KWSO News for Thu., Aug. 6, 2020

10 more cases of Covid-19 were reported Wednesday (8/5/20) in the Community Covid-19 UPDATE from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. The 10 new cases bring to 203 the number of positive cases of Covid-19 in Warm Springs since the pandemic began. 150 of those people have recovered. There were 34 test results pending as of yesterday.

The Oregon Health Authority reported five more deaths in Oregon in its report on Wednesday, raising the state’s death toll to 338.  299 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 were reported as well, bringing the state total to 19,979.

Tomorrow is the deadline for Warm Springs Tribal Members to apply for the July CARES Grant assistance.  Applications will be accepted through tomorrow by fax, drop box or email. This grant is for any member who has experienced a financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The October grant applications will be accepted October 1-31.

The Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) shifted its traditional Fall sports season contests to begin in March under a new 2020-21 school activities calendar approved by the association’s Executive Board on Wednesday.  OSAA says the decision “provide a framework to maximize the potential opportunity for students in Oregon to participate in three seasons during the school year. Traditional Winter activities will take place in January and February, followed by Fall activities in March and April, with Spring activities occurring in May and June.  Traditional fall activities are cross country, volleyball, soccer and football – they will begin practice the last week of February with contests beginning in early to mid-March.

All residents of the Warm Springs Agency area are urged to conserve as much water as possible from through the weekend to facilitate a system shutdown that will occur this Saturday as repairs are made.  You need to conserve water – do not water lawns, fill pools, wash cars – those are things you can do help everyone on the Agency Water System.

The Native American Music Awards Association has announced a cancellation of this year’s event. The November show would have been the 20^th annual. The music awards submission process has also been suspended. They do plan to present virtual events and enhanced online activities in 2021. The NAMA Association is an all-volunteer organization.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian will host a virtual event on Nov. 11, 2020, to mark the completion of the National Native American Veterans Memorial. The event will also acknowledge the service and sacrifice on Native veterans and their families.  The museum planned to host a dedication ceremony and veterans’ procession to mark the memorial’s completion but has postponed these events due to current health and safety guidelines. This will be the first national landmark in Washington, D.C., to focus on the contributions of American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians who have served in the military. The memorial design is by Harvey Pratt (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma), a multimedia artist, retired forensic artist and Marine Corps Vietnam veteran.