KWSO News for Tue., Jan. 19, 2021

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Branch of Public Utilities issued a Boil Water Notice yesterday for the Kah-Nee-Ta Hamlets and Wolfe Point Subdivision. The Notice is a PRECAUTIONARY measure to ensure that the water meets the Safe Drinking Water Act.   This issuance is due to low water pressure/pressure loss first reporting in those areas on Sunday (January 17, 2021.)  The notice means residents in the Kah-Nee-Ta hamlets and at Wolfe Point should bring tap water to a rolling boil, boil for one minute, and cool before using. Or else use bottled water for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth, and preparing food until further notice.  Utilities continues to work on repairing the cause of the pressure issues.

COVID-19 has claimed three more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,803.  The Oregon Health Authority reported 666 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 early yesterday morning, bringing the state total to 133,851.

There was no COVID-19 testing at the Warm Springs Health and Wellness Center yesterday since the I.H.S. clinic was closed for the Martin Luther King holiday.  100 first doses of the Moderna Vaccine will be administered this week.  They will also begin giving second doses of the vaccine for those who received the initial shot at the end of December.  The Moderna Vaccine requires two doses, 28 days apart.  The vaccination is considered completed a week after the second shot.

Until everyone is fulling vaccinated and the spread of COVID-19 slows – it’s imperative that everyone continue to take all safety precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.  That includes wearing a face mask, maintaining social distance of at least 6 feet, not gathering in groups from outside your household and staying home as much as possible.

The Jefferson County School District 509J Board of Directors is seeking individuals to serve on the Superintendent Interview Observer Panel to observe the preliminary interviews of candidates for superintendent.  The interviews will be held in Madras on February 22 and 23, 2021, starting at 4:00pm (arrive at 3:30pm).  While JCSD 509J School Board members will be conducting the interviews, each member of the Interview Observer Panel will have the opportunity to listen and individually provide input to the Board on each candidate’s responses.  This input will help the Board select three candidate finalist to return for final interviews for the superintendent’s position.  They are hoping to identify 12 community members who represent a balance of viewpoints and interests.  If interested – you can apply ONLINE.  The deadline to apply is Monday, February 8, 2021.

On Saturday (1/16/21) Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico provided a VIDEO land acknowledgment for “America United: An Inauguration Welcome Event Celebrating America’s Changemakers” Haaland is a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna, an Indian nation with homelands in New Mexico.

According to an ARTICLE posted by Indian Country Today – Tribes will have another year to spend their COVID-19 relief funds.  The  Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act allocated $8 billion to tribes. However, the money was distributed halfway thru the year and created a challenging deadline of Dec. 31^st for spending.  The deadline was extended one year as part of the Consolidated Appropriations 2021 Act signed into law on Dec. 12th.

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Tribal Finance branch is currently working on processing 1099 tax forms for 2020.  W-2 Forms were sent out last Friday, January 15th.  If you received a CARES Small Business grant from the tribe, you will be issued a 1099-MISC tax form.  The CARES Act Emergency and Disaster Relief program and CARES Education Assistance programs qualify for tax exempt treatment under the Tribes General Welfare Ordinance, so you will not receive a 1099 for payments issued under those programs.  The deadline to mail out 1099 forms is February 1, 2021; the tribe anticipates mailing out 1099 tax forms on or near the filing deadline.

The U.S. Treasury has begun issuing its second round of stimulus payments. People who don’t receive a direct deposit by early January should look for either a check from IRS or Economic Impact Payment (EIP) debit card in the mail. People will not necessarily be paid the same way they received their first stimulus payment.   How to identify the card: The envelope will have a return address of Money Network Cardholder Services, PO Box 247022, Omaha, NE 68124. This is not a scam. The card looks like this: