The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lisa Farquharson told City Councilors during her annual tourism report that they are hoping for a better 2021, even though their numbers probably won’t reach pre-pandemic levels.  Farquharson says there are people who want to travel and they are doing it, with traffic at the Chamber from visitors seeking information starting to increase.  She noted the visitors usually are asking about outdoor activities.  Farquharson added they are preparing two separate sets of advertising campaigns to promote tourism to The Dalles once the timing is right to do so.  The Council unanimously approved the City’s tourism budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

North Central Public Health District says approximately 240 students and their family members got their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the district’s “Friday Night Lights” event at Wahtonka Field on Friday.  The event was aimed at 16- and 17-year-olds.   Students were treated to music, free pizza and snacks, and the football field’s lights were flipped on as daylight dimmed at the early evening event.  Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, a former student in both Dufur and The Dalles schools, was a special guest and thanked students for their contribution to stopping the pandemic.  She likened their combined efforts to the sandbagging efforts the community made during the 1996 floods.  

Thomas Worthy was sworn in as the new police chief for the City of The Dalles on Monday.  Worthy will be taking over for the retiring Pat Ashmore.  Worthy was previously a Major with Oregon State Police overseeing the Public Safety Services Bureau.

Hood River City Councilors will discuss on Monday evening what it wants from an affordable housing production strategy as it is developed over the next few months.  City Manager Rachael Fuller says the strategy would identify tools to allow the City to encourage development of more affordable housing for those making 120 percent of the median family income.  Councilors will discuss the scope of the project tonight before the city planning staff embark on it.  Monday evening’s meeting begins at 6 p.m., and can be accessed via Zoom.  Go to the City’s website for access information.

Klickitat County Commissioners recently heard about some of the issues surrounding securing safe access to the Lyle Sandbar and the Columbia River.  Community members have been working for a long period of time to get that done.  Commissioner Jacob Anderson says there are a number of hurdles to clear, including working with the Washington State Department of Transportation, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, and the Department of Natural Resources.  The sandbar has become a popular launching spot for kiteboarders.

Hood River County Health Department Health Officer Christopher Van Tilburg says the County has seen several COVID-19 outbreaks in the last few weeks as cases have risen.  Van Tilburg said in a Facebook video that there has been a small outbreak at a long-term care facility, another at a workplace, and some students in the Hood River County School District have tested positive.  Van Tilburg does emphasize they have no evidence of COVID-19 spread in the schools themselves, and that the schools have done “a great job at protection students and staff.”  Van Tilburg does say they have vaccinated roughly half of the County’s residents at this point, adding 20 percent of the County’s population are ineligible due to age, and about 20-to-25 percent have opted out, which is in the range of the national average.  

The Original Wasco County Courthouse is opening on a limited basis as the 2021 tourist season begins.  The 1859 building at 410 West Second Place in The Dalles will be welcoming visitors from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday starting this coming weekend.  The normal three-day opening plus tour boat days usually begins in May, but the boats are not yet running.  Displays include the sheriff’s office, jail cell with its display of handcuffs and leg irons, and the courtroom that served the largest county ever created in the United States.  Masks are required and COVID-19 precautions will be observed.  Admission is free to members and $3 per adult.

The Hood River County Transportation District Board has appointed John Andoh to serve as Assistant Executive Director of Columbia Area Transit, with a plan for him to become Executive Director in July 2022.  An agency announcement on the appointment says Andoh will work with retiring Executive Director Patty Fink in updating the CAT’s master plan, meet and collaborate with community members and civic leaders, and learn about CAT’s operations.  Andoh previously served as Executive Director/CEO of the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority in Columbia, South Carolina.  He starts with CAT next Monday.

Hood River Valley High School won the Class 5A Championship of the Oregon School Activities Association Speech and Debate competition over the weekend.  The Eagles’ Jacob Kaplan was a finalist in two categories, and Melanie Glatter in one.  The competition was held virtually this year.  

As Wasco County moves into the high risk category in Oregon’s COVID-19 metrics, North Central Public Health District on Thursday reported sixteen new COVID cases.  According to a district spokesperson, the 16 cases are either sporadic, meaning where they contracted it is not known, or they are a close contact of a known case.   They stem from social gatherings or spread within households, and are not connected to a workplace or a long term care facility.  The Hood River County Health Department Friday morning reported it has had 15 new COVID cases in the last three days.  Hood River County moved up to the moderate risk category Friday.