By a 3-2 vote, Hood River County Commissioners decided to send a letter to Oregon Governor Kate Brown to request the County be allowed to move to Phase 2 of reopening on Friday.  The move was made in spite of a continued increase in COVID-19 cases in the County, with County Health Director Patricia Elliott putting the latest count at 61 positive tests and six presumptive cases.  But Elliott said all of the new cases in the last week have been connected to outbreaks at agricultural facilities, there still has only been one COVID-19 hospitalization in the County, and they have been able to keep up with contact tracing.  She felt there would be very little difference between being in Phase 1 or Phase 2.  Commission Chair Mike Oates, who had voted no on sending the letter last week, joined Bob Benton and Karen Joplin in voting yes on Monday, saying his concerns about being able to keep up with tracing have been addressed.  Les Perkins and Rich McBride voted no, with Perkins saying he was concerned about the gathering limitations being too high, but County legal counsel indicated if local officials tried to have tighter restrictions than the state they could be open to constitutional challenges.

Klickitat County officials say its jump of 16 COVID-19 cases in nine days are linked back to the Memorial Day weekend and increased community activity.  A statement from the County’s Emergency Management and Health Department on Tuesday said a few of the cases are linked to known outbreaks in Oregon as well.  They add the cases have been a low risk to the county based on rapid case investigation and management done early in Oregon and with the help of the residents choosing to isolate.            Some of the other positive cases have been linked to previous close contacts which were able to be addressed very quickly through contacting all close contacts and asking them to self-quarantine.  The other remaining cases have been traced to travel to other counties and states.  Klickitat County officials note they entered phase 2 in Washington just one week ago and have yet to see the impact on case activity from that factor.  They expect to see increasing case activity simply due to the increased risk of more businesses and activities opening up.  They also stressed the importance of taking proper health and hygiene precautions to reduce COVID-19 activity.  

The Dalles City Council approved the municipal budget for the 2020-21 Fiscal Year on Monday night.  It includes $510,000 for an economic recovery fund coming out of COVID-19 restrictions.  City Manager Julie Krueger said the City is applying for matching funds from Business Oregon, and that will help determine some of the criteria for using those monies.  She added other potential uses are unidentified, except for a proposal for an outdoor seating plan currently being considered for retail businesses and restaurants.

The Hood River City Council talked with Police Chief Neal Holste for over 90 minutes about last Monday’s response to a social media threat of violence in downtown Hood River.  Many on the Council expressed their concern with a number of people openly carrying firearms that evening.  Holste told the Council that those with the weapons had a Second Amendment right to carry them, and that he did engage them verbally and reminded them of law enforcement’s expectation of a peaceful evening.  Many on the Council expressed a desire to make some kind of public statement against that sort of action, and finding a way to create an internal review of City practices to ensure all citizens feel safe.  Mayor Kate McBride discussed developing a statement as a Council of their principles and what they do and don’t condone.  The Council also discussed having a third-party review done of the City’s practices and the ability of citizens to register complaints and feel secure in doing so.

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden pressed a Forest Service official at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on Tuesday for more specifics on its plans to protect firefighters and communities from COVID-19 during this wildfire season.   In an exchange with Forest Service Deputy Chief John Phipps, Wyden said he wants the details within a week.  Phipps had told the committee that without having a robust mobile response that can come to a fire camp, they fear overwhelming local health officials.

Positive tests for COVID-19 in the Mid-Columbia keep trending upward.  Hood River County health officials on Monday put its latest count at 61 positive tests and six presumptive cases, with Health Director Patricia Elliott telling County Commissioners all of the new cases in the last week have been connected to outbreaks at agricultural facilities.  Wasco County reported a cumulative total of 35 positive tests, while Sherman County remains at one and Gilliam County zero.  Klickitat County’s total went up to 40 on Monday, while Skamania County remained at three.  All of those numbers are cumulative since the pandemic began.

Hood River County Commissioners will be discussing next week the budget for 2020-21 that has been sent from the County’s budget committee.  It was a process that was made easier by County voters in May approving a five-year public safety levy, but also complicated by the unknown impacts the pandemic will have on County revenues.  County Administrator Jeff Hecksel says much of that unknown is the kind of cuts the state may pass down to the County, and a number of departments could feel that impact.  County Commissioners will consider the budget at their June 15 meeting.

Klickitat PUD will have a planned power outage on Tuesday from 5:00 a.m. to 5:20 a.m. while Bonneville Power Administration switches the transmission line feeding the Spearfish and Lyle substations.  Outage phone calls are being made through the PUD’s automated phone call system.  If you have questions regarding this power outage, contact the Klickitat PUD Operations Department at (800) 548-8357.

Oregon Health Authority numbers released on Sunday added 12 more confirmed or presumptive COVID-19 cases to Hood River County’s cumulative total since statistics began to be tallied nearly three months ago.  Hood River County is now at 56 cases in that time span, with about two-thirds of those occurring in the last week when multiple cases were linked to three congregate work sites.  In a statement Sunday, the OHA said all 12 of the additional cases in the Sunday report are linked to outbreaks at seasonal agricultural facilities.  The OHA numbers put Wasco County at 35 with two added on Sunday.  Statewide, 146 new confirmed or presumptive COVID-19 cases were added on Sunday to bring the state’s total to 4,808.  65 of the new cases were reported from Pacific Seafood in Lincoln County.  The investigation into the outbreak started June 2, but the initial case count was below the threshold for public disclosure.  OHA officials said that although the number of new cases was high Sunday, the overall rate of infection in Oregon remains among the lowest in the United States.  They remind people of the need to continue to maintain physical distancing, to wear face coverings where physical distancing cannot be maintained and to follow good hand hygiene.  One death was reported in Sunday’s update, bring the total during the pandemic to 164.  Klickitat County over the weekend upped their total of positive COVID-19 tests to 34, while Skamania County remains at three.  Washington total number of confirmed cases during the pandemic is 23,729, with 1,159 deaths.

A large group of people marched through downtown The Dalles on Saturday afternoon to protest police violence, joining people all over the nation in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.  The group started at Thompson Park and marched through downtown to The Dalles Police Department, where many in the group laid down for eight minutes and 46 seconds in honor of Floyd.  When they did that, they covered the equivalent of over two city blocks.  Many in the group wore masks and practiced social distancing as the march continued.  And signs with various slogans calling for an end to police brutality and racism dotted the procession.  After laying down in front of the police department, the group then marched back to Thompson Park.  It was the third such protest in the Gorge in the last week.  Two protest marches were held in Hood River last Monday and Thursday.