Local News
KWSO News for Wed., Feb. 16, 2022
Feb
In early February, the three districts of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs hosted council nomination meetings for the upcoming Tribal Council elections. There are 18 nominees for the Agency district, six for the Simnasho District and six for the Seekseequa District. The voting for the 29th Tribal Council is slated for March 30th and once counted and confirmed, the new Council would take office in May. The Agency and Simnasho District each have three council representatives and Seekseequa has two and each representative serves a term of three years. In the Agency District there are 2148 voters, in the Simnasho district there are 1150 and in the Seekseequa district there are 269 voters. The Agency District Candidates are Rain Circle, Michael Clements, Reina Estimo, Eugene Greene Jr., Anita Jackson, Danni Katchia, Uren Leonard Jr., Jim Manion, Daniel Martinez, Cyrille Mitchell, William Sam, Alvis Smith III, Glendon Smith, Jason Wesley Smith, Johnathan W. Smith, Ryan Smith Jr., Valerie Switzler and Dennis White III. The Simnasho District Candidates are Carlos Calica, TJ Foltz, Raymond Moody, Emerson Squiemphen, Lincoln Jay Suppah and Levi Van Pelt. For the Seekseequa District the candidates are Rosa Graybel, Ruben Henry, Vesta Johnson Brigette McConville, Wilson Wewa and Martha Winishut. The Agency District for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs has a Candidate forum set for Thursday February 17th at 5pm. The meeting is setup as a zoom meeting where each available candidate will introduce themselves, and have 5 minutes to present their respective platform. Agency district voters will get to ask questions and it is asked to keep the questions simple for time constraints. If you’d like to watch and/or participate you can find the zoom link in today’s news on the KWSO website. ZOOM Link Here are the meeting details as well: Meeting ID: 883 6096 6827
Passcode: 709998
Threatening or harassing an election worker in Oregon could lead to prison time, under a bill being considered by state lawmakers. Dirk VanderHart reports. “Around the country and in Oregon, elections workers have reported feeling increasingly unsafe since the 2020 elections. The lie that that contest was stolen from President Donald Trump has led to threats of violence and other aggressive behavior. With the 2022 elections fast approaching, state lawmakers are looking at ways to counter that trend. House Bill 4144 would make it a class C felony to threaten or harass an elections worker for doing their job. It would also exempt election workers’ addresses from being released as part of their voting record. Secretary of State Shemia Fagan is Oregon’s top elections official, and requested the bill. FAGAN: As we head into the 2022 election season we must do all that we can, all that we can, to protect elections workers against physical harm fueled by misinformation. At least four other states, including Washington, are considering similar proposals. I’m DV reporting.”
Oregon Democrats are reviving a proposal to help low-wage workers impacted by the pandemic. Sam Stites reports. “The plan is to give $600 checks to Oregonians who filed in 2020 for the state’s earned income tax credit, a tax break given to low and middle income families. Democrats estimate around two-hundred-and-sixty-thousand households will be eligible. The program is expected to cost around $180 million dollars. The bill’s chief sponsor, Representative Andrea Valderrama of East Portland, says the state’s revenue forecast last week shows that low-income families are feeling the brunt of inflation’s sting. [VALDERRAMA]: “We know that working and low-wage families need this funding now. We also know the cost of living is sky high.” The plan will receive its first public hearing in a House committee this Thursday. I’m SS reporting.”
Oregon lawmakers heard testimony Tuesday on a bill that would legalize betting on college sports. The wagering would be offered by the Oregon Lottery under the measure, which is sponsored by Senate President Peter Courtney. He says many people are already gambling on college sports using illegal websites. But Justin Martin, a lobbyist for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, says the bill would hurt tribally-operated casinos in Oregon. “The reality here is this would be taking money out of tribes’ pockets. We need to take a pause and study this and look at the right way to do things in Oregon moving forward.” The Senate Rules Committee did not act on the bill during Tuesday’s hearing. One amendment to the measure would dedicate the revenue from college sports betting to scholarships for low-income Oregonians.
In Local Sports: the Madras High School Buff Boys hosted North Marion in League play last night in the Buffalo Dome and came up short 63-54. Next up for the Boys, they will be on the road Friday to take on Corbett, tip-off is at 7pm. The Lady Buffs went on the road last night to North Marion and came away victorious with a 66-41 win. The Lady Buffs now have a two game lead in the Tri-Valley Conference as Corbett defeated Gladstone last night are 2nd in the Conference with a 6-2 record. The Lady Buffs will host Corbett this Friday in the Buffalo Dome and with a win they would place themselves as the Tri-Valley Conference Champions just ahead of the playoffs. The game on Friday will be Senior night for the Lady Buffs with tip-off at 7pm and you can catch that LIVE action here on KWSO.
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