010 census, which indicated a inhabitants of seven,265. Town has a mean family revenue of $80,742 and a poverty charge of 6.17 %. White (93.13 %), Two or extra races (3.01 %), Black or African American (1.37 %), Asian (1.26 %), and Different races (1.23%) are the commonest ethnic teams in Hood River.
Hood River’s financial system has historically been primarily based on three sectors: agriculture, tourism, and sports activities recreation, though high-tech companies akin to aerospace engineering have emerged as key employment for the reason that late Nineties. Hood River, a long-time agricultural heart of the Pacific Northwest, was previously a nexus of logging exports and fruit tree orchards. Whereas lumber was Hood River’s main export for many of its historic document, the emergence of measures to guard the forest such because the institution of the Columbia River Gorge Nationwide Scenic Space, has shifted Hood River’s agricultural focus from tree slicing to apple and pear orchards, in addition to many wineries.
Multnomah Falls, situated west of Hood River alongside the Historic Columbia River Freeway Scenic Byway, is one among Oregon’s most spectacular waterfalls in Oregon and one of the engaging websites within the Hood River space. The positioning is definitely accessible from the freeway and don’t require any climbing to look at. Guests can take the path as much as the Benson Bridge and higher commentary level for a panoramic view of the falls and the Columbia Valley. The historic Multnomah Falls Lodge has a restaurant, present retailer, espresso stand, and snack bar on the base of the falls.
Guests can take a pleasant lengthy drive down the Historic Columbia River Freeway Scenic Byway and cease over at among the gorgeous spots alongside the best way to really expertise the grandeur of the Columbia River Gorge. This two-lane Nationwide Historic Landmark extends alongside 70 miles alongside the Columbia River from Troutdale to The Dalles, and was constructed between 1916 and 1923. Quite a few climbing routes, in addition to the Historic Columbia River Freeway State Path, are situated simply off the freeway for pedestrians and cyclists. A number of the websites alongside this stretch of the river have entry to the river, permitting folks to stroll straight all the way down to the water’s edge and see the excessive banks on the other shore.
The 1918 octagonal formed Vista Home and accompanying grounds, perched atop a basalt clifftop, gives spectacular views of the Columbia River Gorge in each instructions. This is among the finest and most approachable overlooks within the space, situated alongside the Historic Columbia River Freeway.
Mount Hood, with its snowcapped peak looming massive on the horizon, not solely enhances the fantastic thing about the world, but it surely additionally serves as a winter and summer time playground for outside adventures. Relying on the extent of exercise desired, guests can discover a wide range of actions round Mount Hood, starting from scenic drives to multi-day hikes.
Hood River is among the prime websites in america to go kiteboarding and windsurfing. Winds howl up the Columbia River Gorge from Might to September, creating superb situations for wind sports activities.
Climbing within the Hood River space offers entry to a various vary of landscapes, together with hikes alongside the Columbia River Gorge that results in waterfalls or excessive vantage websites, in addition to mountain views round Mount Hood. The wildflowers convey good colour to the meadows within the spring, and the golden and orange leaves remodel the panorama within the fall.
This 35-mile route takes guests by rolling hills of orchards and forests, stopping in small villages to buy domestically made items akin to vegatables and fruits, jams, syrups, and crafts. The Fruit Loop, after the Historic Columbia River Freeway, is among the hottest vacationer drives within the space.
The museum homes a big number of vintage airplanes and cars, lots of that are nonetheless in working order. For its shows, the ability has greater than 3.5 acres of indoor hangar house. Nearly all of the planes are small craft that had been initially used for leisure functions. The museum has over 130 cars on show, starting from 1900 to 1960.
Guests to Hood River can take a prepare journey by the countryside, hike alongside the Columbia River Gorge, kiteboard or windsurf on the river, drive alongside a scenic route, and go to Mt. Hood within the winter for snowboarding and different snow sports activities. They will by no means run out of issues to do within the metropolis.
Oregon State football has its first transfer portal departure of the spring.
Redshirt senior safety Jack Kane is entering the portal with one year of eligibility remaining. Kane had 32 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble last season for the Beavers, appearing in all 12 games.
Kane originally joined Oregon State as a walk-on in 2021 out of Fountain Valley High School in California. After not playing his freshman year, he played in 10 games in 2022 and nine games in 2023, totaling 25 tackles between those seasons. He was then put on scholarship prior to the 2024 campaign.
After becoming a starter for the Beavers and later losing his spot, Kane is now on his way out of Corvallis. Other remaining options for the Beavers at the safety positions include Skyler Thomas, Jaheim Patterson and Tyrice Ivy, among others.
— Ryan Clarke covers college sports for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at RClarke@Oregonian.com or on Twitter/X: @RyanTClarke. Find him on Bluesky: @ryantclarke.bsky.social.
Alexis Amorelli, the state’s foster care ombudsman, was at the state Capitol this January to explain her job to members of the Senate Human Services Committee.
Her role: to be an independent voice for one of Oregon’s more vulnerable populations.
Next to Amorelli on the panel sat a high-ranking official from the Oregon Department of Human Services. The chair of the legislative committee — who invited Amorelli to speak and set the agenda for the hearing — was surprised to see him.
A DHS spokesman said they sent the higher-up solely to help Amorelli.
But his presence next to Amorelli seemed to raise a question: How much of an independent watchdog can she be when she works within the agency she is responsible for investigating?
In this screenshot taken from video from the Oregon state Legislature, Alexis Amorelli, the state’s foster care ombudsman, sits next to Seth Lyon, the chief operating officer for the state’s Department of Human Services.
Screenshot via Oregon State Legislature video
This legislative session, Oregon lawmakers have promised to exert more oversight over state agencies and ensure state taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly. It’s often an episodic effort in the state Legislature, but this year’s effort comes at a time when state agencies serving some of the most at-risk residents have had myriad high-profile struggles; from the Oregon Youth Authority, to the Department of Corrections, to the Department of Human Services. The state’s child welfare system has been particularly beleaguered, having recently settled a multi-million dollar civil suit with promises of lowering rates of maltreatment.
Some lawmakers believe moving Amorelli’s position out from underneath the Department of Human Services to a more independent office could be one move to strengthen accountability. The concept is embodied in Senate Bill 1159.
The current long-term care ombudsman, Fred Steele, made waves after he investigated a state-certified assisted living facility where a woman died after living in the facility’s care for 24 hours. His investigation prompted several legislative hearings and a deeper dive into what is needed systemically to improve care for Oregon seniors.
“If the expectation is the foster care ombudsman can identify systemic concerns, well, the system is DHS, so how do you highlight those concerns like our office did with the regulatory concerns at Mt. Hood Senior Living?” Steele said in an interview with OPB. “We needed to be able to be independent to highlight those concerns and bring it to the public.”
Steele’s investigation and his recommendations were released to the media and prompted several news stories.
Amorelli’s investigations and recommendations are sent to the head of the Oregon Department of Human Services. The recommendations she makes are sent to the agency’s head and not made public. Whether the agency follows through with her suggestions is also not made public.
The word “ombudsman” is derived from the Swedish word meaning “agent” or “representative.” The definition is a public official who is charged with investigating citizen complaints against government agencies. Oregon state lawmakers are currently considering a bill to make the Oregon foster care ombudsman more independent.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Twenty-four states have independent ombudsman offices that specifically handle child welfare issues, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Oregon is not one of them. The group classified Oregon’s program as a “non-independent children’s ombudsman office,” noting it’s established within the child welfare agency.
Until he was fired in November of 2024, Adrian Wulff worked as the ombudsman for the Oregon Department of Corrections, reporting to the governor. Wulff noted that part of the reason why he was fired was not for opening the mail in a timely fashion. He told OPB he had been asking for more support staff and raised many concerns and often received pushback from the Department of Corrections or no response at all from anyone in the executive branch. He noted he was the only ombudsman overseeing the corrections system and had no staff. Oregon’s prison population is around 12,000 people.
“They didn’t want the office to be independent,” Wulff said. “They kneecapped it.”
Wulff said most of his concerns were ignored. He said that he often got no response when writing an email to the governor’s office. One of Wulff’s efforts centered around making it easier for people in custody to connect with their family members. Wulff pushed the state to provide prisoners with free phone calls, similar to other states. Wulff said he spent a year investing in a report, which was never made public because the Department of Corrections didn’t agree with his findings.
Wulff said he consistently shared concerns with Gov. Tina Kotek’s staff. “There was absolute silence on every issue I raised,” Wulff said.
Wulff shared a five-page memo he sent to the governor’s office in March of 2024, with a litany of concerns over what was happening in the state’s prisons.
“I do not know what the best supervisor structure is for this role, but I believe that having the OCO (Oregon Correction Ombudsman) report directly to the governor has contributed to many of the issues discussed in this memo,” he wrote.
He said the governor’s office never responded.
Kotek’s spokeswoman said their office doesn’t agree with Wulff’s characterizations. They noted he had two years worth of mail unopened, about 700 parcels. The current person in the role, Kristina Rice, has streamlined the process by establishing a database and a tracking system, they noted.
“In addition, Ms. Rice has also set up a voicemail as an additional access point for Adults in Custody,” Roxy Mayer, the governor’s spokeswoman. “This work has been conducted with the same amount of resources.”
Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, D-Corvallis, who is a chief sponsor of Senate Bill 1159, said the bill is currently focused on making the ombudsman for kids independent, but she could see the effort expanding to other state agencies in the future. Gelser Blouin has been critical of the state’s Department of Human Services agency and, in particular, child welfare for years.
“We’re not getting the whole story (from child welfare),” Gelser Blouin said in a legislative hearing last month.
In January, OPB reached out to Amorelli to see if she would be willing to connect on the phone or in person.
“I am so excited to hear from you,” Amorelli responded. “As my position is under the umbrella of the Oregon Department of Human Services, I have contacted communications about this to ensure that I am able to proceed. If I get the green light, I would be happy to chat over the phone or in-person for coffee.”
The next day, Amorelli responded.
“I can offer myself through email to answer questions you may have, at this time,” she said.
A spokesman for the Oregon Department of Human Services said they don’t control or limit the foster care ombudsman from communicating with the public or the media.
“The ombuds may choose to seek support and advice from the ODHS communications team, but the final choice on how to engage with media is up to the ombuds,” Jake Sunderland wrote in an email.
Oregon State right-hander Kellan Oakes earned the first save of his career on Sunday, when the 11th-ranked Beavers defeated the No. 12 UC Irvine Anteaters 7-4 to win the three-game series at Goss Stadium in Eugene. (Photo: Scobel Wiggins/Oregon State athletics)Scobel Wiggins/Oregon State athletics
CORVALLIS — Mitch Canham stood outside the third base dugout at Goss Stadium with the Oregon State baseball team huddled in a circle around him.
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