Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Manager Lynn Burditt says the Scenic Area would like to coordinate with other agencies in opening recreational opportunities in the Gorge.  Burditt spoke with the Wasco County Commission on Wednesday.  She says the Scenic Area is in the process of identifying locations that will need significant adjustments in order to be opened for access, citing the Waterfall Corridor to the Eagle Creek closure, Cape Horn, and Dog Mountain as examples.  Burditt added her hope is that various agencies in issuing a unified statement on how and when restrictions would be eased.  She also said if local governments feel they shouldn’t ease restrictions, they want to know that.

North Central Public Health District Health Officer Mimi McDonell told Wasco County Commissioners about the updated guidelines from the Oregon Health Authority about COVID-19 contact tracing.  McDonell says the new guidelines define close contact as being within six feet of an infected person for a minimum of fifteen minutes.  She says if a close contact is symptomatic they will recommend testing and isolation, and if they are asymptomatic to go into quarantine for 14 days.  McDonell acknowledged the burden that places on people, but said doing that means others who are healthy and have not been exposed can get out more.  McDonell told commissioners the District feels confident it has the resources to do the testing.  District Director Teri Thalofer told the Commission the hope is to have a draft reopening plan for Wasco County for the panel to review by the end of the week.

Wasco County is now at 14 reported COVID-19 cases and Hood River County 11.  Numbers are expected to increase as the Oregon Health Authority now includes what are called presumptive cases rather than only positive tests.  The OHA defines as presumptive cases as those without a positive diagnostic test who present COVID-19-like symptoms and had close contact with a confirmed case.  Sherman County remains at one reported COVID-19 case and Gilliam County has none.  In Washington, Klickitat County is at 17 cases and Skamania County three.  Statewide, numbers released Wednesday show Oregon with 70 new confirmed cases reported and seven presumptive cases, moving the total to 2,916, and two deaths were reported to run that number to 115.  Washington is at 15,594 confirmed cases, and 862 deaths.

The Environmental Protection Agency has selected the City of The Dalles for a $600,000 Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant.  The funds will be used to conduct environmental site assessments, develop five cleanup plans and one area-wide plan, and support community engagement activities.  Assessment activities will focus on the 318-acre Columbia Gateway/Downtown urban renewal area of The Dalles.  A brownfield site is property whose expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.  Priority sites include a former auto wrecking yard, a bulk oil plant, a heating oil distributor, a dry cleaner, and several former automotive service stations.  The city is partnering with the Port of The Dalles and Wasco County in the effort.

The Dalles City Budget Committee has forwarded a budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year for the City Council to consider for adoption.  City staff presented a budget revised downward by about $637,000 to account for expected revenue losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in transient room taxes.  And City Manager Julie Krueger noted with so many unknowns, more changes will probably have to be discussed over the course of the year.  Among the changes:  putting off plans to hire a new police officer, reducing about $148,000 in expenses when acquisition of a new vehicle was included.  Expenses were reduced in numerous areas, including travel and training, and community grants were also cut back.  An economic recovery fund of $510,000 was established to help with community needs resulting from the pandemic, with the Council to establish guidelines for how it will be used.  The City Council will consider the budget at an upcoming meeting.

Officials say outdoor gear maker Dakine is closing its Hood River office and laying off 39 employees.  In a letter to state workforce officials, Dakine human resources director Raeanne Norberg wrote the current health crisis along with the state’s stay at home order made it financially unfeasible to continue operating.  In a letter to retailers obtained by the website Shop-Eat-Surf outlining its plans, the company said it is moving to its new home in Southern California to further pursue global opportunities in lifestyle, travel, and accessories while maintaining its core sport equipment categories of surf, snow, and bike.  The company indicated it will be transitioning operations and a number of employees to Southern California.  Dakine moved to Hood River in 1986 after being founded in Hawaii seven years earlier and became one of the Oregon’s signature brands for outdoor gear selling backpacks, luggage, and ski and snowboarding gear.

Hood River County Commissioners have scheduled a special meeting for Thursday to receive a plan for phase one of re-opening from a workgroup that is putting it together.  Commissioners discussed it at a worksession on Monday afternoon.  Commissioner Karen Joplin is a part of the group developing the plan, and she said it appears the County should be able to meet the gating criteria to move forward with phase one, including having a plan for COVID-19 testing in the event of a surge.  The one concern revolves around whether the state will consider Hood River County as part of a region with Wasco, Sherman, and Gilliam counties, or a larger region that could extend all the way to the Idaho border.  Joplin said if the state goes with a separate Mid-Columbia region, then they should meet gating criteria as a group, but that could become more problematic if counties further east are added in.

The North Wasco County School District 21 Education Foundation is continuing its effort to raise $20,000 by May 15 to support D-21 in providing distance learning and support basic needs for families experiencing economic hardships.  Foundation Administrative Director Rebecca Thistlethwaite says they are nearly halfway to that goal, and for the next two weeks the Foundation is pledging $5,000 from its own reserves to match dollar for dollar any donations coming in up to $5,000.  Half the funds would go toward technology needs for distance learning by addressing a shortage of Chromebooks at the elementary level along with helping teachers with laptops and webcams they don’t have at home.  The Foundation noted the Google Foundation has just pledged an emergency grant of $40,000 to put towards those issues, and the Foundation wants to cover the remaining $10,000 need.  The other half of the fundraising effort would be used to purchase grocery and gas gift cards for families with the greatest needs.  Donations are accepted at northwascoed.org.

The Oregon State Police is asking for the public’s help as they investigate a Friday morning hit and run accident involving a wrong-way driver on Interstate 84 in The Dalles.  According to the OSP, several witnesses reported a lime green with grey highlights 2000’s model Subaru Outback hatchback with dusty red dirt operated by a heavy set male with grey ear length hair and a full beard driving westbound in the eastbound lanes on the exit 85 off ramp and Interstate 84 at about 11:35 a.m. on Friday.  Several vehicles were able to swerve and avoid the vehicle, but a car driven by 24-year-old Peter Chapman of Vancouver struck the center divider and rolled onto its side.  Chapman was wearing a seat belt and not injured.  The suspect vehicle did a U-turn on the freeway and proceeded back towards exit 85.  It is unknown if the vehicle went back into The Dalles or continued westbound on the freeway.  The OSP is requesting anyone with information regarding the Subaru or the man driving it to contact OSP Dispatch at 1-800-442-0776.

Hood River County registered two more positive COVID-19 tests over the weekend.  In a statement issued Monday morning, Hood River County Health Department Director Patricia Elliott says the last four cases are from the same family.  The family has been asked to isolate according to current guidelines.  In a video posted on Facebook, County Public Health Director Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg said more testing is being done so more cases will be found with the virus in the community.  No new cases were reported in other Oregon Mid-Columbia counties over the weekend, leaving Wasco County at 13 positive tests, Hood River County nine, and Sherman County one.  The Oregon Health Authority today said there were 79 new COVID-19 cases that were either positive tests or presumptive to run the statewide number to 2,759…with no new deaths leaving that number at 109.  The OHA said Monday that it is now including presumptive COVID-19 cases in its daily reports.  A presumptive case is someone who does not have a positive test fir COVID-19, but is showing symptoms and has had close contact with a confirmed case.  In Washington, state numbers released on Sunday showed the number of positive tests in Klickitat County had moved up by one to 18m while Skamania County is at three.