KWSO News for Tue., Jan. 4, 2022

Due to hazardous road conditions:

• Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Offices will remain closed today
• Warm Springs Bureau of Indian Affairs offices will also remain closed.
• The Warm Springs I.H.S. Clinic is delaying opening until 10am.
• School is cancelled today for the Jefferson County 509-J School District & the South Wasco County Schools.
• All COCC campuses are on delayed opening with all classes (including live Zoom classes) that start before 10 a.m. cancelled; classes with a start time at or after 10 a.m. are on normal schedule.

Road conditions in the local Warm Springs Agency Area are slick with packed snow, frozen slush and ice.  Higher elevations have significant amounts of snow.   Warm Springs PD reports a large Boulder blocking one lane of travel on Jackson Trail Road around MP 8. Also HWY 26 is closed from MP 96-62 due to extreme weather conditions and downed trees.  Please use extreme caution traveling this morning.  Reduce speed and don’t hit the brakes.

With masks stretched across their faces, students and faculty returned to schools across Oregon after the holidays. But there are worries a new wave of COVID-19 will force a return to online learning. The Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Health Authority said student access to in-person instruction is under serious threat. They suggested schools suspend extracurricular activities or ensure they follow safety protocols. They warned that rapid transmission of the omicron variant is expected in indoor settings where people don’t wear masks and follow other safety protocols, like maintaining physical distances and washing hands.

Oregon reported more than 9,700 new cases of COVID-19 from the holiday weekend on Monday and smashed a previous record for weekly coronavirus cases with an average of about 2,400 new daily cases as the omicron variant took hold. The state also hit a single-day high for new cases on Thursday, with 3,534 confirmed or presumptive infections. The Oregon Health Authority says 18.2% of COVID-19 tests administered over the long weekend were positive for the virus, the highest rate to date.

A Pug dog named Lola went missing New Year’s Eve around 8pm near Mt Jefferson Street and Waba Way in Greeley Heights.  If you found her or know where she is – please call 541-460-3797.  A reward is being offered.