KWSO News 8/23/19

States from coast to coast are reporting an uptick in vaping-related sicknesses, mostly in teens and young adults. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food & Drug Administration (FDA) are now investigating more than 150 possible cases of serious lung illness. Sixteen state health departments are reporting that cases have popped up in the last two months. So far there have been no cases in Oregon or Washington. But the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is urging doctors to watch out for signs of serious respiratory illness in people who report vaping or using e-cigarettes. The CDC, FDA, and states are working together to find out exactly what is causing people to get so sick. They do know all reported cases are in people who use e-cigarettes or similar devices.

The Air Show of the Cascades kicks off today around the Madras Municipal Airport. The show also offers car, vintage motorcycle and bicycle shows, along with a fireworks display, live music and more. Tickets are available in several categories. Children age 5 and younger are free.

A Washington county and city urged the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to uphold a ruling that the state has jurisdiction over any crimes committed by or against non-Indians on the Yakama Nation reservation, saying the governor made it clear that Washington didn’t give up control over those crimes to the federal government. The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation is seeking to overturn a district court’s February ruling in the tribe’s suit against Yakima County and the city of Toppenish over the allegedly improper arrest of tribal citizens within reservation boundaries, arguing that the federal government clearly meant to take back jurisdiction from the state over any crime involving American Indians as victim, perpetrator or both. The county and city responded Wednesday that the lower court rightly ruled that a 2014 Washington proclamation retroceding its jurisdiction was only intended to give up control over crimes involving American Indians alone. The proclamation was issued after the tribe requested a nearly complete retrocession of the state’s jurisdiction through a process put in place by the state legislature in 2012.

More than 200 guests attended The Museum At Warm Springs’ Huckleberry Harvest Celebration and Honor Dinner at the High Desert Museum in Bend last on Saturday evening. The annual event raises funds for The Museum At Warm Springs. This year, $105,000 was raised through dinner ticket sales, sponsorships, additional grants and gifts, and a silent auction. Museum Executive Director Elizabeth Woody says proceeds from the event makes it possible for the Museum to continue to share the Warm Springs’ culture, history and art; to educate in the traditional arts of the people; and to preserve the Museum’s objects and archival collections. This year’s guest speaker was Dr. Phillip Cash Cash, a renowned linguist and scholar, who spoke to the importance of Indigenous language preservation. This year’s event included two honorees. Howard Arnett, Esquire of Karnopp Petersen LLP, Bend who was honored with the Museum’s prestigious Twanat Award for his nearly four decades as an attorney for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and for his representation of other tribes on matters involving treaty rights, tribal sovereignty, Indian law development, government-to-government relations and gaming. Dr. Virginia Beavert of the Yakama Nation was honored with the Museum’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a Linguist/Scholar and Professor at the University of Oregon. She is a highly respected teacher and fluent speaker of her language, Yakama Sahaptin. Beavert has worked throughout her life to teach and preserve her Native language.