Hood River City Councilors on Monday evening will consider approving an intergovernmental agreement with the Oregon Department of Transportation to transfer ownership of Oak Street between State Street and 13th from ODOT to the City.  Oak Street is actually State Highway 30, dating back to before the existence of Interstate 84.  The City sought to acquire the ownership when ODOT was going to require removal of parklets currently in use by restaurants on the street to allow outdoor dining during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Mayor Kate McBride says while there was urgency to get the agreement done because of that, the move will allow the City to address issues on Oak in a more expeditious manner.  Under the agreement ODOT will bring all ADA ramps within the section to current state standards, and upgrade the pavement between 5th and 13th or provide funds to the City to do so.  The Council will hold a Zoom meeting at 6 p.m., information on how to listen in is available at the City of Hood River website.

Oregon Health Authority officials said during a Friday media briefing that Oregon remains on a troubling COVID-19 trajectory, but they are starting to see hopeful signs even though it is too soon to say how much impact face covering and gathering limitations put into place over the last few weeks are having.  OHA Executive Director Patrick Allen called the coming weeks “pivotal.”  Allen said data is showing social gatherings are still a big source of virus transmission, and state epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger said modeling is showing face coverings and gathering limitations are helping and need to continue.  Sidelinger says they are seeing actions taken at the end of June and the beginning of July starting to have an effect on transmission in the state, and if people continue with adherence to the recommendations and requirements they can continue to see a decrease.  Sidelinger said under modeling assuming Oregonians follow the state’s COVID-19 guidance, the transmission rate drops to under one, an important mark for bringing the virus under control.

A woman is in custody on numerous charges after setting a fire in the garage of a residence in Carson early Wednesday morning that destroyed a vehicle and damaged the house.  According to the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office, a review of the homeowner’s security cameras revealed the fire was set by pouring an accelerant around the vehicle in the garage and up to the door leading into the residence.  The Sheriff’s Office also found smoke detectors in the house had been tampered with to make them inoperable.  18-year-old Michaela Cutler of Camas was taken into custody at a nearby hotel, and faces felony charges including attempted murder, first degree arson, burglary, and possession of stolen firearms.  The Sheriff’s Office says Cutler has been arraigned and is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

School officials now have guidance updates from the Oregon Department of Education as they try to determine how to proceed with classes in the fall.  North Wasco County School District 21 Interim Superintendent Theresa Peters says the updates are extensive, adding among what stood out was organizing students in a way where they are exposed to as small a group of fellow students as possible to reduce the opportunities for close contact, and that would be easier to achieve at the elementary level than the secondary level.  Peters says they plan to share their plans with parents in early August and submit them to the North Central Public Health District, then they will receive a final set of guidance updates from the ODE on August 11.

The Forest Service says Herman Creek Trailhead will be temporarily closed for several weeks beginning Tuesday while crews work on removing hazardous trees with laminated root rot within the Herman Creek Horse Camp. Laminated root rot is the most damaging root disease of forest trees in Oregon and Washington.  Infected trees may appear outwardly healthy but are often unstable and can fall without warning.  The removal of hazard trees infected with laminated root rot is necessary for the re-opening of the Herman Creek campground and to prevent the spread of root rot to adjacent areas.  The Herman Creek Trailhead is adjacent to the Horse Camp and provides access to the Mark 0. Hatfield Wilderness, Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, Herman Creek Trail, Gorge 400 Trail, and several additional National Forest System trails.

With a national shortage of COVID-19 tests emerging, health officials are advising those without symptoms to talk with their doctor before seeking one.  Hood River County Health Department Health Officer Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg says the shortage locally is not drastic, but it is significant.  Van Tilburg said those with symptoms, in high-risk populations, or in close contact with someone who has had a positive COVID-19 test are prioritized to receive a test.  North Central Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell said earlier this week getting test results back in a timely manner was as much a problem as the availability of the tests themselves.

The Hood River County Chamber of Commerce announced that Hops Fest has been cancelled for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  It had been scheduled for September 26 in downtown Hood River.  Oregon Governor Kate Brown has directed events and gatherings larger than 100 people be cancelled through September.  The Hood River Hops Fest has been an annual event since 2003.  Chamber Executive Director Kate Schroeder said they look forward to holding the event in 2021.

Hood River County reports it currently has 25 active COVID-19 cases as of Thursday morning.  The County is now at a total of 142 cases for the pandemic, and 117 have been released from isolation.  Hood River County Health Department Director Trish Elliott added that there are no known COVID-19 hospitalizations at this time.  Wasco County remained at a total of 138 positive or presumed COVID-19 cases during the pandemic, according to numbers released by the North Central Public Health District on Thursday afternoon.  Sherman County remains at eight total cases.  Statewide, the Oregon Health Authority on Thursday reported an additional 331 positive cases, moving the pandemic total to 15,713.  The OHA also reported a pair of deaths, moving that number to 273.  In Washington, Skamania County Wednesday added one cases to move its total to 44.  Klickitat County is at 92 with two additions reported on Wednesday, according to County numbers both in the Goldendale area.

The Hood River County Health Department is doing testing at two long-term care facilities where there have been positive COVID-19 tests.  Department Director Trish Elliott says they recently had two cases in one facility and one in another.  She says in the first facility they are in the second week of testing all residents and staff once a week for two weeks, and if they get another positive they will another two week round of testing.  At the other there is baseline testing being done with a second week of testing planned.  Elliott says that is the procedure outline by the Oregon Health Authority, as the facilities are prioritized because of the vulnerability of their residents to the disease.  Elliott did not identify the facilities involved, as the OHA does not require that unless the number of cases reaches five or more, but she added families of those involved have been notified.  She also said as of this morning there have been no hospitalizations resulting from the cases at the long-term care facilities.

The Big River Community Land Trust is entering into a fundraising effort to move toward purchasing land to develop affordable housing for median-income earners in Hood River and Klickitat County.  The trust’s board chair, Anne Medenbach, says the housing issues in the region is not changing during the pandemic.  They are looking for land via purchase or donation.  Medenbach says they have a goal of acquiring land this year to begin construction next year.  Their concept is to build homes and sell them to qualifying buyers while retaining ownership of the property and limiting how much the homes can be resold for.  Their website is bigriverclt.org.