Work has begun to create a central public entrance point for Hood River Middle School.  Hood River County School District Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn says the facility has been difficult to secure because of the number of doors it has, adding to get to the main office to check-in visitors had to walk through the hallways of the school.  Polkinghorn says the work currently being done will change that.  He says in the sunken courtyard between the old school building and the newer sixth grade wing, a new connection between the two is being built that will include a new main office, and it will become the school entrance.  The project should be finished sometime during the holiday season.

Hood River County Commissioners will have planning staff look at time, place, and manner regulations related to psilocybin product manufacturers and service centers.  In 2020 Oregon voters passed a measure to allow psilocybin to be used for clinical purposes within supervised and licensed facilities, and the Oregon Health Authority will start receiving applications in 2023.  County Commission Chair Mike Oates says they would like to craft their own regulations rather than just using what the state is putting together, noting the amount of high-value farm use lands in the County.  In addition, there was concern that state-developed regulations might not be as sensitive to buffering issues near facilities such as schools in unincorporated areas.

For employers, finding employees remains difficult.  The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson says it doesn’t matter whether it is a front-entry job or administration, getting applicants has been a challenge.  Farquharson says the shortage of employees has forced some businesses to adjust and shorten their hours and cut some services.  She adds there are many different factors, ranging from people being able to work from home to housing costs in the Gorge, but adds this is a nationwide issue, and businesses are having to adapt to it.  

With large numbers of people recreating in the Hood River Marina and Waterfront areas, the Port of Hood River is reminding people to keep in mind water safety.  The Port’s interim executive director Genevieve Scholl says they’ve been using signage and other information outlets to remind people how the Columbia River have underwater currents and very steep drop-offs.  Adding to the safety issues this summer are higher than usual Columbia River water levels.

A contingent of local officials will be in Washington, D.C. this week lobbying for federal funds for replacement of the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge.  An application for a 195 million dollar federal grant was submitted a few weeks ago.  Hood River Mayor Kate McBride, White Salmon Mayor Marla Keethler, Klickitat County Commissioner Jacob Andersom. Port of Hood River Commissioner Mike Fox, and bridge replacement director Kevin Greenwood are all taking part.  The Port’s Genevieve Scholl says Congressional representatives in the region have expressed support for the grant in a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.  Scholl said there should be a decision on the application by the end of the year.

A driver was arrested Sunday morning after a reported hit and run near 10th and Cherry Heights in The Dalles.  According to The Dalles Police Department, the suspect vehicle sideswiped another vehicle and continued to drive on 10th Street, weaving badly and leaving its lane.  With help from the victim, who continued to follow the suspect, officers intercepted the suspect vehicle and pulled it over.  The suspect was transported to NORCOR and took a breath test with a result of 0.29% blood alcohol content, which is over three times the legal limit.  The driver was booked into NORCOR on charges of hit and run with property damage and driving under the influence of intoxicants.  The incident occurred just before 9 a.m. Sunday.  The Dalles Police Department says it has made 28 DUII arrests so far this year.  

A 36-year-old White Salmon woman died in a one-vehicle accident on Highway 141 in Klickitat County on Sunday.  According to the Washington State Patrol, the pickup driven by 36-year-old Irina Jasiukonis was going southbound on Highway 141 at milepost 4 when it went over the center line.  The WSP says the vehicle went onto the northbound shoulder, and then overcorrected and traveled back across the lane and off the embankment.  Jasiukonis was pronounced deceased at the scene.  The accident occurred at about 12:25 on Sunday afternoon.

The Oregon State Police reports a motorist from Antelope who had not returned home as expected has been found dead in his vehicle off Highway 293.  According to an OSP statement issued Monday morning, the agency received the report that 35-year-old Nilton Vilchez Cardenas was missing on Thursday night.  The car was located off Highway 293 in a marsh area concealed by tall weeds, and Cardenas was found deceased in the vehicle.  Witnesses reported the driver passed them on the highway at a high rate of speed on Thursday morning around 3:00 a.m.  It appears the driver left the roadway shortly after passing the witness and rolled several times before coming to rest.  The OSP was assisted by the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

The discharge to the Columbia River from The Dalles Wastewater Treatment Plant has returned to compliance with permit limits for E. coli as of Sunday morning.  The average of five samples taken throughout the day on Saturday at the City discharge point to the river were within limits.  The delay in reading out the test results was due to the 24-hour incubation time that the test requires.  Recent Columbia River samples show that E. coli levels at the sample locations were well below bacterial criteria set by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for freshwater recreation.  Signs which were placed at locations of public river access on the Oregon shore of the Columbia River on Thursday to warn of contaminated water were taken down Sunday morning.  The Dalles Public Works Department was in communication with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and local health department officials to coordinate demobilization.

With the June authorizations of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for both the 6 months to 5 years age group and the 6-17 age group, North Central Public Health District has switched to offering only the Moderna vaccine to everyone ages 6 months and up.  For both age groups, the vaccine is a two-dose series, given 28 days apart.  NCPHD officials say they opted to go exclusively with Moderna for two reasons.  One is to offer a vaccine choice to the community, since most other entities are offering only the Pfizer vaccine.  The other is to simplify the COVID vaccine system to maintain the agency’s track record of avoiding vaccine errors.  By offering only Moderna, NCPHD has just three vaccine formulations to consider.  With Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, it would have been eight.  NCPHD offers vaccinations free to everyone Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.  Please call 541-506-2600 to make an appointment.