KWSO News for Thu., Oct. 31, 2024

WS Youth Council candidates’ speeches

The Warm Springs Youth Council candidates for officer positions gave speeches on Wednesday at Madras High School.  Candidates are:

Male President

• Arthur Miller Jr
• RedSky Waheneka

Female President

• Kiana Allen

Vice President

• Roxy Crowe Wallulatum
• Julia Wolfe

Secretary

• Mila Adams
• Velma Spino

Treasurer

• Arema White
• KK Estimo

Communications Officer

• Julia Wolfe
• Trecee Graybael
• Roxy Crowe-Wallulatum
• Myla Spino

Election results will be announced on Friday.

 

Caldera Arts Fall Intensive open to 6-12 grade students

This weekend Caldera Art is hosting their Fall Art Intensive at the Warm Springs K-8 Academy.  Students in 6th thru 12th grade can sign up to participate.  Click to listen to Dillon Kolar, Caldera Youth Program mentor.

Anna Keifer is a counselor at the WSK8 and can be contacted if a 6th thru 12th grade student is interested in applying for the Caldera Art Intensive this weekend.

 

CTWS awarded federal funds for reducing impacts of extreme weather

U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley as well as U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Val Hoyle on Wednesday announced that Oregon’s Energy Department has secured $10.9 million and four Tribes with members in Oregon have earned a combined $1.16 million in federal investment to modernize the electric grid and reduce the impacts of extreme weather while also ensuring power sector reliability.

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs is one of the four Tribes securing the federal funds. Others are Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, Burns Paiute and Nez Perce. Warm Springs will receive $454,958.

“The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs is thankful for the federal government’s financial investment in our ability to protect our communities from extreme weather situations,” Tribal Council Chairman Jonathan W. Smith, Sr., said in a press release.  Smith says the funds will allow the Tribes to develop community resilience centers on the reservation for tribal members to seek refuge during unbearably hot and cold weather patterns.

 

State recommends restricts on cell phones in schools

The Oregon Department of Education issued guidance Wednesday, recommending that school districts update their policies to limit or restrict the use of cell phones.

The guidance leaves decision-making up to districts, but suggests tightening policies on cellphone usage. The agency points to research that says mobile devices can cause distractions and lead to increases in bullying and poor mental health outcomes.

ODE officials urge schools to listen to students, staff, and families when developing their policies, and offer flexibility for students who might need a phone for medical reasons.

Several schools across the state already have their own policies regarding cell phones. Schools in Portland, North Clackamas, and Lincoln City all require students to lock their phones in pouches at the beginning of the day.

USFWS investing $46 million in Klamath Basin

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will invest a total of $46,191,133 in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to boost ecosystem restoration and enhance water quality and reliability through 24 projects throughout the Klamath Basin—12 of which are taking place in Oregon.

This latest federal funding wave from the landmark law will largely fuel the Klamath River’s recovery and habitat restoration efforts following the removal of the four lower Klamath Dams in 2024—the largest dam removal effort in U.S. history.

In February of this year, Merkley and Wyden announced $72 million in new federal funding for critical ecosystem restoration projects and agricultural infrastructure modernization in the Basin, as well as a historic agreement with the Klamath Tribes, Yurok Tribe, Karuk Tribe, and Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA).

 

WA man sentencing for killing eagles

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A Washington state man who pleaded guilty to killing eagles on a Native American reservation in Montana is facing sentencing Thursday. Federal prosecutors said Travis John Branson was part of a trafficking ring that killed at least 118 eagles on and around the Flathead Indian Reservation. The birds’ parts were sold on the black market. An indictment said up to 3,600 birds overall were killed. Feathers and other bird parts are widely used by Native Americans in ceremonies and during powwows. Branson pleaded guilty in March to charges of conspiracy and wildlife trafficking. He could face up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge.

 

First ever known U.S. case of bird flu found in a pig in Central Oregon farm

The first known case of avian influenza in a pig in the United States was confirmed at a small farm in Central Oregon Wednesday. At least one pig out of five at a backyard farm in Crook County has tested positive for bird flu. That’s according to an announcement from the Oregon Department of Agriculture on Wednesday.

It’s the first time avian influenza has been confirmed in pigs. The same virus strain has spread to several million poultry birds and to dairy cattle.

Doctor Dean Sidelinger, Oregon’s state epidemiologist, says risks to human health remain low. “There have been no human H5N1 infections associated with outbreaks in Oregon. To date, no infections amongst people living in Oregon and no evidence of human-to-human transmission. With that, we can say that the risk of avian influenza to the general public remains low,” Sidelinger said.

Officials also say the farm was not commercial. And there is no concern around the safety of pork products.