Remote Surveillance Trailer in Hood River, OR

Hood River, Ore., Sept. 5, 2025 — The History Museum of Hood River County is proud to present Timewinder Tales (formerly Cemetery Tales). This year’s performances are a bit different than those in the past, and we could not be more excited to present this new version of the show! You will hear from four powerful and influential Latina members of our community who will share their stories and inspirations.

Paty Verduzco, Martha Verduzco-Ortega, and Monica Romero, along with Tina Castañares, will share their histories, inform, and entertain. The performances will be in Spanish, with English interpretation.

Performances will be:

Performances will be at The History Museum of Hood River County. Doors open 30 minutes before each showtime. Refreshments will be available for purchase/ by donation.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.hoodriverhistorymuseum.org or at the museum. Buying tickets in advance is recommended. Ticket prices are $25 for adults (or $20 for museum members), and $10 for ages 17 and under. Limited free tickets are available for those with financial need. Email or call the museum (see below) to request free tickets.

The museum is located at 300 E Port Marina Drive, past the Hood River DMV, near the marina. Info at 541-386-6772 or info@hoodriverhistorymuseum.org

When you come to enjoy the Timewinder Tales production, you can also check out the newest addition to the museum’s permanent collection, Nuestras Raíces (Our Roots) Latino history exhibit. This new exhibit has been developed in collaboration with consultant Juan Reyes and artist Michelle Yamamoto. The Nuestras Raíces exhibit shares the history and culture of Mexican immigrants who settled in the Hood River Valley. Learn about the many positive impacts their children and grandchildren are making in our community and how they were inspired by their roots. The exhibit is presented in Spanish, with English translation available. A free exhibit opening celebration will be held on Saturday, September 6, 5-7 p.m., with refreshments and entertainment!

ABOUT THE HISTORY MUSEUM OF HOOD RIVER COUNTY

The History Museum is a vibrant center for engaging all people in a better understanding of the community’s heritage that preserves the past, relates it to the present, and shapes our future. Led by the non-profit Hood River County Heritage Council, the Museum brings the region’s past and present to life through permanent displays, temporary exhibitions, and programs.

This beautiful place along the Columbia River has provided a home for successive peoples and generations. Their intriguing stories and struggles are told through a collection of artifacts, including art, decorative arts, costumes, photographs, tools, agricultural and sporting equipment, and archival documents. From Indigenous baskets and beadwork to the first windsurfing board, the diverse holdings of the museum mirror the area’s diverse people and their interests. The vintage photograph collection of over 20,000 items is a strong part of the collection, which can be enjoyed by all online at hoodriverhistorymuseum.org.

VISITOR INFORMATION:

The History Museum of Hood River County is open Monday-Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm. Admission is $8, or $6 for “honored guests” 65 and over and veterans. Museum admission is free for museum members, children 10 and under, and currently serving military personnel and families. The Museum is located at 300 E. Port Marina Drive, Hood River, OR 97031 (yellow MUSEUM building, past the DMV near the marina). For further information, call 541.386.6772, email info@hoodriverhistorymuseum.org or visit www.hoodriverhistorymuseum.org.

A woman from Kelso said her doctors told her shaving before entering the river is what likely caused her to contract cellulitis, causing multiple infections.

KELSO, Wash. — A woman from Kelso, Washington, is thankful to be alive and back at home after being in the hospital for multiple days and requiring surgery due to multiple infections she contracted.

Crystal Worel said on Aug. 10, she and her family went to the river in Kalama to enjoy the day. After losing her mother a few months before, she said she needed the day on the water.

Worel said she shaved before heading out, but soon after, she realized something was wrong.

"The next day or two, I started getting a rash.... I just figured it was razor burn," she explained.

As the days progressed, it started to look infected, and she tried to brush it off — until a week later.

“I was walking very bow-legged; it was very painful. Every movement was incredibly hard," she said.

"I ended up waking up at midnight. I was like 104 [degrees]... chills up and down. ...Every bone in my body hurt. I was very faint. The pain was excruciating," Worel continued.

She went to the hospital, being told by a doctor that she had cellulitis, who believed shaving allowed the opportunity for bacteria from the water to get into her broken skin and cause the infection.

Christopher Brown, deputy director at Carl. R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, Texas, explained that cellulitis is the result of a bacterial or staph infection. Cellulitis, which is inflammation of the cells caused by different infections or bacteria, can be caused by MRSA, or Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus.

"MRSA is a form of bacteria that has become resistant to normal antibiotics," Brown said.

Worel eventually discovered she not only had MRSA, but Morganella morganii as well, which is "a bacteria that's normally found or associated with the human gut, mammals, reptiles, it's part of the normal flora," according to Brown.

He said it becomes an issue when that bacteria gets outside of the body and comes in contact with an open wound or cut and becomes an opportunistic infection.

"Perfect timing and in a situation where somebody has a weakened immune system or other complicating factors, maybe they have another infection going on that the body is trying to fight, then you wind up getting an infection from that," Brown said.

“It is perfectly sound that someone who just shaved their legs, wound up with the cut, and then went into a contaminated body of water where humans and animals are defecating or urinating in the water, would get an infection," he continued.

Worel said after her initial hospital visit, she did not get any better. When she went back the second time and was admitted, she required surgery.

She said prior to her surgery she was so ill that she and her husband were worried she might not make it.

“By Friday morning, the nurse had found me in the bathroom, and I was so sick. I was shaking head to toe; I felt like I was in shock. I was vomiting everywhere. I couldn't get the garbage can in time," said Worel.

“There were a few points that I thought, 'Is tonight the night I go home and I wake up in the morning and she's gone?'" said her husband, Shane.

Worel got surgery last weekend on the abscess and was finally released from the hospital Monday, just in time for her one-year wedding anniversary.

“It was a lovely anniversary gift. It was the best," said her husband.

He said doctors told him it will be months before she's fully recovered.

Brown said that those who just shaved, recently got tattoos, or anything with potentially open skin, should be weary getting into water, even if you don't see an open cut.

“Also, with the shaving — taking off a layer of skin, it might not even be necessarily a cut — it could be abrasion just enough where you've broken down the barrier of skin that protects you from the rest of the environment," said Brown.

He said once infections like this make it into the bloodstream, it can become deadly, and that it's best to wait a couple days after shaving before getting into the water.

“I would wait a couple days after shaving before getting into a body of water, especially a body of water that's not chlorinated or a body of water that doesn't move," he advised.

A weakened immune system, even one that stems from a cold or even physical or emotional stress could weaken it enough to make people more vulnerable. Brown also said to stay up to date with any warnings about bodies of water you may be headed to.

Cowlitz County Health and Human Services wrote in a statement that they had not received any reports related to this issue. They also stated they do not have any record of people contracting MRSA, cellulitis, or Morganella morganni in the Columbia River.

HOOD RIVER — A Lummi Totem Pole, carved by the House of Tears Carvers, is on a two-week journey in September, holding events in tribal communities, public venues and places of worship in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California.

The Mid-Columbia Unitarians will host the Lummi Totem Pole in Hood River on Monday, Sept. 15 at the Rockford Grange, 4262 Barrett Drive, from 5-6:30 p.m. The event is free. Speakers will include representatives from Columbia Riverkeepers and Friends of the Gorge, and the Totem Pole will be blessed by leaders of different local religious groups.

This journey will make the case that Indigenous treaty rights and inherent rights, Indigenous ways of knowing nature and environmental justice, healthy rivers and salmon habitat, spiritual and ecological balance, and ancient forests and climate resilience are all interrelated and critical to the future of our world and humans.

The Totem Pole will be visiting Bellingham, Olympia, Portland, Eugene, Klamath River, Hood River, Asotin, Seattle and finally, the Lower Elwha Tribe. At the end of its travels, the pole will be gifted to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe for their work in honoring, protecting and restoring the Elwha River and struggling to prevent the timber sales and logging projects that are threatening the newly released river.

Ten cedar masks that exemplify the spiritual meaning of Xaalh: the sacred balance of life, will be carved for the journey and gifted to event hosts.

Sponsors include Se’Si’Le, a Washington state non-profit, and the House of Tears Carvers, as well as partners including Sierra Club, Save our Wild Salmon, and Washington Conservation Action. Se’Si’Le’s mission is to use Indigenous ancestral knowledge for the benefit of our Mother Earth, Indigenous lifeways, and for future generations. For more information, check out Se’Si’Le’s webpage, se-si-le.org/campaigns/xaalh-and-the-way-of-the-masks.

Both the Lummi Nation and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe are federally recognized Indigenous nations in northwestern Washington State.

A soon-to-open hotel will also have a rooftop bar that overlooks the scenic Columbia River.

Lightwell Hotel and Spa is a new hotel coming to 201 Cascade Avenue in Hood River this fall. It will have the addition of a bar called Rooftop with drinks and small bites, a restaurant called PNW Mediterranean and a cafe named Basecamp. The address is currently listed online and is set to open Nov. 1.

The hotel is being opened by VIP Hospitality Group, a Portland-based company that will manage Lightwell’s operations. It manages hotels along the Oregon coast such as the Surfland Hotel in Lincoln City, along with The Dalles and Eugene. In an article from Sip Magazine, it’s reported Columbia Gorge Capital, an investment management company, is one of the hotel’s founders.

“Swap stories over something grilled, chilled and locally harvested,” says the description in a recent Instagram post.

The menu for PNW Mediterranean is available online, featuring large plates like Columbia River salmon, roasted half chicken and lamb merguez. There are also skewers, salads and snacks. The menu for Rooftop and Basecamp have not yet been released.

The hours of operation for PNW Mediterranean are 5-9 p.m. every day. It will be on the first floor in the southwest corner of the hotel. The hours for Rooftop are being announced soon, and it will be at the northwest corner of the roof. The cafe is going in at the lobby entry at the northwest corner.

What Now Portland reached out to Managing Director of VIP Hospitality Group John Lee and is awaiting a response. More information on the opening of Lightwell can be found on their Instagram @lightwellhotel.