KWSO News Sep. 18, 2018

Local law enforcement is warning people to be aware that there has been another rash of phone scams where the caller claims that you are in legal trouble and the police are coming to arrest you, unless you pay up. They look like local numbers but they are probably coming from outside of the country. Report false calls to Oregon Department of Justice 877-877-9392. The Jefferson County Sherriff’s office says it would never contact folks to ask for money over the phone.

The US 97 Construction Work from Madras to Terrebonne is complete except for some corrective work. There may be passing lanes closed at the Crooked River Bridge, as well as shoulder work during the day. The work north of Madras on Highway 97 on the Spanish Hollow Creek & Trout Creek Bridges continues. Traffic is reduced to a single lane through the work zone and is controlled by temporary signals, you can continue to expect minor delays. Occasional flagger controlled one-way traffic may be required.

The Oregon Fire Service Honor Guard and the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training will hold the State’s 13th annual Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial this Thursday at 1 p.m. The ceremony will be held at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem. The Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial stands as a daily reminder of the sacrifices made by 169 men and women who died in the line of duty protecting communities, airports and natural resources in our state.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission have delayed a planned nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts until October 3. The test will assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure for distribution of a national message and determine whether improvements are needed. The test was originally set up for this Thursday. The postponement is due to FEMA and many of the nation’s emergency managers active duty in various response efforts to severe weather, including Hurricane Florence.

In prep sports yesterday, #7 ranked Madras boys soccer defeated Corbett 3-1. The eighth ranked girls soccer team also beat Corbett 3-1. In JV Football at Culver yesterday, Madras was defeated 13-12. On today’s schedule, Boys JV Soccer plays at Summit at 4:00; Freshmen, JV & Varsity Volleyball have games at Corbett High School.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Canada and the states of Alaska, Oregon and Washington would all reduce their catch of fragile salmon species under the terms of an updated international agreement that, if approved, will spell out the next decade of cooperation between the U.S. and Canada to keep the migratory fish afloat in Pacific waters. Members of the Pacific Salmon Commission on Monday recommended a conservation plan that stretches to 2028 after two years of intense negotiations involving fishermen, tribes on both sides of the border and state and federal officials. It must be approved by both the U.S. and Canadian governments. The current agreement expires Dec. 31. One of the most significant parts of the new treaty is reductions in the allowed harvest of chinook salmon, and particularly of chinook populations that are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. That includes chinook stocks from the Puget Sound in Washington and the Columbia River basin that straddles Oregon and Washington. Alaska will reduce its catch by 7.5 percent in the southeast when poor chinook returns are expected. Canada will do so by 12.5 percent and Oregon and Washington will reduce their catch anywhere from 5 to 15 percent.

St. Charles Madras is conducting a full-scale active weapons threat exercise Monday, Sept. 24, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., with local EMS and law enforcement. Conducting drills helps the hospital and other emergency agencies train and prepare for different scenarios, as well as coordinate a response strategy, resources and communications. So, if you notice more activity than usual at the hospital, know this is a training exercise only.

Native American leaders say they have concerns about U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Monday in Worley, Idaho, the executive director of the National Congress of American Indians shared her thoughts about Kavanaugh at the fall conference of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians. Jackie Pata said Kavanaugh’s past judicial writings show a hostility to the status of indigenous people…

Pata said planned to share her concerns in a meeting Monday afternoon with North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp. As of now, Kavanaugh is still due for a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee.