News Stories Mon., Aug. 27, 2018

Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched this morning at about 2:30 AM to reports of shots being fired at Tops Trailer Park in Madras. Both the Sheriff’s Office and Madras Police Department responded and found a male whom had been shot multiple times outside a trailer. The injured man was transported to St. Charles Madras and then airlifted to St. Charles Bend.  Additional units from Oregon State Police and Warm Springs Police Department arrived and assisted in securing a perimeter until they were relieved by members of the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team. Detectives from the Tri-County Major Incident Team are assisting with the investigation along with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.  Investigators have identified a suspect but are not releasing the name at this time. Both the suspect and the victim know each other. The suspect is at large and is believed to be armed with a handgun.  Please avoid the area as the scene is still active.

Federal agencies have granted the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs nearly a million dollars to repair the reservation’s aging water system.   Two of three water pumps for the reservation system are inoperable. And the Department of Housing and Urban Development says the only working pump is likely to fail. That would would leave a community of roughly 4,000 people without running water or the capacity to fight wildfires. Alyssa Macy, Chief Operations Officer for the Warm Springs Tribes says the old under ground infrastructure is 80 years old.  Macy says the reservation faces the same challenges as other rural communities — but without the tax base to solve them. And besides posing an imminent threat during fire season, failing water infrastructure holds back economic development.

There is no school this week for the Jefferson County 509J school district.  Students will be back at all schools next week following the Labor Day Holiday.

All Warm Springs Early Childhood Education Programs are closed this week for Pre-Service Training.  The Head Start & Early Head Start Annual Open House is next Tuesday, September 4^th from 9am-3pm.  Child Care Re-Opens next Tuesday September 4^th with new hours 7:45am-5:15pm.  This year there is No Head Start on Mondays,  Classes are Tuesday-Friday, 7:45am-3:00pm.  If you are in need of extended care, contact Nancy Mendez for Child Care at Warm Springs ECE.

The downward trend in the number of Oregon high school sports officials continued in 2017-18, and there are no indications that the trend will reverse soon.  Jack Folliard, executive director of the Oregon Athletic Officials Association says “This is a national problem, not just Oregon.”  The number of certified officials for seven sports has declined 18 percent in Oregon in the last eight years.  Football had 650 officials last season, down 21.3 percent from 826 in 2010. Basketball had 1,042 officials last season, a 25.0-percent decline from 1,389 in 2010-11.  The OAOA and OSAA have established a recruiting website, newofficials.org. Those interested in joining can enter their contact information and be directed to a local association.

Madras High School iHHigh volleyball squads play at Elmira High School today and boys & girls JV & varsity soccer teams have games at Sisters.  Madras White Buffalo Football hosts Mac High this Friday night in their first home contest of the fall sports season.  You can hear that game live here on KWSO.