Klickitat County officials are continuing their work on the County’s 2021 budget.  Commissioner Jim Sizemore says they asked all departments to hold the status quo, and for the most part that has occurred.  Sizemore says the challenge has been the inability to use 2020 as a base for projected revenues moving forward.  He noted they don’t know if they’ll see any more stimulus money from the state or federal governments as the pandemic continues.  But Sizemore added they are financially strong, and 2022 might be more telling than the upcoming year will be.

The Dalles Public Works Department on Wednesday will place no parking signs along the Reverse Starlight Parade route on 3rd Street between Lincoln and Monroe.  The traveling public is being asked to leave all parking spaces open along the parade route on Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.  Please be alert to the traffic control signs and drive with caution for the safety of the Starlight Parade volunteers and spectators.  For questions or concerns, contact the Public Works office at (541) 296-5401.

The North Wasco County School District 21 board has appointed Judy Richardson to fill the vacant Zone 7 seat on the panel.  Richardson fills the seat left vacant by Michael Sullivan’s resignation from the post last month.  In her interview with the board, Richardson said as a physician she has been hesitant to run for public office because of relationships with community members as patients, but COVID and following school metrics made her want to explore this position and try it out.  She also expressed an interest in facilities and long-term planning.  Richardson’s term runs to the end of June, and the position will be on the May 2021 ballot.

The North Central Public Health District reports a resident of the Oregon Veterans’ Home who contracted COVID-19 three weeks ago passed away on Monday.  That marks the 18th death in Wasco County from COVID.  Under Oregon Health Authority investigative guidelines, a death is considered to be related to COVID-19 if it occurs within 60 days of exposure to a confirmed case, onset of symptoms, or date of the person’s first positive test.  The OHA says the man was 95-years-old, died at his residence, and the presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.  An outbreak was first reported at the Oregon Veterans’ Home on October 25, and 13 cases are connected to it, including staff, residents and household contacts of staff.

The Oregon Health Authority is changing how it tracks COVID-19 testing to represent the number of tests actually performed, rather than the number of people tested as it is currently done.  OHA Senior Health Advisor Dr. Melissa Sutton says people who have tested negative haven’t been counted again regardless of how many additional tests they take until they test positive, and that has resulted in a significant undercount of the true number of tests performed.  She says the state’s positive test rate last week from drops from 12.9 percent to 6.7 percent with this adjustment, but emphasized that still isn’t good, and it shows the issue of community spread of the virus.  OHA Director Patrick Allen said Oregon remains at the lower end of the nation’s COVID-19 cases numbers, but the current increasing numbers are concerning and the need to suppress the virus’ spread is real.

Saturday is International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, and a virtual event is planned in the Gorge to commemorate it.  YouthThink of Wasco County is hosting this year’s event on Zoom, and YouthThink’s Debby Jones says this year because of COVID the international organization could not produce a new film, so they were able to pick two short films from the past featuring nine individuals from various cultures that have dealt with losing a loved one to suicide.  There will be an opportunity for discussion, but Jones emphasizes participation in that is voluntary.  Jones adds in the past this has been an in-person event, but they are noticing the virtual opportunity has led many more people to pre-register than in the past.  It will take place from ten to noon Saturday morning, and to get access information go to the events calendar at youththink.net.

Six Rivers Dispute Resolution Center is one of five community mediation centers from around the nation tabbed to take part in grant-funded pilot project to develop conflict resolution and leadership skills in young adults ages 21 to 35.  Six Rivers executive director Marti Dane says the program addresses a population that doesn’t typically get involved in non-profit organizations, leadership, and problem solving.  Dane says community mediation centers across the country have realized they have to more to reach the 21 to 35 year old age group to help elevate their voices with their communities so they don’t end up in crisis mode.  

Oregon Health Authority statistics on Wednesday reported five new confirmed or presumptive COVID-19 cases in Wasco County, four in Hood River County, and two in Gilliam County, with Hood River County seeing its second fatality from COVID-19 during the pandemic.  Hood River County Health Officer Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg said in a Facebook video that the person who died was in their ninth decade of life.  Wasco County is now at 426 total cases, with 315 listed as recovered by the North Central Public Health District using a 30-day standard since the onset of symptoms and in stable medical condition.  Hood River County is now at 338 total cases for the pandemic, with the County Health Department indicating 308 are out of isolation.  Gilliam County is now at 21 with 11 recovered.

The Hood River County Christmas Project has seen a substantial increase in applications for assistance, and that’s expected to continue throughout the registration process.  The Project’s Bruce Holmson says last year they assisted 471 families during the holidays, but they are already over 600 this year, and expect to get to somewhere between 700 and 800 by the time the application deadline of December 7 arrives.  Holmson says they could use the community’s help to make sure they can meet all of the requests.  They calculate needing approximately $100 per family.  Each family will receive a food gift card to a local grocery store and toy gift cards for each child.  To donate to the Hood River County Christmas Project, go online to hoodrivercountychristmasproject.com, or mail a check to P.O. Box 872 in Hood River, zip code 97031.

The Oregon Employment Department announced late last week it will use its equilibrium schedule for payroll taxes in 2021, but interim agency director David Gerstenfeld says they are able to keep increases minimal in spite of the unemployment insurance system facing an unprecedented demand for benefits.  Gerstenfeld says that’s in part due to federal funding for much of the benefits being paid out, but it’s also because of the health of the Oregon Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, which Gerstenfeld says kept the state afloat in the Great Recession and will likely remain solvent through the current pandemic.  Gerstenfeld says borrowing money leads to higher costs for employers, and he’s confident that will not be the case in Oregon.