The Next Door has established an information and referral phone line to provide information on various services available around the region.  The Next Door’s Ebelia Rodrigues says their Next Connection line is designed to help people looking for services to get started.  The Next Connection is available weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  The number is 541-308-7099, and bilingual staff is available.

Election returns from Tuesday night’s primary election in Klickitat County saw incumbent County Commissioner Jim Sizemore in a distant second to a fellow Republican.  Dan Christopher received just over 60 percent of the vote in District 3 with 729…while Sizemore has 280 and Democrat Miland Walling has 195.  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.  Over three-thousand ballots remained to be counted.  In the other Klickitat County Commission vote in District 1…Democrat Joanna Turner had 532 votes and Republican Jacob Anderson 406…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 under three percent.  In the Third Congressional District…Republican incumbent Jamie Herrera-Beutler and Democrat Carolyn Long were easily advancing to face each other for the second straight time in November.  Also on the Klickitat County ballot…a property tax levy in the Dallesport Fire District was being defeated by a single vote…98-to-97.

Firefighters on Tuesday held the Fir Mountain Fire within its perimeter in spite of breezy afternoon winds, with the only activity from consumption of unburned fuels within the perimeter.  The Oregon Department of Forestry reports that fire behavior moderated from the last few days, allowing firefighters to focus on establishing and reinforcing firelines.  Containment for the fire has increased to 30%, and it remains 313 acres in size.  Helicopters were used on Tuesday to drop water and cool the spot fires on the eastern flank to allow ground resources to build fireline on the edge of the fire, with heavy equipment being used where possible while hand crews work in more difficult terrain.  Heavy fuels continue to be a problem, and but on the east flank construction of hoselays has begun to deliver water to that area of the fire.  Additional personnel arrived on Tuesday to bring the total number to 400.  The fire was first reported last Saturday, and remains under investigation.

Hood River County Health Department Director Trish Elliott says along with asking the Oregon Health Authority for more help with testing after the County was placed on the state’s COVID-19 watch list last week, she would also like to see more support to analyze epidemiological data in the county.  The OHA has stated it would provide more support to counties on the watch list, but Elliott told the Hood River County Commission on Monday that she has not heard back on her request.  Elliott says small counties can use the help to sort through the data that is available to help better target resources.  Elliott did tell the Commission that the County is seeing a high rate of Hispanic residents testing positive for COVID-19 compared to non-Hispanic, and they are not sure why.  Also, Elliott said they have seen an uptick in positive tests among those age 10 to 40 years old, adding they feel there has been an impact from social gatherings outside of the workplace.

Public lands managers throughout the Gorge are banding together to ask everyone to keep recreational sites clean and free of litter.  Resources and staffing capacities are stretched thin, making it difficult to keep up with maintenance, cleaning, and trash removal.  Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Manager Lynn Burditt told the Hood River County Commission on Monday the bi-state group is asking everyone to help.  When visiting public lands…people are asked to plan to pack out what you pack in, bring an extra bag to collect errant litter and waste, if using available trash containers make sure everything is completely inside, and be kind to the workers and volunteers who are helping to keep people and lands healthy and safe.  

YouthThink of Wasco County has put together a short online video asking various people why they wear a mask to stem the spread of COVID-19.  Debby Jones of YouthThink says various people from the community saying who they wear a mask for.  She says wearing a mask is all about helping others.  Jones adds they hope to work with Mid-Columbia Senior Center on a project to help promote the face covering message.  The video can currently be seen on YouTube.

Air resources were again used on Monday to slow the spread of spot fires in the area east of the main Fir Mountain Fire southeast of Hood River along the Hood River/Wasco county line while winds and humidity challenged firefighters on the ground.  Wind blowing embers outside the fireline ignite dry fuels and kept crews and equipment busy.  Oregon Department of Forestry spokesperson Christie Shaw said fire operations worked with the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office to determine the need for a Level 3 evacuation for three residences on Godberson Road…but added it is not due to fire growth.  A Level 1 “be ready” evacuation advisory was issued for other residences on the eastern flank of the fire…from 3475 Mosier Creek Road to 3950 Mosier Creek Road, and to one mile south of 8020 Ketchum Road to 2000 Ketchum Road.  Total fire size is now estimated to be 200 acres and five percent contained.  Spot fires between the main fire and Godberson Road range in size from a quarter-acre to nearly ten.  Crews were successful in minimizing growth of the spotfires using heavy equipment and hand crews in coordination with aerial support.  Hoselays were constructed to disburse water throughout the fire area for mop-up and to extinguish hot spots and fire outside the fire line.  Heavy fuels are hampering efforts to extinguish the fire, secure the line, and mop-up the interior.  The fire that was reported late Saturday night and its cause remains under investigation.    

There will not be a traditional Hood River Valley Harvest Festival this year.  Hood River County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kate Schroeder said on Mid-Columbia Today Monday morning the Chamber board decided it made the most sense to cancel the event.  Schroeder said they thought about not having the usual two large tents on the waterfront and having an outdoor farmers’ market, but recent events made them decide against it.  Schroeder says they are working with Visit Hood River on ideas to drive tourists to individual farm stands during the harvest season.

As area schools prepare for opening classes this fall online rather than in buildings, part of what schools will be doing is assisting families to help their students stay on track academically.  Hood River County School District Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn says what takes place this fall will be more structured than what occurred during the spring with more requirements and expectations of students and staff.  Polkinghorn said establishing a dedicated space in the house can be an important part of setting an environment for learning.

An 86-year-old Hood River woman was found healthy and in good condition early this morning after becoming lost while picking huckleberries in the Red Hill area of the Mt. Hood National Forest.  According to the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office, Elva Lane was located by a member of Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue just after 5 a.m. on a dirt road about three miles from the initial search location.  Lane said after becoming separated from her husband on Thursday afternoon she ended up down a steep ridge, hiked through the night, and found the road early this morning.  She was reunited with her husband shorty after she was found.  It culminated a busy 24 hours for the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office.  Earlier in the day they helped a 53-year-old Illinois man hiking the Timberline Trail dealing with heat exhaustion to reach Laurance Lake safely, and a 23-year-old Vancouver man on the same trail dealing with complications from asthma was assisted by the Hood River Crag Rats and a fellow hiker who is an emergency room nurse to get back to the trailhead in good condition.