The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum has returned to seven day a week schedule.  The Discovery Center announced it will now be open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and raptors will be on display outside from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  The Discovery Center was closed for three months in the spring, and then open on weekends over the summer.  Federal funding and grants from the Oregon Cultural Trust are allowing the return to daily operation.  Regular programs, raptor presentations, and the Kids Explorer Room are not currently operating to avoid people congregating.  Discovery Center Executive Director Carolyn Purcell says their roof repair project is now underway and will be completed before winter weather arrives.

The North Central Public Health District reported Wednesday that a 12th person connected to the COVID-19 outbreak at Flagstone Senior Living in The Dalles has died, and Hood River County has reported its first COVID fatality.  The North Central district indicated the person who died in the Flagstone outbreak passed away on Monday at a Portland hospital, with the Oregon Health Authority confirming an 80-year-old Wasco County woman died that day at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland.  The OHA said she had underlying conditions.  Hood River County Health Department Health Officer Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg said in a Facebook post the death in Hood River County was a person in their 90’s.  The OHA has not yet offered further details.        The deaths connected to Flagstone have occurred among residents of the facility’s memory support unit, where all 30 residents tested positive for COVID-19, along with staff and family of staff.  All memory support unit residents were transferred to Emerson House Portland, a facility that specializes in Memory Care and has a dedicated COVID-19 wing.  The district says that was done to ensure the appropriate level of care is available to those residents, as Flagstone has experienced staffing shortages in the wake of the outbreak.  Wasco County has now had 15 deaths related to COVID-19.

The Columbia River Gorge Commission voted 9-2 to approve the final package of revisions to the National Scenic Area Management Plan in its Gorge 2020 process.  That includes urban area boundary revision guidelines with a cumulative limitation for any one urban area’s increase to 50 acres or 2% of its land base, whichever is less, that has drawn the ire of officials in The Dalles and Wasco County in particular.  Gubernatorial appointee to the Commission Dan Ericksen, a former Wasco County Commissioner, was one of the no votes on the package along with Skamania County representative Tamara Kaufman.  Ericksen said before his vote that the boundary revision guidelines are inconsistent with the Scenic Area Act.  But fellow gubernatorial appointee Bowen Blair said the cap has a precedent in the plan’s recreation resort amendment, and that he was confident the City of The Dalles would be able to make its case to future commissions.  Wasco County representative Rodger Nichols gave a “reluctant” yes vote to the package but said he remained “bitterly opposed” to the 50 acre cap.  

Hood River City Councilors and County Commissioners received a briefing on the efforts of the County’s Energy Council as it looks to reduce use of carbon sources of power and develop local energy resilience and independence.  Energy Council member Alexia Kelly told the group there is an on-going “sea change” in energy technology and costs.  She said solar and wind are now the lowest cost resources on the power grid, so investor-owned utilities and others are now making significant procurement of those options.  Marla Harvey of the Mid-Columbia Economic Development District said they are currently trying to understand the financial impacts of power outages on businesses.  And Jeni Hall of Energy Trust of Oregon discussed studies into a solar and storage project in the Hood River Valley.

Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped to 8% in September while the state added 5,100 jobs, but state employment officials say the pace of economic improvements is slowing.  Oregon Employment Department Economist Gail Krumenauer says that follows a national trend.  She added while some sectors are bouncing back, others are not, most notably manufacturing.  Krumenauer says manufacturing employment is down by 18,000 jobs from where it was in Oregon last year.      

Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced the formation of an advisory group to help with the state’s recovery from COVID-19.  Inslee said the Washington Recovery Group will operate under the Officer of Financial Management.  The governor says the group won’t necessarily be developing specific recovery policies, but will provide feedback and be crucial in implementing them.  Priorities will include education, child care, health care, community and social services, housing, small business, jobs, unemployment, energy, and utilities.  Members of the group will come from state agencies, boards, commissions, tribal partners, local agencies, and the private sector.  Inslee said they will be guided by principles of equity and social justice in making decisions.

New and updated statistics about COVID-19 come out every day, but how should people respond to them?  Hood River County Health Department Health Officer Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg says it can be difficult for health professionals like himself to interpret them, so he understands how confusing it can be for the general population.  His recommendation is for people not to use the numbers to guide day to day behavior, but to consistently follow safe practices by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and washing hands frequently.  Van Tilburg adds the numbers change even when there are no new cases because more is learned about cases already reported.

The Wasco County Assessor’s office says property tax statements will be mailed beginning on Friday.  One of the changes this year is a noticeable decrease in the taxes imposed.  Assessor Jill Amery says this is due mainly to the retirement of the retirement of bonds issued by former The Dalles School District 12 to construct The Dalles Middle School.  Tax payments are due November 16 this year due to the 15^th falling on Sunday.  Payment in full by November 16 receives a 3% discount.  In an effort to prevent, slow and stop the spread of the coronavirus, the assessor’s office has installed a new payment drop box outside of the Wasco County Courthouse on 5^th Street.  Payments can also be made at the drop slot in the door to the assessor’s office in Room 208 of the courthouse, mailed to the US Bank Processing Center in Portland with the payment coupon included on the tax statement, or online payment options are also available.  Go to the Wasco County website for complete details.

North Wasco County School District 21 is now taking applications to fill the vacant Zone 7 position on its board.  Applicants must be a legally registered voter, resident within the school district for one year immediately preceding the appointment, and a current resident of Zone 7, which is at the eastern end of The Dalles.  Applications, a Zone 7 map and description may be found at nwasco.k12.or.us.  Those interested should submit a completed application to the District Superintendent’s Office at 3632 West 10th Street in The Dalles or email Cindy Miller at millerc@nwasco.k12.or.us.  The deadline to submit a Zone 7 vacant position application is November 6 at 4:00 p.m.  

Hood River County Emergency Management Director Barb Ayres told County Commissioners and Hood River City Councilors during a joint meeting on energy and emergency preparedness that there is a lack of backup power for key services.  Ayres says the list of facilities without backups for when electricity goes out is large.  Ayres did say she has written several grants to try to address the issue, and has received a couple of small ones.  She emphasized the importance of power within emergency response, cutting across all sectors.