Local News
KWSO News for Mon., May 10, 2021
May
Warm Springs Community Health reminds everyone – coming off the Mother’s Day holiday weekend – it remains critical to avoid gathering with people you do not live with. Continue to take precautions by wearing a facemask, social distancing, sanitizing and hand washing. If you have any symptoms, even if you believe they are mild or allergies, or GI symptoms – please stay home. The clinic has been seeing an increase in nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea so hand washing, disinfecting and staying home helps protect from COVID-19 but also other illnesses.
Central Oregon Community College announced last Thursday that it will postpone the college’s planned summer reopening which was set for June 14th, due to the increase in positive COVID-19 case rates and concerning hospitalization numbers in Central Oregon. Student support services will remain available via phone and remote formats, and computer labs on all four COCC campuses will remain open to students. Employees who currently telework will continue to do so. COCC’s Summer term begins Monday, June 21. The delayed reopening to the public will not impact the limited in-person classes already scheduled for the upcoming term. Since the Fall 2020 term, the college has safely offered approximately 20% of courses in-person, and will continue to do so in the Summer 2021 term as scheduled. The college has not yet named a revised reopening date. However, COCC’s leadership team identified late summer as a target goal, and the college will continue to update the community of its reopening plans.
In Person Graduation Ceremonies are set for Madras & Bridges High Schools for Saturday, June 5th at the football stadium. The Bridges High School will be hold a ceremony at 9am and Madras High School will have their event at 11:30. In order to ensure that the total number of people do not exceed the allowable capacity in the stadium during graduation, tickets will be issued to each graduate for both the MHS and the BHS ceremonies. The total number of tickets provided to each graduate will be based on the Covid risk level for Jefferson County as of June 2nd (the last time the county is assessed prior to graduation). MHS has 137 graduates this year and Bridges High School has 51 graduates. Both events will be live streamed and recorded for all family and friends to enjoy the occasion.
At Warm Springs Head Start – they will again have a Drive Up graduation cermemony on Friday June 4th. Each classroom will have a specific time. Families can decorate their vehicle at home and then arrive on schedule, following the flow of traffic through the parking lot. It’s one vehicle per graduate.
Washington has a new law that bans schools from using Native American imagery without a tribe’s consent. The Spokane Tribe says it won’t be endorsing any such proposals. Spokane Public Radio’s Rebecca White reports
