Wasco County’s YouthThink is gearing up for the 2021-22 school year.  Executive Director Debby Jones says they don’t have a formal calendar of events yet, but they are starting a new initiative called “The More You Know” that will be unveiled on billboards and other materials.  Jones says they are looking at both in-person and virtual models to allow for community discussion on issues facing parents and their children.  YouthThink’s website is youththink.net.  

Oregon OSHA is adopting two new emergency rules.  One puts protections in place against the hazards of wildfire smoke, and another establishes safeguards against high heat in employer-provided housing.  The wildfire smoke rule encompasses a variety of exposure controls, training and information, and other measures.  The heat rule applies to occupants of housing provided by employers.  It requires access to cooling areas and other steps to minimize dangerous heat in housing units.  Both rules take effect Aug. 9 and remain in effect for 180 days.  The two temporary rules follow Oregon OSHA’s July 8 adoption of emergency requirements to prevent heat illness in outdoor and indoor workplaces.    

Phase 1 of NW Natural’s pipe system project from Bingen to White Salmon is underway.  The first series of road closures that will run through August 10 includes the closure of one lane of Ash Street between West Humboldt and Oak.  Flaggers will direct traffic.  The cross streets of Franklin, West Humboldt, and Jefferson are closed between Alder and Oak, with the roads open to local traffic only.  Construction with flaggers directing traffic is anticipated between the hours of 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays.

One Community Health, Oregon Health Authority, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will host a COVID-19 vaccine clinic for the next ten days at Wy’east Middle School in Odell.  The walk-in clinic will be open from noon to 7 p.m. daily through August 11 beginning today.  Hood River County COVID-19 Coordinator Daron Ryan says 75 percent of Hood River County residents 18 and up are vaccinated, but there is still work to be done, particularly in the 18 to 40 age group.  Both Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be available at the Wy’east clinic.  No one will be charged for the vaccine.  Ryan says Columbia Area Transit is offering transportation to anyone trying to get to the clinic.

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.