North Central Public Health District’s Health Officer says COVID-19 cases in Wasco, Sherman, and Gilliam counties seemed to have plateaued, but they are not going down quickly.  Dr. Mimi McDonell says the virus is circulating enough through the population that the number of new cases in the area remains steady.  She says the district still sees some days with cases numbering above 30.  McDonell did say there is an improvement in the hospitalization numbers, but she adds those facilities still have staffing issues that have not gone away.

After a year’s absence, the Hood River Hops Fest returns on Saturday.  The beer festival will run from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday in the Columbia parking lot downtown.  Hannah Settje of the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce says they will have 40 brewers on site with beers to sample, plus food vendors and musical entertainment.  She says attendees will need to wear masks and have proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours prior to the event.  There will be rapid testing on site.  Settje added ticket sales are running ahead of the pace from previous years.  For ticket information, go to visithoodriver.com.  

Forest Service fire officials have recommended the elimination of public use restrictions in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area with a reduction in fire danger.  Effective immediately, fire danger levels in the Scenic Area will be lowered from extreme to high, and campfires are now permitted.  Fire officials ask people to continue to be cautious with any and all potential ignition sources.  Vegetation, especially in the eastern gorge, remains dry and is susceptible to sparks.  Human-caused wildfire starts can exhaust local firefighting resources as many firefighters remain engaged in fighting fires across the west.

Boys Soccer The Dalles 3, Pendleton 1 Hood River Valley 8, Crook County 0   Girls Soccer Hood River Valley 6, Crook County 0 Pendleton 4, The Dalles 2 Goldendale 4, Cle Elum-Roslyn 4   Volleyball Pendleton def. Hood River Valley 24-26, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23 Redmond def. The Dalles 25-14, 25-21, 25-23 Castle Rock def. Columbia 25-18, 25-15, 25-5 South Wasco def. Horizon Christian 25-9, 25-12, 25-11 Echo def. Sherman 25-16, 25-23, 25-13 Adna def. Stevenson 3-0 Goldendale def. Highland 25-14, 25-6, 25-16

Due to the poor returns of steelhead to the Columbia River Basin, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is extending steelhead fishing closures on the Deschutes River through the end of the year.  The current forecast for steelhead above Bonneville Dam indicates that this will be one of the lowest runs on record.  ODFW monitoring shows and the Deschutes run is mirroring those elsewhere in the Columbia River Basin.  Closing steelhead fishing will provide protection for wild steelhead and ensure that hatchery broodstock and fish reintroduction programs needs are also met.  ODFW is also closing angling for coho salmon early.  This will help to reduce angling impacts when fishing with similar gear types.   These species overlap significantly, spatially and temporally in the Deschutes River.  Angling will remain open for trout in the Deschutes River from Moody Rapids upstream to the Pelton Regulating dam.

Beginning Monday, The Dalles Public Works Department will replace a damaged fire hydrant and fire hydrant valve at the intersection of E 10^th St. and Laughlin St.  The work is expected to be completed in three days.  A full road closure on E 10th St. between Federal St. and Jefferson St. will be in effect during work hours from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  All traffic can detour to E 11th St. via Federal St. and Jefferson St.  The sidewalk will remain open to pedestrian traffic during construction.  Upon completion of the project the main will be flushed through the new fire hydrant.  Occasionally main flushing causes water flowing from a tap to be discolored from stirred up sediment or milky white caused by tiny air bubbles.  Although discolored water won’t make you sick, you might want to flush the pipe by running the water for several minutes before drinking or washing.  If the water does not clear, contact the Public Works office at 541-296-5401.

The Dalles City Council spent much of their Monday meeting hearing from Public Works Director Dave Anderson and discussing Google’s water needs for a proposed new data center on the former aluminum smelter site.  Mayor Rich Mays noted the agreement that will come to Council next month calls for Google to spend an expected $28 million on improvements to the municipal water and sewer system, and the improvements will result in additional capacity for the rest of the City.  He also adds the agreement will call for Google to pay the same water and sewer rates as other industrial and commercial users in The Dalles.  Mays was part of the team that has negotiated with Google.  He says both the water agreement and a separate Strategic Investment Plan contract will come before the Council at its October 25 meeting.

The Hood River City Council authorized Mayor Kate McBride to sign an employment agreement with their selection for City Manager.  Councilors came out of executive session Monday evening and voted unanimously to have McBride sign the contract with Abigail Elder.  McBride had announced the selection of Elder two weeks ago, and negotiations have been continuing since then.  Elder is currently Beaverton’s Director of Community Services and Engagement.  She has sixteen years of local government management experience.

The Oregon State Police is looking for information about a Saturday incident on Interstate 84 in Sherman County that left a man with severe head trauma.  According to the OSP, an emergency call said a subject was lying face down in the gravel in front of his pickup that was pulling a travel trailer.  Troopers found the vehicles parked at the bottom of the exit 109 westbound off-ramp and found 38-year-old Derek Martell of Veneta behind the wheel and unresponsive.  The OSP says Martell was headed home from an elk hunting trip with friends.  Troopers found out that Martell spoke to his wife at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and there were no issues, the 9-1-1 call was received 28 minutes later, and troopers located him at 12:26.  The OSP is requesting anyone who might have been traveling from Arlington to Rufus during that time of day or anyone with information regarding the incident to contact Oregon State Police Dispatch at 1-800-442-2068 or *OSP from your mobile device, reference case #: SP21274660.  Martell was life-flighted to a hospital for treatment.

Cemetery Tales is returning in a virtual form last week.  The fundraiser for The History Museum of Hood River County was not held last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  This annual theatrical performance about influential community members from the past has been created on video for this year.  The individuals portrayed included early white settlers in the 1850s; the first Black family to live in Hood River in the 1870s; a Japanese-American man born in Parkdale but affected by internment and racism during and after World War II, and one of the first Mexican-American families to settle here in the late 1960s.  Video on demand via ShowTix4U.com is available for Friday through Sunday, and the video can be viewed for a 48-hour period once you start watching.  Tickets are $15 for an individual or $25 for a family or group.  Screenings are being planned at senior living communities around the Gorge, and public in-person screenings are in the works as well, for this fall and winter.