Tourism in The Dalles appears to have picked back up this summer.  The Dalles Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson says lodging statistics for the last few weeks indicate room stays are up, with larger hotels full on weekends and smaller lodgers at 70 to 80 percent of capacity.  Farquharson says they aren’t seeing long-term stays, and walking and vehicle traffic in town is good.  But she adds what is still to be determined is whether those visitors are spending money in the same manner as in years past.

The effort to replace the Hood River/White Salmon Interstate Bridge received a financial boost during legislative sessions in both Oregon and Washington.  Port of Hood River special projects director Kevin Greenwood says both states appropriated five million dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funds to go along with a similar amount from a federal transportation build grant to help move past the current environmental impact statement process and into engineering work.  Greenwood says they have most of the environmental impact work done, with the last area to be worked through is the cultural, recreational, and historic structures impact.

A study commissioned by the Klickitat County Childcare Committee has underscored the lack of child care options in the county.  The recently released reports shows In Goldendale, licensed childcare availability meets the needs of just 30 percent of children under age six.  There are zero licensed providers for infants and toddlers and one Head Start program for preschoolers.  That percentage is even worse from a county-wide perspective as only 15 percent of children under age six have access to a licensed childcare provider.  The total unmet need in Goldendale was 175 children under age six who have parents in the workforce.  Across the county, that number increased to 659, including 329 infants and toddlers and 330 preschool-aged children.  The childcare committee has been working to promote the opportunity to become licensed and create new in-home care options and centers to support families and businesses.

The Oregon Department of Forestry says the Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) for private, state, and municipal lands protected by ODF west of Highway 35 within the Central Oregon District boundary has been moved up to Level 3.  ODF protected lands east of Highway 35 within the District boundary were already at Level 3.  Information regarding fire season requirements for industrial operations is available at https://gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/firerestrictions/ifpl.html, or contact The Dalles Office at 541-296-4626.  A regulated-Use Closure is in effect for the Central Oregon District.  Fireworks and campfires, including cooking fires are not allowed within the district boundary.

Klickitat County Fire District 3 says Thursday’s brush fire in White Salmon was contained at about seven acres.  In a Facebook post, the district indicated the majority of the fuel for the fire was uncut grass, Scotchbroom and blackberries.  One structure that had heavy fuels up against it started to burn, but that was stopped.  Fire officials note Scotchbroom is an oily organic and can be explosive in hot and windy weather.  They emphasize the need to have defensible space on properties to protect structures.  Along with Fire District 3, crews from White Salmon, Bingen, Trout Lake, Skamania County Fire Districts 1 and 3, the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, and the Washington Department of Natural Resources were all involved in the firefighting effort.  The Facebook post said the cause of the fire has been determined to be human caused and the investigation is closed.  

Washington Senator Patty Murray has included a number of local projects in her Congressionally-directed spending requests for the upcoming fiscal year.  Among them, $2.5 million for Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation to help leverage state and local resources for the construction of a 52 unit assisted living facility in western Klickitat County.  Also on the list:  $2.5 million for Klickitat Valley Health in Goldendale to modernize its central utility plant, $200,000 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study construction of tribal housing in the John Day Pool, and $100,000 to the Corps to study tribal housing in the Bonneville Pool.  She also joined with fellow Washington Senator Maria Cantwell and Oregon’s Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley requesting $1.2 million for the Corps of Engineers to identify a suitable location to build a tribal village near The Dalles Lock and Dam.  The Senate Appropriations Committee, on which Murray is the second-ranking Democrat, will make the funding decisions, with a total cap of about $1.5 billion.

The free mobile COVID-19 vaccine clinic at St. Mary’s Academy in The Dalles has just four more days of operation.  The clinic at 1112 Cherry Heights Road will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  No appointments are needed at the mobile clinic.  It offers free Pfizer vaccine, for those 12 and up, and Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and people can walk-up or drive-through.  People who live in Wasco County or out of state people who work in Wasco County, and their age-eligible family members, receive a $50 gift card.  North Central Public Health District says over 1,300 doses of vaccine have been administered through the clinic, and as of last Saturday over 25,000 doses have been administered in Wasco, Sherman, and Gilliam counties by various entities.

Peace Corps volunteers are going door to door in The Dalles to spread the word about the mobile COVID-19 vaccine clinic at St. Mary’s Academy that is entering its final week.  The clinic is open daily through Wednesday, except for Monday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.  The volunteers work in teams of two, and they concentrate on apartment complexes, so they can reach the most people in the quickest time.   They have identified some 500 affordable housing units to visit.  Peace Corps team coordinator Max Sullivan says most of the volunteers are working at the vaccine clinic, while others will knock on doors and hand out flyers about the clinic.  They distribute flyers at businesses in the mornings, and start visiting apartments at around noon.  Vaccines are free, and no appointments, insurance or ID are needed at the drive-up or walk-in clinic.  Wasco County residents get a $50 VISA gift card for getting the vaccine.  Offered is the Pfizer vaccine, for those 12 and older, and the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.  Those who need a free ride to the clinic can call the LINK bus at 541-296-7595.

Klickitat Valley Health is putting a bond measure before Klickitat County Hospital District 1 voters on the August 3 ballot that is similar to one that received over 56 percent approval in November, but short of the 60 percent mark required for passage.  KVH Chief Executive Officer Leslie Hiebert says if approved, the 25-year bond will provide facility and service improvements, including a new acute care and inpatient unit, additional long-term care beds, a new surgery unit with expanded capabilities and growth space to meet future community healthcare needs.  Hiebert noted this is meant to take the hospital through the next two decades.  The proposed property tax levy is 68 cents per thousand dollars of assessed value.  A community information night is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Goldendale Grange, and more information is available at kvhealth.net.      

Both of Oregon’s senators and the bulk of the state’s congressional delegation wrote a letter to federal officials pushing for federal wildfire response preparedness efforts for the 2021 season be stepped up.  Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley were joined by Representatives Cliff Bentz, Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, and Suzanne Bonamici in writing the letter to the secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture departments.  In it, the lawmakers highlighted the devastation caused by last year’s wildfires, and the expectation of a similar season or worse this year.  The delegation asked for detailed plans for preparation, including personnel, resources, and coordination among agencies.