KWSO News 4/11/19

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Public Utilities Department on Wednesday issued a boil water order for the reservation’s agency area served by the Warm Springs Water Treatment Plant.  The notice is for exceeding levels of turbidity and remains in effect today.  They anticipate the notice will be rescinded sometime Friday once the turbidity has been brought back into compliance.  Testing and flushing of the system is being done. For affected homes and facilities this means DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST.  Bring all water to a rolling boil for at least three minutes and let cool before using OR use bottled water.  This includes using boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. The Early Childhood Education Center will remain closed until the order is lifted. Bottled water distribution is being done at the old elementary school library.

Hunger-relief advocates are gathering in Salem today to urge lawmakers to root out hunger in Oregon. Hundreds of folks from food banks across the state are expected to travel to the capital for Hunger Response Day. Phillip Kennedy-Wong, public policy advocate with Oregon Food Bank, says the issue of hunger often is overlooked, especially as the economy has improved since the recession.  He says his network is still distributing more food than it did during the recession. He says between 2007 and 2010, the network distributed more than 60 million pounds annually of food statewide, and now that number is up to roughly 95 million pounds. He says nearly 600,000 Oregonians are food insecure, or unsure where their next meal is coming from. He believes decision makers in Salem should recognize that this is a public-health epidemic.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon is exploring an additional $2 tax on cigarettes to help fund the state’s Medicaid program. Gov. Kate Brown said Wednesday the proposed tax would bring in $346 million every two years. She adds that higher cigarette prices will also encourage smokers to quit the habit. The plan would also implement a 65% tax on the wholesale price of e-cigarettes as a way to combat teen vaping rates. Most of the money would fund Oregon’s Medicaid program, which covers health insurance for low-income individuals. Oregon has faced rising Medicaid costs after a drop in federal contributions.

SALEM, Ore. –The Oregon Senate passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 12 this week, commemorating the Modoc War of 1872/1873, honoring those who lost their lives in the war, and expressing regret for the expulsion of the Modoc tribe from their ancestral lands in Oregon. It moves on to the State House. Proposed by State Sen. Fred Girod, R-Stayton, the resolution was approved by 24 senators. The senator reportedly sponsored the resolution after viewing “The Modoc War,” a documentary produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting.