Containment of the Fir Mountain Fire is now at 60%.  Fire size remains 313 acres with a combination of dozer line, handline and roads around the perimeter.  Thursday’s storm front produced minimal precipitation over the fire, but did bring significant winds.  Firefighters maintained the fire within its current footprint.  Today firefighting resources continue mop-up operations utilizing hose lays.  Resources are increasing the depth of cooled ground interior of the fireline to further secure the perimeter of the fire.  Fire behavior remains minimal.  The Wasco County Sheriff’s Department has reduced the Level 3 evacuation notice for 2900 Godberson Road to a Level 1.    The Level 1 evacuation notice for the Mosier Creek Road area from 3475 Mosier Creek Road to 3950 Mosier Creek Road to 1 mile south of 8020 Ketchum Road to 2000 Ketchum Road is still in effect as well.

The latest count from this week’s primary election in Klickitat County sees a property tax levy in the Dallesport Fire District still with a narrow lead.  After trailing by a vote after the initial night of vote counts…it now sees 150 in favor and 141 against.  There has been a narrowing in County Commission votes…with incumbent District 3 Commissioner Jim Sizemore in a second to a fellow Republican.  Dan Christopher’s share of the vote has dipped to 55 percent but he still has a large lead with 1,149 votes…while Sizemore has 571 and Democrat Miland Walling has 364.  The top two move on to the primary.  Ballots only had to be postmarked by Tuesday…so ballot counts will continue for the next few days.  2,600 ballots still remain to be counted.  In the other Klickitat County Commission vote in District 1…Democrat Joanna Turner had 974 votes and Republican Jacob Anderson 707…with both headed to the general election in November.  In the only contested race in the 14^th Legislative District…Republican incumbent Chris Corry received 63 percent of the vote and Democrat Tracy Rushing 34 percent, with the remaining to Education Party candidate William Razey had just above two percent.

The body of a youth pastor from Ridgefield who drowned after he went out from Hood River’s Marina Beach into the Columbia River was found Thursday evening.  The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office says the body of 44-year-old Andrew Inskeep was recovered by the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office after he was located by boaters in the Columbia River near milepost 54 on Washington Highway 14.  An 11-year-old boy that was part of the group from Ridgefield Church of the Nazarene that was visiting Marina Beach on Wednesday evening also drowned.   According to the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office…local law enforcement responded to a report of swimmers in distress off the Marina Beach sandbar at about 6:53 p.m. Wednesday.  The boy was recovered at the mouth of the White Salmon River at 7:38 p.m., and life-saving efforts began immediately…but the youngster was pronounced deceased after being taken to Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital.  His name has not been released.   The Sheriff’s Office indicated other swimmers who were initially reported as struggling in the water were able to either self-rescue or were rescued by adult church sponsors or nearby windsurfers.   Personnel from Hood River City Police, Hood River Fire and EMS, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission Enforcement, and the Wasco, Klickitat, and Skamania County Sheriff’s Offices all took part in the rescue efforts.  

Wasco County added six positive COVID-19 cases in figures released on Thursday, putting its pandemic total at 178.  Recovered cases moved up by three to 91, using a 30-day standard before listing a COVID-19 patient as recovered.  No new COVID-19 cases were reported for Hood River County to leave its total at 178, with 149 of those released from isolation.  Sherman County had one additional case Thursday to move to 15, and Gilliam County remains at four.  Statewide, the Oregon Health Authority reported 267 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 in its Thursday report, bringing the state total to 20,265.  The OHA also reported one death, moving that number to 339.  In Washington, Klickitat County reported no new COVID-19 cases Wednesday to stay at 114, with the list of active cases staying at 12.  Skamania County Community Health’s positive case went up by two to 57 on Thursday, with its number listed as recovered at 51.  Washington state officials confirmed 705 more cases Wednesday, bringing the total number of positive cases to 60,084.  Five more deaths also were reported, raising the death toll to 1,624.

Hood River Shelter Services is continuing its search for a new home to operate its Warming Shelter this winter.  The shelter has to move out of Riverside Community Church due to COVID-19.  Director Sarah Kellems says they have some possible locations, but they are still looking.  She adds wherever they go, operation of the shelter will look different using a non-congregate model to limit COVID-19 risks for their clients, staff, and volunteers.  Kellums says it will take the form of one to two person emergency shelter units, so they need an open air location that would be supported by a building or mobile unit on site.  The mobile unit would allow them to conduct their check-in, meals, and clothing services.  Those who would like to help in this effort or donate can go to hoodrivercares.org.

North Central Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell presented data to the Wasco County Commission on Wednesday showing Hispanic and Latino residents being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.  McDonell told the Commission statistics show they have received 45.6% of positive COVID-19 tests in Wasco County in a population that represents about 20% of the County.  McDonell said migrant workers in the agricultural sector were included in the data.  43.9% of Wasco County’s COVID-19 cases have been among non-Hispanics and Latinos, while 10.5% were unknown.  McDonell also showed age group numbers showing in the last few weeks the trend has been for more younger people testing positive, a change from a couple of months ago when the largest amount of positives came in the 40 to 50 year old age group.

The Fir Mountain Fire is now 50% contained.  The Oregon Department of Forestry reports they now have the fire completely lined with dozerline, roads, and handline.  Breezy conditions on Wednesday night produced new interior consumption of previously unburned pockets within the containment line…but firefighters kept the fire within the existing footprint.   Crews Thursday will continue to strengthen the perimeter by increasing the depth of the cooled ground interior of the fireline.  With windy conditions expected, firefighters will be gridding the perimeter of the fire.  The fire is 313 acres in size.  It was first reported late Saturday and remains under investigation.

A Pacific Power executive says their goal is to complete system improvements and safety measures that would result in the Hood River and Mosier areas from being removed from consideration for Public Safety Power Shutoff during periods of extreme fire danger by the end of next year.  Pacificorp Vice President of External Affairs Scott Bolton said on Mid-Columbia Today on Wednesday that work done so far has already removed over 80% of the customers in the area, including all of the Hood River city limits, from the potential of a shutoff.  Measures that have been taken include new insulated conductors, new switching capabilities to isolate areas, more weather monitoring capabilities, and aggressive management of vegetation near power lines.

North Wasco County School District 21 is planning to provide online registration for this coming school year in all grades, not just for high schoolers as in the past.  D-21 Interim Superintendent Theresa Peters told the Wasco County Commission on Wednesday that will be for returning students.  She says as part of the registration process, they will be asking parents about any technological needs they may have so their children can take part in online learning.  Peters says they have federal grant dollars through the CARES Act for wi-fi hotspots.

There are statistics on COVID-19 being updated every day at the national, state, and local level.  But what does it all mean?  Hood River County Health Department Health Officer Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg says he follows the weekly number of new cases and the test positivity rate. But in a Facebook post he offers a word of caution, saying it doesn’t equal the prevalence of coronavirus in the community.  He says that’s because of a number of reasons including fluctuations in testing of asymptomatic people, false negatives, timing of getting test results back, and a lag in the compilation of local and state statistics.  Van Tilburg emphasizes statistics shouldn’t be used to guide behavior.