KWSO News Wed., Aug. 11, 2021

The Warm Springs community COVID-19 Update on Tuesday (8/10/21) reported 1 new case of COVID-19 from 45 tests conducted Monday, August 9, 2021 at the Health & Wellness Center. There are currently 3 people with active COVID-19 and no close contacts receiving daily monitoring.

Despite warmer temperatures Tuesday, firefighters on the Monty and Bean Creek fires were able to significantly increase containment.  Temperatures are expected to continue to rise for the next several days. A local Central Oregon Fire Management Service (COFMS) Type 3 team continues to manage these fires which were initially reported late in the afternoon on August 5th.  The fires are located on the Deschutes National Forest east of the Monty Campground near Lake Billy Chinook. The Bean Creek Fire is 147 acres with 60% containment, the Monty Fire is 23 acres and has increased containment to 60%. All evacuation notices in the fire area have been rescinded by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. The public is reminded to use caution and watch for firefighters working in the area.  Monty Campground on the Sisters Ranger District remains closed.  The campground is being used by firefighting personnel.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Pacific Northwest is bracing for another major, multiday heat wave just five weeks after temperatures soared in a record-shattering hot weather that killed many vulnerable people in June. The National Weather Service in Portland, warned that the thermometer would start to rise today and could reach as high as 110 F in some places before a weekend cooldown. Those numbers would break all-time records if it weren’t for the June heat wave, which killed hundreds of people across Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.

Oregon traditional artists who would like to be considered for the Traditional Arts Recovery Program may self-nominate between now and Tuesday, Aug. 31. Administered by the Oregon Folklife Network in partnership with the Oregon Arts Commission, the Traditional Arts Recovery Program will provide stipends of $5,000 to 15 Oregon traditional artists for the creation of new work. Eligible artists will use a range of art forms to represent and express Oregon’s diverse ethnic, sacred, occupational and regional cultural arts.  The Traditional Arts Recovery Program is supported by National Endowment for the Arts American Rescue Plan Act funds allocated to the Arts Commission. Traditional artists who would like to be considered should email Emily Hartlerode, associate director of the Folklife Network, at eafanado@uoregon.edu by 5 p.m. on Aug. 31. For more information see the eligibility guidelines: https://www.oregonartscommission.org/sites/default/files/TraditionalArtsRecoveryProgram_Guidelines.pdf

Oregon Governor Kate Brown is expected to announce new statewide mask requirements in response to increased spread of the COVID-19 delta variant at a press conference today. The move comes as Oregon continues to see infections and hospitalizations soar. The state reported more than 32-hundred new cases over the weekend with 575 people hospitalized as of Monday. According to the Oregon Health Authority, new modeling from O-H-S-U shows that hospitalizations are on pace to exceed hospital capacity. The state expects that without a mask mandate, Oregon could see itself 500 hospital beds short by September. The Governor has also announced she is requiring all executive branch employees of the state of Oregon to be vaccinated by Oct. 18, six weeks after the COVID-19 vaccine receives full approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration. Brown’s announcement is scheduled for 11 A-M this morning.