KWSO News for Tue., Jun. 9, 2020

We Count Oregon invites everyone to join them for an online gathering today at noon to talk about the Census and Sovereignty.  The goal is to help us all understand better why the 2020 census is so important in having our Warm Springs Community participate. Warm Springs has typically been undercounted in previous Census.   1 in 7 Natives in the last census living on Tribal Lands were not counted.  Shana Radford is a Tribal Partnership specialist for the US Census who says “The reason that I got into this work and what I’ve always been taught by my elders in my community is really stepping up.  It’s really stepping up and the responsibility for all of us to try and contribute back to our community.  I’m making sure my future generations are counted so it’s not just about today, right now, it’s really about our futures generations about the collective of our people and making sure we are still here for the next 7 generations.”  You can Tune in for the broadcast at 91.9 FM for or REGISTER for the noon online event.

According to the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs COVID-19 update yesterday – 26 people have now recovered after testing positive.  With 46 total positive cases of COVID-19 in Warm Springs since the pandemic began – there are now only 20 active cases.  699 tests have been done at the Health and Wellness Center.  25 test results were still pending at the end of yesterday.

Oregon’s death toll from COVID-19 remained at 164 yesterday morning according to the Oregon Health Authority.  There were 114 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 4,922. The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases included 61 cases in Lincoln county related to an outbreak at Pacific Seafood.

A judge has stopped the federal government from rescinding its reservation designation for a Native American tribe’s land in Massachusetts, ordering the Interior Department to review the matter and issue new findings. The judge granted a summary judgment on behalf of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe last Friday, concluding that the Interior Department’s actions were “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, and contrary to law.” The tribe has more than 300 acres in the town of Mashpee and in Taunton near the Rhode Island state line. The tribe said the Trump administration’s action, if it had been allowed to stand, would have destroyed much of what the tribe has worked to build in recent years on its sovereign lands.

Today, just before noon KWSO joins radio stations nationwide to play Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come,” in commemoration of the life of George Floyd.  Floyd’s gruesome killing May 25 has been the focus of international protests. Many communities are struggling with the issues raised by his death, including racial injustice and police misconduct.   The nationwide remembrance was organized by the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. “As our country deals with the hurt and outrage of what happened to George Floyd, these stations are in their communities, feeling this sorrow too,” said NFCB Program Director Ernesto Aguilar. “Stations together will play a song to speak as a unified voice for change, justice and love.”  Tune in to KWSO just before noon as we join with other radio stations across the nation.