Local News
KWSO News for Tue., Sep. 7, 2021
Sep
It’s back to school for students in the Jefferson County 509-J school district. 1st thru 8th grade students have their first day of school today at the Warm Springs K thru 8 Academy and Freshman have their day 1 at Madras High School. Motorists are reminded to drive cautiously to help keep students waiting at bus stops safe and to help with new traffic patterns of families driving their youth to school. Bus routes and school start times can be found online:
CTWS Tribal Council was in session last Wednesday September 1st. There was an update on Opioid Litigation from Tribal Attorney Ellen Grover. Tribal Council voted in the affirmative on two issues related to that litigation. The September Tribal Council agenda was approved along with this month’s travel delegations. A resolution passed to engage AKANA for one year to move forward on proposed infrastructure upgrades. Tribal Council approved the reappointment of Museum at Warm Springs Board Members and appointments to the Board of Regents. Branch of Public Utilities was approved to extend a contract with the Apollo company to complete projects underway to bring the Tribes in compliance with EPA requirements. CARES act funding was requested by Public Utilities with more detailed budget information requested. A Bureau of Trust Funds Administration (BFTA) Resolution was approved. Tribal Council approved renewal of affiliation with the National Congress of American Indians and appointed Brigette McConville as the Tribes’ voting delegate and Anita Jackson as the alternate delegate to NCAI. A resolution for the dispersment of American Rescue Plan Act funds to Warm Springs Tribal Members was tabled until September 8th. There was a request to bring in an accounting firm to help the Tribes’ Finance programs and to prep for the Tribes’ 2022 audit. Additional information will be provided next week. You can read the full summary HERE
Last Thursday, September 2nd, 2021, Detectives with the Deschutes County Illegal Marijuana Enforcement team concluded a long-term investigation involving a large-scale illicit outdoor marijuana grow near Dodds Rd and Alfalfa Market Rd in the Alfalfa community. A Search Warrant was executed on the 30-acre property and located 49 greenhouses containing 9,227 marijuana plants in various stages of growth. In addition to the plants, 2,800 pounds of processed marijuana were also found. During the investigation, it was determined that this particular illegal marijuana grow site was operated by and affiliated with a foreign Mexican drug cartel attempting to cultivate illegal marijuana for sale throughout the United States commercially. Most of the laborers found working on the grow site are Mexican nationals and illegally trafficked into the United States to work in the illegal marijuana trade involuntarily.
Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 4 officials confirmed that the Bull of the Woods Lookout located within the Bull of the Woods Wilderness was lost due to fire activity on Sunday. This Lookout was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Bull Complex fire remains active along the western and northwestern sides of the fire and is now listed at 7% contained at 16,724 Acres burnings 12 miles NE of Detroit.
Many of the fires in the Middle Fork Complex, 9 miles north of Oakridge, have been fully contained but the Gales and Kwis fires remain. The larger Gales fire is only 12 percent contained at about 23,000 acres.
Smoke from both the Bull Complex and Middle Fork Complex fires continue to bring smoke and haze to Central Oregon.
A federal judge says digging can proceed at a planned lithium mine site near the Oregon-Nevada border. The Burns Paiute [pie-YOOT] Tribe and Reno-Sparks Indian Colony joined with several environmental groups to try to halt archaeological surveys at the Thacker Pass lithium mine south of McDermitt, Oregon. The tribes say mine operator Lithium America and the U-S Bureau of Land Management failed to properly consult them prior to digging on the site of a massacre of their ancestors. The court denied the tribes’ motion, which allows the surveys to move forward. A judge will decide on the case before construction of the mine can begin. The site is the largest known lithium deposit in the U.S. Lithium is a key component in electric vehicle batteries. Demand for the mineral is expected to triple over the next five years.
White Buffalo sports this week…
- Boys soccer play at Sisters today coming off a win against Crook County last week.
- Girls soccer plays Sisters tomorrow. They also won against Crook County last week.
- Volleyball is scheduled to play at LaPine tomorrow and host Redmond on Thursday
- AND Madras football plays at Sisters on Thursday after their opening game against Corbett was cancelled on Friday due to COVID-19 protocols for Corbett.
- Families and fans are reminded that facemasks are required at games and so we all need to do that so our student athletes can play.
KWSO weather for Central Oregon –
- Hazy sunshine with areas of smoke today. Highs in the 90s
- More of the same tomorrow.
