KWSO News for Tue., Mar. 4, 2025

Workshops coming up for student summer workers

Warm Springs Work Education Development Department (WEDD) is taking applications for 2025 summer work for students ages 14-24, who are Native American and reside in Jefferson, Wasco, Deschutes or Crook County. Students must attend a pre-employment workshop to be eligible. Workshop dates are Sundays March 9th, 16th and 23rd at 9am at the Education Building first floor conference room.

Oregon Delegation Demands Reversal of Trump Attacks on Programs Serving Tribal Communities

Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden along with U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05)—joined over 100 Members of Congress to demand that the Trump Administration stop and reverse its dangerous efforts to fire employees and defund programs that serve Tribes and Tribal members. The lawmakers directed President Donald Trump, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to “take immediate action to halt, exempt, and reverse the impacts to federal employees and funding serving Indian Country, as those positions and programs are essential for the administration of legally mandated Tribal programs and services.”

Outlining the impact of the Trump administration’s actions to-date, the lawmakers further wrote, “Your administration’s recent executive actions undermine Tribal sovereignty, existing federal law, and the federal-Tribal government-to-government relationship.” The lawmakers further reminded the President and Secretary Burgum that “Tribal Nations are sovereign governments with a unique legal and political relationship to the United States. The inherent sovereignty of Tribes is recognized in the U.S. Constitution, in treaties, and across many federal laws and policies, and it has been consistently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.”

The letter is the latest in a series of actions by the Oregon delegation to sound the alarm on the Trump Administration’s attacks on Tribal communities.

IN A LANDSCAPE Concert Tour returns to Warm Springs in June

Pianist Hunter Noack is preparing a fresh program for the 10th anniversary IN A LANDSCAPE tour of 50 concerts across six states in the American West. Noack plays on a 9-foot Steinway concert grand piano and people listen through wireless headphones and wander with the music as a soundtrack to the experience in the wild.

The concert is returning to Warm Springs and this year will be held at Kah-Nee-Ta on June 1st. At 3 pm, folks will gather along the river. Warm Springs tribal members will share stories about the culture and traditions of the Warm Springs, Wasco, and Paiute tribes. Tribal vendor stands will be set up. The concert begins at 4 pm and will feature as special guest artist Native American flutist, James Edmund Greeley.

The Broughton & Mary Bishop Family sponsors the Warm Springs concert each year. As a result of their generosity, they’ve been able to grant funds to support the music program at Warm Springs K-8 Academy, and Warm Springs youth at Madras High School through the American Indian Business Leadership club.

Public ticket sales begin this Friday at noon. Learn more online at https://inalandscape.org/.

WSCAT upcoming youth events

The Warm Springs Community Action Team (WSCAT) is putting on a Filmmaking Seminar for youth, led by LaRonn Katchia and Brutis Baez. Youth can choose videography classes which happen March 24-26 or editing/production classes April 1-3. The seminar will include teaching youth about basic knowledge of filmmaking; film tools; documentary style filmmaking; and making a real movie. A stipend will be given to youth that complete the workshop.

WSCAT also has a Tribal Youth Job Fair set for April 7th at the Community Center Social Hall that will include a variety of opportunities – jobs catered to youth; potential internships; camps; and much more.

Oregon US Senators hosting online events tonight

President Donald Trump will give his first joint address to Congress today. The speech is not an official State of the Union address because Trump was sworn into office less than two months ago. “A State of the Union address allows a sitting president to recap their accomplishments over the past year in office,” NPR reported.

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden says he will not attend, and instead will be doing a virtual, open-to-all town hall on Facebook Live, hosted by People’s Town Hall. The town hall will begin this evening at 6pm. You do not need a Facebook account to tune in.

Senator Jeff Merkley will hold a live forum for all Oregonians, live on Facebook and YouTube, after the President’s joint address to Congress. Merkley says he is attending the address to send a clear message to Trump that he fiercely opposes the actions endangering funding for critical programs around the state. Merkley’s virtual event will follow the President’s address and while the exact start time depends on the length of the speech, Merkley’s event is expected to begin around 7:45 p.m. PT. The virtual forum can be watched LIVE on Senator Merkley’s Facebook and YouTube pages.