Behind every moment of comfort, every reassuring conversation, and every quiet act of kindness in hospice care, there is often a volunteer making a difference. Volunteer Appreciation Month is an opportunity to recognize the extraordinary individuals who offer their time, empathy, and presence to those facing life’s most difficult moments - and to express how grateful we are to have you as part of our team. Volunteers have always been at the heart of hospice care. In fact, it

Carol Ann Taylor-Smith passed away at home on March 11, 2026, following a courageous three-and-a-half-year battle with cancer. Born November 14, 1952, she was the oldest of eight children born to Bill and Carolyn Taylor in Willows, California. She spent her early life in Willows surrounded by her loving family and graduated from Willows High School. Carol held many jobs during her life, but because she was highly organized and had a keen eye for detail, her skills were especi

Jim Turin Memorial Lions Scholarship Dinner, Saturday April 4th! Please plan to attend our Jim Turin Memorial Lions Scholarship Dinner on Saturday April 4th. Happy Hour begins at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 6.00 p.m.. This year's dinner will include Spaghetti, Italian Sausage, Italian Bread and Salad (we’ll be using some of Lion Jim’s famous recipes).Price at the door is $8 for Kids 10 and under, and $20 for adults. Special Adult Presale tickets are available for $18 at Welches

Member feature: Linda Bergman Linda Bergman had always wanted to live by water. So when she found a place on the Sandy River, she sold her beloved arts and crafts bungalow in Portland and moved to Hoodland. In the 10 years she’s lived up here, Linda has created a yard full of flowers – fuschias echinacea, hostas, geraniums in pots. “I’ve tried to make a space that’s colorful,” she said. “I start every morning on the deck if it’s nice – with a book. I read pretty much constan

Welcome back, dear reader, to another season of madcap mayhem from the world of golf, for which I will be your nutty but loveable ace reporter. I promise to leave no turn unstoned as I track down all the dirt, corruption, and secrets in golfdom. I'll do what I can but I make no promises that I'll get anyone kicked out of the royal family! In club news, our president Seaberg Einnerson has informed me that the men will kick off their schedule on the first Tuesday of April, and

It’s official. Orlando Cryer has joined the ranks of the Hoodland Fire District as a volunteer firefighter. He and his fellow classmates were sworn in and received their badges from the recruit academy at a special graduation ceremony on March 10 at the fire station.. Training started in the fall with a field of more than 20 prospects, 11 of whom earned their badges after completing a challenging course of studies and physical exercises. “I really liked the training.” Cryer

Most of you know that the mission of the Hoodland Community Planning Organization (HCPO) is to bring County information to our Hoodland community members and provide a loud voice back to the County. We also provide speaking engagements of interest to the community. We are looking forward to a presentation on General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) and the Hoodland Emergency Communication Service (HECN). Marti Bowne is the co-coordinator of the HECN and the primary person engaged

It’s been a roller coaster of a decade on the mountain. We’ve seen historic wildfires, a massive influx of attention (and tourists), and we’ve all endured a pandemic. Throughout the tumult, Mt. Hood Resort General Manager Chris Spinner has worked tirelessly to distinguish himself and his service at the Mt. Hood landmark. To some degree, Spinner has lived the American Dream. While he now sits atop the ladder as General Manager, he first began working at the Mt. Hood Resort as

One of Mt. Hood’s most respected institutions, Camp Arrah Wanna, is celebrating 85 years as a summer camp, retreat location, and Mt. Hood landmark. Camp Arrah Wanna has long been a landmark in the Hoodland area. Newcomers to the area quickly discover a new friend or neighbor with some connection to the Christian camp. Arrah Wanna is in the mountain’s bloodstream. And, it has worked hard to earn that spot by providing a safe space for kids throughout the region to learn and gr

In an effort to continue to force Eleanor a little more out of her comfort zone (our girl is truly dedicated to her detective novels, particularly those with a female villain), we have been exploring new genres with storylines we’d normally avoid. So when we found Australian author Daniel O’Malley and his “whodunnit” science fiction books, we knew this would be the best way to dip our toes into the world of the weird and unimaginable. O’Malley’s “The Rook” Series is what woul

Music by Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi will fill the historic Steiner Log Church in Welches this spring when the Bach Cantata Choir presents two special performances on Sunday, May 17. The choir will perform the same one-hour program twice that afternoon, with concerts scheduled from 3 to 4 p.m. and again from 5 to 6 p.m. at the small hand-built Steiner Log Church, 68835 E. Barlow Trail Road. The performance will feature 30 voices from the Bach Cantata Choir accompanied by two vi

“You’re basically getting punished all the time,” junior Claire Parks said in regards to running track. Parks believes track is one of the most physically demanding sports because “it’s basically other sports’ punishment.” Despite that feeling of constant punishment, Parks stays motivated through pressure, exhaustion, and injury as she tries to become her most successful self. Parks began track her freshman year as a way to get in shape for soccer, but she learned she actual

When it comes to lifelong Mt. Hood Villages’ residents making an impact in the world of art, Colleen McCloskey is adding value to the scene one stitch at a time. A Mt. Hood Villages resident since before the age of two, McCloskey not only finds her artwork driven by passion and knowledge, but by generations of artists passing down those creative genes. Gifted in the fiber arts since childhood, McCloskey finds peace and profession in the crochet work she creates. “My mom initi

After school each day, teens begin filtering into AntFarm’s YouthHub spaces in Sandy, Estacada, and Molalla. Some head for the pool table. Others grab a snack, connect to the Wi-Fi, or simply sit and talk with friends. For many of them, it is one of the few places in town where they can simply show up and belong. “I like hanging out with my friends here,” said Liam, a regular at the Estacada YouthHub. “There are not a lot of places to hang out here.” AntFarm did not begin as

In my previous article, I talked about the Dental Office Bandits in Oregon and how their creative plan actually worked and they were never caught. I also brought up that at about the same time as this was happening, the biggest and boldest heist in recent history was committed in Paris at the famous Louvre museum. I promised an epilogue to that story involving the biggest art heist in history that was somehow tied to dentistry. While in dental school in Boston over 20 years

Back by popular demand, The Mt. Hood Villages yoga scene returns to the area with a number of classes, days, and times for community members to choose from. After a long hiatus owing to different yoga instructors moving from the mountain to explore other avenues, fresh new community members have relocated to The Mt. Hood Villages, and with them comes a new influx of yoga for the community. Mt. Hood Villages resident and current yoga instructor Elle Mesa is just one of the man

The lack of snow on Mt. Hood is on many people’s minds these days. Our ski resorts are hoping for more, to salvage a disappointing season. Businesses are struggling with fewer visitors than usual. But there is hope: Data from Timberline Lodge show that in all four of the seasons with the lowest snowpack, the snowpack recovered significantly in the spring. In three of those seasons, snowpack ended up above the long-term depth by May, as the chart on this page shows. In 1980/19

In my previous article, I talked about the Dental Office Bandits in Oregon and how their creative plan actually worked and they were never caught. I also brought up that at about the same time as this was happening, the biggest and boldest heist in recent history was committed in Paris at the famous Louvre museum. I promised an epilogue to that story involving the biggest art heist in history that was somehow tied to dentistry. While in dental school in Boston over 20 years

Chiropractic is rooted in a timeless understanding of life and health — one articulated and fiercely protected by B.J. Palmer, the developer of chiropractic and son of its founder, D.D. Palmer. Often called the philosopher of chiropractic, Palmer dedicated his life to preserving a core truth: that the body is intelligent, self-healing, and governed by the nervous system. He taught that life flows Above-Down, Inside-Out. From the brain, housed within the skull, messages travel

Letter to the Editor Dear Welches Family, Friends and Neighbors, I am reaching out regarding a new project I am working on for St. John in the Woods Catholic Church. This July marks their 100th anniversary in Welches and I am part of a team working on creating a commemorative book to mark the occasion. St. John in the Woods is rich in history, not only as a place of worship, but also as a symbol of the region’s past. In 1937, Henry Steiner built a new log church after the ori