Oregon residents with a vehicle registration, permit or driver license expiring between November 1 and April 30 will have up to three months after their expiration date without being cited by law enforcement for an expired license or tags.  The Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon law enforcement agencies agreed to the new grace period as DMV catches up with a backlog due to COVID-19 restrictions.  Under the agreement, Oregon law enforcement officers will exercise more discretion for recently expired licenses and registration before choosing whether to write a citation.  Law enforcement can verify the status of a driver or vehicle registration electronically during a traffic stop.  A law enforcement moratorium under Senate Bill 1601 from an Oregon Special Legislative Session last summer will expire at the end of the year.

Washington 14th District Representative Gina Mosbrucker of Goldendale will serve as the lead Republican of the House Public Safety Committee.  That committee considers issues relating to law enforcement agencies, crime prevention, criminal penalties and sentencing, impaired driving, registration and civil commitment of sex offenders, and adult correctional programs and institutions.  Mosbrucker retains a leadership position on the House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee as assistant ranking Republican.  She also has been chosen to serve on the House Capital Budget Committee.

The Oregon Health Authority announced that 4,475 health care workers had been vaccinated in the first week of the state’s COVID-19 immunization program.  The new data are part of a new public data dashboard showing the status of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination effort.  The dashboard will provide updates on the number of people partially and fully vaccinated, along with key demographic information showing race, ethnicity, sex and age of everyone who has been immunized.  The dashboard also shows information by county.  Currently the only people prioritized to receive the vaccine are health care workers and people who live or work in long-term care facilities, such as skilled nursing facilities.   Through December 20, Oregon has received 35,100 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, with another 25,350 doses scheduled to arrive this week.  Oregon also expects to receive an allocation of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which received Emergency Use Authorization from the federal government over the weekend.  No shipments of Moderna vaccine have arrived in Oregon yet.

Washington 14th District Representative Chris Corry, who earlier this year was elected by his Republican colleagues as assistant floor leader, has also been selected as the assistant ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee.   The panel considers fiscal matters for the state, including the biennial operating budget, the supplemental budget, and other bills with large financial impacts. Besides his role on the Appropriations Committee, Corry will serve on the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee, and the newly created House Community and Economic Development Committee.  That group will consider issues relating to community development, community investment programs, and underrepresented communities.  It will also consider issues relating to economic development and economic resiliency, including small business assistance; business financing; international trade; tourism; parks and recreation; telecommunications; and broadband; as well as emergency preparedness, response, and resiliency.

Hood River County Commissioners made are pushing to hire a COVID Response Coordinator to deal with many of the management and communication challenges of the pandemic.  County Commission Chair Mike Oates says the issues they have to deal with from the pandemic will be around for awhile.  Oates says duties could include managing economic information to businesses and distributing health information to the public, helping the health department with process and developing testing strategies, and allow other County staff to be able to focus on their other duties.  Administrator Jeff Hecksel was given the go-ahead to formulate the position and determine where funding for it will come from.          

Hood River County Health Department Director Trish Elliott told County Commissioners on Monday evening that there are 156 active COVID-19 cases as of Monday, and there will be more Tuesday.  Elliott said 248 of the 722 cases diagnosed in the County during the pandemic have been since the start of December.  She told Commissioners that Hood River County started its surge later than other parts of the state, adding with the arrival of winter they has been a shift from diagnosing one or two cases in families to all of the family, and that there have been a number of high risk outbreaks in workplaces.  Elliott says there have been 16 hospitalizations and 11 deaths related to COVID in Hood River County during the pandemic.

Oregon and Washington fishery managers have decided to continue the one adult hatchery steelhead bag limit through March 31for the ongoing fishery in the mainstem Columbia River from The Dalles Dam upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge near Pasco.  The low pre-season forecast prompted fishery managers to take a conservative approach when setting regulations for the 2020-2021 summer steelhead run.  Although the B-Index summer steelhead run is currently projected at 32,300 fish compared to the preseason expectation of 9,600 fish, fishery managers want to maintain a conservative approach.  Anglers are reminded that permanent regulations will be in effect beginning Jan. 1 for the mainstem Columbia River from the mouth upstream to The Dalles Dam and in the John Day River downstream of Tumwater Falls. See permanent regulations at http://www.eregulations.com/oregon/fishing/.

Long-term care residents and staff in Oregon began receiving COVID-19 vaccinations Monday under a statewide rollout plan that prioritizes Oregonians who have been disproportionally impacted by the pandemic.  Older adults and people with underlying health conditions are more likely to suffer life-threatening health consequences if they contract the virus.  Given that the virus is so contagious, the risks are particularly high for those who live in large group settings.   Because of this, an estimated 22,425 vaccine doses are planned for nursing facilities, and as the rollout continues, additional doses will be allocated to assisted living and residential care facilities.  The OHA says pharmacy partners set up on-site vaccination clinics at the state’s long-term care facilities as well as smaller congregate care settings.  Smaller congregate care settings include adult foster homes and group care homes.

NW Natural says its crews began the process this morning of restoring gas service to about 1,500 customers in White Salmon-Bingen, and expects to start a process for about 4,000 customers in the Hood River Valley on Wednesday that could take several days.  A statement from the company this morning said the restorations will occur in a phased approach as it works with Williams NW Pipeline, which is repairing damage to its district regulator station after a vehicle crashed into it late Sunday night, leading to the shutdown of its gas line.  NW Natural says its schedule is dependent on when Williams completes repairs.  When NW Natural can begin restoring service, technicians will be going door-to-door to affected customers.  Customers do not need to do anything, and should not relight their equipment but wait to be contacted by NW Natural.   If a customer is not home, the technician will leave a door hanger with a phone number to call to schedule a time that works, typically that same day.  NW Natural has brought in extra crews and is receiving additional assistance from other utilities through a mutual assistance program.  Customers may see employees wearing badges from NW Natural, Avista, Cascade or Puget Sound Energy.  All workers will carry ID when they arrive at customer homes and will follow COVID-19 safety protocols.  NW Natural distributed blankets to customers from the Hood River Fire Department last night and will communicate plans for additional resources and distributions later today.

Authorities are reporting COVID-19 related fatalities involving residents of Wasco and Hood River counties.  The North Central Public Health District says a third resident of the Oregon Veterans Home has died as the result of an outbreak there.  The district did not offer an age or gender of the deceased, but did say this was the 20th COVID death in Wasco County.  This person had tested positive last Monday and died the same day.  There has been 32 COVID cases linked to the Oregon Veterans Home outbreak that was first reported on October 25.   Meanwhile, the Oregon Health Authority reported that a 78-year-old woman in Hood River County who tested positive for COVID on December 6 died on Sunday.  There have now been nine COVID-19 deaths in Hood River County according to state statistics.  The OHA reported 11 new confirmed or presumptive COVID-19 cases in Wasco County ten in Hood River County in its Monday report.  Wasco County is now at 797 COVID cases for the pandemic, with 427 listed as recovered defined as 30 days without symptoms and in stable medical condition.  Hood River County is at 719 cases.  Sherman County is now at 30 with 23 recovered, and Gilliam County is at 33 cases with 21 recovered.  The OHA reported on Monday 846 new cases statewide with six deaths, moving the state’s pandemic totals to 103,755 cases and 1,347 deaths.  The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 528, which is two fewer than Sunday.  There are 121 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit beds, which is the same as Sunday.