Mid-Columbia Housing Authority will receive just over $95,000 in grants to help with tenant based rental assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The offices of Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley say The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and. Economic Security Act provided $1.25 billion nationally for tenant-based rental assistance, which funds the housing choice voucher program, including $400 million for increased subsidy costs and $850 million for administrative and other expenses incurred by public housing authorities.  Twenty-one public housing authorities throughout Oregon will receive more than $5.7 million in grants.

The Hood River County Chamber of Commerce has set up a website for its members to sell product.  Chamber executive director Kate Schroeder says they partnered with Pacific Power to put together the Hood River Marketplace, and it’s designed to get cash flow into business owners’ hands right now.  To check out the Hood River Marketplace, go to the Chamber’s website at hoodriver.org.

The North Wasco County School District 21 Board has chosen Dry Hollow Elementary School Principal Theresa Peters as the district’s interim superintendent.  Peters will take over the job on July 1 from current superintendent Candy Armstrong, who is retiring after being in the position since 2004.  The D-21 board decided to go the interim route after interviewing three finalists for the job in March but determined none were the right fit for the job.  The board will resume the permanent superintendent search in the coming academic year, with the intent to make the selection for a July 1 start date.

The City of White Salmon has given the go ahead to resume work on the Jewett Water Main Improvements Project.  According to the City, Crestline Construction and city engineers and inspectors Anderson Perry have submitted plans that meet Washington’s COVID-19 requirements for restarting construction.  Crestline will mobilize equipment and reset signage on Monday, then will begin work on side service water lines in the core downtown area.  Work will start Tuesday on the south side of Jewett Boulevard from Estes to Main and continue through May 15, then continue on that side from Main to Garfield the week of May 18.  Crews on the week of May 25 will move to the north side between Estes and Main.  Detours and lanes closures are expected to be similar to those that were used prior to the shutdown of work.

Recreational salmon and steelhead fishing on the Columbia River will reopen for four days in May under rules adopted by the Oregon and Washington departments of fish and wildlife.  The river has been closed to recreational salmon and steelhead fishing since March 26 in response to efforts by the states to slow the spread of Covid-19.  Washington announced it will reopen recreational fishing and Oregon announced it will lift its ban on non-resident hunting and fishing effective on Tuesday.  Open dates for the recreational salmon and steelhead fishing on the Columbia River will be Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and May 13.  Fishing will be open from the Warrior Rock/Bachelor Island line upstream to Beacon Rock both by boat and on the bank, and from Beacon Rock on the bank only to the Bonneville Dam deadline.  Above Bonneville Dam, bank angling is allowed upstream to the Tower Island powerlines, while both boat and bank angling is open from Tower Island upstream to the Oregon/Washington border.  Fishery managers urged recreationists to maintain vigilance and social-distancing.  

Klickitat PUD has established a COVID-19 Small Business Customer Assistance Program.  The PUD says the program extends discounts to impacted small businesses depending on business type to encourage appropriate reopening of businesses that are struggling to keep the lights on due to the crisis, or have had to close their doors due to state mandates.  Eligible small businesses will receive a discount on their electric bill for three consecutive months upon reopening or being approved.  Small business eligibility criteria include being in business within Klickitat County as of January 1, having between one and ten employees, and having been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.   Agricultural producers do not qualify for the program.  To apply visit Klickitat County Economic Development’s website.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown says the state will launch a random COVID-19 testing program and increase contact tracing as it tries to reopen the economy.  The random testing program will be done in partnership with Oregon Health Sciences University, and involve 100,000 people.  The program is called “Be The Key,” and OHSU President Dr. Danny Jacobs says they will be sending out letters on May 11 to those they are asking to volunteer to take part.  Brown said the state has three goals:  that there is testing for anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, testing must be available for individuals in vulnerable group living situations, and on-going widespread randomized testing to know where the disease might be hiding in the state.  Brown said major hospital groups have agreed to a unified approach to testing, including building partnerships with smaller rural hospitals in the state.  Dr. Dean Sidelinger said he feels like the capacity is available to reach 15,000 tests a week.  Brown also said there are plans to train 600 people to build out a team of contact tracing professionals.  Brown once again emphasized the state will take a slow approach to lifting restrictions, indicating that may start in some areas of the state as soon as May 15.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced the state’s coronavirus stay-at-home order would be extended through at least May 31 and said there will be a four-stage phase in for lifting of restrictions, starting with allowing retail curbside pickup, automobile sales and car washes by mid-May.  There will be a minimum of three weeks between each phase, though Inslee said some counties with lower numbers of cases and deaths may be able to open parts of their economy sooner if approved by the Department of Health.  Inslee has said several elements have been at play in his decision making, and that all of them need to see reduced risk: disease activity, health care system readiness, testing capacity and availability, an increase in case and contact investigations once a case is confirmed and risk to vulnerable populations, like those in assisted living facilities.  The next phase would allow camping, and new construction, as well as in-store retail purchases with restrictions. Barber shops and salons could also reopen at that time, and restaurants could reopen at half capacity and table sizes limited to five.  The third phase would expand group gatherings to 50 or less, including sports activities and would allow restaurants to increase capacity to 75 percent. Gyms and movie theaters could reopen at half capacity, but nightclubs and entertainment venues will still remain closed during this phase.  During the last phase, most public interactions would resume, with social distancing, with bars, restaurants and entertainment and sporting venues returning to their maximum capacity.  

Hood River County reported its seventh positive COVID-19 test on Friday. County Health Director Patricia Elliott says this person is the first that is associated with another identified COVID-19 case, and is self-isolating at home. Health Department officials continue the investigation of this case and contacts will be notified. The numbers of reported COVID-19 cases elsewhere in the Mid-Colulmbia remains the same with Klickitat County at 17 cases, Wasco County 13, Skamania County four, and Sherman County one. Oregon reported 69 new cases on Friday, bringing the state total to 2,579, and also one death to move that total to 104. Washington’s latest report showed the total number of positive COVID-19 cases at 14,327, and an additional 13 deaths for a total of 814.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown will hold a press conference this morning at 10:30 to introduce COVID-19 testing and contact tracing plans as part of her framework for reopening Oregon.