Wasco County Commissioners decided to leave the record open for the next two weeks to allow for more testimony on changes to wildlife habitat, forest lands, and recreation portions of the county’s comprehensive land use plan following an over two-hour public hearing session on Wednesday.   It’s the final stage of the Wasco 2040 periodic review of the comprehensive plan.  But it brought objections from a number of County residents, including concerns about what some considered “overreaching” by the state in regard to wildlife habitat regulations, impacts on property owners ability to use their land, and tax implications.  Commissioner Scott Hege said he wanted to insure all testimony is received, so he decided to wait to allow written testimony for the next two weeks before conducting any deliberations.   The County Commission will address the subject again on October 21 at 10 a.m.

The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area announced plans to conduct prescribed burning at a number of central Gorge locations this fall, starting Wednesday.  Jeff King of Klickitat County Emergency Management says burns were planned to start in the Courtney Road are and head towards the Major Creek area east of Bingen, continuing through Friday.  Burns are also planned this fall in the Tracy Hill area.  The burns reduce excess fuel from building up and minimizes the potential for large scare wildfires while improving the health and resiliency of ecosystems.  Those with asthma can request to be on an advance call list to be notified of burn plans by contacting the National Scenic Area office at 541-308-1700.  Smoke may be visible from Highway 14 and Interstate 84 at times during the burns.

The Hood River County School District says it is investigating allegations an employee used their social media account to threaten harm towards individuals attending a Black Lives Matter rally last weekend in Parkdale.  In a statement, Hood River County School District superintendent Rich Polkinghorn said district staff members are expected to treat fellow employees, students, and the public with respect while on- and off-duty and when using social media in order prevent substantial disruption to the school.  Polkinghorn said the district wants to assure its staff, students, and community that it is aware of the allegations and have initiated an investigation.  In the statement, the district said it takes all threats of harm seriously, refers them to law enforcement as necessary, and thoroughly investigates each allegation.  It also says the district “condemns racism, racial violence, white supremacy, hate speech, and bigotry in all forms inside and outside of its schools.”  

An infectious disease modelor from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center said during Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s press conference on Tuesday that increases in mask use show substantial decreases in COVID-19 virus transmission.  Dr. Joshua Schiffler says masks aren’t perfect, but data does show in places where mask use is increase, the virus reproductive rate drops.  He adds that just because you get the virus even if you wear a face covering, it doesn’t mean the mask doesn’t work, noting it’s possible an illness could have been worse without wearing a mask, and if part of a super spreader event it could have been worse if some people were not wearing a mask.  Schiffler also added there is no evidence masks are harmful in any way.

Checks are going out this week from Oregon’s not-for-profit workers’ compensation insurance company from a $100 million dividend for policyholders announced in June.  The dividend from SAIF will be based on premiums for policies whose annual term ended in 2019.  This is the eleventh year in a row SAIF has been able to offer a dividend, and the 23rd dividend in the past 31 years.  SAIF says policyholders in Hood River County will be receiving more than $1 mlllion and Wasco County policyholders will receive more than $975,000.   That does not include state agencies.

North Central Public Health District says a total of seven residents of Flagstone Senior Living who tested positive for COVID-19 have now died.  District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell says the deaths have occurred since September 26, with the latest on Monday.  The deaths have occurred among residents in the facility’s memory care unit, where all 30 of the residents have tested positive for COVID.  Staff and their families have also contracted COVID in the outbreak.  Seven of the residents were sent to a long-term care facility in the Willamette Valley that specializes in caring for COVID patients.  McDonell noted the transfer was done to ease the care load at Flagstone.  Wasco County has now seen ten total fatalities as a result of COVID-19.

The Oregon Health Authority’s Tuesday COVID-19 update added one new confirmed or presumptive case each in Wasco and Hood River counties.  That moved Wasco County to 307 positive cases for the pandemic.  North Central Public Health District did report that the number of recovered as been upped to 212, defined as 30 days from the onset of illness and in stable medical condition.  Hood River County is now at 255 total cases, and County Health Department Director Trish Elliott told the County Commission on Monday that they only had one currently active COVID case, with ten to twelve contacts expected to be released this week.  The OHA reported 301 new confirmed or presumptive COVID cases statewide in its Tuesday report, moving the pandemic total to 35,340.  Nine deaths were reported, moving that total at 581.  Skamania County remains at one currently active COVID case, with 65 total for the pandemic.  Klickitat County stayed at three active cases as of Monday, with a 210 pandemic total.  On Monday the Washington Department of Health reported 472 new COVID cases to put the state at 90,276 total cases for the pandemic, with 16 deaths added to move to 2,158.

A 40-year-old man involved in a motorcycle accident on Interstate 84 at the west end of Hood River on Sunday died in a Portland hospital on Monday.  The Oregon State Police says Jose Antonio Guiterrez of Milton-Freewater was pronounced deceased at Emanuel Hospital.  Gutierrez had been taken there by LifeFlight after the accident on Sunday afternoon.  The OSP says the accident occurred at about 2:17 p.m. Sunday on I-84 near milepost 64.  Preliminary investigation revealed the motorcycle operated by Gutierrez was eastbound when for unknown reasons the rear tire seized, causing the bike to crash.  OSP was assisted at the scene by the Hood River Police Department and Hood River Fire and Rescue.    

Hood River County Commissioners are expected to approve $96,222 in federal CARES Act funds to go to Hood River Shelter Services to acquire 15 pallet shelters for use this winter to help those who are homeless.  With two commissioners absent and Commissioner Karen Joplin declaring a conflict of interest due to her involvement with Shelter Services, the Commission could not approve the funding on Monday, but Administrator Jeff Hecksel will do an e-mail poll on the matter and place in on the panel’s agenda for a formal approval in two weeks.  Sarah Kellems of Shelter Services says they are working with an area church to locate the shelters, and that should be finalized next week.  The County also approved $20,000 in CARES Act funding for the Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facility to help the regional jail deal with COVID-related expenses.

Hood River County’s COVID-19 testing numbers are expected to go up dramatically when last week’s totals are released by the Oregon Health Authority in the next few days.  County Health Department Director Trish Elliott told the County Commission on Monday that heavy smoke conditions during wildfires in the Northwest in recent weeks had slowed testing.  Elliott reported that 170 tests were done between three events in Cascade Locks, Parkdale, and Hood River last week, and none have come back as positive.