Volunteers are needed to help with the planned Bingen and White Salmon Community Clean-up the weekend of May 21.  Mt. Adams Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tammara Tippel says the event can’t operate without volunteers, and there are a variety of ways people can help out.  She says their biggest need is heavy equipment operators who can operate an excavator with a grapple.  To volunteer to help call the Mt. Adams Chamber at 509-493-3630.

The two-year state operating budget that passed the Washington Legislature last week includes two provisos from 14th District Representative Gina Mosbrucker that will help those afflicted with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and fund a program that provides for expedited DNA processing in crime cases.  One requires the Department of Social and Health Services to consider pediatric and juvenile rheumatologists for eligibility of the health professional loan repayment and scholarship program.  Mosbrucker said this will help expand the pool of rheumatologists across the state.  The second appropriates funding for an enhanced forensic capabilities pilot program that provides expedited DNA technology and forensic services to assist in crime scene evidence.  The Washington State Patrol is required to submit a plan to the Legislature by the end of the year that addresses protocols for the use and operation of the pilot program, while maintaining civil liberties and protecting individual privacy.

Baseball Hood River Valley 5, Ridgeview 0:  Nate Van Dooren pitched a three-hit shutout and Andy Foster drove in two runs as the Eagles grabbed the Intermountain Conference win. Bend 10, Hood River Valley 5 Pendleton sweeps The Dalles 11-1 and 10-1 Weston-McEwen 3, Dufur 0 Dufur 34, Weston-McEwen 11 Heppner-Ione sweeps Sherman 3-1 and 10-5 Umatilla sweeps Lyle-Wishram-Klickitat 15-4 and 15-5   Softball Ridgeview 4, Hood River Valley 3, 8 innings Bend 11, Hood River Valley 0 Pendleton sweeps The Dalles 11-1 and 15-0   Track and Field Columbia’s girls finished third and boys fifth at the Southwest Washington Class 1A Championships at Seton Catholic.  Chanele Reyes won both hurdles races for the CHS girls, and she joined Makayla Fies, Hannah Polkinghorn, and Ella Zimmerman in winning the 4 x 400 relay.  For the Columbia boys Juan Acosta won the shot put, and the Bruins 4 x 400 relay squad of Angel Sanchez, Ryan Howard, Calvin Andrews, and Dylan Muehlbauer grabbed a first place finish.  Goldendale’s Tiana Watson won the javelin.   Trout Lake won the boys’ competition and Dufur was first in the girls’ standings at the Sherman County Invitational in Moro.  Oscar Thomas of South Wasco won three events in the boys’ half of the meet, while Holly Miles of South Wasco won three evens in the girls’ portion.   Horizon Christian won the boys’ title while finishing second in the girls’ competion to the hosts at a Big Sky meet in Condon.  J.J. Holste won a pair of events for the Hawk boys.   The Dalles girls were third and boys fourth in a five-school meet at Pendleton.  Zoe Dunn won a pair of events for the Riverhawk girls.   Boys Lacrosse Hood River Valley 12, Oregon Episcopal 11, overtime

Oregon Governor Kate Brown defended her decision to implement further restrictions in one-third of Oregon’s counties at a news conference Friday, saying for the second week in a row the state leads the nation with the fastest growing infection rate and that she is “gravely concerned” about hospital capacity.  Restaurants in 15 counties, including Wasco, were required to close their indoor dining Friday and capacity was significantly reduced in gyms and indoor entertainment spaces.   Brown says the data that led to the decision to go to extreme risk shows some optimism that over the course of the next two to three weeks, based on current vaccination rates, the state can get ahead of COVID variants.  She adds on that trajectory restrictions can be lifted and a “sense of normalacy” by the end of June.  This week, the Oregon Health Authority reported that the state recorded its fifth straight week where cases have increases by 20% more.  The OHA data shows about 80% of the state’s staffed adult ICU beds and 90% of the state’s staffed adult non-ICU beds are occupied.   A data scientist from Oregon Health Sciences University says modeling shows the Governor’s decision to move 15 counties into the COVID-19 extreme risk category should halt increases in COVID cases and prevent 176 deaths and over 700 hospitalizations.  Dr. Peter Gracen said during Brown’s press conference that pausing indoor activities without masks and in close proximity to people outside of their household, along with people getting vaccinated, can change the current trend.   He adds that in three to four weeks, with vaccinations and basic measures, that will prevent the virus from effectively growing.  Oregon Health Authority chief medical officer Dr. Dana Hargunani said the state continues to move closer to a broader distribution of COVID-19 vaccine.

With Wasco County entering the extreme risk category of the state’s COVID-19 categories Friday, it does appear the County’s pace of new COVID cases this week is down from past couple of weeks.  North Central Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell says after Wasco County saw 39 cases for the week of April 18-24, it has seen 21 cases so far this week with a couple of days remaining.  McDonell does point out that won’t immediately take Wasco County out of the extreme risk designation.  McDonell added it appears that this week the state will be over the 300 hospitalized metric that activates the extreme risk designation.  38 percent of Wasco County’s population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, with 26 percent having completed their series.  In addition, NCPHD released numbers showing nearly 48 percent of eligible County residents, those over 16, had received at least one shot.

Hood River County continues to be among the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in Oregon, but like other areas of the state it has seen an increase in cases in recent weeks.  County Health Officer Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg said in a Thursday Facebook video that tracing shows many of the cases stem from a familiar source:  large social and family gatherings.  According to Oregon Health Authority statistics, 49 percent of Hood River County residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with nearly 37 percent having completed their series and 13 percent in progress.  Hood River County went into the high risk category in the state’s COVID-19 categories Friday.

Track and Field Hood River Valley’s boys and girls finished second to Crook County at a three-school Intermountain Conference meet in Prineville.  Michael Goodman and Chloe Bullock each won two events.   Stevenson’s girls finished fourth at the Class 2B District 4 Championships at Rainier.  Braeden Nissen along with the Bulldogs’ 4 by 100 and 4 by 200 meter relay teams led the way with second place finishes.  Stevenson was tenth in the boys’ standings, with Garret Bernt taking second in both the shot put and discus.

Hood River County School District Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn told district board members that even though the County moves into the high risk category for COVID-19 on Friday, nothing changes for school operations.  Polkinghorn noted the COVID metrics used to assess school safety are different than the County metrics, and the Hood River district remains in a lower risk category.  Polkinghorn said they have had five known cases of COVID-19 in students so far this year, but there have been no cases of transmission within the schools linked to them.  He did add that if COVID rates continue to rise, they will continue to partner with the Hood River County Health Department to ensure health and safety in the schools.  

The Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Weekly Report, released Wednesday, shows a fifth consecutive week of surging daily cases and surging hospitalizations from the previous week.  The OHA reported 5,729 new daily cases of COVID-19 during the week that ended Sunday.  That represents a 21% increase from the previous week and marks the fifth consecutive week of 20% or higher increases in daily cases.  New COVID-19 related hospitalizations nearly doubled from 171 to 333.  There were 26 reported COVID-19 related deaths.  There were 133,563 tests for COVID-19 for the week of April 18 through April 24.  The percentage of positive tests was 6%.  People 70 years of age and older have accounted for 39% of COVID-19 related hospitalizations and 76% of COVID-19 related deaths.  

Republican Oregon Second District Congressman Cliff Bentz is criticizing the decision by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delay implementation of a Trump Administration critical habitat rule for the Northern Spotted Owl.  The rule lifted critical-habitat protections for the bird from 3.4 million acres in Oregon, Washington and California.  The Agency noted that it ultimately intends to revise or withdraw the January 2021 final rule.  Bentz believes revision or withdrawal of the rule would stop efforts to prevent catastrophic wildfires.