The end of Oregon’s county risk level framework is in sight, if 70% of Oregonians age 16 and up receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in those ages 12-15 Monday. Previously, the vaccine had only been approved for those ages 16 and above. Approval to begin administering the shots could come as early as May 12.

In this new column, we take a look back 100 years ago in western Washington County, pulling clips and stories from the annals of local newspapers and historic documents. This week, the clips come from the April 28, 1921 edition of the Washington County News-Times.

Oregon House Democrats issued a news release announcing the passage of House Bill 3310A, which requires publicly-traded corporations to have a minimum number of directors who are women and members of underrepresented communities. The bill now heads to the Oregon Senate.

The Balm Grove Dam Removal project never took off in 2019 as originally planned, leaving the fate of the decades-old barrier in Gales Creek unknown. A grant application submitted by the Tualatin River Watershed Council in late April could see the project move forward in the summer of 2022.

The body of a man who walked away from a memory care facility in Forest Grove three days ago was found just outside of city limits in the waters of Gales Creek on Thursday shortly before 3 p.m.

“I intend to fully reopen our economy by the end of June, and the day is approaching when my emergency orders can eventually be lifted,” Brown said in a press release explaining her renewal of the declaration first issued on March 8, 2020.

A letter to the editor in support of PCC Zone 7 candidate Kristi Wilson.

79-year-old Toufik "Tom" Tanous walked away from the Hawthorne House Care Facility in Forest Grove Tuesday night. The Forest Grove Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff's Office are searching for Tanous, who has Alzheimer's.

Two candidates running for the Portland Community College Board of Directors open elected seat for the Zone 7 position, which encompasses far west Washington County and parts of northwestern Columbia County, have a similar passion for guiding people into careers through a community college education but differing experiences in life and work.

These are the diaries of Esther Lilly Hundley, who lived in Gales Creek after the Lilly family moved to Gales Creek in the 1880’s. They are published as they were written, with original spelling. This week: Charles gets treatment for an eye malady, and Billie and Elsie have a new house at "Rains Camp."

The deadline to register to vote or update your registration for the May 18 special district election is Tuesday, April 27.

Washington County's burn ban, first announced on April 14, will lift at 8 a.m. Friday, April 23, according to Dave Nemeyer, a spokesperson for Forest Grove Fire & Rescue.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced Tuesday that Washington County and several other counties would be moving to the “High Risk” category starting Friday under the governor’s 4-tier — Low, Moderate, High, Extreme — COVID-19 risk system.

House District 31 State Representative Brad Witt faces allegations that he sexually harassed fellow legislator Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson and attempted to pressure her into a "quid-pro-quo" arrangement earlier this month.

These are the diaries of Esther Lilly Hundley, who lived in Gales Creek after the Lilly family moved to Gales Creek in the 1880’s. They are published as they were written, with original spelling. This week: More mushroom hunting, and Cherry Grove wins a baseball game against Gales Creek.

The Oregon House of Representatives passed a bill prohibiting law enforcement agencies from receiving certain types of U.S. military surplus equipment from the federal government, including armored drones, grenades, and firearms silencers, among other types of gear.

Harold “Lloyd” Fellas, 96, a resident of the Banks community passed away on April 14, 2021 at the Marquis Forest Grove, OR.

Three schools in the Forest Grove and Cornelius area – Neil Armstrong M.S., Fern Hill Elementary, and Swallowtail School –are in lockout while the Washington County Sheriff's Office searches for a suspect wanted in connection to a Friday morning shooting in Hillsboro.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning beginning Friday at 11 a.m. and ending at 10 p.m. the same day for much of northwest Oregon and beyond. Fire officials from the local and state level have been warning for several days now of extreme conditions that could lead to wildfires.

A man who walked away from a South Fork Forest Camp work crew near the Gales Creek Campground on Wednesday, April 14 is back in custody.

Jedaiah Lunn, a South Fork Forest Camp inmate walked away from a work crew near the Gales Creek Campground Wednesday around 2:30 p.m., the Oregon Department of Corrections said in a press release. Minutes later, a carjacking occurred in the same area.

Beginning at 12 p.m. Wednesday, all outdoor burning in Forest Grove Fire & Rescue's territory, the Banks Fire District, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue and beyond will close due to fire danger. Those who start or allow a fire to spread could be on the hook for legal and firefighting costs.

The Portland office of the National Weather Service issued a "special weather statement" in advance of what the federal agency referred to as "unseasonably high fire danger" expected this week.

These are the diaries of Esther Lilly Hundley, who lived in Gales Creek after the Lilly family moved to Gales Creek in the 1880’s. They are published as they were written, with original spelling. This week: Anniversaries and birthdays, and Esther takes part in the Depression-era art of soap carving.

Kathryn Harrington, the chair of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, will present the annual “State of the County” virtually on Monday, April 19 at 6 p.m.

"I've had wildfires as early as spring break, and some even in the dead of winter when we get a few days of clear cold east winds,” said Forest Grove Fire & Rescue PIO Dave Nemeyer in a message to the Gales Creek Journal. “Every one of those early fires was started by an out of control burn pile,” he said. Less than 30 minutes later, fire crews were headed to an out-of-control burn pile on Strohmeyer Road.

As wildfires spread across the western portion of the state in September 2020, the Tillamook State Forest and others across the state were declared closed by the Oregon Department of Forestry. Now, the forestry agency is seeking to create a set of permanent rules for implementing a state forest land closure.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office is seeking public help in locating an alleged hit-and-run driver and auto thief involved in a crash north of Cornelius on NW Susbauer Road and NW Long Road.

Starting April 19, all Oregonians aged 16 and older will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, Oregon Governor Brown announced Tuesday morning.

Just three days after Governor Kate Brown said a fourth surge of the COVID-19 pandemic was at Oregon’s doorstep, the Oregon Health Authority announced that wide swaths of the population now are eligible to schedule an appointment for a first round of vaccinations.

These are the diaries of Esther Lilly Hundley, who lived in Gales Creek after the Lilly family moved to Gales Creek in the 1880’s. They are published as they were written, with original spelling. This week: A funeral, mushroom hunting, and early spring gardening.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced an expansion of COVID-19 vaccine eligibility for people with some underlying health conditions, and for family members that live with frontline workers.

It's no April Fool's Day joke. After several weeks of anticipation, the first road camera in Gales Creek, located at the Junction of Highway 6 and 8 went live Thursday.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown released a 10-point economic recovery plan for the state on Tuesday, March 23, outlining her administration's recovery goals in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and the 2020 wildfires.

Want to advise the Oregon Transportation Commission on transportation issues in rural western Washington County? Two positions — each for a two-year term — on a little-known regional commission are open for just that purpose.

That includes many private crews that work in the logging industry in the region’s forests, and landowners in forested areas that aid firefighting efforts.

These are the diaries of Esther Lilly Hundley, who lived in Gales Creek after the Lilly family moved to Gales Creek in the 1880’s. They are published as they were written, with original spelling. This week: "Lost Squadron" gets a good review, and Esther loses a brother.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced Friday that the timeline of vaccine eligibility for frontline workers, those living in multigenerational households, and those ages 16 and older with certain underlying health conditions would be sped up from April 19 to April 5.

These are the diaries of Esther Lilly Hundley, who lived in Gales Creek after the Lilly family moved to Gales Creek in the 1880’s. They are published as they were written, with original spelling. This week: It's Easter Sunday, and Ted finishes the rafters on the house he's building.