Oregon Governor Kate Brown said during a news conference today the state still plans to allow teachers and other K-12 educators in Oregon to be immunized against COVID-19 beginning this month despite news that the federal government won’t significantly ramp up vaccine shipments to Oregon in the near future.  Brown’s new plan calls for school employees to be eligible for vaccines starting January 25, two days later than announced earlier this week.   Oregonians age 80 and older who have not been vaccinated will have to wait until February 8, about two weeks later than announced earlier this, with eligibility for those 75, 70 and 65 and older to follow in phases.  Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen did say that even though the promise of reserve doses being released will not come to pass, he is generally confident about the federal government’s schedule of vaccine supply.

Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen says the state’s COVID-19 website has a new interactive guide for people with questions about the vaccine and who is eligible at a given time to receive them.  Allen says the new feature will provide information tailored to what you are looking for, telling you if you’re eligible to get vaccine based on your age and occupation, where you can get a vaccine based on local county resources, where you can get the facts about vaccines and answers to your vaccination questions.  Allen adds that next week Oregonians will be able to call someone who can answer their vaccine eligibility questions and direct them to local resources.  The website is covidvaccine.oregon.gov.

While the pandemic pushed the subject of a new swimming pool in the White Salmon area into the background over the last year, the White Salmon Valley Pool Metropolitan Park District has continued work toward securing funds to build the pool on property adjacent to Henkle Middle School and Columbia High School.  District Commission President Lloyd DeKay says they completed a detailed conceptual plan that is being used for architectural and engineering design work is underway.  DeKay says cost of the pool complex is estimated at $2.6 million, and the district currently has $1.2 million in the donations and projected levy income available as a resumption of fundraising is contemplated.  DeKay said they are well-positioned for $850,000 in grants from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, but the outlook for those will depend on decisions made by the current Legislature.  The district would like to begin construction this summer if it gets sufficient funding.    

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says a turbine at John Day Dam spilled less than 25 gallons of oil into the Columbia River on Wednesday.  Corps Public Affairs Specialist Tom Conning says crew members were performing maintenance on the unit and observed the spill after they restarted the system.  He says the sheen was small, dissipated quickly and the crew could not recover any oil.  Technicians secured the unit, and identified the leak came from a failed turbine guide bearing cooling unit.  The unit remains out of service and isolated from the river.  Conning says the Corps Portland District is investigating the spill to determine the cause of the failure and the actual quantity of oil discharged.  He adds the amount is likely less than reported.  Corps officials notified partner agencies, including the National Response Center, Oregon and Washington emergency management offices, and the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission.

Applications for the latest round of the City of The Dalles Economic Recovery Grant are being taken until next Friday (January 22).    The goal of the Relief Grant is to provide immediate financial relief to The Dalles’ hardest-hit small businesses and non-profits in the form of unrestricted grants to support rent, employee salaries, and operating costs as a stop-gap relief.  There are $100,000 in available funds, with a standard grant award up to $2,500.  Among other criteria, eligible applicants must be a commercial business or small not-for-profit serving people in a premise open to the general public with 25 or fewer full-time equivalent employees that has a demonstrated negative financial impact from COVID-19 and located within the 97058 zip code.  First priority will be given to fitness facility businesses, second to non-corporate restaurants that were required to reduce their normal operations to curbside service or delivery, and third to other businesses that did not receive a grant from the City in December.  However, all businesses are encouraged to apply.  For application information, call the City at 541-296-5481, extension 1118.  Grant funds to be awarded the last week of January.

Washington Highway 14 was closed late Thursday night and early Friday morning after a debris slide covered both lanes of the road at milepost 85 near Horsethief Lake.  According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, the slide occurred sometime before 9:15 p.m.  Highway crews worked into the morning to clear the debris and reopen the highway.  The transportation department says the highway was reopened early Friday at 2:40 a.m.

Thomas Worthy has been tabbed to be the new police chief in The Dalles.  Worthy will replace the retiring Pat Ashmore.  Worthy has over 27 years of law enforcement experience in Oregon, most recently overseeing the Oregon State Police Public Safety Services Bureau.  He is completing his Master’s degree in Law Enforcement Public Safety Leadership from the University of San Diego and will complete his course work prior to taking on his new role.  Worthy’s first day as The Dalles Chief of Police will be on April 26, allowing a few days of overlap with Ashmore to give him a thorough orientation and to be introduced to the department and key community stakeholders.  A statement from the City indicated the panel that selected Worthy unanimously agreed he was the top choice.

Hood River County School District Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn told the district board on Wednesday that even though Oregon Governor Kate Brown made it sound like schools could reopen when setting a goal of opening them by February 15, the reality is the state’s metrics for schools are not as advisory as they are made out to be.  Polkinghorn told the board while the Governor has put more decision making in the hands of local districts, liability issues haven’t gone away.  Polkinghorn says the House bill does not cover the district for liability if they don’t follow the state metrics.  Polkinghorn added the legal opinion school districts have received is that even though Ready Schools, Safe Learners is supposedly advisory, the language in it still says it’s required.  Polkinghorn told the board his message remains that the district will work with the Hood River County Health Department and follow its recommendations.

Bells will ring Friday at noon throughout Hood River County, one ring for each County resident who has died from COVID-19.  Belinda Ballah of the Hood River County Prevention Department says the church, park, and agency bells will ring in Hood River, Parkdale, and Cascade Locks to take a moment to reflect on those deaths, offer sympathy to family and friends that have lost a loved one, and “contemplate what can we do in a stressful, hard time to continue to keep our community as safe and healthy as possible.”  Ballah adds the bell ringing is planned to take place on a weekly basis.

North Wasco County School District 21 Interim Superintendent Theresa Peters told her board on Wednesday they are waiting for continued guidance from the state on the shift from decisions on school reopenings being made with state metrics to the districts themselves.  Peters says the Oregon Department of Education is to update its guidance early next week, but noted she has submitted blueprints for reopening elementary and middle schools to the North Central Public Health District.  Peters added a survey will go out to district parents by the end of the week to get their input on reopening.