In the drive to get more people vaccinated against COVID-19, North Central Public Health District is expanding its efforts to bring the shots to people.  District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell told Wasco County Commissioners this week that in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Oregon Health Authority, a mobile vaccine unit will be coming to the Gorge.  McDonell said the unit will be in the region starting June 2, and it can administer 300 to 400 vaccines a day.  In addition, NCPHD is planning to do out-clinics at community meal and food distribution sites in the next couple of weeks, and McDonell said vaccinations will start to be done at the NCPHD clinic on May 27.  

The Bingen and White Salmon Community Cleanup will take place Friday and Saturday. The event is centered at the Bingen Recycling Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, and is sponsored by the White Salmon-Bingen Rotary, the Mt. Adams Chamber of Commerce, and numerous other community partners.  The Chamber’s Tammara Tippel says it’s an opportunity to reuse, repurpose, and recycle items in your home and yard and help keep waste from going into the landfill.  A $10 suggested donation helps support future cleanups and other Rotary projects.  For information visit WACommunityCleanup at Facebook or call the Mt. Adams Chamber at 509-493-3630.

Hood River Valley High School English Language Arts teacher Jim Donnelly has been named as the Columbia Gorge’s 2022 Regional Teacher of the Year.  The Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Lottery partner in the regional and state teacher of the year awards.  Regional Teachers of the Year are nominated by students, colleagues, administrators, friends or family members to apply for the award, and are selected by a diverse panel of regional representatives.  Later this fall one of the Regional Teachers of the Year will be named the 2022 Oregon Teacher of the Year.  Donnelly wins a $500 cash prize and is in the running for the state award to be announced this fall.

Baseball Kennedy 2, Dufur 1   Boys Tennis Hood River Valley’s Vaughn Reardon and Ben Garofalo advanced to Saturday’s semi-finals at the Intermountain Conference Tournament in Redmond.   Boys Basketball Hood River Valley 58, St. Helens 35 Horizon Christian 55, Lyle-Wishram 31 Castle Rock 44, Stevenson 36   Girls Basketball Napavine 53, Stevenson 43 Columbia 67, Seton Catholic 45

The Oregon Department of Forestry and the Oregon State Police are seeking information on how a fire that burned nearly an acre of older logging slash on Middle Mountain south of Hood River started.  The fire on Monday afternoon was on Hood River County forestland and was spotted by the ODF Central Oregon District’s detection camera operator.  ODF says the fire was human caused and is under investigation.  Anyone with information that could help investigators find the person responsible for the fire is asked to call the Oregon State Police Tip Line at 800-452-7888.  The ODF declared fire season in the region underway last weekend.  

Hood River County will move from the moderate to the lower Risk category under Oregon’s COVID risk categories on Friday.  Hood River County is one of five Oregon counties that has achieved at least a 65% vaccination rate among those 16 and older, making it eligible to move down in risk level.  Once a statewide target of 70% vaccinated is reached, counties will no longer be assigned risk levels.  For those who are fully vaccinated, defined as at least two weeks after receiving final dose of vaccine, Oregon Health Authority guidance says they are not required to wear a mask indoors in most public settings where vaccination status is checked.  Masks will still be required in public settings where vaccination status is not checked and in businesses that are continuing to require them.

The percentage of Wasco County residents over the age of 16 who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is now at 52.1%, but how quickly the County can get to the 65% level that automatically puts it into the state’s lower risk category is an open question.  North Central Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell told Wasco County Commissioners Wednesday that with the current rate of vaccinations, it might take a couple of months.  The COVID-19 case count numbers in Wasco County have dropped down to 21 for the two weeks that ended Saturday, which would move the County down into the lower risk category.  But McDonell says Wasco County will remain at the moderate risk category for at least one more week, as the state is back to doing risk level changes every two weeks unless a county goes above the 65% vaccination rate.

Under updated mask guidelines in Oregon, businesses can now choose whether or not customers will still be required to wear a mask.  But businesses have to review vaccination records and show that people are fully vaccinated, or continue to operate under Oregon Health Authority guidance that requires masks and physical distancing.  Oregon 59th District State Representative Daniel Bonham, who owns a small business in The Dalles, believes only the largest businesses have the resources to truly do this, and he doesn’t think they should be doing it at all.  Bonham says putting businesses in the position of asking personal information is inappropriate.

The Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Weekly Report, released Wednesday, shows decreases in daily cases and increases in hospitalizations and deaths from the previous week.  The OHA reported 4,108 new daily cases of COVID-19 during the week that ended Sunday, a 16% decrease from the previous week.  New COVID-19 related hospitalizations rose to 265, up from 245 last week.  Reported COVID-19 related deaths rose to 57, up from 31 last week, the highest weekly death toll in 10 weeks.  There were 103,155 tests for COVID-19 for the week that ended May 15, a 7% decrease from last week.  The percentage of positive tests rose from 6.1% to 6.4%.

Intermountain Conference Baseball Semi-Final Hood River Valley 11, Redmond 0:  Mason Spellecy and Nolan Ryan drove in two runs apiece as the Eagles won their seventh straight game and advance to the conference tournament title game.  Spellecy also pitched a no-hitter in the game shortened to five innings, his second straight after pitching a six-inning no-hitter against The Dalles last week.  The Eagles will visit Pendleton for the tourney championship game on Saturday at noon.   Intermountain Conference Softball Semi-Final Ridgeview 15, Hood River Valley 0, 4 innings   Boys Basketball Seton Catholic 63, Columbia 53:  The Bruins’ Issac Wang led all scorers with 19 points. Napavine 78, Stevenson 31   Wrestling Ridgeview 54, Hood River Valley 12:  Carson Farlow and Lane Chandler scored wins by fall for HRV.