Open Gorge: The Skamania Dispatch & Klickitattler
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.
Open Gorge: The Skamania Dispatch & Klickitattler
Latest Episodes
[All-Gorge] 🛑 Missing Members Stall Housing Votes - Gorge Commission 4/8 & 4/9
Procedural gridlock is freezing Gorge housing policy. The Economic Vitality Committee missed its quorum for the second straight meeting, stalling crucial votes on Accessory Dwelling Units. We unpack the debate over short-term rentals, look at t...
[Klickitat] 🚑 Tax Fatigue vs. Local Care - 4/7 Trout Lake Council
In this episode, we unpack the April 7th meeting of the Trout Lake Community Council (with lots of relevant updates for all Klickitat county residents) where Skyline Hospital executives made an urgent, last-minute plea for a property tax hike. ...
[Klickitat] 🗑️Could Portland's Trash be Klickitat's Treasure? - BOCC 3/31 & 4/7
Klickitat County hit a massive infrastructure roadblock during the weeks of 3/31 and 4/7. The county was forced to legally reject every single bid across four major public works projects, hitting the reset button on thousands of dollars of defe...
🏘️ [Skamania] Easing ADU Rules & Navigating Federal Red Tape - Skamania BOCC 4/7
In this episode, we break down the Skamania County Board of Commissioners meeting from Tuesday, April 7th. We’re diving into the Columbia River Gorge Commission's updates on disaster rebuilding, the debate over Accessory Dwelling Units, a...
[All-Gorge] ⏳ The 2-Year Wait for Disability Services - 4/1 Developmental Disabilities Advisory Board
Imagine qualifying for essential developmental disability services, only to be told the waitlist just to get an assessment is over a year long. That's the reality uncovered at the April 1st meeting of the Klickitat-Skamania Developmental Disabi...