Local News
KWSO News for Mon., Mar. 21, 2022
Mar
Officials in Warm Springs have issued an emergency water conservation notice effective immediately for the Warm Springs Agency Water System due to an underground fire that occurred at the facility on Friday March 18th. Chico Holliday is the General Manager of the Branch of Public Utilities for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, he talks about the repairs and the damage. “What’s on que right now, Pacific Power will be on site Monday morning to remove the burned up transformer to install another one. They located one down in Klamath Falls Oregon that is being transported here. They also have to rent a crane to remove the old transformer and then use the crane to install the new one. So at the same time, the electrician that we’ve called, made some calls Friday evening, even though it was close of business, he got some phone calls made, getting some pricing for materials and whatnot for the electrical connections and wiring that’s going to need to take place. So he feels that he’s pretty confident that we could get this thing up and running. So it wasn’t as devastating as I thought because of the amount of smoke and all that. That thing was arcing off for almost an hour before PP&L was able to get it shut off.” The areas on the Agency Water System need to take action to be prepared for a water outage. The three tank reservoirs serving neighborhoods south of Shitike Creek are in good shape for now. Holliday says Utilities is in coordination with the Tribes Office of Emergency Management to provide resources to affected residents. Water conservation efforts include making sure to turn off running water when doing dishes or brushing teeth, skipping baths and showers or taking shorter showers, and ensuring that outside water is completely turned off.
The Warm Springs Tribal Police Department has put out a missing person report on Wednesday March 16th for Claudine Lynn Gray-Littleleaf. She stands at 5’1” is 65 years old, has brown hair and brown eyes, is of Native American descent and was last seen wearing a Black/purple jacket, multi colored scarf and black pants. She is considered endangered and may suffer from dementia. The post on the Warm Springs Police Department FB page says she was last seen on March 13th. Also, 71 year old Louie Selam has been missing since March 16th as well, he was last seen at Warm Springs Tribal Credit and his truck was located by Peter’s Pasture stuck in snow near the intersection of the P-500 and P-200 roads on the Warm Springs Reservation. If you have any information, please contact the Warm Springs Police Department at 541-553-1171 or call 911.
The Elections for the 29th Tribal council are coming up on Wednesday March 30th and will take place at the Warm Springs Community Center Social hall from 8am-8pm. Absentee Ballot boxes will be set up at the Simnasho longhouse, the Seekseequa Fire Hall and the Administration building. Those boxes will be closed at 8pm on election night and transported to the Warm Springs community center for official counting. Off reservation Tribal members can mail in their absentee ballot and it needs to be received by March 30th to be counted. All campaigning and BBQ meals will not be allowed in the parking lot for the Community Center on Election Day, they will only be allowed behind the fence in the Pi-Ume-Sha fields. COVID-19 protocols will be in place. Face masks are required for entry into the polls where temperature and COVID screening will be done as required and social distancing is a must for everyone’s safety. There will be a tribal elder drive up for elders only to vote from their vehicle, any other members in the car that are not an elder will be required to wait in line to vote inside. Elders can still vote inside if they’d like and will be given priority in the line to vote. You can check out the Warm Springs Program everyday as candidates who have come in for an interview at KWSO are on a continuous rotation until Monday March 28th.
The Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations has hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on a wellness center in Spokane Valley, Washington, extending a mission of healing youth through practices grounded in Indigenous values. The Spokesman-Review reports Healing Lodge programs are embedded in healing practices of the Spokane, Kootenai, Kalispel, Coeur d’Alene and Nez Perce tribes, and the confederated tribes of the Colville and Umatilla Indian Reservations. In 1986, the seven tribes united to combine their limited healing resources, founding what is now the nonprofit for youth ages 13-17 to heal from the trauma and abuse caused by alcohol and drug use.
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