Local News
KWSO News for Tue., Jan. 14, 2025
Jan
Tribal Council Election Day is coming up March 26th. Tribal Council Nominations were made last week (January 9, 2025) with final Certification and confirmation of the Nominees once the return of the required background checks is completed, possibly this week. A notice is now posted advertising 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.
- There are 2,225 people in the Agency Voting District, with 988 of those people living off the reservation. The Agency District elects 3 representatives. There are 13 nominees.
- There are 1,199 people in the Simnasho Voting District, with 544 of those people living off the reservation. The Simnasho District elects 3 representatives. There are 7 people who were nominated.
- There are 274 people in the Seekseequa Voting District, with 98 of those people living off the reservation. The Seekseequa District has 2 representatives. There are 5 nominees.
Friday, January 24th is the deadline for any new voters to change the Voting District they were assigned to. The process for preparing Absentee Ballots will begin on Monday, January 27th. Contact Vital Stats if there are any voting district or address change requests
The Transportation Security Administration or TSA has published a final rule providing a framework for federal agency phased enforcement of REAL ID requirements. The deadline is May 7th, 2025 when only state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards that meet the security requirements established by the REAL ID Act will be allowed for official purposes, including boarding commercial aircraft. Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 to enhance security standards for identification, directly in response to the security vulnerabilities highlighted by the 9/11 attacks. Photo IDs issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe are an acceptable Identification at TSA checkpoints for travelers.
Warm Springs Nation Little League is working now toward the start of a new season by recruiting for coaches and umpires. To learn more you can check out the Warm Springs Nation Little League Facebook Page or connect with Edmund Francis, Naomi Brisbois or Leroy Archer.
The Oregon Athletic Officials Association (OAOA) and the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) are recruiting officials for the high school spring sports seasons. Registration for new officials opened yesterday (1/13/25) and there is an immediate need for umpires in baseball and softball. Becoming a high school official has several benefits including staying involved in athletics, maintaining good physical condition, and earning money, on average $80 for each game officiated. Anyone interested can www.newofficials.org.
WSK8 girls basketball has its first games of the season yesterday hosting Obsidian. The 6th and 7th grade teams won, playing at the old Warm Springs Elementary Gym. We don’t have the 8th grade results but those games were played at the K8 gym.
On the 2025 Buffalo Skywalkers youth basketball league schedule today – the 2nd and 3rd grade teams play. Team 1 will take on Team 2 and Team 3 faces Team 4. The fourth, fifth and sixth grades play tomorrow.
The Madras White Buffalo Boys Basketball team hosts Bend tonight. Tip off and our KWSO broadcast is at 7 if you want to tune in to cheer on the Buffs!
The resignation of Oregon’s top forestry executive last week comes at a pivotal moment for environmental policies. OPB’s April Ehrlich [[er-lick]] reports. That in recent months, the Oregon Department of Forestry has been embroiled in conflict — including running out of cash before it could pay contractors who worked last year’s wildfires. The agency has also made headlines for workplace conduct issues. State forester Cal Mukumoto said his resignation will help the Department regain lawmakers’ trust. “Bad press is bad press. We need to move forward and get support for from the legislature and the governor’s office.” The agency has a lot on its plate. It needs to finalize two plans for protecting endangered species on public and private lands. And the legislative session begins in a week. Lawmakers are expected to tackle the state’s wildfire funding problems. Replacing Mukumoto could take months. In the meantime, an interim state forester will take the helm. Cal Mukumoto is no stranger to Warm Springs having consulted the Tribes for many years in the areas of timber and forest products management.
The federal government has approved a new casino for the Coquille Indian Tribe in Medford. That comes after over a decade of pushback from some other tribes in the region. Jefferson Public Radio’s Justin Higginbottom reports that the Department of the Interior has put Coquille property in the Rogue Valley under federal trust… effectively expanding the tribe’s reservation which has its headquarters in North Bend on the coast. Currently a bar and grill… the tribe can now open a casino on the property. Judy Farm, from Coquille’s economic development branch says the project will provide “hundreds of new jobs in our community.” Tribal opponents to the project say it will drain customers from their own gaming and upend an informal one-casino-per-tribe agreement. Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon says the federal decision will lead to the “uncontrolled escalation of gambling.” He says he’ll fight the decision with all options available.
