KWSO News for Mon., May 2, 2022

The 29th Tribal Council for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs will be sworn in this morning at 9am by Warm Springs Agency BIA superintendent Brenda Bremner.  Following the ceremony – Tribal Council will meet for the first time and on their agenda will be selection of a chairman and vice chair.  Outgoing chair Raymond Tsumpti Sr explains “They asked me who’s supposed to pick the chair, I said you guys around the table. The superintendent opens nominations for the chair, soon as that is selected, then it’s transferred to the chair and then she’s out of the picture.” The 29th Tribal Council swearing in is this morning at 9am at the Warm Springs Tribal Administration Building.  Everyone is welcome to attend

The Warm Springs Health and Wellness Center continues to monitor data from samples collected as part of the waste water monitoring program for COVID-19 in Oregon. The clinic has seen low numbers as far as COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, however, recent testing reported an increase in COVID concentration in the Agency lagoon which is raising concern. The community is encouraged to continue to take precautions by avoiding large gatherings, wearing masks indoors where there are a lot of people, and maintaining good sanitation practices. Everyone should have COVID-19 home test kits on hand so if you do feel sick – you can test yourself. Kits are available during the work week at Emergency Management and after work hours and on the weekend at Fire & Safety on Campus and at the Simnasho Fire Hall.

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation have recently hired Jonetta Herrera and Shana McConville-Radford to serve as Deputy Executive Directors of the Tribes. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation had hired Moss Adams, LLP in 2019 to conduct a full review of the Tribal Organizational Structure. In their report, the need for two deputy executive director positions was identified and the Board of Trustees directed the Office of the Executive Director to develop these positions to report to the Executive Director. Hererra holds a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management with a minor in Business Administration from Central Washington University with over 15 years of experience managing large projects. McConville-Radford holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Portland State University with a master’s in International Law from the University of New South Wales. The Deputy Executive Directors will share the responsibility of supervising sixteen departments.

Tribal and local authorities and volunteers from a Minnesota-based missing persons foundation will search the Yurok Reservation in Northern California over three days for Emmilee Risling, a 33-year-old Native woman who went missing last October. The search, which will involve more than 30 people, several boats and nine cadaver dogs, was prompted by a recent Associated Press article about Risling’s disappearance. The mother of two fell through the cracks both in life and in death. Her case was one of five instances since 2020 where Indigenous women went missing or were killed between San Francisco and Oregon.

In Local Sports: The Warm Springs Nation Little League (WSNLL) had games scheduled for this past Saturday, but due to rainy weather conditions, all games were canceled. Next up in the WSNLL, Minor Baseball is at JC field 1 @ 6pm tomorrow and Junior Softball is home hosting Sisters at 6pm as well. Madras High School Buff Boys Baseball is hosting Estacada today for a double header. Their first game starts at 3:30pm, with the 2^nd game starting at 5pm. Lady Buffs Softball is on the road to Estacada today, looking to rebound after losing to Estacada last Thursday, their game time is 5pm.