In an open letter, North Central Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell strongly encouraged Wasco, Sherman, and Gilliam county residents to wear a face mask when indoors in public spaces.  She noted with COVID cases increasing with the much more transmissible Delta variant, the use of face masks indoors when in public settings provides protection for individuals who are unvaccinated as well as an additional level of protection from the small but known risk of infection by the virus for persons who already have been vaccinated.   McDonell also said COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, including against the new variant, and remain our most powerful tool in bringing this pandemic to an end.  For those who still have questions or are unsure if getting a COVID-19 vaccine is the right choice, she says to reach out to your health care provider for a discussion.

Yakama Nation leaders and others held a salmon vigil along the Little White Salmon River to attempt to raise awareness about sockeye salmon dying because of hot water.  Speakers including Columbia Riverkeeper senior attorney Miles Johnson called on the Northwest congressional delegation to support Lower Snake River dam removal and other action to cool rivers, and provide leadership on the issue.  Dam removal supporters say the dams create unnaturally hot water due to huge stagnant reservoirs, leading to salmon suffering heat stress that kills them.

Crews are looking to contain a fire along Deep Creek west of Shaniko.  According to a Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center spokesperson, numerous resources are being used to get the fire contained.  Size of the fire was estimated this morning at 2,000 acres.  Bakeoven/Shaniko Rural Fire District crews initially responded to the fire, and were assisted by Bureau of Land Management firefighters.  South of the Deep Creek fire and north of the Highway 97/197 junction, another fire that was reported Thursday afternoon has been contained at 840 acres.  The Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center indicated it started to receive reports of fire starts as lightning moved through the Bend area around 4:20 p.m. and moved north toward Shaniko, and crews are continuing to monitor the region for other fire starts.  On the Mount Hood National Forest, there is a small fire north of Timothy Lake.  Forest officials say as of late Thursday afternoon it was six acres in size, with both ground and air resources making good progress in suppressing it.  Campers were evacuated from North Arm Campground and dispersed campsites along the north shore of Timothy Lake.

After missing 2020, the Families In The Park concert series will return this August.  The Hood River Lions Club is putting on the series, which will take place every Thursday evening in Jackson Park during the month of August.  The Lions Club’s Mike Schend says attendees will notice the renovated covered stage for the performances that was recently built by the club.  Hit Machine will provide the first concert this Thursday evening at 7 p.m.  Admission is free.

North Central Public Health District says Wasco County has seen more COVID-19 cases diagnosed in the last three days than for the entire month of June.  In a Facebook post this morning, the district reports Wasco County has had 44 COVID-19 cases, 39 of which involve people who have not been vaccinated.  The Oregon Health Authority’s daily case count released Thursday afternoon listed Wasco County with 27 new cases, while five new cases were listed for Sherman County and four for Hood River County.  The Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Weekly Report released Wednesday showed a 53% increase in daily COVID-19 cases statewide for the week that ended on Sunday.  New COVID-19 related hospitalizations rose to 146, up from 123 the previous week.  There were 12 reported COVID-19 related deaths, down from 29 reported the previous week.  The OHA also reported that as of Tuesday 58.1% of the state’s total population had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.  Case rates have generally been higher in counties with lower COVID-19 vaccination rates.  During the week that ended Sunday, the 10 counties with case rates in excess of 100 per 100,000 had population vaccination rates below 50%.

Fire crews made two trips to McDonald Way in The Dalles on Wednesday to deal with fires.  The first call was just after 5 p.m.  Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue’s Jay Wood says the fire was limited to under one acre.  It did burn a motorhome, car, and outbuilding.  Wood said the fire was human-caused, but could not release specifics.  He added access was an issue, as a bridge with a weight limit too light for a heavier engine led to crews waiting for smaller brush trucks to arrive.  Then just after 11 p.m. crews were brought out again to deal with a spot fire that occurred as a result of the first fire, and it burned about half-an-acre.  Crews from Dallesport, Mosier, the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, and Oregon Department of Forestry assisted MCFR in dealing with the fires.  No one was injured in either fire.  

NW Natural will be working in Bingen and White Salmon over the next two-and-a-half months on a project designed to improve distribution system pressures and reliability in that community. Project managers said during a virtual meeting with various stakeholders this week the existing natural gas system configuration is approaching capacity to supply customer needs on very cold days, and modeling shows the potential for outages during peak times if changes were not made.  Phase 1 work will begin Monday and continue through September 10 starting at the intersection of Ash and Humboldt in Bingen and working north up Jewett Boulevard to Dock Grade Road. The second phase set for September 16 to October 17 and continue on Jewett to NE Estes, then up to NE Tohomish ending at N Main.  NW Natural has sent letters to homes and businesses on the work route…and will provide updates on traffic impacts to local media throughout the project.  

Columbia Gorge Community College Child Care Partners is doing a study to determine the feasibility of a child care center on the school’s campus in The Dalles.  Program director Nancey Patten says the Ford Family Foundation provided the grant to do the feasibility study, but it will also provide information on overall child care needs in Wasco, Hood River, Sherman, Gilliam, and Wheeler counties.  Patten noted the child care center would have two goals:  provide affordable child care for families who are unable to place children in Head Start programs, and provide real-world instructional experience for students enrolled in CGCC’s Early Childhood Education program.  The survey is available at cgcc.edu, and at libraries, schools, and other locations.

Hood River County School District Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn says the district is working on its plans for the upcoming school year.  Polkinghorn said they are receiving guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, Oregon Health Authority, and the Hood River County Health Department as they get ready for welcoming students for regular school days on a daily basis.  Polkinghorn noted they will be submitting an operational blueprint to the Oregon Department of Education in the near future.

A 59-year-old White Salmon woman was taken to a hospital after a one-vehicle accident Wednesday morning on Highway 14 east of Dallesport.  According to the Washington State Patrol, the car she was driving was eastbound on Highway 14 near milepost 88 when the accident occurred.  The vehicle left the roadway to the right, rolled, and came to rest on a fence.  The woman was taken to Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles with unspecified injuries.  The WSP said the woman was not wearing a seatbelt, and the vehicle was totaled.  The accident occurred around 9:25 Wednesday morning.