KWSO News for Tue., Mar. 8, 2022

Work has begun on campus to prepare the site for the Community Action Team’s Small Business Incubator Project.  The old Commodities building – most recently used by Natural Resources, located behind the Warm Springs Post Office will be moved in April to the corner of Highway 26 and Paiute Street.  Asbestos and Lead Paint removal was completed a few weeks ago in the oldest standing building on the reservation.  Renovations will be done to create space that will support local small business along with retail space and a food area.  You can learn a little more about the initial planning that went into this project by checking out KWSO’s YouTube Channel in a video titled WSCAT Commissary Project.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHGbiY5j5z8

National Park Service Director Chuck Sams will testify this morning before the House Natural Resources Committee to discuss Tribal Co-management of public lands. Director Sams will highlight the Interior Department’s commitment to strengthening Indian Country by bolstering the government-to-government relationship and treating Tribes as partners in co-stewardship of America’s lands and waters. Last year, the Interior and Agriculture Departments created the “Tribal Homelands Initiative” a collaborative effort to improve federal stewardship of public lands, waters and wildlife by strengthening the role of Tribes in federal land management. Through a joint Secretarial Order, the Departments codified a policy to facilitate agreements with Tribes to collaborate in the co-stewardship of federal lands and waters. The Order also directs the Departments to ensure that Tribal governments play an integral role in decision-making related to the management of federal lands and waters. The hearing begins at 7am this morning.

The Washington state Legislature has approved an alert system to help identify and locate missing Indigenous people. Attorney General Bob Ferguson says it’s the first of its kind in the nation. It will be similar to so-called “silver alerts” that are in place for missing vulnerable adults. The measure passed both chambers unanimously, with a final vote in the House on Monday. It now heads to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature. According to research conducted by the Urban Indian Health Institute in Seattle, more than four times as many Indigenous women go missing than white women in Washington State.

On Thursday March 3^rd, the Deschutes County Illegal Marijuana Market Enforcement team, a partnership between the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and Bend Police Department launched the CANNAFACTS website (www.canna-facts.com). There are a lot of questions and confusion surrounding which cannabis activities are legal, since many counties and cities have rules in addition to state law. Many community members have incorrectly assumed that when cannabis became legal that all cannabis activity was legalized. Others have assumed that any unusual or suspicious cannabis activity should be reported to 911. Neither of these assumptions are accurate. To address this misinformation, the DCIMME team with help from community volunteers, state and regional agencies, and local recreational cannabis businesses created CANNAFACTS – a one stop location with easily digestible information on community laws and regulations. It is created to provide Deschutes County residents and visitors with a better understanding of which recreational cannabis activities are legal and which are not, which agency is the best to contact with questions or concerns based on the specific cannabis activity and why and how to report serious illegal cannabis operations.

In NBA Action: Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points and 13 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Portland Trail Blazers by double digits for the second time in three days, 124-81. Malik Beasley added 19 points, and Naz Reid had 18 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for Minnesota. Towns’ effort came in less than three quarters, as he and most of Minnesota’s starters stayed on the bench in the fourth with the game well in hand. Brandon Williams led the Blazers with 27 points. Portland has dropped five straight after winning four in a row. In the NFL: As reported on NFL.com, Reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers have agreed to terms on a four-year $200 Million deal that makes him the highest paid player on an annual basis in NFL History reported NFL Network Insider Ian Rapaport this morning. The reigning MVP will get a whopping $153 million guaranteed.