Local News

KWSO News for Fri., Jan. 10, 2025

Posted on by elizabeth.smith
10
Jan

Tribal Council Nomination meetings were held in the three voting districts for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Thursday, January 9th. Tribal Council is scheduled to certify the list of nominees on Friday, January 10th.

Agency District Nominees

  • Alvis Smith III
  • Davis Sohappy Sr.
  • Ladonna Picard Squiemphen
  • Theo Perez
  • Ryan Smith Sr.
  • Jonathan W Smith
  • Caroline Cruz
  • Marcia Soliz
  • James Halliday
  • Speakthunder Berry
  • Cyrille Mitchell
  • Dennis White III
  • James Manion

Simnasho District Nominees

  • Carlos Calica
  • Levi Van Pelt
  • Raymond Tsumpti Sr.
  • Taw Foltz
  • Raymond Moody
  • Lincoln Suppah
  • Oueida Colwash Jimenez

Seekseequa District Nominees

  • Marjorie Kalama
  • Reuben Henry
  • Wilson Wewa
  • Brigette McConville
  • Rosie Tom

 

An advertisement is now posted for positions on the Election Board and the Counting Board. The Election Board has 3 Vacancies with 1 alternate position. The Counting Board has 4 Vacancies with 1 alternate position. Tribal Members interested in serving on this boards should submit letters of interest and resumes to the Tribes’ Secretary-Treasurer/CEO, PO Box 455, Warm Springs, OR 97761. It is required that a criminal background check be completed.

 

The Four Columbia River Tribes announced Commercial Sturgeon Setline Fishery closures this week for Bonneville and The Dalles Reservoirs. The ongoing sturgeon setline fishery in the Bonneville Pool closed on Wednesday. The sturgeon setline fishery in The Dalles Pool will close at 6pm this Saturday. The ongoing sturgeon setline fishery in the John Day Pool will continue under current regulations. The tribes will continue to monitor catches. The ongoing Zone 6 Platform/hook & line fishery will remain open for subsistence in all three Zone 6 Pools.

 

The Jefferson County School District 509J says its student information system provider, PowerSchool, notified the District’s IT Department that 509J was among PowerSchool’s many worldwide clients whose data may have been accessed during a cybersecurity incident. They became aware of the incident on December 28. The 509J IT Department was able to confirm that an unauthorized access to the system occurred on December 22nd. The District says it is working with PowerSchool to learn more about what specifically may have been impacted and will work with them to ensure that any impacted individuals are notified and that appropriate next steps are taken.

 

In Madras High School sports –

  • Boys’ Basketball teams play at Sweet Home this evening.
  • Girls’ Basketball hosts Sweet Home at the Buffalo Dome. JV plays at 5:30 and Varsity at 7.
  • JV Boys Wrestling travels to Mazama High School today.
  • Tomorrow – Boys Varsity Wrestling will compete at Mazama.
  • Girls Wrestling travels to Dallas for the Lady Dragon Dual Tournament today and tomorrow.
  • Boys and Girls Swim Teams will be at the Henley Freeze at Henley High School on Saturday.

 

Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden this week announced that $2,556,496 is coming to the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs to supercharge electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in Oregon. In the press release, Tribal Council Chairman Jonathan W Smith expressed gratitude on behalf of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, stating the Federal Highway Administration’s award of $2.6 million in funds will allow for the construction and maintenance of electric vehicle charging stations on tribal lands and said the Tribes “appreciate that this grant supports our sovereign interests by allowing our government to control pricing and benefit from the generated revenue at the charging stations.” The Warm Springs’ Community EV Charging Project will deploy 18 EV charging ports across two Tribe-owned and operated EV charging stations.

 

Central Oregon Community College and the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council are partnering for the second annual “Learn About Your Home Waters” speaker series, beginning in early February, with learning sessions and field trips focused on two significant local watersheds: the Metolius River and the Upper Deschutes. Organized as a standalone lecture series, with each comprised of five learning sessions over 10 weeks, “Home Waters” explores a range of local watershed topics with natural resources professionals, from habitat restoration to water usage to recreation.  The five-session Metolius River Watershed Speaker Series, beginning Feb. 4 with an every-other-Tuesday format, will be held 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Sisters High School, and concludes with an all-day field tour. The Upper Deschutes Watershed Speaker Series will begin April 10. Cost is $59 for each complete series. Registration is now open; visit cocc.edu/watershed or call 541-383-7270.

elizabeth.smith