KWSO News for Mon., Nov. 29, 2021

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Tomorrow November 30^th there is a Youth Vaccination Clinic at the Health & Wellness Center from 3-7pm.  This is for youth age 5 and up.  Dr Thomas Weiser is an IHS epidemiologist in Portland.  He says they are recommending that children get the vaccination.   There are risks for kids 5-11 if they get COVID-19, and the vaccination works in protecting others in the community that children come in contact with, as well. For all vaccinated youth 5 and older – they will have their name entered into a drawing for incentive prizes.  As of Friday morning – 82 Pfizer vaccinations have been given to 5-11 year olds. You can make an appointment for the Tuesday Youth Clinic by calling 541-553-2131.

The Oregon Health Authority is offering to pay pharmacies $35 for each dose of COVID-19 vaccine they administer, with the intention to boost vaccination rates. In addition, the Statesman Journal reports that the program — which launched this month — directly addresses staffing shortages at pharmacies, where growing workloads have resulted in long lines across the state. In some cases, customers have reported having to wait two or three hours to pick up their prescriptions. An Oregon Health Authority official says the state is offering to pay temporary pharmacists in order to bolster work forces.

The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians announced it has proposed a North Salem casino project in Oregon that is estimated to generate 2,300 construction jobs and $141 million in wages during construction. This project, which was conceived years ago is still awaiting federal approval and faces opposition from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. The casino is expected to generate $185.4 million in gross revenue and bring 1,500 full time jobs in its first year of operation and would be built on tribe-owned property of Interstate exit 258 to Portland. Siletz Chairwoman Delores Pigsley says “This will be Oregon’s first gaming facility to share revenue with eight other federally recognized Tribes, the state of Oregon and local governments. The Tribe is currently seeking a “two-part determination” from the Secretary of the Interior that the project is in the best interest of the Tribe and not detrimental to the surrounding community” .The Bureau of Indian Affairs is currently reviewing the Siletz Tribe’s application, which was submitted in the summer of 2020. If approved by the Secretary of the Interior, Governor Kate Brown would have a year to pass or reject the project. If all approvals are met, construction of the Siletz Casino project could begin in Salem between 2024 and 2025.

Researchers have found that snow plays a critical role in the regrowth of vegetation after major wildfires in the Cascades. Bradley Parks reports. “BP: It turns out, blankets of white are a big help in restoring carpets of green in the Oregon and Washington Cascades. Researchers with Oregon State University and the University of Nevada-Reno found that healthy snow cover contributed to greener, healthier regrowth in severely burned areas of the mountain range. Lead author Anne Nolin says this underscores the importance of annual snowpack, which is steadily shrinking due to climate change. NOLIN: “In order to preserve those legacies of snow for future generations, we have to really act now.” BP: Researchers used satellite data from NASA to measure snow cover, precipitation and plant health. The study also found that summer rain was the most important factor in revegetation across four mountain regions of the Northwest. I’m Bradley Parks, reporting.”

In Sports: In the annual rivalry between Oregon State and Oregon on Saturday, the game had the PAC-12 North on the line as an Oregon Ducks win would send them to the PAC-12 Championship and an Oregon State win would send the Washington State Cougars to the PAC-12 Championship game. The Ducks came out hot and took a 24-3 halftime lead en route to a 38-29 victory over the Beavers. The Ducks will face Utah again this Friday for the PAC-12 championship as they seek revenge for an embarrassing loss to Utah just over a week ago 38-7.