KWSO News for Wed., Oct. 7, 2020

The Lionshead Fire began during a lightning storm on August 16, 2020 is listed at 46% Containment and 204,427 acres.   Rain is in the forecast for Friday and Saturday which is expected to help around the fire perimeter.  As additional portions of line are secured each day, more resources are focusing on removing hazard trees and slash, removing equipment from the fire line and conducting suppression repair work. Burned Area Emergency Response assessments on the Warm Springs reservation have identified good burn mosaic – a mix of full burned, partially burned and unburned ground – in many areas. The fire burned with more intensity on the northeast corner and tribal personnel are still in the field verifying the extent of that damage.

Here is:

• Today’s Complete FIRE UPDATE 10072020
• Today’s OPERATIONS FIRE MAP
• Today’s CLOSURE AREA MAP
• Today’s Fire Map for the Lionshead Fire

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The Warm Springs Covid-19 Response Team asks the public to not let your defenses down.  No one likes to wear a mask or face covering but it’s one of the things you can do to protect yourself and others from the spread of Covid-19.  Nobody knows when they might come in contact with the virus.  People can have Covid-19 before they have any symptoms and are contagious.  Take the pandemic seriously.  Assume Covid-19 is everywhere and take steps to avoid it’s spread by

• washing your hands frequently
• covering your sneeze or cough with a tissue
• avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces
• wear a face mask or covering anytime you are in public
• practice social distancing by staying at least six feet away from others
• do not gather in groups with anyone not from your household
• if you feel sick – stay in a room separate from others in your home

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The Step in the Right Direction Challenge is underway in Warm Springs this week and runs for the month of October.  You can contact Jennifer Robbins at the Community Wellness Program to sign up and turn in your weekly steps.   This week’s bonus activity is worth 5000 steps.  Do 25 crunches or sit ups daily and email Jennifer with a description of how that made you feel and that’s how you qualify for the bonus.

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On Sept. 22, board members at the Hillsboro School District selected Atfalati Ridge as the name of the new school located in the Sunset Ridge housing development in North Plains, a rapidly growing area that was slated for a new school following the passage of a $407 million bond in 2017.  The Hillsboro News Times reports that the name recognizes the Atfalati people, a Native American tribe also known as the Tualatin or Wapato Lake Indians, who inhabited the plains surrounding the Tualatin River and the hills near what is now Forest Grove for thousands of years before Europeans arrived.  Board members will vote to officially adopt the name at their next regular meeting on Oct. 27.  The name was selected after a nearly five-month community engagement and selection process.

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The Department of Corrections confirmed Monday that a high ranking prison official at the Deer Ridge Correctional Institution in Madras has been placed on leave. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports Assistant Superintendent of Security Jason Jorgensen is currently on “duty stationed at home” with pay amid a personnel investigation, according to a Corrections spokeswoman. The circumstances surrounding the investigation date back to early last month, when Oregon evacuated four prisons and thousands of inmates amid wildfires that ravaged the state. Corrections officials say they can not share specific details about Jorgensen’s case, citing the ongoing investigation.