Jeff Teel has been hired as the new Chief Operating Officer at Northern Wasco County PUD, working under PUD General Manager Roger Kline. The PUD and Teel face large challenges as the customer-owned utility continues to provide local residents with inexpensive electricity in an ever-changing environment of power policy.

On Sunday, Dec. 27, the residents and staff of the Oregon Veterans’ Home in The Dalles and The Dalles Health and Rehabilitation, two local skilled nursing facilities, were the first in Wasco County to receive COVID-19 vaccinations.

Sadly, two patients at Mid-Columbia Center in The Dalles died of COVID-19 earlier this week. These mark the 21st and 22nd fatalities in Wasco County related to COVID-19. We extend our deepest sympathies to all the families who have lost loved ones in this pandemic.

In an effort to better inform residents, the North Central Public Health District has created a new website page that provides additional information about the vaccine and its distribution. The site will be updated periodically explaining how vaccines will be administered to locals in the coming days and months.

The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office is working through a series of reports involving a stolen vehicle from Washington, stolen license plates in Mosier, multiple car prowls in Dufur, and one man fleeing from police in Madras on Saturday afternoon. No one is in jail. But people are missing a lot of their belongings.

Local businesses hurting from the pandemic can now apply for grants that need to be awarded by the end of the month. MId-Columbia Economic Development District- MCEDD- turned on the online applications this morning.

North Central Public Health has found a significant amount of Wasco County’s recent spike in COVID-19 cases is due to Thanksgiving gatherings. From Dec. 3 through Dec. 8 the county recorded 97 cases.

Local businesses hurting from the pandemic may see some financial relief in the form of grants in weeks to come. That may be good news for businesses such as restaurants or gyms that have seen a vast drop in revenue or even forced to temporarily close such as in the case of athletic clubs. Grants to be available as early as next week.

Sadly, a resident of the Oregon Veterans’ Home who contracted COVID-19 on Oct. 25 passed away on Nov. 16. That marks the 18th death in Wasco County from COVID-19. An outbreak was first reported at the Oregon Veterans’ Home on Oct. 25, and 13 cases are connected to it, including staff, residents and household contacts of staff.

With just four days left to vote in the general election, more than 60 percent of ballots have been returned as of today, Friday, Oct. 30, according to Wasco County Clerk Lisa Gambee.