The Skamania Dispatch

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Latest — 09 Nov 2026

🏨 Eyeing a Lodging Tax Hike - Bingen Oct '26 Round-Up

A councilor wants Bingen's lodging tax to go from 2% to 3%, and another wants to see where the money goes first. Bingen also drops its vacation-rental watchdog, asks the state for 20 mph through town, and finds every e-bike checked out.

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👋 A Seat Opens, a Rate Hike Lands - North Bonneville Oct '26 Round-up

North Bonneville's October: Councilmember Emily Sabo said she'll step down, Ted Salka became Mayor Pro Tem, and the city put a 10% water and sewer rate increase and its first look at the 2027 budget on the table.

🌿 Stevenson's Critical Areas Update Hits a Snag - Oct '26 Round-up

Stevenson's Planning Commission sat down for what it thought was a workshop and found itself at a public hearing on its stream and wetland rules. Plus a former administrator returns, and a five-year jail deal.

🏘 The Zoning Map Catches Up to the Plan - White Salmon October '26 Round-Up

White Salmon's planner found 131 parcels whose zoning doesn't match the city's 2040 plan, and Upper Wyers neighbors pushed back. The bridge is still waiting on federal money, the 2027 budget margin is thin, and Council made one contractor the sole source for its water controls.

⛴️ The Ferryman's Secret: a Halloween Tale from 1910 Underwood

Before the bridge, Underwood's road to the world was a boat. Meet the ferrymen, from Amos Underwood's salmon sailboats to Otis Treiber, and the stormy night around 1910 that ended with a still unsolved mystery.

💸 A Million-Dollar Gap and a Hiring Freeze - Skamania BOCC 9/29-10/20

Skamania County opened its 2027 budget about a million dollars short, asked every department for 8%, and stopped filling open jobs. Plus: the board's roadless rule letter, a longer data center pause, and a snowplow contract that won't stretch to Road 90.

⚖️ Data Center Rules Move to Legal Review - Klickitat BOCC 10/13-10/20

Klickitat commissioners took no vote on data centers in October. The interim rules and the moratorium question went to lawyers, and the next draft swapped its distances for X's. Plus a pulled ADU ordinance, a budget workshop and a wind farm's longer life.

🗳 Your Klickitat Nov Ballot, Decoded: Candidate Nights in Goldendale 10/14 & Lyle 10/15

Two candidate nights in two days, Goldendale and Lyle, and data centers ran through the commissioner and PUD races at both. Plus the open congressional seat, what the record shows, who is paying, and how to vote.

🗳 Your Skamania Nov Ballot, Decoded: Underwood's Candidates Night 10/9 + WA-03 Debate

Underwood's candidates night, the KOIN congressional debate, and a PUD race where one candidate died in July but is still on your ballot. Plus who is paying for the mailers in the 17th District.

🐟 The Fight Over How to Save a Salmon - Special Report

Everyone in the Columbia's hatchery fight says they want to save salmon. They disagree on how, and that disagreement is playing out in federal court, in Congress's budget, and at a hatchery on the Washougal. Here is what each side argues and what it means for our river.