News Stories Wed., May 2, 2018

NEW YORK (AP) — For 108 years, the Boy Scouts of America’s flagship program for older boys has been known simply as the Boy Scouts. With girls soon entering the ranks, the BSA says that iconic name will be changing. Seeking to extend a warm welcome to the girls who join next year, the organization is announcing a new name for its program for 11- to 17-year-olds: Scouts BSA. The change will take effect next February.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge has denied a request from Klamath Basin farmers and ranchers to ease their water situation this spring. A court injunction requires the Bureau of Reclamation to hold 50,000 acre-feet of stored water in Upper Klamath Lake through early June to flush away a deadly parasite that infects threatened coho salmon. Because it’s been a dry year, the bureau believes the injunction makes it unlikely there will be enough water for farms. The Klamath Water Users Association asked U.S. District Court Judge William H. Orrick to modify the injunction, but the San Francisco-based judge denied the request late Monday. The ruling pleased groups that rely on salmon, such as the Yurok Tribe and Pacific Coast fishermen.

More visitors than ever coming to Oregon have boosted room-tax collection and created more jobs in the process, according to a report released at this year’s three-day Governor’s Conference on Tourism held in Bend. The Bend Bulleting reports that statewide, the tourism industry employed more than 112,000 people last year, a 2.2-percent increase over 2016 and the sixth consecutive year of employment growth in the industry. In Central Oregon, the industry employed about 9,400 people, a 1.5-percent increase over 2016. Visitors spent a record 903 million dollars.

Tara Sweeney, the Trump administration’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Indian Affairs — is finally getting her day on Capitol Hill.  The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs has scheduled a May 9 confirmation hearing for Sweeney. The date comes more than 6 months after she was nominated to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, a political post at the Department of the Interior. The original announcement drew praise for its historic nature. If confirmed by the Senate, Sweeney would be the first Alaska Native, and the first woman in more than 20 years, to serve in the leadership role.