The Hood River County Health Department says the county has recently seen a rise in sexually transmitted infections, specifically syphilis and gonorrhea cases.  Rates for all STIs continue to climb nationally and at state and local levels.  Many of these infections may not be diagnosed if those infected are without symptoms.  Health Department officials are urging regular, routine STI screening for those who are at high risk of STI transmission including those who have a new intimate partner, have multiple intimate partners, or with a partner that has other intimate partners.  Mutual testing prior to engaging with a new sexual partner is also important.  Also, partners need to be informed of potential exposure to an STI through sexual activity, and to use protection.  The Hood River County Health Department offers confidential STI testing, and nurses are available to discuss how you can reduce the risk of getting one of these infections.  Call 541-386-1115 to make an appointment.

FISH Food Bank’s main location in Hood River is open again to those who want to come in to receive food.  Marianne Durkan of FISH says after delivering to people in their cars for a little more than two years during the pandemic, in April they moved to a hybrid model giving people to option to come in, but now they are encouraging people to come in the building, where it easier to provide clients with the food assistance they specifically need.  Durkan does say they continue to offer to bring food to the cars of those with mobility issues, or have other reasons to feel better in their cars rather than coming in the building.

Home At Last Humane Society in The Dalles is conducting a survey on what services are most valued by the community, and if they are open to different options to help generate revenues for operation.  Erin Foote Morgan of Home At Last says their costs have gone up by about 25 percent in the last 18 months.  She adds one of the options they are asking survey participants about is a small property tax levy of 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.  Morgan says a number of their administrative costs are shared with Central Oregon Animal Friends in Madras, but the shelter costs remain challenging. particularly with an aging facility.

A week of Pride events will start Monday at Columbia Gorge Community College, organized by a partnership between student-led clubs EQUAL, or EQuality through United Action League, and the Creative Writing Club.  Monday evening at 6 p.m there will be a poetry reading and book signing featuring LGBTQ+ affiliated poets Christina Vega and Lydia Valentine in the Building 2 lecture hall at The Dalles campus.  On Tuesday at 4 p.m there will be a color run on The Dalles campus.  All day Wednesday community members can create a button featuring their pronouns at CGCC library on The Dalles Campus, or pick up a pronoun sticker at the Indian Creek Campus in Hood River.  Thursday at noon “Let’s taco ‘bout it.” begins at noon with tacos and a showing of the film Texas Strong in The Hook cafe on The Dalles Campus.  And Friday at 5:30 p.m. there will be a showing of the LGBTQ+ movie Crush in The Dalles Campus lecture hall.  Interested people may RSVP for the events, request accessibility accommodations, and get the Zoom links by emailing EQUAL@cgcc.edu.

Wasco County Commissioners approved the purchase off body cameras by the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office.  Chief Deputy Scott Williams told the panel that this will put them in front of legislation that will eventually require departments in the state to have the cameras, but he added that it also is a good addition for the sheriff’s office, and provides transparency to the public.  The cameras start at the touch of a button, even though Williams said they are considering the use of various triggers to start them, including turning on lights and sirens or when there is a rapid acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle the officer is driving.  Williams also said the Sheriff’s Office worked with its union to develop policies for body camera use.  The cameras will cost about $14,000 a year for the next five years.

The Hood River Police Department has released its 2021 summary of the types of calls for service they go out on over the past year.  Chief Neal Holste noted while traffic calls take up a large share of those calls, but the biggest set was under a group called “others” and shows the diversity of what they do.  Among the more prominent items in the “others” category:  suspicious activity calls, traffic complaints, welfare checks, and officer initiated contacts.  Traffic calls are by far the largest percentage of the specified calls for service, with theft calls trailing well back.

Wasco County 4-H is taking registrations for their summer camps that start in late June, with offerings continuing into August.  OSU Extension’s Lu Seapy says they have a wide range of camps available for kids age 9 to 16 involving different fields and interests.  Information on Wasco County 4-H camps for youth are available at the Wasco County 4-H Facebook and Instagram pages.  There are scholarships available for families who need financial help to pay for the camps, which usually cost between 15 and 20 dollars.  

Wasco County Commissioners approved establishing a burn ban in unincorporated areas beginning on June 15.  The ban will on all burning, including piles and burn barrels, in areas outside the boundaries of an officially recognized fire district.  It will remain in effect until local fire officials determine it is safe to lift the ban.  Fire agencies within Wasco County are instituting similar burn bans.  Burning within The Dalles city limits ended in mid-May.

Klickitat County Commisioners have determined the burn ban in the county’s Burn Ban Zone Three will begin on June 15.  That’s defined as unincorporated lands between the Klickitat County Fire District #7 eastern boundary west to the western boundaries of Klickitat County Fire Districts #4, 12 and 15, then north on the Klickitat River to the north county line, to the west county line, outside the jurisdiction of the Yakama Nation and the the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.  The ban prohibits the issuance of burning permits except for authorized agricultural burning.  Residential barbecues will be allowed.  The ban will be in effect from June 15 through September 30.  People should check with the appropriate authorities concerning burning restrictions within the corporate limits of any city or town.  Burn bans in zones one and two are already in effect.

Following another run upgrade, Oregon and Washington fishery managers adopted an additional fishing opportunity for spring Chinook salmon in the mainstem Columbia River from the Tongue Point/Rocky Point line to the Oregon/Washington state line upstream of McNary Dam and increased the bag limit for Chinook to up to two adults per day beginning on Saturday.  The forecast for adult Chinook was recently upgraded to 192,900 adults at the Columbia River mouth compared to the pre-season forecast of 122,900 adults and up from 180,000 forecast in mid-May.  Below Bonneville Dam beginning Saturday, the daily bag limit increases to include up to two adult hatchery Chinook and the boat angling deadline expands to the permanent boat angling boundary below Bonneville Dam, with the season running through June 15.  Above Bonneville Dam, the season will also run through June 15, with the open area from the Tower Island power lines approximately six miles below The Dalles Dam upstream to the Oregon/Washington border, plus the Oregon and Washington banks between Bonneville Dam and the Tower Island power lines.