Beginning on Thursday, everyone 16 and older in the state of Washington will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.   If you are eligible beginning Thursday and live in Klickitat County or Underwood, you can call Skyline Health’s COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline at 509-493-1051 now to be placed on their waiting list.   Simply leave a message with your full name, phone number, date of birth and county of residence.  Skyline Health will call back once it knows how much vaccine is available and can begin scheduling appointments.  Due to high call volume, please leave only one message.  Skyline Health does add it can only vaccinate those ages 16 and 17 if is offering the Pfizer vaccine.  The Moderna vaccine is available for those 18 and older.  It is uncertain each week which vaccine will be available to Skyline. Visit covidvaccineWA.org for more information regarding the phases and to determine eligibility.

North Wasco County School District 21 Interim Superintendent Theresa Peters says the district is working on ways to increase the number of students and the amount of time for in-person learning while maintaining safety requirements.  In a letter to parents issued on Friday, Peters says updated guidance from the Oregon Department of Education allows for three-feet of physical distancing in classrooms under certain conditions, but they still must maintain six-feet in other situations.  Peters adds challenges they face include classroom size limitations, serving meals while maintaining the six-foot distancing requirement, staffing issues, and busing implications for school schedule changes.

Over 13,700 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered as of the week ending April 3 in North Central Public Health District’s three-county service area of Wasco, Sherman and Gilliam counties.  The district says Wasco and Sherman counties have vaccinated 38.2 percent of their population over age 16, and Gilliam County has vaccinated 31.7 percent.  Wasco has vaccinated 65.1 percent of those 65 and older, Sherman 58.6 percent and Gilliam 48.2 percent.  Those now eligible for the vaccine include agricultural workers, all frontline workers and their immediate families, those 16 and older with underlying health conditions and pregnant people 16 and older.  NCPHD currently has Moderna, which is only available to those 18 and older, and the district says it is working with the Oregon Health Authority to get the Pfizer vaccine for those 16 and older in the coming weeks.  To book a vaccine appointment in Wasco, Sherman, and Gilliam counties, visit ncphd.org and click the link at the top of the page, or call 541- 506-2600.  NCPHD is also thanking the volunteers who are helping to staff its vaccination clinics.  Over 80 volunteers have given over 800 hours in the effort.

The Washington State Senate has passed and sent to the governor a bill authored by Rep. Gina Mosbrucker that seeks to prohibit the Employment Security Department and Labor and Industries from requiring and using full Social Security numbers from citizens who need their services.  The measure is in response to a massive personal data breach in the state Auditor’s Office affecting those who filed for unemployment benefits in 2020.  House Bill 1455 passed out of the House on Feb. 24 with unanimous approval.  It passed from the Senate 48-1.  It’s Mosbrucker’s second bill to arrive at the governor’s desk during the 2021 legislative session.  Also awaiting the governor’s signature is a measure Mosbrucker authored, House Bill 1315, that would create a task force on domestic violence and workplace resources to identify the role of the workplace in helping to curb domestic violence.

Football Hood River Valley 58, Hillsboro 14:  Tanner Fletcher ran for 247 yards and six touchdowns as the Eagles dominated the Spartans on the way to finishing the season at 4-2.  Trenton Hughes ran 52 yards for a score, while the Eagles picked off three passes, including one returned by Shaw Burns for a touchdown. Redmond 44, The Dalles 0:  The Riverhawks finished 2-3 on the season.   Intermountain Conference Soccer Tournament Championship Games Girls Ridgeview 2, Hood River Valley 0   Boys Ridgeview 3, Hood River Valley 2:  The Ravens came from two goals down at halftime to win, tying the game with two second half goals, and after a scoreless overtime won the penalty kick shootout 4-3.   Track and Field Goldendale’s Tiana Watson won the javelin at the Eisenhower Jamboree in Yakima.

The Dalles Public Works Department will work on a pavement preservation project next week on West 2nd Street between Webber Street and Cherry Heights Road.  The westbound lane will be closed for repairs on a section of the roadway.  Westbound motorists on Interstate 84, using exit 84, will be flagged to a single lane next to the construction zone.  Expect delays.  Motorists, bicycles and pedestrians are asked to use detours around the work zone during work hours.  The street will be reopened to the traveling public each evening.  Work hours will be 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday.  Business access will be open during construction.

Gifford Pinchot National Forest managers have completed the Upper Wind Forest Management Environmental Assessment.  The project is located within the northern portion of the Wind River watershed in the Mt. Adams Ranger District.  The project intends to thin approximately 3,000 acres of forest plantations and to regenerate approximately 400 acres to create early seral habitat.  While most of the trees removed for the project would be sold commercially through timber sales, trees on approximately 220 acres would be made available for instream restoration projects.  The project includes treatments to open-up the tree canopy in about 60 acres to enhance pale blue-eyed grass, a sensitive botanical species.  Where plantation thinning is planned, the objective is to reduce tree density to accelerate the development of elements common to old-growth habitat.  The EA was released for a 30-day public comment period following public notice published on March 26, and is available on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest website.

Visit Hood River will open a visitor center and office within common area space at the History Museum of Hood River County.  The visitor center reopening follows a year of contraction and reorganization due to what the organization attributed to the cessation of travel and tourism as a result of the pandemic.  Visit Hood River closed its previous office and visitor center after Labor Day last year.  Hood River County Heritage Council co-chair Debby Chenoweth said the co-location allows both organizations to reduce overhead and expenses, while also delivering programs and services efficiently.

Mid-Columbia Medical Center has named David Warden as the new executive director for the Mid-Columbia Health Foundation and Travis Dray as the hospital’s new director of business development.   Warden brings to MCMC nearly two decades of healthcare and foundation experience.  Most recently, Warden served in the U.S. Navy Reserves where he attained the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer and held the position as Operations Officer with Bravo Company, Maritime Expeditionary Support Squadron One.  Immediately prior to joining MCMC, Dray served as director of events and programming for POWDR, a national adventure lifestyle company. He has also worked in community services for the City of Tempe, Arizona, and prior to that served as the marketing and operations manager for the Oakland Athletics Baseball Company.

Northern Wasco County PUD will be accepting applications for Economic Development grants until June 11.  The PUD Board of Directors allocated $50,000 this year to help fund local economic development projects.  No application can be for more than $20,000.  Applicants must document non-profit status; not be a religious affiliated entity; and have not been funded more than twice in any five-year period.  Projects shall be for infrastructure or property with a life expectancy of at least five years and are located within the Northern Wasco County PUD service area.  Applications may be at nwascopud.org or by calling 541-298-3302.