KWSO News for Tue., Jul. 28, 2020

Monday’s (7/27/20) Covid-19 Community Update from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs reported 13 more cases of Covid-19 since last Friday afternoon.  There have been a total of 165 cases on the reservation since testing began. 109 people have recovered. There have been 1851 tests done at the Health and Wellness Center with 35 test results pending.  16 hospitalizations have been due to Covid-19 with 6 individuals having been discharged.  There has been 1 death. The test kit inventory at the Warm Springs Health and Wellness Center includes: 201 State kits which will take 24-48 hours for results from the State Lab and there are 454 ABBOTT (Rapid) test kits. They can process up to 22 of those rapid tests a day.  To slow the spread of Covid-19 EVERYONE needs to confine themselves to their household as much as possible.  If you do need to go to the store or to work, you MUST take PRECAUTIONS.  Mask Up, Keep Your Distance, Wash Your Hands, Disinfect Surfaces, Avoid Large Groups.  All these actions will make a difference if everyone takes these steps.

The Oregon Health Authority reported no new deaths Monday.  There were 340 new confirmed and presumptive cases of Covid-19 bringing the state total to 17,088.  Oregon has had 289 deaths attributed to Covid-19.

As part of its Nonresponse Follow-up Operation, the U.S. Census Bureau is visiting every household that has not already responded to the 2020 Census to ensure a complete and accurate count.  Census takers are scheduled to visit nonresponding households starting August 11th to ask a few questions and will enter the answers on their secure Census Bureau smart phone. If a family member is not home when the census taker visits, they will leave a notice of their visit with information about how to respond online or by phone. As necessary, they will make additional visits to collect responses from the household.  Census takers will follow social distancing protocols and all applicable state and local requirements with regard to health and safety. Until October 31, 2020, households can continue to respond online or by phone.

Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced Monday that the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission will receive $227,028 and $125,000 in federal grant funding, respectively, for environmental programs and studies. Both grants are being administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians will use their grant to protect and maintain air, water, land, and data quality. The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission’s grant will fund technical and coordinating support to help member tribes to meet pollution reduction and prevention goals.

For those who missed the July 15 tax deadline and didn’t request an extension, the Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers about some important tips, including filing electronically as soon as possible to reduce potential penalties.  There is no penalty for filing after the deadline if a refund is due. IRS Free File is available on IRS.gov through Oct. 15 to prepare and file returns electronically. The IRS continues to experience delays in processing paper tax returns due to limited staffing. In the event that a person owes taxes, even if they can’t afford to immediately pay the taxes they owe, they should still file a tax return as soon as possible to reduce possible penalties. Taxpayers who have a history of filing and paying on time often qualify for penalty relief. Those who owe taxes can view their balance, pay with IRS Direct Pay, by debit or credit card or apply online for a payment plan.