Hood River County Health Department Director Trish Elliott told the County Commission on Monday that the Oregon Health Authority has developed a plan for continuity in contact tracing for counties to utilize in surge conditions.  Elliott said they’ve been having difficulty keeping up with contact tracing with recent increases in COVID cases.  She outlined that the OHA guidance provides for less contact with people on a daily basis to allow a more manageable number for staff.  Elliott says they would continue notification of positive cases and close contacts, but not on a daily basis.  She added the OHA is going to assist the County with non-COVID communicable disease cases, and they are working with community based organizations to provide wrap-around services for COVID patients.

Wy’east Middle School’s STEAM, or science, technology, engineering, art, and math, teacher Patrick Getchis has been tabbed as a runner-up for the state’s 2021 Teacher of the Year.  The Oregon Department of Education, in partnership with the Oregon Lottery, is awarding both Getchis and his school a $2,000 cash prize.  Getchis has been teaching at Wy‘east Middle School for 5 of his 15 total years in education and founded the Wy‘east Middle School Robotics program by writing grants and coordinating with mentors and coaches.  Since then, Wy‘east has won three state robotics championships.  Getchis also co-led additional STEM projects which have included a biodiesel reactor and solar cell phone chargers.

Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped a full point in October to 6.9 percent, mirroring the national trend.   Oregon Employment Department Economist Gail Krumenauer says it’s a significant improvement from a rate of nearly 15 percent in April, but she adds the number of people jobless for a long period of time is up considerably.  The number of those without a job for more than half-a-year has tripled in the past six months.  Krumenauer says the state has regained a little less than half the jobs it lost at the onset of the pandemic.  But she notes these figures don’t take into account the two-week “freeze” restrictions the state will be under.  Those changes will probably be reflected in numbers released next month.

The Hood River County Christmas Project says it needs donations from the public more than ever after the first two weeks of on-line registration of assistance has resulted in enrollment already up by more than 100 families from last year, and there’s still three weeks of signups remaining.  The project’s Bruce Holmson says they may see family registrations go above the 700 mark by the time the reach the December 7 deadline.  Families who register receive a food gift card from their choice of four local grocery stores and a toy gift card for each child up to 18-years-old.  To support the 2020 Hood River County Christmas Project, go to hoodrivercountychristmasproject.com, or mail a check to the organization at P.O. Box 872 in Hood River, zip code 97031.  All donations are tax deductible.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s limitation of 75 percent capacity at retail stores for at least the next two weeks may not be ideal, but it’s not a closure.  That’s the message from The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson.  She’s advising those retail businesses to be creative to keep busy, and keep pushing out their messages on safe shopping in their establishments.  Farquharson says she is reaching out to restaurants to find out who is doing take out, so the public can be informed so they can help support them while they are limited to that service.

The supplemental draft Environmental Impact Statement for replacement of the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge should be released to the public next week.  Project Manager Kevin Greenwood of the Port of Hood River says it’s the culmination of over two years of work to update an EIS that was first done over ten years ago, calling it a huge milestone for the project.  Greenwood says the 200-page document covers every environmental impact a new bridge would have on the region.  A virtual public meeting on the EIS is planned for Thursday, December 3 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., including an opportunity for public comment.  Log-in information will be available at portofhoodriver.com.

The White Salmon Valley School District pushed back its reopening dates for in-person instruction for at least two weeks after an increase in COVID-19 cases in Klickitat County pushed the district over the metrics established by the Washington State Department of Health.  In a letter to parents, district administrators said when the numbers fall back within the state guidelines, they will continue with its phased-in hybrid reopening plans.  Tentative reopening dates now include November 30 for kindergarteners and first and fourth graders, December 7 for grades two, three, five, and six, and January 4 for secondary grades.  The increases in cases has also led the district to pause individualized instruction and support to a prioritized small group of students until further notice.  The district will re-evaluate the metrics next Monday.  

The City of the Dalles will be taking applications for a pilot program to rehabilitate deteriorated residential sidewalks for only a few more days.  The 50/50 Sidewalk Rehabilitation Pilot Program will provide some financial assistance to property owners to meet that responsibility.  The City will accept applications until Wednesday.  Applications will then be prioritized within the limited funding available to provide the greatest benefit to the community.  The homeowner must pay for half of the cost of sidewalk rehabilitation before the project can be scheduled.   Homeowners can download an application from the City website at thedalles.org/publicworksdocs.   If you do not have access to the internet, call (541) 296-5401 to ask for a paper copy.

The Dalles Public Works Department will be flushing fire hydrants throughout the city over the next few weeks, weather permitting.  Fire hydrants are flushed in order to clean out deposits, sediments and rust from distribution pipelines, minimize water quality problems, test fire protection water pressures, exercise hydrant valve, and Identify hydrants needing repair or replacement.  Motorists and pedestrians are asked to avoid driving or walking through the water coming directly from a hydrant while it is being flushed.  Occasionally main flushing causes water flowing from a tap to be discolored from stirred up sediment or milky white caused by tiny air bubbles.  Although discolored water won’t make you sick, you might want to flush the pipe by running the water for several minutes before drinking or washing.  If the water does not clear, contact the Public Works office at 541-296-5401.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown today announced a statewide two-week “freeze” starting on Wednesday through December 2 which will limit restaurants and bars to take-out only and close gyms and indoor and outdoor recreational facilities.  The aim is to limit group activities and slow the spread of COVID-19.  The state is experiencing a spike in coronavirus infections and has reached record high positivity rates so far in November.  As part of the freeze, grocery stores, pharmacies and retail stores are limited to a maximum capacity of 75%. Faith-based organizations will also have their capacity reduced to 25 people indoors and 50 people outdoors.  However, other facilities including gyms and fitness centers, museums, pools, sports courts, movie theaters, zoos, gardens, aquariums and venues, will have to close their doors completely.  Restaurants and bars, which had a capacity limit of 50-100 people depending on the county and curfew of 10 p.m., will now be limited to take-out only.  Brown said all businesses will be required to close their offices to the public and mandate work-from-home “to the greatest extent possible.”  And indoor and outdoor social get-togethers are limited to six people, total, from no more than two households.  In the past, Brown has described social get-together measures as “self-enforced,” but today she alluded to law enforcement action, saying she has asked Oregon State Police Superintendent to being to work with local law enforcement to enforce the social gathering orders.  Oregon State Epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger says social gatherings are the reason for the increased virus spread.  The freeze does not apply to barber shops, hair salons, congregate homeless sheltering, outdoor recreation and sports, youth programs, childcare, and K-12 schools that are currently open.  Brown and the governors of California and Washington issued travel advisories Friday urging residents to avoid non-essential out-of-state travel and asking people to self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving from another state or country.  For the past two weeks, officials have expressed concerns about nearing hospital capacity in the state.  Oregon Health Authority chief medical officer Dana Hargunani said there are limitations to what Oregon’s healthcare system can handle.  The OHA reported a record of 303 coronavirus patients in hospitals Friday, an increase of 81% since the end of October.  Several major hospitals in Portland have begun curtailing elective surgeries this week amid the surge.  The National Federation of Independent Business immediately denounced Brown’s new order, noting that Oregon health officials are blaming social gatherings, not businesses, for precipitating the unprecedented surge in cases.