Local News

KWSO News for Tue., Oct. 19, 2021

Posted on by sue.matters
19
Oct

Oregon vote by mail ballots came out last week for registered voters for the November 2nd election.  Jefferson County voters have two issues to decide: a 509J Bond measure and a Jefferson County Five Year Jail Operations Levy.

  • You can learn more about what the 509J bond measure would fund for all district schools at https://509jschoolbond.org/.
  • The jail operation levy would replace a levy approved in 2019 which will expire next June. The proposed levy would be the primary source of revenue for the operation of the Jefferson County Adult Jail. There is a presentation on the Jail Levy at noon today at the Jefferson County Annex in person – but you can also attend via Zoom.  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83989599605?pwd=cmI2S0RaV2M3ekxRQllHeGJkSENGQT09
    Meeting ID: 839 8959 9605
    Passcode: 048058

Ballots need to be in an official ballot drop box by 8pm on November 2nd.   Drop Boxes are located in Warm Springs on campus across the street from the post office and also at Three Warriors Market in Simnasho.

 

It is homecoming week at Madras High School and with that they will be inducting 4 new distinguished alumni into the White Buffalo hall of fame.  This year’s featured alumni are: Judge Dan Ahern, Dr. Janice White Clemmer, Stephen Hillis, and Alyssa Macy.  When Alyssa Macy was selected as the CEO of the Washington Environmental Council/Washington Conservation Voters in 2020, the organization described her in this way: “Alyssa brings a strong professional background in political action, social justice and tribal leadership, grounded in a deep personal connection to our land, our water, and the communities they sustain.” Born and raised in Warm Springs, she ascended to the role of Tribal COO in 2015, where she worked tirelessly on behalf of the Confederated Tribes of W.S. As COO, she was responsible for managing a $35 million-dollar operations budget, and led strategic planning, communications, and fundraising efforts.  The Distinguished Alumni will be introduced at Friday’s Homecoming Football game between the 1st and 2nd quarters.

 

A multi-agency prescribed burn was held this weekend at the Andrew Reasoner Wildlife Preserve outside Eugene. 15 Native American trainees carried out the operation with supervision. Organizers say it’s to revive an ancient tradition where Indigenous people burned areas to reduce wildfire risk and rejuvenate areas for plants and animals. That practice largely stopped after colonization. Caitlin Johnson is a forest management technician with the Oregon Department of Forestry, which supported the training. She says in the next decade, more talk of using burns is inevitable. “The fires are getting bigger and moving quicker, and are no longer managed per se as they were in the past. So I think moving forward, the discussions of prescribed are only becoming more frequent. And they are being utilized both on the forest service lands and the state lands, especially in the last five years.” Burn advocates say more than a century’s worth of wildfire suppression by non-tribal agencies has built up slash, debris, and excess vegetation.

 

KWSO Weather for Central Oregon:

  • – Partly Sunny today with a high of 70 degrees
  • – Tonight it’s going to be cloudy with off and on rain and a low of 45
  • – Mostly cloudy tomorrow with a high around 59

 

 

 

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