KWSO News for 12/18/19

Winning an award for diligently checking charts and administering vaccines that could help keep people from getting cancers caused by HPV, that’s what the Warm Springs Health and Wellness Center has done.  According to KTVZ.com, they won the “HPV Vaccine is Prevention Champion” for outstanding efforts to protect adolescents with the vaccine according to the Oregon Health Authority.  Every year in the United States, nearly 35,000 women and men are estimated to be diagnosed with a cancer caused by HPV infection. HPV vaccination could prevent more than 90 percent of these cancers from ever developing. With the award program honoring champions from 25 states, the WS Health and Wellness center is a leader among clinics in Oregon, with an HPV vaccine completion rate of more than 73 percent among adolescents.

 On December 13^th, an amicus brief was filed to the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals defending the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The briefs were filed in Brackeen v. Bernhardt, the federal lawsuit in which three states and a handful of individual plaintiffs have challenged the constitutionality of ICWA. Many Oregon Senators and Representatives were among those filing an amicus brief in support of ICWA, including Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkeley as well as Representatives Earl Blumenauer among others. Following a recent order by the Fifth Circuit, the full en banc court is currently considering this case with oral arguments scheduled in late January 2020.

 On Monday, the U.S. House passed a bipartisan bill that would give compensation to the Spokane Tribe for the effects of Grand Coulee Dam over the past 70 years. It was pushed through by Washington Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell and Republican Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Spokane Public Radio’s Doug Nadvornick has more. ”When the dam was built, Spokane tribal lands were flooded or otherwise damaged and the tribe was never compensated. The action by the House will help to rectify that. It voted to approve annual payments to the tribe, the money coming from the Bonneville Power Administration, the entity that operates the federal dam system on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Monday’s vote follows a Senate vote in June. The proposal now goes to the president for his signature. The compensation bill for the Spokanes has been in Congress for more than 15 years, getting through one chamber or the other, but never both. The Spokane Tribe is the second to receive money for losses due to Grand Coulee Dam; the Colville Confederated Tribes began receiving payments in the mid-1990s. I’m Doug Nadvornick reporting.”

In Local Sports: the Madras High School Buff Boys Basketball hosted the Bend Lava Bears last night, they fell 43-42, leading scorers were Dapri Miller with 22 points and Derrek Main with 11. Lady Buffs Basketball traveled to Bend to battle the Lava Bears and they stumbled, losing 57-43. The Warm Springs K-8 Boys basketball was in action last night against Maupin.  7^th Grade boys won 40-16, led by Jayden Esquiro with 12 points and the 8^th Grade Boys won 49-35, led by Gunner Bailey with 18 points. They will be back in action today, traveling to Prineville to take on Crook County Middle school, games starting at 3:45pm.