KWSO News for Tue., Jun. 7, 2022

Long time Warm Spring’s physician Dr Tom Creelman retired this spring and in April he was named the Oregon Academy of Family Physicians’ Family Doctor of the Year during the organization’s 75th annual conference in Bend. He is celebrated for his commitment to his community, his service to his patients, and his impact on future generations within family medicine.  Dr. Creelman graduated from the University of Washington-School of Medicine in 1974. He completed his internship at Santa Clara Medical Center in San Jose, CA. After he became board certified in 1979, he began practicing with the Warm Springs Indian Health Service, and he served the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs for over 40 years. Over 20 of those years were spent as the medical director of the Warm Springs Fire and Safety program, during which Dr. Creelman had a major impact on shaping the education and professionalism of the paramedics, EMTs, and first responders. Dr. Creelman has left a lasting impact on Warm Springs IHS and family medicine.

The Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission has made its 2022 Spring/Summer Season Tribal Fishery announcement. For Zone 6 Platform and Hook and Line fishery, covering all of Zone 6, fish caught after 6am on June 4^th through 11:59PM on July 31^st may be sold as described by the announcement. Fish landed during the open periods are allowed to be sold, except for Sturgeon which can only be kept for subsistence. Zone 6 commercial gillnet fishery will be open June 16th thru the 18th, June 20th thru the 24th and June 27th thru July 1st. The complete announcement is in this Link

Election Results from the May 17^th election will be certified on Monday June 13^th – 27 days after election day.  This year – Oregon ballots counted postmarks for eligible ballots – as long as those postmarks were made before 8pm on May 17^th.  Most all election results are known at this point but await certification.

• In Warm Springs – redistricting has changed our Oregon legislative districts.  Jefferson County and Crook County make up most of Oregon State District 59 but that excludes the Warm Springs Reservation which now falls in district 57 with most of Wasco County.  In the November election – Republican Greg Smith is running unopposed for District 57 representation.
• Warm Springs is now part of Oregon State Senate District 29 along with Wasco, Gilliam, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union and Wallowa counties.  The November ballot will have Susan McClain vying for the Senate seat against Gina Munster-Moore.
• The November 8th general election will also include candidates for one of Oregon’s Federal Senators with incumbent Ron Wyden facing Joe Rae Perkins.
• Warm Springs is in District 2 for the US House of Representatives and that will feature incumbent Cliff Bentz against Democrat Joe Yetter.

To vote you do need to register.  To register you need to be 18 or older and live in Oregon.

The Yakama Nation Treaty Days Powwow is coming up this weekend (June 10-11, 2022) after cancellations and modifications due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Treaty of 1855 was signed June 9, 1855, at Camp Stevens in the Walla Walla Valley. The treaty is between the 14 confederated tribes and bands of the Yakama Nation and the United States. The Yakamas became a sovereign nation within the boundaries of the Yakama Reservation, ceding much of their ancestral territories to the U.S. government.

In Jefferson County work will be done at MP 69 on Hwy 26 for a project to repair and replace culvers and to replace the Clear Creek Bridge.  Crews will continue to build a temporary detour off of the roadway, with possible single lane closures with up to 20 min delay with flagger control. Watch for trucks going in and out of work zone. Narrowed lane widths and a speed reduction to 40mph are in place.  This project will make needed repairs to culverts that improve storm water and snow run-off drainage across the project area, and replacing Clear Creek Bridge with a modern bridge that can handle the weight of the high volume of cars and trucks that use the highway.