Mid-Columbia Medical Center announced Thursday it is going to begin a process to whether to remain independent, or partner with a compatible healthcare organization that will invest in and grow the health system.  This comes in the wake of MCMC ending several aspects of their collaboration agreement with OHSU Health last month.  In a statement, MCMC officials say its Board of Trustees, in conjunction with senior and physician leadership, has begun a strategic process to evaluate potential partners based on a number of factors, including the capacity to make needed investments in a new hospital campus, the ability to achieve economies of scale and maximize access for the community, and develop information systems, expand provider care resources and create access to needed service lines.  The hospital says no decision has been made about whether to form a partnership or stay independent.  CEO Dennis Knox said it the statement that MCMC “will explore whether to remain independent, or partner with a like-minded healthcare organization that is open to collaboration and interested in further investing in the advancement of healthcare” in the region.

The Hood River County Commission will conduct a first reading on Tuesday of a proposed change to commission district boundaries that would see the Cascade Locks area move from District 1 with the Westside area to District 4 with the Upper Valley.  Commissioners are in the midst of the boundary revisions done every ten years using updated census information, but have struggled with how to best balance the population size of each district and allow for growth over the next ten years.  Commission Chair Mike Oates says after looking at a number of possible configurations, this seemed to be the best for population balance.  A public hearing will be held on the subject in February.

The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office is on track to establish a K-9 unit.  Sheriff Lane Magill says they considered a police and narcotics dog combination about a decade ago, but didn’t have the resources at the time.  But changes in law enforcement led him to reconsider it, and now they’ve committed to sending a deputy and a dog to start an eight-week training course in February.  Magill says some recent events led to the decision to move forward on a K-9 unit, noting they have had more pursuit situations in recent months, and need another tool to deal with them.  The initial cost to startup the program is $25,000.  The Sheriff’s Office is taking donations to help defray the cost of the program, those who would like to help can call the Sheriff’s Office at 541-506-2580.

The Dalles High School experienced a brief lockdown on Wednesday morning after a report was made to local law enforcement about a potential threat involving a student coming to campus with a weapon.  According to a joint statement by The Dalles Police Department and North Wasco County School District 21, the initial call occurred at 7:46 Wednesday morning, leading to law enforcement going to the school and school officials activating their procedures to put students in safe internal locations while securing all entrances and exits to the school.  After further investigation, police say it was found the threat report contained second-hand, outdated information and no direct threat had been made.  The individual in question was not located on the campus.

A bill by Washington 14th District Representative Gina Mosbrucker to require county auditors to mail a statewide and local voters’ pamphlet to registered Washington voters overseas, including military voters, was one of the first to be passed by the House this session. Mosbrucker originally introduced the bill last year and it passed the House unanimously, but failed to advance in the Senate and was returned to the House at the end of last session. During Wednesday’s floor action, lawmakers again gave unanimous approval to the bill, 95-0. The measure heads back to the Senate where the Goldendale Republican says she is optimistic it will advance to full legislative passage.

Boys Basketball

Gladstone 48, The Dalles 36

LaCenter 76, Columbia 64

  Girls Basketball

Gladstone 58, The Dalles 23

 

Hospitalization rates in the Gorge are climbing as COVID cases spike.  The North Central Public Health District reports that on January 3, there were just two people with COVID in the hospitals in The Dalles and Hood River.  But by this past Monday, there were thirteen.  District officials say not all of them are hospitalized due to COVID, but most are, with some having COVID but hospitalized for other reasons.  On Tuesday, all ten ICU beds at Mid-Columbia Medical Center and Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital were full, and 46 of the 50 non-intensive care hospital beds were full.

Oregon Second District Congressman Cliff Bentz reiterated his opposition to the Rivers Democracy Act that would add 4,700 miles of rivers in the state to the “Wild and Scenic” designation.  Bentz said on the House floor his most dire concern was the level of bureaucracy the bill would place on areas already at risk of wildfire, and delay treatment activities needed now.  Bentz also felt there was inadequate local input in the bill’s creation, and a lack of protections for sustainable use of the land surrounding the watersheds.  Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley introduced the bill last year.  They say it would expand access to jobs-creating recreation statewide, reduce wildfire risks, and protect existing property, grazing and irrigation rights.

A bill sponsored by Washington 14th District Representative Gina Mosbrucker to require the state commerce department and the Utilities and Transportation Commission to hold annual stakeholder meetings to discuss the adequacy of the state’s energy resources received a committee hearing on Tuesday.  Mosbrucker says the purpose would be to prevent rolling blackouts experienced by California and Texas.  The measure would require this year’s meeting to specifically address locations in Washington that would be at risk of inadequate electric supplies, and policy recommendations to prevent rolling blackouts and identify incentives to enhance energy adequacy and reliability.

Hood River County health officials say they are seeing an increase in people seeking out either a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or a booster shot.  County COVID-19 Response Coordinator Daron Ryan says a combination of the end of the holidays and the transmissibility of the Omicron variant has led to a bump in demand.  She says over 88 percent of the County’s population over the age of 18 have been vaccinated, and 42 percent has received either a third dose or booster.  Ryan says figures for pediatric vaccinations are harder to determine, but she added the County’s health partners have administered a large amount of those shots, and demand has slowed.