News Stories for Fri., Aug. 25, 2017

Firefighters began burn operations yesterday afternoon, progressing from the fire’s edge to the north.  The long term strategy for the Milli fire includes using all fire management tools, including air, heavy equipment and crews to minimize fire growth. Burnout operations to prevent the west side of the fire from moving north and northeast will continue when the weather allows.  Oregon Archery season begins tomorrow. If your unit is within the area closure that is currently in place around the Milli Fire, you will not be able to hunt in that area until the closure is lifted.

Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Off reservation deer hunting season begins tomorrow on Warm Springs Ceded Lands.   Warm Springs Tribal members must carry tribal ID , valid hunting tags and present to law enforcement officials when requested while hunting off reservation..  Off reservation archery elk season also opens this Saturday.  You can get your tags at Natural Resources.

The airshow of the Cascades comes to Madras airport with gates opening today at 2pm.  The evening airshow performance starts at 7.   Tomorrow, gates open at 9am with the airshow performance from 1 – 4:30.  The Airshow of the Cascades started out with a group of friends and their airplanes who would fly-in to a friend’s ranch once a year for a get together. That ranch, just north of Madras, was the home of Ron Ochs, his wife Laurice, and their family. He and his family hosted several of these fly-ins at the ranch during the late 70’s and early 80’s. Don Mobley – was a friend and experienced pilot who had experience with airshows and was managing the Madras Airport.  Together, in 2000, the first Airshow of the Cascades was held at the Madras airport.

One year after the city of Pendleton voted to legalize marijuana sales, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Board of Trustees will consider putting a referendum on legalizing marijuana on the tribes’ Nov. 14 general election.  The East Oregonian reports that Umatilla spokesman Chuck Sams said the referendum consists of eight questions proposed by the General Council, which range from legalizing recreational consumption of marijuana to growing industrial hemp on the reservation, although he didn’t know the exact language of each question because they have yet to be reviewed by staff.  Under tribal government, the General Council is comprised of all tribal members 18 years and over and has its own officers. The General Council elects the Board of Trustees, the governing body who set policy and make final decisions on tribal affairs.  Although Oregon voters legalized recreational marijuana in 2014 and Pendleton voters legalized marijuana sales in 2016, marijuana remains illegal on the Umatilla Indian Reservation.