North Wasco County School District 21 has announced its plans for meal distributions for children age 1-18 for the next few weeks.  Curbside pickup will be available at Chenowith and Dry Hollow elementary schools and The Dalles Middle School on weekdays between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. from June 16 to July 17.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be distributed from June 16 to June 30, and breakfast and lunch from July 1 to July 17.  Weekend meals will be distributed on Fridays.

Friends of the Hood River County Library has suspended the Hood River County Reads program until the library can safely host large groups, which they hope is this coming spring.  Program organizers say the kick-off for this year’s program was well attended on March 7 and the committee distributed almost all of the 565 free books to the community and schools before the library closed on March 11.  The program committee is planning programming about the book The Highest Tide in 2021.  Author Jim Lynch plans to visit to discuss his book for the program next year.  Additional copies of the book will be ordered, but those who got them this year are asked to either pass them along or return to the library book drop.  

The Oregon law enforcement citation moratorium for expired driver licenses, permits, ID cards, and vehicle registration has been extended through October 1.  The grace period is intended to allow Oregon residents to continue driving while they are waiting for an appointment and DMV works through a backlog due to COVID-19 restrictions.  Law enforcement can verify the status of a driver or vehicle electronically during a traffic stop.  Thirty-eight DMV offices started conducting in-person services on June 3.  Services currently offered by appointment include driver license, permit and ID card issuance, driver knowledge tests, disabled parking permits, farm endorsements, and VIN inspections.  At this time, drive tests are available only through DMV-authorized class C or CDL skills testing businesses.  With a few limited exceptions, all other DMV services such as vehicle titles and registration are available online or by mail.  DMV is accepting appointment requests online through the agency’s website and not by phone.   To see if your service is available by appointment and request an appointment, go to www.OregonDMV.com.

How to get people to wear masks in public and practice social distancing was a big part of the discussion when the Wasco County Commission held a COVID-19 update meeting on Wednesday.  North Central Public Health District Director Teri Thalhofer said she is very concerned about what she perceives as a lack of compliance in wearing masks, and worries about seeing an increases in cases.  She noted the virus hasn’t changed, but people’s behavior changes allowed them to flatten the curve of transmission.  County Commissioner Kathy Schwartz felt there are political forces they are combatting in giving their mask message.  Thalhofer emphasized the cases local health officials have seen recently have not been among migrant agricultural workers, but rather year-round residents employed in congregate work settings.

The Hood River County Commission is looking at holding in-person meetings at the County Fairgrounds in Odell.  Like nearly all governmental agencies, the panel has been conducting its meetings virtually since the COVID-19 pandemic began.  Commissioner Les Perkins said on the Mid-Columbia Today Show that with the County hoping to move to Phase 2 at the end of this week, they would have the ability to have an in-person meeting, but there would still be an Internet option available to the public.  Perkins said they were looking at the Summit building on the Fairgrounds to hold a meeting, noting it would provide sufficient room for physical distancing measures.  

A little over 52 percent of residents in Hood River and Wasco counties have responded to the 2020 U.S. Census by mail or online, but that’s under the nearly 61 percent nationwide.  Regional Census spokesperson Misty Slater said people can self-respond either online, by phone, or by mail through the end of October.  Slater says people concerned about privacy should know their personal information can never be released by the Census.  The Census process was extended by three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  To learn more about the U.S. Census, go to 2020census.gov.

The City of Goldendale announced it has maintained its insurance rating with the Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau at a Protection Class 6.  The classification follows an analysis conducted by WSRB, an independent, non-profit public service organization that has been serving the State of Washington since 1911.  WSRB uses a grading schedule and measures the fire protection capabilities of a community in four major areas by means of a point system: water supply, fire department, fire safety control, and emergency communications.  The Protection Class 6 rating will apply to all dwellings and commercial properties located within the City of Goldendale, that are within five road miles of the responding fire station and having standard fire hydrant distribution and water supply.  

Many health officials are emphasizing the need for people to stay home if they feel sick to help continue to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  Hood River County Health Department Director Patricia Elliott says that’s where they are seeing spread of the disease happen in workplaces.  She acknowledges economic stressors for the workforce is an issue as they try to change attitudes, but adds the federal government has put in place mandatory COVID-19 leave provisions.  Elliott did say they have received most of the test results taken after an outbreak at Duckwall Fruit, and now they are seeing people who were considered close contacts coming up positive.  She said those people were already counted as presumptive cases, so the total numbers don’t change.

Hood River’s Urban Renewal Agency board voted Monday night to approve a budget in the Fiscal Year 2020-21 that will not use tax increment funding as a revenue source.  Mayor Kate McBride said they are pausing collection of taxes for urban renewal from other districts for one year as many taxing entities face revenue drops as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Board member Erick Haynie noted by statue they can only do this one time, but this is the time to do it.  McBride noted Urban Renewal will collect the taxes at the end of its duration if necessary.  Hood River City Councilors also passed its municipal budget for 2020-21.

The Dalles City Council voted to move ahead with an application to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department for a grant to assist in development of a public plaza on Federal Street.  OPRD’s Local Government Grant Program allows the City to seek up to $75,000, with a local match of $30,000 required.  Applying for the grant would not compel the City to do the project, for which funds are allocated in both the City and Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency budgets in the upcoming fiscal year.  Community Development Director Steve Harris told the Council the state’s COVID-19 related budget issues make learning whether they would receive the funds an unknown.  Public design workshops were held this past February to solicit comments on potential design elements and programming needs for a public plaza.   A final design concept will come before the City Council and Urban Renewal at a later date.