The Hood River County Prevention Department is looking for people to serve as spokespeople for colorectal screenings for Native American and Hispanic communities.  The department’s Nubia Contreras says they are seeking people who can talk about the colorectal screening process and encourage those communities, and particularly men over the age of 50, to get them done.  Those who would be interested in helping can call the Hood River County Prevention Department at 541-386-2500.

There will be single-lane closures on the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge on Wednesday and Thursday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. both days.  The Port of Hood River says the closures are to allow the Oregon Department of Transportation to do required biennial fracture critical inspections.  Flaggers will direct traffic on the bridge around the moving work zone.  Bridge users should expect delays of 20 minutes or more depending on traffic volume.

There is some tourism happening in Hood River County, even though it is not at the numbers most summers would bring.  Ashley May of Visit Hood River says early numbers from restaurants indicate they are filling the capacity they have, which is about 50 percent of normal, and lodging is at about 60 to 70 percent occupancy.  May says they are focusing on messaging appropriate ways to travel while still protecting the health of the community, acknowledging some residents would prefer no visitors at all but adding many local businesses that residents patronize would find it difficult to stay open without tourist business.  May says they are sending out a more formal survey to businesses this week to gauge the level of traffic they are seeing.

Monday updates from the Oregon Health Authority continued Wasco County’s trend upward in COVID-19 cases, with three more cases moving the County’s total number for the pandemic to 94.  Wasco County has seen 52 cases in the past two weeks, with County officials saying half of those were related to agricultural workplace, 28 percent are spontaneous with no known source, and the remaining 22 percent are close contacts of cases.  On Friday, Wasco County was one of eight counties in the state placed on a “watch list” because the spread of COVID-19 cases was reaching alarming levels.  According to the Governor’s office the Oregon Health Authority and local officials are deploying additional capacity to control the spread of the disease, and Brown says if the counties do not see a downturn quickly, restrictive measures such as business closures or tighter gathering size limits will ensue.  The OHA reported one new case for Hood River County on Monday.   In combination with five reported over the weekend, they are the first for Hood River County in nearly two weeks.  Hood River County is now at 94 cases for the pandemic, and the County Health Department says the previous 88 have recovered.  County Health Department Director Trish Elliott says with latest half-dozen cases, they are looking at a couple of workplaces and some travel involvement…but there is also the possibility of community spread, adding they will be releasing more details.  Sherman County over the weekend reported its second and third COVID-19 cases, and Gilliam County had its first.  Statewide, the OHA on Monday reported 168 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases with no deaths, moving the state’s totals to 10,395 cases with 215 deaths.  In Washington, the state Department of Health put Klickitat County at 67 total cases as of Sunday, and Skamania County up to nine.  Washington’s statewide totals are now at 35,898 cases and 1,359 deaths.  

A motorcyclist died in an accident on Highway 197 on Saturday afternoon.  According to the Oregon State Police, a preliminary investigation showed the motorcycle operated by 46-year-old Nathan Pyle of Dallas, Oregon was riding northbound in a group of motorcycles. The riders were slowing to turn left onto Juniper Flat Road.  The OSP says Pyle was not able to stop and crashed avoiding the other motorcycles.  Pyle sustained fatal injuries in the accident.  The accident occurred around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.  The OSP was assisted at the scene by the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office, South Wasco Ambulance, Juniper Flat Fire and Rescue, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Firefighters extinguished a small wildland fire on Cherry Heights in The Dalles area Saturday morning.  According to Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue, the fire was confined to about one acre of grass and scrub oak with some pine trees.  MCFR, Dallesport Fire, the Oregon Department of Forestry, and the U.S. Forest Service were all involved in containing the fire, which took place around 6 a.m. Saturday.  Crews were cleared from the scene by 7:45 a.m.

The Dalles Small Business Relief Grant will begin accepting applications from eligible small businesses and small non-profits, based in and around The Dalles Monday and will do so through Friday.  The Dalles Google Data Center, The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Mid-Columbia Economic Development District collaborated to create the grant program to provide immediate grants to qualifying small businesses and small non-profits in The Dalles area impacted by COVID-19.  The Relief Grant received funding of $35,000 from the Google Data Center The Dalles.  The Chamber will act as the fiscal agent for the Relief Grant and will manage all contributions, but businesses do not have to be Chamber members to apply.  

The Hood River County School District has filled two vacant principal positions in its elementary schools.  Ocean Kuykendall will be principal at Westside Elementary.  Kuykendall replaces Bill Newton, who left to take the district’s Curriculum and Instruction Director position.  Kuykendall has served as assistant principal at Hood River Middle School since 2014.  Prior to that, she taught at that school for eight years.  Adrienne Acosta was selected as principal at Cascade Locks School to replace outgoing principal Amy Moreland, who resigned to move closer to family.  Acosta has been a teacher in the district since 2007 when she started at Cascade Locks School as a special education teacher and reading specialist for grades K-12.  From 2010 until February of this year, she was a special education teacher at May Street Elementary School, and then became the district’s migrant summer school program director.

Beginning on Tuesday the City of White Salmon will have a table at the White Salmon Farmer’s Market from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.  The table will provide distribution of free face masks and blue recycling bags to White Salmon city residents, sign-up for free access to the Hood River Pool for White Salmon city residents, and Census 2020 information.  Identification is necessary for distribution of free face masks and for free access to the Hood River Pool.  The City asks people not to send children to obtain free face masks or to sign up for free access to the Hood River Pool.  Adults can pick up masks and complete pool sign-up for minors in their household.  For more information contact the City of White Salmon at 509-493-1133.  

Klickitat County Commissioners voted on Tuesday to approve a Board of Health recommendation to apply to enter Phase 3 of reopening.  Commissioners voted unanimously to accept the recommendation.  Commissioner David Sauter said there was plenty of discussion based on recent news of COVID-19 spread in the country, and particularly in nearby areas.  Sauter said there is the possibility the state of Washington might pause consideration of reopening applications, but added County public health officials are in constant communication with the state, and he hoped if that was the case they would be told.  Sauter added that for any reopening to work, people need to wear face coverings to help stem the spread of COVID-19.