Wasco County Commissioners honored North Central Public Health District staff for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.  County Commission Chair Scott Hege says it is hard to fully express the appreciation they have for what the district’s staff has been doing.  Commissioners Steve Kramer and Kathy Schwartz echoed Hege’s thoughts.  Members of the district staff are receiving certificates to express gratitude for their work to keep the community safe during the pandemic.

The Hood River County Health Department says August was the second highest month for new COVID-19 infections in the County since the beginning of the pandemic.  There have been 221 new COVID-19 cases this month, the second highest behind December, which saw over 400 new cases.  County health officials also are reminding those under the state’s vaccine mandate, including state executive branch employees, K-12 teachers, educators, support staff, and volunteers, of key dates to make the October 18 date to be fully vaccinated.  Those who use the Moderna vaccine must get their first shot by September 6 to make the October 18 deadline, Pfizer vaccinations must begin by September 13, and the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine must be received by October 4.  Contact your primary care provider now or visit hrccovid19.org to see a list of vaccine opportunities throughout Hood River County.

A quick response from the air and on the ground was instrumental in stopping the forward progression of a wildfire originating in the southwest area of The Dalles Tuesday afternoon.  Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Public Affairs Officer Karen Davis says fire managers reported the size of the Chenowith Rim Fire at approximately 50 acres.  She added Oregon Department of Natural Resources Fire Boss aircraft were instrumental in knocking down the fire’s activity.  Crews continued to construct containment line, and were to mop up and monitor the fire until it is fully suppressed.  The Chenowith Rim Fire reportedly started on private land at approximately 4:20 p.m. and burned primarily in steep terrain on U.S. Forest Service lands.  The response is being managed under unified command between the U.S. Forest Service and Mid-Columbia Fire & Rescue.  The cause of the fire is unknown currently and is under investigation.

The Oregon Health Authority reported the number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 has gone up again.  The number of hospitalized patients with COVID across Oregon is 1,162, which is 42 more than Monday.  There are 322 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit beds, which is six more than Monday.  There are 43 available adult ICU beds out of 674 total in Oregon, and 298 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,288.  OHA reported 2,414 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, bringing the state’s pandemic total to 276,286.  Thirty new COVID cases were listed in the OHA report in Wasco County, three in Hood River County, and one in Gilliam County.  There are 43 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 3,198.  

Farmers Irrigation District is closing in on finishing its Kingsley Reservoir expansion project.  District General Manager Les Perkins says the last lift on the dam was placed on Monday, putting it at full height.  Perkins said now they are doing detail work and finishing up campground replacement, and it all should be wrapped up this fall.  The project will nearly double the volume of the upper Kingsley Reservoir and will help to provide a consistent supply of stored winter water while decreasing demand on live stream flow late in the summer.  The district had initially planned to complete the project in 2020, but a number of delays pushed back completion into this year.

Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River will be closed for the next two weeks.  CCA board member Genevieve Scholl said on Mid-Columbia Today this morning that there has been a COVID exposure at the Center, so the facility will remain closed until September 14, to allow for staff to complete quarantines and testing, and allow the center to be sanitized.  Because of the closure, the “‘Don’t Quit Your Day Job” exhibit that had been planned in the CCA gallery in September has been pushed back to November.  The “Best of the Gorge” show that was up in August will remain in place for the second half of September when the gallery reopens.

The Dalles Police Department says it partnered with the United States Marshal’s Service, the Oregon State Police and the Wasco County District Attorney’s office to check the compliance status of every registered sex offender in the City of The Dalles.  According to a statement on the department’s Facebook page…the compliance checks on 128 sex offenders conducted in Operation Oregon Crosswalk included making “boots on the ground” checks of addresses that offenders have reported as their residences to confirm or deny the accuracy of the registration. COVID-19 protocols at the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility were in effect during the time of the operation and no offenders were lodged for being out of strict compliance, but four warnings were issued and six offenders registered as required after contact.  Three offenders were confirmed to be deceased, two had been previously deported, four were in jail and 15 were registered in an outside state.  Other out of compliance offenders will be the subject of continued investigation and follow up by law enforcement.

The Bull Complex Fire twelve miles northeast of Detroit on the Mount Hood National Forest was much less active on Monday and grew just under 350 acres as temperatures moderated in the high 60s and relative humidity increased to the high 30s.  Officials said all five helicopters assigned to the fire were flying Monday and engaged in water bucket drops on the fire, aiding ground resources in improving containment of the fire and in limiting the spread.  On the eastern side of the fire, firefighters continue to successfully improve their pre-identified containment lines and fire growth has been dampened on the east and northeast sides of the fire.  Additional crews and equipment are expected to arrive on the incident and will aid in improving fire lines on the fire.  The fire was expected to be less active today with cool and humid weather.  Due to the fire growth from Sunday on the southeast side of the fire that crossed Forest Road 4696 near the Willamette National Forest boundary the Marion County Sheriff’s office issued a Level 1 “Be Ready” evacuation advisory only for Breitenbush Hot Springs.

Crews from over a dozen area fire agencies responded to a fire near the Columbia Gorge Regional Airport on Monday.  The crews were able to knock down the fire in strong winds that were gusting up to 40 miles per hour.  The fire burned into a sandy area that did slow its progression.  Firefighters from Dallesport-Murdock, Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue, High Prairie, Klickitat, Appleton, Wahkiacus, Lyle, Centerville, Rural Fire District 7, Bingen, White Salmon, Wishram, and Husum were all involved in the effort to combat the fire.  The fire started around 2:15 Monday afternoon.

Officials at Grand Canyon National Park say the body of a Tygh Valley man who fell inside the park has been recovered.  A National Park Service press release says 48-year-old David Colburn fell 50 feet Saturday afternoon while hiking in the Deer Creek Narrows.  Colburn was on a group river trip.  National Park Service search and rescue teams couldn’t locate him until Sunday because of the terrain and darkness. Colburn’s body was flown by helicopter to the South Rim of the Canyon.  The Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office will assist in determining the official cause of death.  KTAR Radio in Phoenix reports hikers and river rafters are known to traverse a narrow canyon around Deer Creek Falls.  The narrows are 136 miles downriver from Lees Ferry, where river rafting trips typically start from.