KWSO News Oct. 8, 2018

The Jefferson County 509J school district and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs recognize today as indigenous peoples day.   The 2nd Monday in October, has for years, been known as Columbus Day which recognized a 15th-century Italian explorer.  History books  have credited him with discovering the New World, the term generally used to refer to the modern-day Americas –  however Indigenous people were already living here by the time Columbus arrived in 1492.  Columbus still gets a federal holiday but more cities and states are scrapping Columbus Day to honor the people who were here first — and who suffered greatly after Columbus’ arrival.  Fourth grade teachers at the Warm Springs K8 are encouraging students to wear something to show their indigenous pride today, to recognize the unique culture and legacy of Warm Springs, Wasco, Pauite and other indigenous people.

The yearslong battle over the Pelton Round Butte Dam Complex could be nearing a conclusion, after a federal judge’s ruling last week. The BB reports U.S. District Judge Michael Simon denied a motion to revisit a decision earlier this year, in which he ruled in favor of Portland General Electric in its management of the Pelton-Round Butte Dam complex. The denial is the latest in a series of legal twists and turns, stemming from a 2016 lawsuit filed by the Deschutes River Alliance, a Portland-based conservation organization. The lawsuit alleged that a facility designed to help fish pass through the massive three-dam complex to the Lower Deschutes Rivers violates the terms of the facility’s license with respect to water temperature, dissolved oxygen levels and other standards.

Governments around the world must take “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society” to avoid disastrous levels of global warming, says a stark new report from the global scientific authority on climate change. The report issued today by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, says the planet will reach the crucial threshold of 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels by as early as 2030, precipitating the risk of extreme drought, wildfires, floods and food shortages for hundreds of millions of people. The date, which falls well within the lifetime of many people alive today, is based on current levels of greenhouse gas emissions.