By Dr. Melanie Brown When most people think about spinal health, they picture bones, discs, or the muscles of the back. But one of the most important stabilizers of the spine isn’t located in the back at all. It’s the diaphragm — the large dome-shaped muscle that helps you breathe. You use your diaphragm about 20,000 times every day without thinking about it. Each breath doesn’t just bring oxygen into your lungs. It also plays an important role in helping stabilize and suppor

By Jeff Helfrich, For The Mountain Times As the gavel fell on the 2026 short legislative session last week, I stood in the House chamber reflecting on what we achieved for Oregon families. In a Democrat-controlled Capitol, I had to fight hard for practical, pro-growth policies. We didn’t win every battle, but we delivered real results that protect jobs, strengthen public safety, and ease regulatory burdens. This was a session of compromise and progress — proof that working to

By Carianne Stearns, For The Mountain Times Many people have heard about Meals on Wheels, the program that brings nutritious lunches to seniors living in our mountain community. But it’s really much more than the food. For many older adults, the best part of the service is the visit that comes with it. When a Hoodland Senior Center volunteer knocks on their door, they’re not just dropping off a delicious lunch, they’re bringing a friendly smile, a quick hello, and a moment of

By Cassie Kanable, WPTCO, For The Mountain Times Hello Welches Families! March was a busy and exciting month! We hosted the Scholastic Book Fair, gathered for a wonderful morning with students & their families at Books & Bagels, and cheered on our Welches Woodpeckers, who placed first in the Welches School battles and made it to the “Sweet 16” at the Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) Regionals! Congratulations to all of our OBOB participants! As we move into April, we have ev

By Steve Wilent, For The Mountain Times Years ago, Mt. Hood Community College’s Natural Resources Technology program hosted groups of students from Central America and the Caribbean seeking degrees and knowledge to take home with them. It was a joy and a privilege to have these students in my classes. I think I learned as much from these warm, smart young people as they did in their time at MHCC. One March, during a field exercise in the woods near the college, one of the st

By Dr. Robert Kelly, DMD, For The Mountain Times The Winter Olympics concluded last month, and one of the big stories coming out of the event was the US Hockey Men’s and Women’s teams both bringing home gold medals. It was big news, and along with gold medal wins there was also big teeth news, as the hero of the US Men’s Hockey team, Jack Hughes, not only nailed the overtime winning shot but also lost teeth in the process. They are calling it the “Golden Smile,” as a high s

By Blake Miller, For The Mountain Times About two weeks after graduating veterinary school, I started my first job in Woodburn, Oregon. Everything still felt new. I was learning the clinic’s routines, trying to sound confident on the phone, and realizing quickly that real-life cases move faster than anything you see in school. One afternoon I got an emergency call for a pet bull that was limping. The guy said it plainly, like it was the most routine thing in the world. A pet

Years ago, Mt. Hood Community College’s Natural Resources Technology program hosted groups of students from Central America and the Caribbean seeking degrees and knowledge to take home with them. It was a joy and a privilege to have these students in my classes. I think I learned as much from these warm, smart young people as they did in their time at MHCC.  One March, during a field exercise in the woods near the college, one of the students — from Guatemala or Honduras, I t

The Winter Olympics concluded last month, and one of the big stories coming out of the event was the US Hockey Men’s and Women’s teams both bringing home gold medals.   It was big news, and along with gold medal wins there was also big teeth news, as the hero of the US Men’s Hockey team, Jack Hughes, not only nailed the overtime winning shot but also lost teeth in the process. They are calling it the “Golden Smile,” as a high stick to his face from a Canadian player shattered

About two weeks after graduating veterinary school, I started my first job in Woodburn, Oregon. Everything still felt new. I was learning the clinic’s routines, trying to sound confident on the phone, and realizing quickly that real-life cases move faster than anything you see in school. One afternoon I got an emergency call for a pet bull that was limping. The guy said it plainly, like it was the most routine thing in the world. A pet bull. Lame on one leg. Needs a vet. I re

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

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

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

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

When it comes to community involvement and dedication to giving back, the ladies of Wander Free and Queer have set the bar high. Not only do they design, create, and inspire with their LGBTQ+ merchandise through their business, they’re taking their voice and compassion to the community with events to help encourage and educate their fellow neighbors on what it means to be proud of who you are. Mt. Hood Village residents since 2020, Danella Demary and Allie Schouten began thei

Hoodland Women’s Club member Emily Overland had been an urban kid all her life. But she’d always dreamed of living in the mountains. Then, two years ago, an opportunity to live on the mountain just dropped into her life. She and her partner moved up here in 2025. “It has been a big adjustment, but we love it,” Emily said. Trails into the woods are right out their front door. “I love the quiet and the slower pace on the mountain. It’s so easy, so fulfilling.” Emily joined HWC

Map Curve, also known as “Dead Man’s Curve” by locals, is a sweeping curve of Highway 26 just west of Government Camp. The scenic stretch of highway is notorious for being the site of serious car crashes over the years. Evan Jarvis will never forget that July night in 2023 when he responded to the call as a member of the special rope rescue team. He and other emergency first responders performed the daring rescue of two injured crash victims. Hoodland and Clackamas County fir

Eleanor did it again: Another swell book to curl up with and enjoy while waiting for our winter to arrive. One does wonder if her objective was more plotting than pleasure (I never know with her), but whatever her intentions, high praise is in order for Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club .  Unlike many other detective novels, the scene is set at a retirement home and not a dingy, dark, rundown office in some shady part of London. And unlike many other detective novels,