Katie Kadlub has been named the new Executive Director of Visit Hood River, the business name for the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce.  Kadlub has spent the last nine years at Mt. Hood Meadows, where she has been Director of Business Development since 2014.   In a statement the Visit Hood River board indicated Kadlub brings a strong background in group sales and corporate sponsorship development as well as event planning and staff management to the organization.

North Central Public Health District officials said today a recent significant drop in positive COVID-19 cases in Wasco County means the County will probably move down from the “extreme risk” category to “high risk” next week, and possibly even into the “moderate risk” category.  In a statement released Friday, district interim director Shellie Campbell said Wasco County has recorded just 27 COVID cases since February 7, which is the beginning of the two-week case count period that ends Saturday (February 20).  A count of 45 to 59 cases would drop Wasco County to the “high risk” category, and 30 to 44 would qualify as “moderate risk.”  The state will announce category changes on Tuesday, and they would take effect on Friday.  Counties in the “high risk” category allow in-person dining and gyms to operate both at 25 percent capacity, and in-person visits at long-term care facilities.  Dropping to “moderate risk” would allow in-person dining, gyms, and churches to all be at 50 percent capacity.  District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell said the drop in cases is a result of several factors, including the end of the holiday case surge, the County’s 12 percent vaccination rate, and the public following “extreme risk” category guidance.  District officials do emphasize that vaccinations are still the key to ending the pandemic, so continue to wear mask in public, stay six feet apart from those not in your household, avoid gatherings, wash your hands, and stay home when sick.

The OSAA Executive Board has decided to put the final week of the first competitive high school sports season of the year into the hands of individual schools rather than trying to have statewide events.  The OSAA has discussed having “culminating week” events in the sixth and final week of each season, which in March and early April will feature football, soccer, volleyball, and cross country.  But OSAA Executive Director Peter Weber said given the realities of conducting large-scale events during the pandemic, the board reached a consensus of giving the final week to the schools to coordinate and execute local or regional events at their discretion.  OSAA staff will support schools as they organize events.  Decisions on culminating week events for the following two seasons have not yet been determined.  

Wasco County Commissioners and The Dalles City Councilors held the first public hearing on Google’s proposed Strategic Investment Program agreement for development of the former aluminum plant and rodeo grounds property it has purchased.  It includes a 20-year window for two potential projects estimated at $600 million each, both with a 15 year partial tax abatement, state prescribed taxes tied to the total investment in each project, a state prescribed community service fee based on 25% of full tax capped at $2.5 million, and a locally negotiated guaranteed annual payment.  In his report, County Administrative Services Director Matthew Klebes said the first project would bring about 54 million dollars to local governments for the life of the agreement, and the second over 60 million dollars.  He also noted the Strategic Investment Program involves tax dollars going to all taxing districts, unlike the payments in the Enterprise Zone program under which Google built its first three projects in The Dalles.  But County Commissioner Kathy Schwartz and City Councilor Dan Richardson both pointed out that how the guaranteed annual payment is divided up still needs to be determined.  Another joint hearing on the subject is set for Monday at 5:30 during a City Council meeting, and log-in information is available at the City of The Dalles website.

Private forestland owners in central Wasco County can reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and improve their forest health with conservation assistance available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Forest Service.  The Central Wasco County All-Lands Project is funded by the Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Initiative, a partnership between the two USDA agencies that reduces wildfire risk on both public and private forests.  NRCS is offering assistance to help private landowners treat and improve their woods and forests, and the Forest Service will be performing similar restoration on the federal side of the project boundary in the Mt. Hood National Forest.  Project funding will help forestland owners implement conservation practices, such as forest stand improvement and woody residue treatment.  Interested landowners should submit applications by April 16 to The Dalles Service Center field office at 2325 River Road, #3, The Dalles, OR 97058.  For more information, call 541-298-8559, extension 113.

North Central Public Health District reports there have been 5,517 COVID-19 vaccines administered in Wasco, Sherman, and Gilliam counties as of last Saturday.  The district has given 1,995 doses, local long-term care facilities 1,406, and Mid-Columbia Medical Center 1,307.  Seven different entities along with the long-term care facilities have been involved in providing the vaccines.  The district also says long-term care facilities have completed giving their doses.  In addition, Deschutes Rim Clinic in Maupin began to administer vaccines this week.

Hood River County Health Department Director Trish Elliott told County Commissioners on Tuesday that they are prepared to increase the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations, they just need more vaccine.  Elliott says that they will receive 300 new doses this coming week, and the Oregon Health Authority has indicated that number won’t change for the next few weeks.  She added a surge in vaccine availability is still probably a few weeks out.  Elliott says the health department will be holding a clinic on Friday at which they will give out 650 does of the vaccine, 600 of which will be second doses to those who have already received their first.  

North Central Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell told the Wasco County Commission that COVID-19 case counts continue to go down.  They’ve dropped steadily since early January, and for the two-week period that ended last Saturday there had been 53 newly reported COVID cases in the County with a test positivity rate down to 2.2%.  The next time the state will revise County risk levels is next week, and McDonell is hopeful Wasco County can leave the extreme risk category.  If that occurred, among other things indoor dining could take place in restaurants at 25 percent of capacity or 50 people, whichever is smaller, gyms and studios could operate under similar limitations, and inside visitation would be allowed at long-term care facilities.

The Hood River County Library District, Library Foundation and Friends of the Library are launching a fundraising campaign for the Library District to purchase a bookmobile.  The Library District plans to use the mobile library to provide literacy and lifelong learning opportunities for community members of all ages by bringing library materials, staff expertise, services, WiFi access, technology and programs to off-site events and locations to serve patrons in underserved areas of Hood River County.  The Library District’s fundraising goal is $175,000 and it has already raised $91,250 from fundraising by the Library Foundation.  The Library District is applying for several grants to fund this project and has already received a $2500 grant from The Hood River Cultural Trust to support this project.  Donations can be made to the campaign through the Library Foundation.   Please visit https://hoodriverlibrary.org/bookmobile/ for more details.