North Central Public Health District has reopened online booking for COVID-19 vaccine clinics, which are moving back up to the Fort Dalles Readiness Center, starting Thursday.  The clinics will offer all three vaccines, the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna, and the one-dose Johnson and Johnson.  The vaccines are free. Clinics will run from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. for the next four Thursdays. If needed, time slots will be added to meet additional demand. People can book their own appointments by visiting ncphd.org, or by calling NCPHD at 541-506-2600.  Wasco County residents get a $50 VISA card for the first dose, while supplies last.  Wasco County has vaccinated 71.6 percent of those 18 and up, Sherman County 64.4 percent and Gilliam County 48.1 percent.

October is Fire Prevention Month, and state and local fire officials are asking people to take a moment and make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are functioning properly.  Alison Green of the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office says they are conducting a four-week social media campaign called #KnowYourBeepingAlarm.  One chirp or beep means there is an issue with the alarm getting power, and recurring beeps or three beeps in a row is the smoke alarm telling you it needs to be replaced.  For information on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, go to the Oregon Office of the State Fire Marshal webpage.

Rock blasting to shape the Mitchell Point Tunnel will now begin next Tuesday, October 12.  The Oregon Department of Transportation had originally planned to start later this week.  Once blasting begins, travelers on Interstate 84 between Cascade Locks and Memaloose State Park should plan for long delays Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  During rock blasting, rolling slowdowns in both directions of I-84 will be used to create 20-minute windows where there is no traffic.  Rolling slowdowns are scheduled to occur on Tuesday and Thursday mornings between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. for up to four weeks.  Travelers should plan for long delays or travel at an alternate time if possible.  This work is part of the effort to build the Mitchell Point Tunnel as part of the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail.  Crews are forming a new 655-foot tunnel with drilling and rock blasting.  Visit TripCheck.com for schedule updates.  

YouthThink of Wasco County will present a short film via Zoom later this month that looks into a teens’ bedroom for the different hiding places they can use to stash drugs and raise awareness to the challenges facing youth today.  Debby Jones of YouthThink says some products target the vulnerability of youth, and the film “Hiding In Plain Sight” is meant to raise awareness but at the same time not create fear.  Jones says along with the film they will have a question and answer session with various guests.  The film will be presented in Spanish on October 19 and English October 20, both at 6:30 p.m.  Sign-up information will be available at youththink.net and the organization’s Facebook page.

SafeSpace Children’s Advocacy Center of the Gorge will hold a fundraiser this coming weekend in Hood River.  SafeSpace does child abuse assessments in Hood River, Wasco, Klickitat, Sherman, and Gilliam counties, working with law enforcement and the Oregon Department of Human Services to conduct interviews with children in a safe and welcoming environments.  Executive Director Beatriz Lynch says “Harvest Hope for Kids” is their first fundraising event in about two years, and will be outside at the Griffin House off of Westcliff Drive in Hood River on Sunday at 1 p.m.  There will also be live and silent auctions, live music, and food from Michochan Grill.  For ticket information, go to safespacecac.org.

The Hood River City Council has formally announced that Abigail Elder will be Hood River’s next city manager beginning November 1.  Mayor Kate McBride had said last month that Elder had been selected from three finalists for the job, and the City Council last week voted to authorize McBride to sign a contract with Elder after a couple of weeks of negotiations.  Elder was most recently Director of Community Services and Engagement for the City of Beaverton.  She has more than 15 years of local government management experience in Oregon, from public library administration to serving as director of the mayor’s office in Beaverton.  Originally from Minnesota, Elder holds master’s degrees in Public Administration from Portland State University and in Library and Information Studies from University of Wisconsin ‐ Madison.  She earned her bachelor’s degree from Saint Olaf College.  Elder succeeds Rachael Fuller who left her post on July 1

Washington’s Republican Congressional delegation is asking U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to prioritize the hiring of state executives for the Farm Service Agency to help process a backlog of disaster relief applications.  Jamie Herrera-Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris-Rodgers say in a letter to Vilsack that agricultural operations in Washington have been significantly impacted by wildfires and ongoing severe drought.  They add constituents tell them that creeks have gone dry and that cattle and crops have been lost.  The trio says eligible producers are now waiting months for paperwork to be approved solely due to a lack of staffing.  They add getting timely assistance out to ranchers and farmers could mean the difference for many operations between being able to stay open or closing for good.

The Oregon Health Authority reported 3,286 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 for a three-day period ending at 12:01 a.m. Monday, bringing the state’s pandemic total to 334,971.  Locally, 48 cases were reported in Hood River County, 39 in Wasco County, two in Sherman County, and one in Gilliam County.  There were eight new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon reported during the three-day period, raising the state’s death toll to 3,823.  The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon was at 769 as of Monday, which is two more than Sunday.  There were 207 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit beds, which is six more than Sunday.  There were 61 available adult ICU beds out of 687 total, and 351 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,216.  

Football Pendleton 70, The Dalles 6 Kalama 65, Stevenson 14   Boys Soccer Hood River Valley 6, Redmond 0 Ridgeview 3, The Dalles 0 Horizon Christian 6, Life Christian 0   Girls Soccer Ridgeview 0, The Dalles 0 Redmond 2, Hood River Valley 0 Seton Catholic 2, Columbia 0 Goldendale 11, Columbia (Burbank) 0   Volleyball The Dalles def. Hood River Valley 25-17, 22-25, 25-16, 25-21 Columbia def. Seton Catholic 3-2 Klickitat-Glenwood def. Horizon Christian 25-3, 25-11, 25-6 Goldendale def, Granger 18-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-10  

Klickitat County Public Health Director Erinn Quinn says it looks like the County’s number of COVID-19 cases will be about the same in September as in August, but there is some hope this week might bring the start of a downward trend.  Quinn said they had over 100 COVID cases last week, but only 32 so far this week, and hopefully that will hold up.  She notes Klickitat County has tended to be about two weeks behind statewide trends.  There have been 331 COVID cases reported in Klickitat County so far in September after there were 338 in August, which was the highest for any month during the pandemic.