Local News
KWSO News for 11/6/19
Nov
The Warm Springs Proposed 2020 Budget has been released and there was a Meeting for the Agency District last night. The meeting was facilitated by Louie Pitt with many representatives of the Enterprises of Warm Springs in attendance to present their budgets to the Agency District. Chief JR Smith, Chief Heath as well as Glendon Smith and Anita Jackson from Tribal Council, were also in attendance to provide any input they could to the cuts that have been presented. Approximately 100 people were at the meeting.
A few things that were brought away from the proposed budget cuts: Chief Operations Officer position will not be filled and is going to be removed entirely, The Warm Springs Timber Company is projecting to bring in 27 Million board ft of harvest in 2020, and the General Manager of Indian Head Casino urges Tribal Members to get gas from the Plateau Travel Plaza as 25 cents of gas tax per gallon comes back to the Tribe. There will be a Meeting in Sidwalter on November 12th at 6pm.
The Warm Springs Comp and Benefits Fair continues today with 2 sessions at the Warm Springs Community Center Social Hall. The first Session today will be from 9am-10:30am, and 2nd session from 2pm-3:30. They will go over things like 401k, Medical/Dental/Vision, Flexible spending and will have vendor company representatives at the Fair
Make sure to stop by and get your questions answered. The final day you can submit your paperwork for the Benefits will be November 22nd at 5pm.
Bend may be one of the highest-risk areas for wildfire in Oregon, but it hasn’t made Pacific Power’s list of places where power could be cut during extreme weather events to prevent wildfires. Parts of Southern Oregon, Hood River and Northeast Oregon are the only places in Oregon where weather-related power shut-offs could occur. The Bend Bulletin reports that Pacific Power launched the shut-off plan before the 2019 wildfire season, designed specifically for communities it serves in Oregon, Washington and California. The measure followed a similar plan set up by Pacific Gas & Electric, California’s troubled utility, after its infrastructure sparked wildfires. The emergency measures were created to prevent accidental wildfires caused when power line equipment is downed by high winds. Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties did not meet all the criteria needed to be included in the power shut-off plan. The affected counties include Josephine, Jackson, Douglas, Hood River and Wasco.
Activists have been saying that we should call global warming a “climate emergency.” Now, over 11,000 scientists agree. Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Erin Ross reports on the dire warning issued Tuesday by scientists from across the planet.
