Local News

KWSO News for 4/14/20

Posted on by Sue Matters
14
Apr

Today is the first day for Distance Learning in the Jefferson County 509J school district.  Learning Materials are available online at jcsd.k12.or.us with paper packets being distributed at the free youth meal sites today.  In the packets are teacher hours for when families can connect with questions or to check in.  Warm Springs K thru 8 Academy Principal Bambi Van Dyke: “Our packet distribution will start on Tuesday.  We will continue with our meals on the same routes and at the same places that we have been doing it so there are no changes there.   And then the first week which will be Tuesday thru Friday we will run the routes with all the paper materials and then the week after that we will start distributing packets on Tuesdays and Thursdays”

The 509J meal program is being offered to youth 1-18 years of age.   The free, grab and go meals, are being provided with breakfast and lunch available together.   Kids can pick up meals weekdays between 9:30 and 10:30  at the Warm Springs K thru 8 Academy.  Additional Sites include:

  • West Hills & Upper Dry Creek – at 9:30
  • Tenino Apartments & Sunnyside – at 10
  • The Trailer Court and Wolfe Point at – 10:30
  • Kah-Nee-Ta Hamlets – at 11
  • The Seekseequa Fire Hall – at 11:15
  • The Simnasho Longhouse at 11:40
  • And the Sidwalter Fire Hall at 12:25

Schools in Oregon will remain closed for the remainder of the current school year to curb the spread of COVID-19.

–

Currently there are zero cases of Coronavirus in Warm Springs.  As of yesterday afternoon (4/13/20) – 20 individuals in Warm Springs have been tested with 17 of those tests returning as negative and 3 test pending results. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs has been issuing a COVID-19 update each weekday afternoon.

–

As tribes work to protect their communities from the deadly coronavirus – they are also advocating for their part of the $8 billion at stake courtesy of the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act.    The funding is supposed to benefit governments in Indian Country.   Last Thursday (4/9/20)  the Bureau of Indian Affairs held the 2nd of two consultations on the $8 billion.  In addition to attending these Consultations, Tribal Leaders were encouraged to provide their input in writing by yesterday (4/13/20)

–

Warm Springs Tribal Council, last Wednesday (4/8/20), did approve inclusion with the other federally recognized Indian Tribes of Oregon, in a letter to the United States Secretary of the Treasury asking for “Equitable Allocation for Tribal Coronavirus Relief Funding” (the CARES Act.)  Specifically the Oregon Tribes do not want funding allocated based on Tribal Population alone and they assert that the Treasury should interpret “Necessary Expenditures” Broadly

–

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities (CARES Act) entitles individual with social security numbers to a one-time cash payment. To qualify for the full amount of $1200 an individual must earn less than $75,000 per year, or, for a married couple filing jointly, under $150,000 per year. Families with qualifying children, under the age of 17, also will receive $500 per child. For those who have filed their taxes for 2018 or 2019, the IRS will use your direct deposit information from those returns for the cash payment.

–

Officials in Washington, California and Oregon have announced they’ll be working together on a shared approach to re-opening their economies while continuing to control the spread of COVID-19. In a statement Monday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced the partnership with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown. The written statement says that while each state is building a state-specific plan, the three states have agreed to a framework that focuses on them working together, putting their residents’ health first, and having health outcomes and science guiding their decisions.

Sue Matters