North Central Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell told the Wasco County Commission that COVID-19 case counts continue to go down.  They’ve dropped steadily since early January, and for the two-week period that ended last Saturday there had been 53 newly reported COVID cases in the County with a test positivity rate down to 2.2%.  The next time the state will revise County risk levels is next week, and McDonell is hopeful Wasco County can leave the extreme risk category.  If that occurred, among other things indoor dining could take place in restaurants at 25 percent of capacity or 50 people, whichever is smaller, gyms and studios could operate under similar limitations, and inside visitation would be allowed at long-term care facilities.

The Hood River County Library District, Library Foundation and Friends of the Library are launching a fundraising campaign for the Library District to purchase a bookmobile.  The Library District plans to use the mobile library to provide literacy and lifelong learning opportunities for community members of all ages by bringing library materials, staff expertise, services, WiFi access, technology and programs to off-site events and locations to serve patrons in underserved areas of Hood River County.  The Library District’s fundraising goal is $175,000 and it has already raised $91,250 from fundraising by the Library Foundation.  The Library District is applying for several grants to fund this project and has already received a $2500 grant from The Hood River Cultural Trust to support this project.  Donations can be made to the campaign through the Library Foundation.   Please visit https://hoodriverlibrary.org/bookmobile/ for more details.

Seventh and eighth graders returned to in-person instruction in the White Salmon Valley School District Wednesday, and District Superintendent Jerry Lewis says Columbia High School students will begin to return on Monday.  Lewis says so far the return to classrooms for elementary and middle school students has gone fairly smoothly.  He added that Klickitat County COVID case levels have dropped low enough to bring back high schoolers.  All grades are in hybrid set-ups, with students there two days a week and split into separate groups.  

Victor Mondragon and Dr. Joe Robertson have been elected to the board of trustees of Mid-Columbia Medical Center.  Mondragon was born and raised in The Dalles and grew up working with his parents in the local seasonal cherry harvests.  After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University in 2014, Mondragon returned to the Gorge, where he currently works at the Hood River County Health Department as an outreach and enrollment specialist for the Oregon Health Plan, and he brings to the MCMC Board a background in social services with expertise in serving sexual and domestic violence survivors in rural communities.  Robertson has lived in the Gorge for many years and is now semi-retired, but still has an appointment as Professor Emeritus of Ophthalmology for Oregon Health Sciences University and remains clinically active in his role as Director of the Ophthalmic Ultrasound Service.  He serves as OHSU Director of Global Health and is also a member of the board of the Ford Family Foundation.

Washington House Republicans released their operating budget framework for the upcoming biennium, saying it is not necessary to raise taxes or cut any vital services.  14th District Representative Chris Corry is assistant ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, and says the state’s revenue forecast could be the budget into positive territory when it comes out again next month.  Corry adds the budget proposal does include tax cuts for low and middle-income families.  Republicans are in the minority in both chambers of the Legislature.

Oregon Second District Congressman Cliff Bentz was named the Ranking Member on the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.  It places the freshman Republican congressman in a position to weigh in on matters concerning the country’s water resources, federal irrigation projects, hydroelectric power, interstate water issues, and fisheries management.  Bentz says he has spent more than half of his professional and political career working on water issues as they relate to agriculture and communities, adding they are feeling the effects of a “real and regulatory drought.”

Chenowith Elementary School principal Monica Darnall has resigned.  According to North Wasco County School District 21 officials, Darnall had notified parents and staff at the school she would be resigning at the end of the year, but circumstances changed, and due to personal reasons she is returning to her home in Utah.  D-21 officials say Darnall will provide the district with consultation services regarding specialized programs, including dual language instruction, for the next five months.  Current The Dalles High School vice-principal Phil Williams will step in as principal at Chenowith for the rest of the school year effective immediately.  The district says Williams has over a decade of administrative experience at the elementary and secondary levels.

The Hood River County Health Department says by the end of this week it will have administered 6000 vaccinations, completing approximately 25% of its targeted populations.  Oregonians age 75 and above are now eligible to begin vaccination against COVID-19, but County officials say that does not mean they will have the necessary doses or staff available to distribute to all that are eligible.  The County says it is expecting 300 doses per week for the foreseeable future, with about 5000 seniors 65 and up in the county.  In Hood River County if you are age 80 or over you will be contacted to schedule your COVID-19 vaccine by your primary care provider.  If you do not have a primary care provider, the County advises to await instructions.  The health department will be coordinating COVID-19 vaccination for those who do not have a primary care provider once it has vaccine available.  Information can be found online at hrccovid19.org or by phone in English 541-399-8022, and in Spanish at 541-399-8023.

White Salmon city officials continue to work on updates to the city’s comprehensive land use plan.  The municipal planning commission continues to review sections of the plan at its next two meetings on February 24 and March 10, followed by a worksession with the City Council and a public hearing in April and final adoption by the Council in May.  Mayor Marla Keethler says by the time they get to the April meeting they should have a fully fleshed out plan for public comment.  Keethler notes once the comp plan revisions are finished, the real work of developing code changes to reflect it will begin.  Information on the process is available at white-salmon.net.

The on-going planning work for the long-discussed improvements to the entry of Bingen Point for Highway 14 continues.  Mayor Betty Barnes says bids for the project will probably go out in 2022.  The design of the roundabout is currently being developed, and there are still coordination issues to work out with Burlington Northern Railroad.  The Washington State Department of Transportation is working on the project, which received funding from the state legislature in 2015.