Washington 14th District State Representative Chris Corry has prefiled a road safety plan bill that targets reducing lane departure accidents and fatalities in rural communities.  The Washington Traffic Safety Commission has identified lane departure problems as one of the top causes of serious injuries on Washington’s roadways, especially in rural areas.  The 14th District lawmaker’s proposal would establish the “Reducing Rural Roadway Lane Departure Safety Program” designed to help prevent lane departure vehicle crashes and fatalities.  House Bill 1605 would establish a program at the Washington State Transportation Department that allows high-risk areas to request installation of several types of highway improvements, including painting wider markings on roads, visible for vehicles with lane departure technology, improving lighting and signage, applying surface road treatments, removing or relocating fixed objects in the right of ways and widening roadway shoulders and/or modifying roadway design.  Funding for the program would be provided every biennium in the state’s transportation budget.

Trainings this past this fall has led to the activation of a Columbia River Gorge Trauma Response Team in December.  Belinda Ballah of the Hood River County Health Department says 20 volunteers from throughout the Gorge have been responding to a number of incidents since the start of December to help those in need of emotional support after a traumatic event.  Ballah says team members are usually called in by law enforcement or first responders who have arrived at the scene who realize they can use someone to assist with emotional support.

The difficulty for road crews to keep Interstate 84 open through the Gorge during severe winter storms are the reasons those of us who live here already know about. Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Don Hamilton says the series of micro-climates in the region with varied elevations lead to varied weather conditions to challenge maintenance crews, require them to use a variety of tools available to them to keep the freeway clear of ice, snow, and debris. ODOT was able to reopen Interstate 84 between The Dalles and Troutdale at around 9 p.m. Monday after being closed nearly all of that day.

Interstate 84 remains closed between The Dalles and Troutdale as a winter storm hammered the Gorge, and the Oregon Department of Transportation can’t give an estimate on when it will reopen.  ODOT spokesman Don Hamilton said as of late Monday morning they were removing the last of the trucks that had spun out in the Gorge.  Hamilton added they will reopen the freeway as soon as it is safe to do so, but he can’t give a specific answer at this point.  ODOT reports conditions on Mount Hood also remain dangerous with blowing snow and poor visibility on Highways 26 and 35, particularly at the higher elevations.  The Washington State Department of Transportation closed Highway 14 from the Hood River Interstate Bridge westward to Washougal to all traffic in both directions Monday morning, and there is no estimated time for it to reopen.  

There hasn’t been an officially diagnosed case of COVID-19 in Klickitat County attributable to the Omicron variant, but Public Health Director Erinn Quinn suspects it is out there.  Quinn noted there was a jump in COVID cases in Klickitat County over the weekend, with 27 over the three-day holiday period.  Hospital issues remain the primary concern, with Quinn adding having the variant circulating along with the arrival of flu season combining for the potential to tax the health system.

Wasco County is seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases. North Central Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell says it’s been over the past week that cases have increased. McDonell says they are starting to see spikes within three to five days of people getting together. She adds the district is planning to offer more vaccination clinics in the upcoming days and weeks. Go to ncphd.org to learn more and sign up.

The Oregon Department of Forestry will receive more than $2.2 million in federal funds to help cover costs from fighting the August 2020 Mosier Creek Fire that destroyed eight homes and threatened hundreds of others.  The offices of Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley made the announcement on Thursday.  The $2.22 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is for state Forestry Department expenses for the fire that began on August 12, 2020, two miles south of Mosier.  The fire grew over two days to 985 acres, threatening 662 residences, one commercial property, along with power lines, and natural resources.  Eight residences and 28 other structures, along with some outbuildings, were destroyed by the blaze.

Columbia Gorge Community College is going through the process of getting its aviation maintenance program approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.  CGCC Dean of Career and Technical Education Mary Kramer says they are working with the FAA to ensure the curriculum is to the agency’s liking and that all required processes and procedures are in place.  Kramer says the FAA reviewed the initial documents CGCC submitted and returned them this week.  The college will make edits the FAA has requested, resubmit, and then the agency will visit the school to do a teaching observation and a complete inspection of facilities.  Kramer adds the goal is to have the program certified in mid-March and starting it this summer.

Klickitat County Undersheriff Tim Neher has announced that he will run for the sheriff’s position in the upcoming 2022 election.  In a statement announcing his candidacy, Neher said the Sheriff’s Office is facing many challenges to overcome, including over half of the deputies in the department being able to retire, the law enforcement field becoming more challenging, and a growing Klickitat County population leading to increasing calls for service.  Neher has worked for the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office since January 2010, with ten years as a patrol deputy, about 18 months as a detective, and the last 7 months as Undersheriff.  Prior to entering law enforcement, Neher says he worked in the corporate world in various supervisory and management positions.

Fishing for steelhead will remain closed into next year for the mainstem Columbia River from The Dalles Dam upstream to the Oregon-Washington border and in all or parts of several mid-Columbia tributaries, including the Deschutes, John Day, Umatilla, and Walla Walla River in Oregon to protect the summer steelhead return that includes ESA-listed fish.  Summer steelhead from 2021’s record low upriver run remain present in the mainstem Columbia and tributaries above The Dalles Dam.  The passage of approximately 67,750 fish at Bonneville Dam this year was 70 percent of the forecast and the lowest return on record.  The extended closure is meant to protect this run of fish that started entering the Columbia River in July 2021 and passed Bonneville Dam through October.  These fish are still making their way through the river system to the upper Columbia, Snake River and tributaries.  While recent summer steelhead returns have been poor, there are hopeful signs that conditions for salmon and steelhead may improve in the Columbia Basin in coming years.  The Pacific Northwest is in a La Nina cycle this season.  That means cooler ocean temperatures and more rain and snow that may help alleviate the drought and improve habitat conditions for salmon and steelhead.