The four finalists for Hood River’s City Manager position have been announced.  The quartet includes Charlie Bush, who most recently was the City Manager for five-and-a-half years in Sequim, Abigail Elder, currently director of community services and engagement in Beaverton, current Sisters City Manager Cory Misley, and Olympia assistant city manager Keith Stahley.  Hood River residents will have an opportunity to meet the finalists at a community reception on September 7.   Candidate interviews will take place over the following two days, and a selection by the Hood River City Council is expected on September 10.

Oregon’s indoor face mask mandate went into effect Friday.  North Central Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell says masking is most effective when it comes to protecting others from virus transmission.  She adds a mask does provide some benefit to the wearer by decreasing the amount of viral load coming in to a person.  She says the transmissibility of the Delta variant is much greater that earlier forms of the COVID-19 virus.  McDonell also says masking does not cause problems with breathing, noting medical providers routinely wear face coverings for long periods of time.

North Central Public Health District says five Wasco County residents and one Gilliam County resident have died since August 4 from COVID-19.  That brings the total deaths in Wasco County to 36 and in Gilliam County to two.  All six of the recent deaths had underlying chronic health conditions.  The NCPHD says the Wasco County residents lived at Columbia Basin Care in The Dalles, which is experiencing an outbreak that started July 14.  Thus far, 20 residents have been infected, 16 of whom are vaccinated.  Four of the five who passed away were vaccinated.  Of staff at Columbia Basin, 13 tested positive, and five were vaccinated.  Oregon’s vaccine breakthrough cases report for July showed that the majority of breakthrough deaths have occurred in the elderly, with a median age of 83. The majority of cases are still occurring in the unvaccinated, and vaccine breakthroughs remain uncommon.  Columbia Basin executive director Jasen Tennison said they have asked the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Human Services about providing a support team for staffing help.  NCPHD says Mid-Columbia Medical Center had a record seven people hospitalized with COVID earlier this week.  Between MCMC and Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital, just two of 10 staffed ICU beds are available as of Thursday.  Of the 37 staffed non-ICU beds between the two hospitals, just 7 are available.

The Cascade Singers and Serious Theater in The Dalles have had to suspend operations due to the state’s indoor mask mandate.  The Cascade Singers Fall Broadway Concert will be rescheduled for next Spring and Serious Theater’s production of It’s a Wonderful Life will not be able to start as planned at the end of August.  Since there is no defined end to the mask mandate, the two groups say they are unable to make any firm plans for the rest of the year.  The two groups are asking for donations to help them cover on-going expenses.  Donations can be made at Zion Lutheran Church on 10^th and Union, or mail to 101 West 10^th Street, The Dalles, 97058.

Mid-Columbia Housing Authority has long-term and short-term housing assistance available for residents of Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Klickitat and Skamania counties.  Long-term housing assistance is available through the Housing Choice Voucher Section 8 program.  MCHA’s waiting list is open to elderly, disabled, and households with children.  Short term housing assistance is also available for households that have experienced a negative impact due to COVID-19 through two programs, one for Oregon and one for Washington.  For more information or to apply for assistance, visit midcolumbiahousingauthority.org, or call 541-296-5462.

The Oregon Health Authority reported 2,387 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 Thursday morning, a record number of cases for the pandemic,  The OHA also reported two more COVID-19 related deaths in Wasco County.  One was a 101-year-old woman who tested positive for COVID on August 2 and died Monday at her residence, and the other an 83-year-old woman who tested positive on July 29 and died on Wednesday at her residence.  The OHA said both had underlying conditions.  In the latest numbers…Wasco County was reported to have 25 new COVID cases and Hood River County 11.  The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 670, which is five more than Wednesday.  There are 177 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is five more than Wednesday.

Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital has been operating at about 93 percent capacity over the past couple of weeks.  Chief Nursing Officer Becky Kopecky says they have seen an increase of in-patient admissions and an increase of COVID-19 patients in their emergency room.  She says some of this is attributable to people having waited to have a medical issue attended to due to the pandemic.  Kopecky says usually Providence Hood River operates at 70 to 80 percent capacity.  She added they have seen a one-to-three day rate for patient transfers to other hospitals as Portland metro area facilities have been full.

The Klickitat County Health Department says some regions of Klickitat County have been affected by unhealthy air quality brought about by increased wildfire smoke and excessive heat – especially in the Trout Lake, Glenwood, Goldendale, Bickleton, and Roosevelt areas.  Community members with asthma, COPD, lung or heart disease have an increased risk of symptoms or worsening of their disease.  Pregnant women are also at greater risk for smoke related health conditions.  The health department recommends reducing exposure to wildfire smoke by staying indoors, performing only light activities, and keeping windows closed if it is not too hot.  Running air conditioners on re-circulate and closing the outside air intake is also recommended.  Using indoor air cleaners with HEPA filters or making your own air filters with a box fan can help decrease smoke in the home.  Air quality can change rapidly and can vary throughout Klickitat County.  The smoke and excessive heat are expected to continue into the weekend.

Cooling centers remain available for those looking to get out of the heart.  Mid-Columbia Community Action cooling centers will be located at Hood River Alliance Church on 2650 Montello and at St. Vincent DePaul on 315 West 3rd in The Dalles.  They will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Saturday.  Transportation to and from the cooling centers will be offered by Columbia Area Transit.  The City of White Salmon has a cooling shelter at 119 NE Church Street open from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. through Saturday.  And Washington Gorge Action Programs has a cooling center adjacent to the Hegewald Center at 710 SW Rock Creek Drive in Stevenson.  It is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Saturday.  

The Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Weekly Report, released Wednesday, showed continued steep increases in daily cases and hospitalizations.  The OHA reported 8,304 new daily cases of COVID-19 during the week that ended Sunday, a 40% increase over the previous week.  There were 322 new COVID-19 hospitalizations, up from 256 last week.  That marked the fifth consecutive week of increases.  There were 40 reported COVID-19 related deaths, up from 25 reported the previous week.  There were 119,416 tests for COVID-19 for the week that ended Saturday.  The percentage of positive tests increased to 9.5%.