Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced the state will follow guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention easing indoor mask-wearing and social distancing for fully vaccinated people.  Brown said in a video statement Thursday that the new CDC guidance means Oregonians who are fully-vaccinated no longer need to wear masks or social distance in most public spaces.  She also said the guidance makes clear that vaccines are the fastest way to get back to a sense of normalcy.  The federal guidance issued Thursday still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters.  Brown added mask requirements also will remain in place in Oregon schools this school year.  She says the Oregon Health Authority in coming days will provide updated guidance for businesses.

The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center is looking for volunteers.  Discovery Center Marketing Manager Mikey Goyette says there are a number of opportunities available for volunteers.  If you are interested in volunteering at the Discovery Center, e-mail the Center at volunteers@gorgediscovery.org.

Boys Basketball Goldendale 60, Columbia 56 Adna 71, Stevenson 33   Boys Lacrosse Oregon High School Lacrosse Association Metro Tournament First Round Lake Oswego 15, Hood River Valley 4   Girls Lacrosse Lincoln 15, Hood River Valley 6

Crystal Springs Water District is no longer under a boil water order.  The district says test results from water samples taken yesterday after repairs to a break in a main line came back as normal.  Tuesday night the district suffered a major mainline break on a 10-inch main line located south of Booth Hill Road and Highway 35 in the Mt. Hood community area.  That section of pipe has been replaced.

Fire season will begin for The Dalles Unit of the Oregon Department of Forestry as of Saturday, the earliest start in more than forty years.  District officials say limited precipitation across the region this spring has affected down woody fuel moisture content as well as the condition of live vegetation fuels and their susceptibility to fire ignition and spread, leaving unseasonably dry conditions and at an increased risk of fire spread.  In addition to the on-set of Fire Season in The Dalles Unit, MH-4 west of Highway 35 in Hood River County and MH-1 east of Highway 35 in Hood River and Wasco counties will move into Industrial Fire Precaution Level 1, which includes restrictions on the use of fire or power-driven machinery in any forest operation unless in compliance with all fire prevention requirements.  Also, ODF says Hood River and Wasco counties will be implementing county-wide burn bans on June 1 to reduce the risk of wildfire from escaped debris burns.

Hood River County School District board members heard about summer school plans at their Wednesday meeting.  District curriculum and instruction director Bill Newton says the state is allocating much more funding for summer school this year to deal with interrupted learning.  Newton told the board the plan is to focus on academic learning and interventions for identified students, continued support for migrant students, and at the high school level supporting students facing academic credit loss.  The district is planning summer school programs July 6-30 at Mid-Valley and May Street elementary school, Wy’east Middle School, and Hood River Valley High School, along with a migrant pre-school program and supplemental K-12 support for migrant students.  Newton noted they are starting to compile data to put together a list of students they plan to invite into the program.

The latest Oregon Health Authority statistics show 51 percent of those age 16 and older in Wasco County have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, leaving plenty of work to be done to hit the 65 percent necessary to move into the state’s lower risk category.  North Central Public Health District Director Dr. Mimi McDonell says one of their strategies to get more people vaccinated is to make it easier for those who find it difficult to schedule a shot.  Wasco County will drop from the high risk category to moderate risk on Friday, thanks to its rolling two-week COVID case count dropping to 38.

The Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Weekly Report, released Wednesday, shows a second consecutive week of declining cases and hospitalizations.  OHA reported 4,896 new daily cases of COVID-19 during the week that ended Sunday.  That represents a 12% decline from the previous week and marks the second consecutive week of lower weekly cases.  New COVID-19 related hospitalizations also declined from 272 to 245.  There were 31 reported COVID-19 related deaths, nearly doubling the previous week’s total.  There were 111,121 tests for COVID-19 for the week of May 2 through May 8.  The percentage of positive tests was 6.1%.  People 70 years of age and older have accounted for 39% of COVID-19 related hospitalizations and 75% of COVID-19 related deaths.

Baseball Redmond 17, The Dalles 10:  Redmond scored eight runs in the seventh inning to pull out the win.  Braden Schwartz and Riley Brock had three hits apiece for the Riverhawks.   Boys Tennis Hood River Valley 6, The Dalles 2   Girls Basketball LaCenter 62, Columbia 43 Winlock 54, Stevenson 36 King’s Way Christian 54, Goldendale 40

Klickitat County Commissioners decided to extend their discussion around a moratorium on commercial and industrial solar projects that are subject to a conditional use process.  There is currently a six month moratorium in place, and Commissioners took testimony on whether to extend it last week.  Commission Chair David Sauter said the only decision made this week was to hold the matter over to this coming Tuesday so they can consult with legal counsel.  If Commissioners did not take action on the moratorium, it is currently set to expire on September 3.