The City of the Dalles will be taking applications for a pilot program to rehabilitate deteriorated residential sidewalks for only a few more days.  The 50/50 Sidewalk Rehabilitation Pilot Program will provide some financial assistance to property owners to meet that responsibility.  The City will accept applications until Wednesday.  Applications will then be prioritized within the limited funding available to provide the greatest benefit to the community.  The homeowner must pay for half of the cost of sidewalk rehabilitation before the project can be scheduled.   Homeowners can download an application from the City website at thedalles.org/publicworksdocs.   If you do not have access to the internet, call (541) 296-5401 to ask for a paper copy.

The Dalles Public Works Department will be flushing fire hydrants throughout the city over the next few weeks, weather permitting.  Fire hydrants are flushed in order to clean out deposits, sediments and rust from distribution pipelines, minimize water quality problems, test fire protection water pressures, exercise hydrant valve, and Identify hydrants needing repair or replacement.  Motorists and pedestrians are asked to avoid driving or walking through the water coming directly from a hydrant while it is being flushed.  Occasionally main flushing causes water flowing from a tap to be discolored from stirred up sediment or milky white caused by tiny air bubbles.  Although discolored water won’t make you sick, you might want to flush the pipe by running the water for several minutes before drinking or washing.  If the water does not clear, contact the Public Works office at 541-296-5401.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown today announced a statewide two-week “freeze” starting on Wednesday through December 2 which will limit restaurants and bars to take-out only and close gyms and indoor and outdoor recreational facilities.  The aim is to limit group activities and slow the spread of COVID-19.  The state is experiencing a spike in coronavirus infections and has reached record high positivity rates so far in November.  As part of the freeze, grocery stores, pharmacies and retail stores are limited to a maximum capacity of 75%. Faith-based organizations will also have their capacity reduced to 25 people indoors and 50 people outdoors.  However, other facilities including gyms and fitness centers, museums, pools, sports courts, movie theaters, zoos, gardens, aquariums and venues, will have to close their doors completely.  Restaurants and bars, which had a capacity limit of 50-100 people depending on the county and curfew of 10 p.m., will now be limited to take-out only.  Brown said all businesses will be required to close their offices to the public and mandate work-from-home “to the greatest extent possible.”  And indoor and outdoor social get-togethers are limited to six people, total, from no more than two households.  In the past, Brown has described social get-together measures as “self-enforced,” but today she alluded to law enforcement action, saying she has asked Oregon State Police Superintendent to being to work with local law enforcement to enforce the social gathering orders.  Oregon State Epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger says social gatherings are the reason for the increased virus spread.  The freeze does not apply to barber shops, hair salons, congregate homeless sheltering, outdoor recreation and sports, youth programs, childcare, and K-12 schools that are currently open.  Brown and the governors of California and Washington issued travel advisories Friday urging residents to avoid non-essential out-of-state travel and asking people to self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving from another state or country.  For the past two weeks, officials have expressed concerns about nearing hospital capacity in the state.  Oregon Health Authority chief medical officer Dana Hargunani said there are limitations to what Oregon’s healthcare system can handle.  The OHA reported a record of 303 coronavirus patients in hospitals Friday, an increase of 81% since the end of October.  Several major hospitals in Portland have begun curtailing elective surgeries this week amid the surge.  The National Federation of Independent Business immediately denounced Brown’s new order, noting that Oregon health officials are blaming social gatherings, not businesses, for precipitating the unprecedented surge in cases.

The Hood River County School District announced Thursday it is postponing reopening elementary schools for in-person instruction that had been planned for November 30, and no timeline for reopening will be announced until January at the earliest.  Hood River County’s latest numbers in new COVID-19 metrics adopted by the state two weeks ago would allow them to continue with the reopening plans, but increasing COVID rates concern district officials.  In its statement, the district says school administrators and staff will begin to prioritize students that may return to school for limited in-person instruction where the district can bring a small number of students on campus for a limited amount of time to receive academic and social-emotional support.  The district will contact specific families to invite their students to participate.  The district and the Hood River County Health Department will host a family information session on Monday at 6 p.m. via Google Meet.  For more information, visit the Hood River County School District website.

The Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division is asking for the public’s assistance with identifying the person(s) responsible for the unlawful taking of a buck deer in Hood River County.  On Thursday, a citizen reported finding a fresh deer carcass and buck head that had been dumped over a rock embankment near Cascade Locks on Herman Creek Rd.  Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Troopers responded and found a freshly killed 3X3 buck head with a broken point and a cleaned carcass dumped over an embankment in an attempt to conceal its location.  Due to the condition of the carcass left at the dump site it is believed that the buck was recently taken.  It is estimated that the incident occurred between Tuesday and Thursday.  Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact OSP Trooper Brent Ocheskey through the Turn in Poachers (TIP) hotline at 1-800-452-7888 or *OSP (mobile).

Washington Gorge Action Programs will take calls from residents of Klickitat and Skamania counties looking for an appointment to apply for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program starting on Monday morning.  Those looking to apply are asked to call 509-493-2662, ext. 202 or 800-755-1192, ext. 202 where they will asked to leave a message including their name, phone number, and the community they live in.  Appointments will be scheduled beginning in December.  Applications will be handled by phone this year rather than in person due to the pandemic.  To qualify for this program participants must earn less than 150% of the Federal Poverty Level.

As the Hood River Valley Adult Center embarks on a capital campaign to raise funds to do renovations to the 26-year-old facility.  Campaign committee member Gary Young says with the pandemic on-going and the onset of winter weather, it’s a reminder of the role that building plays in local emergency responses.  It’s a key part of Hood River County’s emergency plan.  The Center has prioritized remodeling its kitchen, which serves over 200 area residents in the Meals on Wheels program, for the first phase of its campaign.  For information on how to donate, go to hrvac.org.

North Central Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell says the increase in COVID-19 cases the Northwest is experiencing is what health officials feared, and it may have arrived earlier than they expected.  McDonell says locally there has been an increase in cases, and sporadic cases, but looking outside the area shows why the current trend is alarming.  McDonell noted the fatigue people are feeling with not connecting with family and friends.  She says health officials throughout the state and locally are observing smaller gatherings of extended family or friends as a key driver in case counts.

The Hood River County Department of Records and Assessment says text messages sent to some residents claiming hundreds of votes will not be counted is untrue.  Department Director Brian Beebe said they are currently in the process of resolving issues with 283 ballots that have been challenged because of signature issues, and that’s a normal step in every election.  Ballots get challenged because the voter did not sign the ballot return envelope, or the signature does not match the signature on the voter’s registration card.  Hood River County Elections mailed letters to all general election voters whose ballots were challenged giving them options to verify their vote.  Voters who have received a challenged ballot letter must return their signed form by 5 p.m. this Tuesday.  The text messages were sent from a non-working number.  Anyone with questions can contact the Hood River County Elections office at: 541-386-1442 or elections@co.hood-river.or.us.

As counties in Oregon deal with challenged ballots, the Oregon House District 52 race remains close after updates on Thursday.  Incumbent Democrat Anna Williams has 19,050 votes to 18,959 for Republican challenger Jeff Helfrich.  Clackamas County says it will issue an update later Friday.  In Washington, where ballots only had to be post-marked by election day, counting continues in Klickitat County.  Dan Christopher continues to hold a narrow lead over incumbent Jim Sizemore…5,716 to 5,607.  The County estimates 429 votes remain to be counted, and will issue another update late Friday afternoon.