KWSO News for Fri., Oct. 28, 2022

Election Day is Tuesday November 8th.  There are 4 Ballot Measures that Oregonians will be deciding.  KWSO spoke with Greg Leo who is a public affairs consultant with a focus on Oregon.  He talks about Measure 112 which would Amend the Constitution.  The measure passing would – “Removes language allowing slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime” “In 1857, when the constitution amended article 1 section 34, we prohibited slavery but we allowed an exception, that said “except as a punishment for crime”. And so, a lot of in Oregon prisoners have to work. So this really about prisoners working jobs in the prison facility or county jail, wherever they are. So they do things like maintenance, working the library, work crews go out and clear brush, sometimes they go out and fight forest fires. So in Oregon, it’s mandatory that prisoners work. And so, this measure would say no, that’s actually a form of involuntary servitude and you should not require anything that doesn’t really help with the education, counseling, treatment, community service or other way of helping people with corrections. So this is a big change for the way we incarcerate people in Oregon.”  You can learn more about the measures in your Voters’ Pamphlet that is also available online at the Oregon Secretary of State website

Warm Springs Recreation will hold its November Fitness Challenge, encouraging people to be active and enjoy a variety of exercise options. Registrations for teams of five will be accepted until 5pm on November 4^th. There will be a poker walk that day to kick things off. Anyone who is 18 or older who is affiliated with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs by enterprise, employment or departments may participate. The designated team captain will be responsible for collecting and paying entry fees and all required forms. Contact Joseph Arthur at the Community Center for information.

The Oregon Department of Human Services will be hosting a discussion panel at Willamette University about the importance of the Indian Child Welfare Act on Nov 2. The public is invited to attend. The panel is titled “Complex Conversations: Tribal Rights Are Human Rights – Protecting Oregon’s Indian Child Welfare Act.” T panel will discuss the importance of the federal Indian Child Welfare Act, the Oregon Indian Child Welfare Act and the critical need to protect both. The constitutionality of the federal act will be challenged before the U.S. Supreme Court on Nov 9 during oral arguments for the Haaland v. Brackeen case. Congress passed the federal Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978 to provide statutory protection to Tribal families, keep Tribal children connected to their cultural roots and preserve the future of Tribal nations. Before the federal act passed in 1978, generations of Tribal children across the country were removed from their families and communities, often placed permanently without connection to their Tribal culture and families. The event will be live streamed through ZOOM and on Facebook Live.

In Local Sports: The Madras White Buffalo Cross Country had their Tri-Valley Conference Championship meet in Estacada. For the Buff Boys, they were led by Isaiah Wapsheli who came in 8^th with a time of 17mins 46.6 secs, next for Madras was Deklyn Parton with a time of 19mins 39.6secs, Sean Deller in 20mins 54secs and Jayden Esquiro in 21mins 50.5secs. Lady Buff Runners were led by Hannah MacDuffee coming in 4^th with a time of 20mins 21.9secs, next was Emily Picard with a time of 22mins 23.7secs, Talise Wapsheli in 23mins 10.7secs, Kahmussa Green in 25mins 5.8secs and Maria Erostarbe Ferrer in 31mins 42.1secs. On the schedule for today, the Madras White Buffalo Football team is on the road to Crook County in their final regular season game of the year. The Buffs started out the season strong with a 3-0 record but got tripped up after that losing 4 straight and then got a forfeit from The Dalles last week. They are looking to finish strong against the Cowboys with both teams having a 4-4 overall record. Crook County does have a better league record at 2-2 while Madras is currently at 1-3 in the League. If the Buff boys can get the victory tonight, they will finish with a winning record, but Crook County could be a tough opponent as they beat Baker last week 48-31 whom Madras fell to 41-14. However, Crook County did also lose to Caldera high school, whom Madras beat earlier in the season as well. Kickoff for the game in Prineville is 7pm and if you can’t make that game in person, you can catch the Live action here on KWSO.

KWSO Weather for Central Oregon:

• Partly Sunny today with a 30% chance of showers and a high near 66 degrees
• Tonight, Mostly Cloudy with a 30% chance of showers and a low around 38
• Mostly Sunny tomorrow with a 20% chance of showers and a high near 66 degrees
• Mostly Cloudy on Sunday with a high near 65 degrees