North Central Public Health District has schedule a free T-DAP vaccine clinic for July 9 to deal with an ongoing outbreak of Pertussis.  The clinic will be on July 9 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at The Dalles Middle School, and will offer free vaccinations to all persons age seven and older that are not up to date on their T-DAP vaccine.  As of July 1, there were 16 cases of Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, reported in The Dalles.  The clinic is targeted for those who are not up to date on their T-DAP vaccination, those who work closely with people vulnerable to Pertussis like infants and young children, pregnant women, and those with a weakened immune system, and those without insurance.  The vaccine is also available at doctor’s offices and pharmacies

Crews have entered the mop-up stage on the five-acre Willow Springs Fire in the Mill Creek area near The Dalles.  Rod Nichols of the Oregon Department of Forestry says quick response to the fire that was reported Wednesday morning was crucial to keep it small. ODF and other agencies put together several engines, two hand crews, and air support to fight the fire.  Nichols added conditions were such that had the fire gotten away, it could have become very large very quickly.  The fire was on a ridgeline that was at the northern edge of the Government Flats Fire two years ago.

Farmers Irrigation District in Hood River County has declared an emergency and is implementing three-and-a-half day on, three-and-a-half day off water rotation procedures in its Upper and Middle districts to address drought conditions.  District Manager Jer Camarata says the rotation schedule is an effort to cut the flow from their Kingsley Reservoir by half to help get through the drought and have water through the end of the harvest.  The lower part of the district gets irrigation water from a diversion off the Hood River.  The district is asking all of its water users to voluntarily stop watering lawns and any non-essential landscapes for the duration of the summer to help farmers.  The list of roads and their assigned days for watering is available on the Farmers Irrigation District website at fidhr.org and will be mailed to all of the district’s users, and anyone with questions can call 541-387-5261.

Local officials in Washington are urging people that if they choose to use fireworks, to do so Saturday evening at Bingen Point rather than in drier locations.  The Port of Klickitat is once again hosting the annual do-it-yourself legal fireworks event in a section of Bingen Point’s Sailboard Park in cooperation with the cities of White Salmon and Bingen, the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office, Fire District 13, and others.  White Salmon Mayor David Poucher says it will be set up for a family-friendly event, with fire engines on site and places to dispose of fireworks.  Bingen Point will be open for the do-it-yourself fireworks event Saturday evening between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.  Alcohol, weapons, drugs, pets, and illegal fireworks will not be allowed at the event.

White Salmon’s City Council and Planning Commission are planning a joint meeting later this month to discuss affordable housing issues in that community.  Mayor David Poucher says he is concerned increases in density are leading to more houses being snapped up as second homes, and it’s making it more difficult for people with average income jobs to live there.  Poucher says rentals get snapped up quickly in White Salmon, but they do have the advantage of a substantial supply of buildable land for housing.  The joint City Council/Planning Commission meeting is set for July 29, with a place and time still to be determined.  Poucher says Joel Madsen of Mid-Columbia Housing Authority will take part in the meeting.

After dealing with a hard freeze in the early winter, and heat during an early harvest in a warmer than normal late spring, in the end the Wasco County cherry crop appears to have come out in good shape.  OSU Extension Agent Lynn Long says even though his crop estimates of 25,000 tons would be around half of last year’s record haul, that would have been considered average just a decade ago, so he’s relatively pleased with it.  He adds quality has varied, noting Chelans at the start of the harvest were very good, but Bings were impacted by high heat.  Long adds mid- and late-season fruit quality has been excellent, with growers working to get them off the tree in a manner to prevent them from major heat impacts.

An air tanker has dumped three loads of retardant on a fire about three acres in size in the 9000 block area of Mill Creek near The Dalles.  David Jacobs of the Oregon Department of Forestry in The Dalles says they have lined the fire with retardant, and now hand and bulldozer crews are working to reinforce those lines.  Jacobs estimated containment at around 50 percent, adding the fire is not growing.  He says crews will continue to work the fire all night and tomorrow.  A 20 person hand crew was brought in by ODF, and one helicopter continues to drop water while a second copter is on order.  Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue has a crew at that location as well.  Smoke was reported coming from Mill Creek Ridge at about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday.  Jacobs noted it is fortunate there is no wind at the site, a ridgeline that was at the northern edge of the Government Flats Fire two years ago.  He added even though there is rugged terrain to deal with, there is a road right to the fire location.

Klickitat County Commissioners have accepted a recommendation from the County’s planning commission to place a two-year ban on new marijuana production and process facilities in unincorporated areas of the County.  Commissioner David Sauter says the constant changes in the state’s marijuana permitting process and potential growth of what could be permitted in the County was a key factor in the decision.  Sauter says the County needs a couple of years to see how the marijuana industry evolves.  He added the ban would not impact the eighteen already permitted marijuana facilities in unincorporated Klickitat County.  Under the ban, the County Planning Commission is to report every six months on any new developments.

Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue Chief Bob Palmer says they have been unable to determine an accurate cause of Tuesday’s 20-acre fire west of The Dalles between Highway 30 and Interstate 84 near Pinewood Mobile Manor.  Palmer says there was a number of cigarette butts in the area, and it’s possible a smoker throwing one out from a car could have led to the fire, but it can’t be confirmed because there are so many of them.  Palmer adds it is unlikely anyone would have intentionally started the fire at that location because of its visibility.  The fire call came in at about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.  Dallesport, Hood River, Oregon Department of Forestry, and U.S. Forest Service crews along with Klickitat County EMS were all assisting MCFR crews.

Governor Jay Inslee signed the 2015-17 Washington state budget late Tuesday night, and it includes a commitment to drop tuitions at public colleges and universities in the state by five to twenty percent.  Republican 14th District Senator Curtis King feels the high cost of tuition was deeply hurting the state’s middle class, and reducing the price of higher education had to be done.  He says it’s like a tax cut for the middle class.  The state budget backfills the loss in tuition revenue that will result from the cuts.  Republicans agreed to close some tax loopholes to pay for the tuition cut.