Two area legislators introduced a bill in the Oregon Legislature this week that would create longer sentences for criminals who cause permanent physical injury to their victim.  59th District Representative Daniel Bonham first introduced Ezra’s Law during the 2020 session, and is being joined by 30th District Senator Lynn Findley in sponsoring the bill.  Bonham says while he had been disappointed that the bill didn’t move last year, since then the bill has been refined, including tightening the definition of permanent disability.  Judicial review for significant mitigating circumstances is also built into the bill.  The bill got a public hearing on Tuesday in the House Judiciary Committee.  The bill is named after four-year-old Ezra Thomas of Madras, who three years ago suffered severe injuries that left him in a wheelchair and unable to breath on his own after being beaten by his mother’s then-boyfriend.  

An Oregon Department of Human Services foster parent recruiter says numbers of available homes in the Wasco, Hood River, Gilliam, Sherman, and Wheeler counties are all right in spite of the pandemic, but they can always use more.  Marvin Hamilton of DHS says they currently have 49 parents in the five county area, with 46 children currently in care.  Hamilton says when looking at prospective foster homes, DHS is simply looking for a good home for the youth.  Those interested in being a foster parent in Oregon can go online to fosteroradopt.com, or call 800-331-0503.

The Hood River County School District is targeting the beginning of March to return K-3 students to their classrooms.  That after the Oregon Health Authority’s released the latest county health data for the past two-weeks showing Hood River County met state metrics allows for a transition to on-site and hybrid instruction in elementary schools.  In a video statement released Tuesday night, Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn said March aligns with the start of the third trimester for elementary students, but going into the classroom still depends on a few things, including remaining in alignment with the advisory metrics, stable and downward trends of COVID in the community, and staff access to COVID vaccinations.  Polkinghorn said bringing back upper grade levels is complicated by physical space requirements and cohort limitations from the state.  He said the district will continue to provide limited in-person instruction and co-curricular activities for secondary students.

The Dalles City Council will conduct a goal-setting worksession on Friday.  Councilors will hear presentations from all City departments, and then discuss what their goals should be for 2021.  Mayor Rich Mays says downtown will be one of his focuses, noting he felt that before the pandemic they were on the cusp of a rejuvenation of that area.  The goal-setting session will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday on Zoom, and log-in information is available at the City of The Dalles website.

Oregon Second District Congressman Cliff Bentz has been selected to serve on the House Natural Resources Committee.  The committee oversees federal lands, wildlife, water, energy and mineral resources, oversight and investigations, and affairs with indigenous peoples.   Bentz says his experience as a water rights attorney, rancher, and member of the Oregon Water Resource Commission will help him advocate for what he called “more balanced use” of federal lands, forests, and water.  Bentz added he will continue to focus on communities hard hit by natural disasters, especially those in Oregon struggling to rebuild after wildfires last September.

Washington 14th District State Representative Gina Mosbrucker is serving as the Republicans’ ranking member of the House Public Safety Committee, where police reforms will be discussed.  The Goldendale Republican says reform is needed, but adds she believes most police officers are good public servants and deserve support.  Mosbrucker says she won’t support “defunding” police, noting polls have shown most Washingtonians agree with that stances, but she wants to see more training and community outreach programs, adding a need to reflect and listen to the community.  Mosbrucker also said the stories of police doing right by the community need to be told along with those the show officers acting inappropriately.  

The Hood River County Health Department continues to report progress in getting COVID-19 vaccinations done.  Department Health Officer Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg says by the end of next week, they will have well over 3,000 people vaccinated in the County, with the bulk of Phase 1A vaccinations having been administered, allowing them to move on to Phase 1B and the education group starting Thursday.  Van Tilburg says their progress is ahead of what he had predicted.  He added that volunteers are being used to help in the vaccination effort, and those who would like to help can go to the getreadygorge.com website to register.  Van Tilburg also urged people who are scheduled to get a vaccine soon to get their paperwork ahead of time, and if you have questions or concerns talk with your physician now so you are ready when the opportunity arrives to schedule a vaccination.  

The Dalles City Council reviewed the final draft of a report on the City’s “employment buildable” lands inventory.  Mayor Rich Mays says the report is contradictory in some ways, with much of the vacant acreage that could conceivably be built on is already owned by Google, and another large parcel is owned by Wal-Mart.  He says that doesn’t leave a large amount of buildable lands left within The Dalles urban growth boundary.  City Councilors did not make a decision on accepting the report, and asked municipal staff to report back with more details during a February Council meeting.

The White Salmon Valley School District is going to bring back elementary and intermediate school students for in-person learning over the next couple of weeks as Klickitat County’s COVID-19 activity drops to levels that allow it under Washington Department of Health metrics.  Superintendent Jerry Lewis says they will start with kindergarten, first graders, and fourth graders beginning this coming Monday in a hybrid model calling for two days in the classroom for each student and distance learning the rest of the week.  Grades two, three, five, and six will start February 8, and grades 7 and 8 will start February 17.  Lewis noted COVID activity must drop further in the County for Columbia High School students to come back to the classroom.  Building principals are sending letters to parents on the plan, and Lewis adds there will still be full distance learning options for families not comfortable with coming back to classrooms yet.

Washington 14th District State Representative Gina Mosbrucker has reintroduced legislation to establish a joint legislative task force to look at the role of the workplace in helping to curb domestic violence.  The bill was approved unanimously in both the House and Senate last year, but was one of the bills vetoed by Governor Jay Inslee in an effort to save money to address COVID-19 repercussions in the state.  Mosbrucker says she’s confident the measure can move forward this session.  The task force would be convened through the state Department of Commerce to make a preliminary report and recommendations by December 1, with a final report one year later.  The measure has been referred to the House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee.