The Klickitat County Health Department says a fourth county resident has died as a result of COVID-19.  According to a health department statement, an 86-year-old individual from Goldendale tested positive for COVID-19 on December 24, and was taken to Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles, where the individual died on Sunday.  The department says it is unknown at this time if the individual had underlying health issues that affected their health in addition to having COVID-19.  This was the first COVID related death in the County since April.  The department is investigating any and all close contacts or possible exposures related to this individual.   At this time, it appears that the case was related to community transmission.

The Hood River County Health Department says it has received its first doses of COVID-19 vaccine for distribution to Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital, and local EMS and law enforcement staff for state guidelines.  A statement from the department says the current amount of vaccine received will not cover all those to receive vaccines in Phase 1a.  Walgreens has been contracted to distribute and administer vaccine to the County’s long term care facilities and they have begun scheduling visits.  Vaccinations of the first group of those designated Phase 1a from EMS and Law Enforcement are to take place Tuesday.  The County says it hopes to receive vaccine weekly and will continue to administer it to all those designated in Phase 1a.

New Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan was sworn into office Monday at a small ceremony on the steps of Dufur School, delivering inaugural remarks from the classroom she attended fourth grade in.  KTVZ in Bend reports Fagan’s oath was administered on the steps of the school by Judge Janet Stauffer, a Dufur resident.   Fagan, who was raised by a single father in Dufur and The Dalles, said in her remarks that she struggled early on both at home and in school, but her fourth grade teacher in Dufur saw her potential and invited her into his after-school chess club, and she eventually became the first girl in Oregon to win the state championship in her division.  Fagan was joined at the ceremony by her two children, her fiancé, and her aunt.

The recreational sturgeon season in The Dalles Pool of the Columbia River from The Dalles Dam upstream to John Day Dam closed Monday night under rules announced earlier in the day by fishery managers from Oregon and Washington.  The states are closing the sturgeon sport fishery to retention since the current catch guideline of 135 fish was exceeded in the first two days of fishing.  Catch rates were very good with an estimated 191 fish harvested the first two days of the year.  Sturgeon fishing remains open in the Bonneville and John Day pools, where the guidelines are 500 and 105 fish, respectively.  Retention sturgeon fishing is closed below Bonneville Dam and below Willamette Falls under permanent sport fishing regulations.  Except for specific sanctuaries, catch-and-release sturgeon fishing remains open in all of these waters, even when retention seasons are closed.

Mt. Hood Meadows officials say they have suspended the passes of some people at the ski report for not complying with masking guidelines and hostile behavior towards employees who ask them to wear their masks.  In a press release posted on the skihood.com website, General Manager Greg Pack confirmed they have removed some people from the mountain and that lift attendants have taken the brunt of hostile behavior.  Pack adds that moving forward if a skier needs to be reminded to wear a mask they will receive a warning, and if they are disrespectful or treat resort employees poorly their pass will be suspended for a minimum of two weeks.  Offenders will need to meet with Meadows management and agree to comply with the resort’s masking guidelines before a pass is reactivated.   If there are any further issues, the pass will be pulled for the entire season, and future season pass purchases will be jeopardized.  Mask compliance is required throughout the resort – on shuttles, in parking lots, in lodges, in lift lines, on chairlifts and all other outdoor locations where someone cannot maintain six feet of distance from those not in their party.  Meadows Chairman and CEO Matthew Drake said he appreciates the vast majority of guests who are complying with the guidelines.

A Washington man died in a three-vehicle accident on Sunday morning on Highway 26 in southern Wasco County.  According to the Oregon State Police, a preliminary investigation shows a pickup truck operated by 33-year-old Ryan Ranson of Lake Stevens, Washington was eastbound near milepost 77 when it sideswiped a westbound SUV, then collided with a westbound pickup.  The OSP says Ranson sustained fatal injuries, while those in the other two vehicles were not injured.  The accident occurred at about 11:50 Sunday morning, and Highway 26 was closed for about five-and-a-half hours to conduct the investigation.  The OSP was assisted by the Oregon Department of Transportation, Warm Springs Fire and Rescue, and the Warm Springs Police Department.

Columbia Gorge Children’s Advocacy Center, which serves as a single point of contact for child abuse victims in Wasco, Hood River, Klickitat, Gilliam, and Wheeler counties, has changed its name to SafeSpace Children’s Advocacy Center of the Gorge.  Executive Director Beatriz Lynch says they changed their name to help raise their visibility in the region after 11 years in operation, but what they do won’t be changing.  SafeSpace is the Gorge’s only nonprofit that coordinates the efforts of child protection staff, law enforcement professionals, family advocates, medical experts, and mental health clinicians under one roof.  Their website is now safespacecac.org.

With Oregon Governor Kate Brown announcing just before the holidays that previous mandatory guidance about meeting county-level positivity rates and COVID-19 case counts before going to in-person learning now advisory, schools in the region are putting their plans in to place, with the larger districts waiting to make announcements.  North Wasco County School District 21 remains in distance learning with plans to issue an update the week of January 19, with Interim Superintendent Theresa Peters saying that will give the district time to absorb new guidance due from the state and gather input from parents and staff.  The Hood River County School District had indicated it would wait until its new semester at the start of February to make any change.  Schools with under 250 students were eligible to open at the beginning of the school year, and all such schools in Wasco, Sherman and Gilliam counties did so in the early weeks of fall.  Schools in Sherman and Gilliam counties are continuing in-person learning, Dufur School will be in distance learning this week with pre-schoolers returning to in-person learning next week, and schoolwide hybrid on-site learning starting January 19.  South Wasco County School District is starting this week with comprehensive distance learning, and next Monday kindergarten through eighth grade students will be in-person, with all students in person on January 19.

Oregon Second District Congressman Cliff Bentz was formally sworn in as a Member of the 117th United States Congress on Sunday.  Bentz called in an honor to represent the citizens of the district, and thanked them for entrusting him with the responsibility.  He added that he will fight every day to “protect rural communities and stand up for Oregon values in Congress.”   Bentz is a third generation Oregonian, rancher, businessman, attorney, and a former state legislator.  He was elected to represent the Second Congressional District in November to replace Greg Walden, who retired after 22 years in the seat.

According to Hood River Electric Co-op, all Co-op customers in the Parkdale/Mt. Hood area will experience a power outage from 3 to 5 Monday morning. January 4th. The scheduled outage is necessary for maintenance of equipment in their Parkdale substation. Updates will be posted on the Hood River Electric Co-op website and Facebook page.