North Central Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell said during Wednesday’s Wasco County Commission that while the state is starting to plan for providing vaccinations for those who are 80 years old or older, they don’t have a confirmed date for when that will start.  McDonell is advising people to wait a couple of weeks before reaching out to their primary care provider or the health district for that information…because they don’t know when they will receive it yet.  McDonell says they will use all information channels available to them once they have specifics.  McDonell says Wasco County expects to finish vaccinations in Phase 1a by January 30.  Sherman County is complete and Gilliam County expects to finish on Friday.  

Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley Wednesday announced the city of Cascade Locks will receive a $2.4 million federal investment to make power supply infrastructure improvements that will help support business growth in Hood River County.  The news follows a letter to the federal Economic Development Administration from Wyden and Merkley in support of the project to help Cascade Locks become more resilient to natural disasters by placing circuits underground, hardening a transmission line, and buying a new substation.  Cascade Locks City Administrator Gordon Zimmerman says the year-long project will increase the City’s electrical capacity by a third and support more businesses and housing.  The EDA estimates the $2.4 million federal investment will create 66 jobs, save 82 jobs and leverage $22.2 million in private investment.  

Hood River County Health Department officials have decided to move up public works and utility workers on the COVID-19 priority list.  County Health Officer Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg said the decision came about because of the potential of winter weather disrupting their vaccine distribution efforts.  Van Tilburg reiterated to County Commissioners that the County remains on pace to vaccinate 2,500 people by the end of next week.

A free COVID-19 testing event is taking place Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Northern Wasco County Aquatic Center parking lot in The Dalles.  Appointments are required for this event, which is being held by the Oregon Health Authority.   You can get an appointment time at doineedacovid19test.com.   One person per appointment is allowed, and each person must register individually.  The event is open to anyone and no insurance is required.   The test consists of a quick and pain-free self-administered nasal swab.

Kindergarten through eighth grade students in the Stevenson-Carson School District made their return to full-time, in-person learning on Tuesday.  District officials say they worked closely with county health professionals to determine that Skamania County’s new case numbers of the Covid-19 novel coronavirus have dropped to a point where in-person learning has once again become a possibility.  Students and staff will use cohorting, social distancing, and mask-wearing to ensure all remain healthy and safe.  Officials say all three reopened schools – Wind River Middle School as well as Stevenson and Carson Elementary Schools – receive thorough cleaning of all facilities at the end of each day.  The district is also developing plans for the return of high school students as wall as restarting the district’s athletic program.  Families with sixth grade students who prefer to remain with distance learning can opt to stay with Stevenson-Carson Learning Link, the district’s distance learning program, rather than returning to in-person school.

The Hood River County Health Department is receiving 700 additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the Oregon Health Authority this week to complete first-dose vaccination of Phase 1a.  County officials say by the end of next week, approximately 20% of eligible people in Hood River County who have opted to receive the vaccine will have gotten their first dose.   The county is currently completing first-dose vaccination of those in Phase 1a.  If you are in Phase 1a and have not yet been contacted by the health department or your supervisor or administrator about receiving your first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, please email covidvaccine@co.hood-river.or.us.  County Health Department Director Trish Elliott told the County Commission they have a plan in place for Phase 1b but do not have a start date yet, as it is dependent upon when the county receives additional vaccines.  She adds they have to be flexible to deal with changing state guidelines.  Phase 1b will include: child-care, preschool and K-12 school and school district staff; people 65 and older; other essential workers; and high-risk populations.

The Hood River Soil and Water Conservation District’s annual native plant sale is underway.  District Conservation Specialist Kris Schaedel says they hold the sale to help local residents access native plants for their landscape or reforestation.  Orders are being taken until March 19.  Information is available online at hoodriverswcd.org.

The City of White Salmon will be signing off on a certificate of substantial completion for Crestline Construction’s work on the Jewett Water Main Improvement project.  Mayor Marla Keethler says there is still some finishing elements of the project to be done, but they can’t occur until spring, and they came up on deadlines set by the Washington State Department of Transportation.  The main task left in the project is to finish paving in the state transportation department right-of-way and the pavement markings that go along with that.  Keethler says the City will finish that in combination with some planned construction work this coming year.

Even when the Oregon Department of Education issues revised metrics for returning students to in-person learning, Hood River County School District Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn expects his district still will not be in a position to open.  Polkinghorn says transmission rates in the County remain high enough that he doesn’t think they will be in a position to consider reopening.  Polkinghorn adds the district will continue to work closely with the Hood River County Health Department in determining when the time is right to bring students back in classrooms.  He also said they are preparing to bring small numbers of students identified as struggling with distance learning in to classrooms for support.

The Port of Hood River’s toll revenue from the Interstate Bridge dropped by about $920,000 in 2020.  Port Executive Director Michael McElwee says after a 40% drop in the first few weeks of the pandemic, it’s leveled out to a 9% to 10% drop in the last few months.  McElwee says the drop will have the Port looking at trimming capital expenditures and dipping into reserves.  But he adds recent federal COVID relief legislation carved out monetary assistance for tolling agencies around the country, with states receiving the funds to distribute by formula.  Hood River County Commission Chair Mike Oates is on the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Region 1 Area Commission on Transportation, and is asking County Commissioners at a meeting Tuesday whether they support using COVID relief funds to fill in for the loss of toll revenue.