Klickitat County Fire District 3’s Station 32 at Cherry Lane experienced a catastrophic roof failure on Thursday.  Nobody was inside the building at the time of collapse, but there was a 1985 GMC reserve fire engine that has sustained significant damage.  Fire District 3 has been in the process of fulfilling a Capital Improvement Bond measure passed in 2018 to improve facilities and firefighter safety, so the building is currently in ‘construction phase’ and all internal contents were removed except for the engine, which was there to protect it from freezing while contract personnel were able to work around it.  Service to Snowden is still in place as part of the district’s previous construction plans.

Klickitat PUD reports most of the snow on trees and its equipment is clearing, and they’re hopeful in means they will not see continued damage to their electric system and be able restore existing power outages.  Cowlitz PUD has sent crews to help with the restoration of power.  A crew started in Trout Lake Friday morning and will move south along the Highway 141 corridor.  Another will be rebuilding structures and putting wire back on the transmission line to Glenwood, which may not be finished until Saturday.  Once the line is re-energized, they will tackle other issues in Glenwood.  A crew is also addressing outages in White Salmon, and then will move up into Snowden.  The goal is to get all of Klickitat PUD’s main lines restored, but it is likely smaller outages will not be restored until Saturday.  High winds forecast for the Gorge Monday does leave a concern of trees being blown down and hindering work.

North Central Public Health District’s COVID-19 vaccine clinic that was cancelled on Thursday due to the weather conditions has been rescheduled for Tuesday at The Dalles Civic Auditorium. Those who had an appointment on Thursday and want to keep it in the original time slot can simply show up at the Civic on Tuesday at that designated time. Those who want to cancel an appointment, or change to a different time or date, can do so through the booking link in the confirmation email or by calling North Central Public Health District at 541-506-2600. The original clinic hours were from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. but the Tuesday event at the Civic will run from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. To book an appointment go to NCPHD.org or call 541-506-2600.

All lanes of Interstate 84 are now open in both directions after a debris slide forced closure of the freeway Thursday morning between Troutdale and Hood River. The Oregon Department of Transportation says smaller slides continue in the Gorge, and the agency will monitor the freeway.  The I-84 closure occurred this morning as a result of both a debris slide at milepost 37 west of Cascade Locks, and a jackknified truck at milepost 53 in the eastbound lanes between Hood River and Cascade Locks.  The truck was removed in the morning, but cleanup on the slide continued into the early evening.      

The Hood River County Health Department’s Health Officer says there is widespread COVID-19 transmission in the County, like the rest of the nation. In a Facebook video this afternoon, Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg says they don’t have a good idea on exact numbers because of the large number of home COVID tests that aren’t reported to the County. Van Tilburg says the Omicron variant is likely the dominant variant in Oregon, adding it will probably be a less severe stage of the pandemic because of the availability of vaccines. He did say a big reason is that COVID vaccines are very effective against the variant. He added those with the most serious illnesses from Omicron are for the most part unvaccinated. Van Tilburg emphasized the importance of boosters, noting how immunity through vaccines can dissipate over time.

The Wasco County Commission reached consensus to have its staff work with North Central Public Health District to move a tent currently set up at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center to house homeless individuals with behavioral health issues that have contracted COVID-19.  The Oregon Department of Human Services provided the tent over the holidays at the request of the health district to deal with the COVID outbreak in the homeless community.  District Director Shellie Campbell says the district wants to find a location closer to services and to volunteers helping to staff it.  Campbell indicated their preference would be to move the tent, which is intended to be only used temporarily through the current COVID spike, to the lower parking lot at the NCPHD campus.

Hood River Garbage and The Dalles Disposal trucks are trying to catch up with garbage pick-up that was set back by the heavy snowfall of this week.  Jim Winterbottom of Waste Connections says the trucks are getting out there, but it is slow going, and they will work through Saturday to get back on track.  Winterbottom says they are asking customers to ensure that cans are accessible to crews.  The City of White Salmon is asking its residents to remove all garbage cans and recycling from the streets.  Republic has suspended garbage and recycling pickup due to the weather and road conditions, and garbage cans must be removed so the city can properly plow the streets.  Republic is offering free drop-off for curbside customers at Klickitat County transfer sites through January 15.  Customers will need to provide their most recent bill from Republic Services to prove they are a customer.

Columbia Gorge CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, will hold a volunteer training on January 19 and is in desperate need of people willing to help.  Executive Director Susan Erickson says with a 150 percent increase in the number of foster children in the Gorge since kids returned to classrooms in September, they need more volunteers to work with children who in some way are involved in the judicial system, and provide reports to judges overseeing cases.  To learn how to volunteer or donate to CASA, go to gorgecasa.org.  

North Central Public Health District says its vaccine clinic that was set for Thursday at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center is changing locations. It will be held instead at The Sunshine Mill. Those with appointments will get an email notifying them of this change, and appointment times will not change. Signage will be posted at the Readiness Center directing people to the new location. Also, NCPHD’s vaccine clinic scheduled for January 13 at the Readiness Center has been cancelled. Those with appointments that day can reschedule to Thursday’s clinic or to January 20. E-mail confirmations for the original appointment have a link for changing appointment times, or call NCPHD at 541-506-2600.

With winter weather conditions, The Dalles Public Works is reminding people the clearing of sidewalks is the responsibility of adjacent residents.  Citizens are asked to help by sanding or shoveling sidewalks adjacent to their home or business, with shoveled show piled on private property, not in the street.  Use only pet-friendly, child-safe, salt-free deicer, and clear stormwater catch basin grates of ice and other debris to allow melt water to flow from street gutters into the stormwater collection system.  Snow on cars parked on city streets should be removed so that plow operators will see the car.  If you need help with snow removal, call a contractor or contact a volunteer organization.