AARP has given a $20,000 Community Challenge grant to a community kitchen project in Mosier.  Marie Mourou is a chef involved with the community kitchen.  She notes that about 35-percent of Mosier’s population is age 50 or older, and one in three people in the Columbia River Gorge are food insecure.  The plan is to build a community kitchen in the city’s community center to provide space to prepare free weekly meals, plus host a food pantry and some commercial uses.

With Wasco, Hood River, and Sherman counties all currently meeting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standards for being at high risk of COVID-19 infection, the CDC is recommending people resume mask-wearing indoors in public and on public transportation.  North Central Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell says while the recent variants are more contagious than others during the pandemic, we have many more tools to combat COVID-19 masks are effective in reducing transmission, and masks are one of those.  McDonell also emphasized the importance of vaccinations to help reduce the impact of COVID-19.  The latest NCPHD statistics show just 42.5 percent of Wasco County residents have received a booster shot.

Wasco County will include rules dealing with the potential for the location of psilocybin grow and service centers in its land use ordinance revisions that are currently being developed.  Voters in Oregon approved setting up the controlled use of psilocybin mushrooms for treatment in 2020.  County Planner Kelly Howsley-Glover told County Commissioners it’s important to get the rules in place by the end of the year, after which the state will start taking licenses for the facilities.  Proposed local ordinances include codifying state rules for the manufacture of psilocybin, similar to what is place for marijuana, and adding local provisions for the service centers to be indoors in commercial zones only, with buffers from residences and schools.  These rules would only impact the unincorporated areas of Wasco County.

The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a pair of armed robberies of cannabis retail locations in Carson and Stevenson.  The first occurred just after 11 p.m. on May 26 when two men wearing dark clothing and masks entered the Forbidden Cannabis Club on 1171 Wind River Highway, with the Sheriff’s Office saying one appeared to be armed with a semi-automatic handgun ordered the clerk to empty the cash register and safe at gunpoint.  The suspect with the gun is described as a heavy set male, wearing a blue jacket, gray hoodie, black gloves, black mask, jeans, and dark colored boots.  The second suspect was a smaller adult male wearing a two-tone blue jacket, blue shorts over blue sweats, wearing a gray hoodie and mask.  The other robbery occurred the night of June 26, when an adult male, wearing dark clothing and mask, entered the High 5 Cannabis store in Stevenson.  The suspect presented a semi-automatic handgun and ordered the clerk to empty the cash register and then the safe.  He was described as light skinned with a medium build, wearing a black hoodie, black mask, black gloves, and carrying a dark colored backpack.  If you have any information on these subjects, contact the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office at (509) 427-9490.    

A 25-year-old man was sentenced in Wasco County Circuit Court to 140 months in prison for his role in a violent robbery and kidnapping in February in The Dalles.  Judge Janet Stauffer issued consecutive 70 month sentences for the robbery, burglary, and kidnapping charges to Dakota James Christopher Glenn, plus another 13 months for a previous charge of failing to perform the duties of a driver.  Of the 153 total months, Glenn must serve 140 months with no possibility of a reduction under Oregon’s Measure 11 statute.  The Wasco County District Attorney’s office says that on February 9, Glenn and another person confronted the victim at gunpoint, ransacked his home, stole some of the possessions he had, and then forced him from his home by threatening him with a gun and making him accompany them across town.  Glenn fled to California after the incident, where has was apprehended.  Stauffer remarked that Glenn had committed a terrifying crime, has repeatedly shown that he has no respect for the law, and is a danger to the community.

North Central Public Health District says COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are up in Wasco County and across the state, and the district is encouraging the public to wear masks in indoor settings.  Hospitals in The Dalles and Hood River before the holiday weekend had nine patients who had COVID-19.  NCPHD says Wasco County recorded 31 COVID cases last Tuesday and 10 each on Wednesday and Thursday.  Actual case counts are likely considerably higher due to use of home tests.  The county, like most of the rest of the state, has a high rate of community transmission of COVID, according to the latest Oregon community transmission map.  High transmission is considered having a seven-day test positivity rate of 10 percent or higher, and having more than 100 cases per 100,000 population over the past seven days.  In Wasco County, 42.5 percent of eligible people have gotten a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.  Since immunity wanes over time, boosters are highly recommended to reduce the risk of a severe outcome from COVID.  NCPHD offers free vaccines Wednesdays and Fridays.  Call 541-506-2600 to book an appointment.

The Hood River Police Department reports two seizures of fentanyl over the holiday weekend.  On Monday, a Hood River Police Officer stopped a vehicle for a minor traffic infraction, and during the course of the investigation, a large amount of suspected, pure uncut fentanyl and fentanyl pills were seized along with a significant amount of methamphetamine and heroin.  A large amount of cash, ammunition and a restricted weapon were seized as well.  The male driver was lodged at NORCOR on several drug related charges and identity theft.  The day before, another traffic stop determined the male individual had an outstanding warrant and he was also in possession of a substantial amount of methamphetamine and some suspected fentanyl pills.  The man was booked and lodged at NORCOR.

Fire crews on Monday dealt with some small fires in the Mid-Columbia Region.  Among them:  a late evening fire at the Ferry Landing near Dallesport that did get into some trees.  Mid-Columbia Fire & Rescue crews responded to a small grass fire shortly before 8 p.m. at the Mayer State Park boat basin.  And on Monday afternoon there was a 1/6 of an acre fire on top of Satus Pass northeast of Goldendale.  In all three cases, the fires were quickly brought under control.

The Dalles Public Works crews and contractors will apply fog seal next week to all streets that received chip seal treatment last month.  These fog seal projects will require short duration road closures between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at each location.  Detours will be in place during work hours.  This road work is expected to extend the service life of the pavement structure.  Proceed with caution in those areas during construction times and observe all temporary traffic control devices.   A full list of projects and a 2022 The Dalles Pavement Preservation Program map can be viewed at thedalles.org/transportation.

Hood River’s Urban Renewal Agency heard from City staff and consultants on their recommendation for a concept for the Heights Streetscape project.  The suggested alternative is a hybrid of two other proposals that would convert the existing one-way traffic on 13th Street to two-way traffic while maintaining one-way traffic on 12th Street.  12th Street would have diagonal parking and a two-way protected bike lane and 13th Street would have a center turn lane and on-street parking on one side of the street.  The intersection at 13th and May would be controlled with a roundabout and the intersection at 13th and Belmont would have a traffic signal.  City Planner Dustin Nilsen noted the concept would be used to develop a preferred design along with incorporating public input from a recent open house and surveys.  URA board members did express concern about whether the Oregon Department of Transportation would sign off a such a plan, as 12th and 13th are a state highway, noting they didn’t want to spend money on a plan that might not meet ODOT approval.  The URA board made no decisions on the concept recommendation.