KWSO News for Mon., Jul 5, 2021

According to the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Update yesterday new fire starts over the holiday weekend were kept small at less than an acre. The largest fire in the Central Oregon remains the Wrentham Market Fire currently estimated at 7,222 acres east of Dufur in Wasco County. It is now 91% contained. (For more information on this fire, visit: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7589/) The Rattlesnake Fire is estimated at 5,479 acres with 90% containment burning on Prineville District BLM managed lands in the area of South Junction campground and the Warm Springs Reservation. (For more information on this fire, visit: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7592/)

In Warm Springs there is a BURN BAN in effect. Fire Management’s Garrett Greene –

The Warm Springs community COVID-19 Update Friday reported no new cases of COVID-19 from 20 tests conducted last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The IHS clinic is closed today for the Independence Day holiday. Testing, Immunizations, Medical Care & Pharmacy will be open regular hours tomorrow morning.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland encourages everyone who has not yet been vaccinated to please consider – going ahead and getting the shot.

Like many state agencies, the Oregon DMV is getting back to normal in many respects after COVID-19 restrictions have been eased. But one pandemic-inspired change will stick around. KLCC’s Chris Lehman explains that when DMV field offices re-opened to the public last year after the first wave of the pandemic, the agency created an appointment system to prevent crowded lobbies. Now that social distancing requirements are no longer in effect, the DMV says you can just show up and hope you get served. But agency spokesperson David House says many customers have said they enjoy the certainty of having an appointment, and he says that option isn’t going away: “That’s going to be a permanent choice that Oregonians can make to get their in-person services at DMV.” House says many transactions such as license renewals can now be done online. Masks are no longer required at the Oregon DMV except during driving tests.

• Sunny today with a high near 97.
• Sunny and hot, tomorrow – getting back to 100 degrees
• Slight chance for a shower or thunderstorms tomorrow night.
• Sunny and in the 90s the rest of this week.