High winds downed power lines and led to outages in The Dalles on Sunday evening.  Northern Wasco PUD said as of 10:15 p.m. Sunday most customers had power restored by re-routing after Bonneville Power Administration transmission poles were damaged on West 6th Street by the quickly moving storm.  BPA and Northern Wasco PUD crews were working throughout the night to restore services.  There were also reports of trees and a line down on Quinton Street.  Northern Wasco PUD asks its customers that if you are still without power, please report it by calling 541-296-2226.  Wasco Electric Co-op said power had been restored to all of its members by 8:30 a.m., and if you are still without power contact their office at 541-296-2740.

North Central Public Health District will continue offering weekly COVID-19 testing at the Community Meal site in The Dalles as long as there is demand.  District health officer Dr. Mimi McDonell said the testing is offered on a volunteer basis, and began in July when three cases of COVID were diagnosed in homeless people who live in the area and had, at times, visited the Community Meal site.  The testing is also offered to volunteers who help out at Community Meal and staff who work there.  McDonell said the testing was set up with the homeless population because they had a higher risk of exposure.  Health district staff also provide masks, hand sanitizer and information at each weekly visit to Community Meals.  The testing is offered Thursday mornings.  The Dalles St. Vincent dePaul houses the meal site.  St. Vincent dePaul executive director Dave Lutgens said they have not had any positive tests since the program began.  Other preventative steps Community Meals has taken includes feeling meals outside.  Packaged food is available in the morning for people to take with them.  People are still allowed onsite to use the laundry and shower services, or to watch TV or go on the computer.

The containment level for the Mosier Creek Fire was raised to 65% today, and the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office announced that all Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation areas have been downgraded to Level 2. The “Be Set” advisories are now in effect in the area south of the Carroll/Behrens Road intersection…Digger Creek Road, Dry Creek from the Silver Gray Road intersection to the Catron Road intersection…Osburn Cutoff Road and 2955 Vensel Road to the Carroll/Osburn intersection have been lowered to Level 2 and is now open to local residents only. Reduction from Level 2 to Level 1 “Be Ready” advisories are now in place for the area of Carroll/Behrens Road intersection…Dry Creek Road to Southern Catron Road intersection…Dry Creek to Silver Gray Road…all of Paradise Ridge Place, 6200 west to 3215 Chenweth Creek Road…3450 to 2970 Vensel Road…1600 to 4259 Mosier Creek Road…1755 to 1825 Godberson Road…and 655 to 670 Wilson Road. Level 1 advisories from the Lonely Lane and State Road intersection southeast, including Wits End Drive, Badger Drive, down Sevenmile Hill Road, to the Foley Lakes Intersection, west on Chenoweth Creek Road, including Murray’s Addition, all the way to 6200 Chenoweth Creek Road, Brown Creek Road, Wahtonka Road, McCall Lane, Douthit Road, County Way, and Wells Road have now been lifted. Fire officials say crews worked to achieve the 200-foot mop-up marker from containment line to the interior of the fire on Sunday. Today…firefighters have set the goal of reaching the 300-foot mop-up marker. Fire size remains 985 acres. The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Interagency Management Team and the remaining task forces will demobilize today, and will release the delegation of structure responsibilities to local fire authorities. The Oregon Department of Forestry will continue to manage the fire.

The Klickitat County Health Department says 17 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 72 hours in an outbreak originating from a farm located just outside of White Salmon, but indicates that it is a localized event and there is no concern of greater community spread.  The Health Department says all farm personnel who tested positive live on the property and have been placed in self-isolation.  Contact tracing and testing of all exposed personnel has been conducted, and the farm has implemented appropriate controls and procedures for quarantine and isolation that will remain in place until the Health Department determines they are recovered.  The health department indicated more positive cases are expected as test results from the farm are processed.

Wasco County Commissioners received a report on COVID-19 showing 38 to 40 percent of cases in the county during June and July were from sporadic, or unknown, causes.  North Central Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell told Commissioners that sporadic cases are of particular concern for health officials.  The percent of COVID-19 cases caused by outbreaks at a location dropped from 44% in June to 21% in July, those with a source within a household went up from 15% in June to 21% in July, and the number traced to close contacts went from 1 in June to 9 in July.

North Central Public Health District is getting funding to help do its work both related to COVID-19 and its normal services.  District interim director Shellie Campbell told Wasco County Commissioners that they are blending together all of the short-term funding resources and hiring additional staff,  Campbell said much of their regular staff has transitioned to working on COVID-19 related issues.  Campbell noted the district has received word the Oregon Health Authority has made grants for community-based organizations to work with local health departments in support of contact tracing, wrap-around services, or communication and education.  She said a number of organizations in Wasco, Sherman, and Gilliam counties have received the grants, and the district will start to work with them on how they can help.  

The Oregon Human Development Corporation has provided funding to provide shelter for migrant farmworkers in alternate locations because of reduced availability in labor camps due to COVID-19 regulations.  Jessica Smith of The Next Door says they have been working with hotels in the Hood River area as the pear harvest begins to be ready to provide housing for those workers that need it, although they aren’t sure how much they will need.  Food and transportation services are also provided in the program.  Farm owners or farmworkers in need of the program can call The Next Door at 541-308-7099 for information.

The Columbia River Gorge Commission rebuffed attempts to either remove urban area boundary revision guidelines from the 2020 update of the National Scenic Area’s General Management plan or what opponents termed a “hard cap” on what would be considered minor revisions, but the panel voted unanimously on a proposal to increase the cumulative limitation for any one urban area’s increase to 50 acres or 2% of its land base, whichever is less.  Wasco County representative Rodger Nichols’ amendments to remove the revision completely and attempt to have the limitation amount removed were both defeated by 6-5 votes.  Nichols said the limits are a road block to economic growth for Gorge communities. Countering, Oregon Governor’s representative Bowen Blair did not feel there was overwhelming opposition to the limits other than in The Dalles.  Hood River County representative Michael Mills’ proposal to increase the limitations to 50 acres or 2% from 20 acres and 1% was approved unanimously, with commissioners for the limits saying they saw that as a compromise, while those against said they felt they had to support it after the result of the first two votes.  Gorge Commissioners are holding two days of meetings to decide on final language in the Management Plan, with a vote on the full plan coming later.

The Columbia River Gorge Commission approved an amendment for its 2020 update of the National Scenic Area’s General Management Plan to adopt a 200-foot wide buffer along cold water refuge streams including the Wind, White Salmon, Little White Salmon, Hood, Klickitat, Deschutes, and Sandy rivers.  That would match what is already applied in the Special Management Area.  There was also language introduced that would have included tributaries, but that was removed over concerns about the impact of private landowners and the lack of opportunity for comment.  The approval vote was 8-3.

The U.S. Forest Service reopened Multnomah Falls to visitors on Tuesday with some precautions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.  Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Manager Lynn Burditt said it was a soft, limited opening, adding how visitors conduct themselves will determine if the Falls can remain open.  She said they have a one-way grid, and people will be able to go to the lower viewing platform, but no further with the trail and Benson Bridge remaining closed for social distancing concerns.  Currently there will be 300 visitors allowed at a time between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. to check in and wait in a socially distance queue.  A ticketing system is expected to be implemented in the next two to three weeks.  Face coverings will be mandatory for all visitors.