KWSO News Oct. 18, 2018

Since the departure of Stan Sunega as Warm Springs Branch of Public Safety Manager – there have been two interim acting GMs – Jim Soules and Nancy Seyler.  On Wednesday, Chief Operations Officer for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Alyssa Macy announced the Carmen Smith has taken over as General Manager of the Branch of Public Safety for the Tribes.  Smith most recently served as Chief of Police for the Burns Paiute Tribal Police.   He has previously served as Chief of Police in Warm Springs Chief of Police and spent many years working and living in Warm Springs prior to moving to Burns.

Wednesday marked the first day that ballots were being mailed to Oregonians for the Nov. 6 election. Oregon’s vote-by-mail system means that ballots must be mailed well ahead of election day. Ballots will be distributed by the U.S. Postal Service to registered voters until Oct. 22. Voters can return their ballots by mail or drop them in designated ballot boxes by 8 p.m. on Nov. 6.

The Great ShakeOut, which is the nation’s largest earthquake drill, is planned for today. The drill will happen at exactly 10:18 a.m. Millions of people worldwide will practice how to drop, cover and hold as if there were a major earthquake happening at that very moment for at least 60 seconds. Some organizations conduct more extensive drills, which may take an hour or even all day. How you participate in this drill is completely your choice. More than half a million Oregonians have registered for the Great Oregon ShakeOut. In order to participate, you must register at www.ShakeOut.org. Participating is a great way for your family or organization to be prepared to survive and recover quickly from big earthquakes.

A federal court ruled Wednesday that the Environmental Protection Agency must come up with a plan to protect salmon from warm water temperatures. Conservation and fishing groups sued the federal government after thousands of salmon died three years ago. EarthFix correspondent Courtney Flatt has more: