Mid-Columbia Medical Center has closed patient visitation at its hospital and clinics as of Wednesday due to the Omicron surge.  According to an MCMC Facebook post, surgical and endoscopy patients will have a support caregiver to ensure safe discharges home.  Instructions for further care and who to call with questions will almost always occur over the telephone and discharged patients being escorted to a vehicle.  The policy is for people visiting patients at MCMC, not people who have appointments.  All appointments will continue as scheduled.  MCMC says it continues to encourage vaccination as the best defense against hospitalization and severe illness with COVID-19.

The Dalles High School Wednesday morning added its wrestling and swimming programs to its list of paused programs for the rest of the week due to an uptick in positive COVID-19 cases.  Basketball programs were paused on Tuesday.  In a statement issued on its various media platforms on Tuesday, school officials said it will continue monitoring the health of its student-athletes, with the goal for all winter athletic programs returning to practice and game action as early as Monday.

Boys Basketball Prairie 65, Hood River Valley 54: Hayden Rose scored 25 points for the Falcons, as HRV played without seven varsity players.  Emanuel Romero scored 23 points and Ethan Rivera 11 to lead the Eagles. Dufur 66, Lyle-Wishram 11 Horizon Christian 35, Grand View Christian 21   Girls Basketball Dufur 82, Lyle-Wishram 20 Horizon Christian 29, Grand View Christian 24

The Dalles High School announced Tuesday it is pausing its athletic program this week due to an uptick in positive COVID-19 cases.  In a statement issued on its various media platforms, school officials said it will continue monitoring the health of its student-athletes, with the goal for all winter athletic programs returning to practice and game action as early as Monday.  The wrestling, ski, and swim teams will continue to practice, but the school says they could be paused if needed.  The school indicated it will release new information as it becomes available.  The pause eliminated home boys’ basketball games with Aloha Tuesday night and Hood River Valley Friday night, and a girls basketball game at home with Hood River Valley on Monday.

White Salmon City Councilors will consider extending the moratorium on new short-term rental properties at their meeting on Wednesday to allow for more time to finish work on new STR regulations.  Mayor Marla Keethler says while the moratorium extension would be approved for six months, there is no intention for it to go on for that longm and the expectation is to have the new regulations adopted by their meeting on February 16.  Wednesday’s Council meeting will be held online beginning at 6 p.m.  For access information, go to white-salmon.net.

Mid-Columbia Medical Center reports it is getting some help from the Oregon National Guard.  In a Facebook post, MCMC says eight officers have been assigned there and arrived on Monday.  MCMC officials indicate they will on the main hospital campus or at Water’s Edge, performing non-clinical roles to support the hospital’s daily operations.  As a result of the Omicron-fueled COVID-19 surge, Oregon National Guard members have been deployed to hospitals across the state to provide needed staffing support.  Hospitals throughout Oregon continue to see a rising number of patients with COVID-19.

Hood River County School District Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn says they are taking things day to day as they manage the Omicron surge of COVID-19.  Polkinghorn says they are stressing the importance of staying home if showing any symptoms of illness.  He added that last week they saw an increase in the amount of COVID testing they did last week.  Polkinghorn estimated they had about a two percent absenteeism rate among both students and staff last week.

Boys Basketball

South Wasco 88, Dufur 39

Mabton 78, Goldendale 74

Girls Basketball South Wasco 50, Dufur 47

Mabton 61, Goldendale 57

Local officials pushing for a new Hood River Interstate Bridge will be making a push during the 2022 legislative sessions in Oregon and Washington to get funding from the federal Infrastrucure Investment Act to complete engineering for the project.  Port of Hood River project manager Kevin Greenwood says they are seeking $20 million from the Oregon Legislature.  But one hurdle to overcome is the fact the bridge is locally owned rather than operated by the Oregon Department of Transportation.  Greenwood says they are making the case for the unique ownership of the existing bridge.  Greenwood says progress is being made on putting together a bi-state bridge authority to oversee a new bridge, and legislation is being introduced to create it.

Washington 14th District State Representative Chris Corry has introduced legislation to reform the Governor’s emergency powers.  Corry says House Bill 1772 would give the Legislature more of a voice during extended emergencies, such as the current pandemic emergency that was declared by Governor Jay Inslee in late February of 2020.  Under Corry’s bill, states of emergency longer than 60 days would require legislative involvement, either by the full membership of both chambers or its leadership.  The bill is co-sponsored by a number of Republican representatives.