KWSO News for Monday 4/29/19

Congress has yet to pass a stand-alone tribal bill since the start of the 116th session but Democrats continue to push some of Indian Country’s priorities forward in an otherwise divided political environment. One of the many items that failed to make it across the finish line in the last session of Congress was a bill to improve conditions at treaty fishing sites along the Columbia River. So H.R.91, the Columbia River In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites Improvement Act, is back on the agenda. The bill authorizes the Bureau of Indian Affairs to assess sanitation and safety conditions at those sites in Oregon and Washington. It also authorize the BIA to spend money to make any improvements — an effort estimated to cost only around $11 million over the next few years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs approved S.50 at its first business meeting in January. It has not yet been taken up on by the full Senate but action on the House version puts the measure a lot closer to final passage than most other Indian legislation. H.R.91 is due to be taken up under a suspension of the rules this afternoon (4/29/19), according to the Majority Leader’s Schedule. The process is typically used for legislation that is considered non-controversial.

Last Friday night Firefighters with several agencies brought a 200-acre wildfire in southeast Lake County to 80 percent containment. The Flynn Fire broke out about 11 miles northwest of Adel, which is about 30 miles east of Lakeview. Officials were investigating the cause but said it was not the result of any federal prescribed burns. By nightfall, the partnership said in a Twitter update that crews had been able to stop the spread of the fire at about 200 acres, with full containment expected Saturday. Officials thanked firefighters with the BLM, Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry and Warner Valley Rural Fire Protection Agency “for a job well done!.

This Saturday, May 4th, it’s Wildfire Community Preparedness Day with a focus on working toward a common goal of wildfire risk reduction with defensible space and preparation. ”Communities that actively prepare for wildfire events allow themselves the best chance for surviving these disasters. Working with your neighbors and creating defensible space around homes can make a huge difference in protecting your home and communities from fire,” says Tim Holschbach, Fire Prevention and Policy Manager for Oregon Department of Forestry. For more information about creating defensible space – you can contact Warm Springs Fire Management

The matchup between the Nuggets and Trail Blazers begins tonight in game one of the Western Conference semifinal series. The Trail Blazers easily took care of the Thunder in five games in their first-round series, while the Nuggets managed to advance by topping the Spurs in seven games. The Nuggets finished with a 3-1 record against Portland in the regular season and have won six of the last seven times the teams have met. The game is on TNT tonight – tip off is at 7:30.

In prep sports – Madras Baseball & softball are both on the road to Corbett today. Boys tennis hosts sisters this afternoon. Girls Tennis plays in Sisters.