The City of Hood River is working on ways to incentivize more development of what’s termed “middle housing.”  That’s duplexes, triplexes, quads, and cottage-type housing, in-between single family dwellings and multi-family housing.  Mayor Kate McBride says the goal is to see more this type of housing developed, and part of that is making sure their land-use regulations and building codes allow developers to have as easy a path as possible to make that happen.  City Planning Director Dustin Nilsen says he hopes to have concrete recommendations developed for the planning commission to consider in a couple of months.

North Wasco County School District 21 announced its three finalists in its search for a new superintendent, and the list includes interim superintendent Theresa Peters.  Peters took the interim job this summer to take over when Candy Armstrong retired, and the D-21 board decided to search again this year after going through the process one year ago but decided to wait as the pandemic set in.  The other finalists are Carolyn Bernal, who is an assistant superintendent at Rio School District in Oxnard, California, and Jeff Dillon, superintendent of the Wilder School District in Idaho.  A public forum with all three of the candidates will be held electronically via the D-21 Facebook page on January 15 at 6 p.m., with each candidate scheduled for 30 minutes.  The board will conduct final interviews on January 21, with an intent to make a selection the next day.  

The Next Door has surpassed its goal for its annual appeal by a significant amount…but they are still taking donations.  Development Director Justine Ziegler says they have raised so far almost $145,000, well over their $100,000 goal.  Ziegler says she has been “blown away” by the generosity of the region at this time.  She says the money plays a key role in backfilling when some of their services do not receiving funding from expected sources.  To donate, go to nextdoorinc.org/donate.

Washington State 14th District Representative Gina Mosbrucker will continue as deputy-chair of the Washington State House Republican Caucus.  The Goldendale Republican has held that position the last two years.  As deputy-chair, Mosbrucker assists Caucus Chair Paul Harris in presiding over daily caucus meetings when bills, amendments and voting are discussed.  The 14th District lawmaker was also recently chosen to serve as ranking Republican on the House Public Safety Committee.  In addition, she will serve as assistant ranking Republican on the House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee, and as a member of the House Capital Budget Committee.  The legislative session begins on Monday and will be conducted remotely due to COVID-19.

The Washington Department of Natural Resources has embarked on Phase 1 of a plan to create fire fuel breaks around White Salmon.  City Councilors last month gave DNR the go-ahead to pursue the first phase of the project, which would be on the east side of White Salmon and reduce fuel loading for a north to south break in the Jewett Creek area from the power station next to Skyline Hospital and extend north.  DNR Landowner Assistance Forester Greg Houle explains that a concentration of the community’s population living in that area led to it being picked for the first phase.  One of the challenges while implanting the project will be protecting the fish-bearing stream, and there will be a buffer established for the stream.  Three more phases are also planned.  Houle says community outreach is being done now, with a goal of implementing the project this spring and summer.

Children’s advocates continue to remain concerned about a higher incidence of abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic, as children remain out of school in distance learning.  SafeSpace Children’s Advocacy Center Beatriz Lynch says calls to Oregon’s Child Abuse Hotline went down 70 percent when schools were first closed by the pandemic last spring, and while calls have gone back up some it still doesn’t match where they were a few months ago.  Lynch says it’s important that communities be vigilant for their children, and watch for signs of abuse.  Oregon’s Child Abuse Hotline is 855-503-7233, while in Washington the statewide End Harm Line is 866-363-4276.

Oregon 59th District State Representative Daniel Bonham will be the House Republican Deputy Leader during the upcoming session.  House Minority Leader Christine Drazan of Canby announced the House Republican leadership team that also included 57th District Representative Greg Smith in an ex-officio role as vice-chair of the Ways and Means Committee.  Bonham has served in the House since late 2017, and was re-elected to the chamber in November.  Republicans will once again be a substantial minority in the Oregon House, with Democrats holding 38 of the 60 seats.

The Klickitat County Health Department says a fourth county resident has died as a result of COVID-19.  According to a health department statement, an 86-year-old individual from Goldendale tested positive for COVID-19 on December 24, and was taken to Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles, where the individual died on Sunday.  The department says it is unknown at this time if the individual had underlying health issues that affected their health in addition to having COVID-19.  This was the first COVID related death in the County since April.  The department is investigating any and all close contacts or possible exposures related to this individual.   At this time, it appears that the case was related to community transmission.

The Hood River County Health Department says it has received its first doses of COVID-19 vaccine for distribution to Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital, and local EMS and law enforcement staff for state guidelines.  A statement from the department says the current amount of vaccine received will not cover all those to receive vaccines in Phase 1a.  Walgreens has been contracted to distribute and administer vaccine to the County’s long term care facilities and they have begun scheduling visits.  Vaccinations of the first group of those designated Phase 1a from EMS and Law Enforcement are to take place Tuesday.  The County says it hopes to receive vaccine weekly and will continue to administer it to all those designated in Phase 1a.

New Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan was sworn into office Monday at a small ceremony on the steps of Dufur School, delivering inaugural remarks from the classroom she attended fourth grade in.  KTVZ in Bend reports Fagan’s oath was administered on the steps of the school by Judge Janet Stauffer, a Dufur resident.   Fagan, who was raised by a single father in Dufur and The Dalles, said in her remarks that she struggled early on both at home and in school, but her fourth grade teacher in Dufur saw her potential and invited her into his after-school chess club, and she eventually became the first girl in Oregon to win the state championship in her division.  Fagan was joined at the ceremony by her two children, her fiancé, and her aunt.