KWSO News 8/29/25

Tribal Adoption Election fails due to lack of voter turnout

The Tribal Council of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs on Thursday certified the results of the Tribal Adoption Referendum. The referendum has failed as voting did not reach the necessary 50% of eligible tribal voter participation that is required to validate the election.

According to the news release, a total of 679 ballots were certified. 147 ballots were returned for wrong addresses. This was an entirely vote-by-mail election and the Tribes contracted with Ryder Election Services at a cost of $43,000.

 

Tribal Courthouse closed until Sep. 2

The Tribal Court Building has been closed for health and safety reasons by Warm Springs Emergency Manager Danny Martinez due to flooding from heavy rain late Wednesday afternoon. The building will reopen on Tuesday, September 2 at 8:00 a.m.  All hearings for yesterday and today have been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date.

 

Museum at Warm Springs projects moving forward

The Museum at Warm Springs was recently awarded $1.5 million in state funding for the renewal of its Permanent Exhibit. The funding officially kicked off The Museum’s capital campaign for the project to update technical equipment and provide more information on the progress of The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.

The Museum at Warm Springs was one of 13 Oregon arts and cultural organizations that was awarded state funding, which will be distributed through the Cultural Resources Economic Fund (CREF). Museum Executive Director Elizabeth Woody said was an “amazing effort” by the Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon, Museum staff and consultants, Board of Directors and Board of Regents, the Permanent Exhibit Steering Committee, which includes Warm Springs Tribal members, and others who advised and advocated, testified on behalf of the Museum, wrote letters of support, and met personally with legislators in Salem.

Another big project is happening outside of the Museum as work began this month on a new roof. The roof had not been replaced since the building was constructed more than 30 years ago.

 

Covid rates climbing

St. Charles Health System in Central Oregon is now requiring its workers to wear masks while interacting with patients. That’s because positive COVID-19 test results have been up for the past two weeks.

OPB’s Kathryn Styer Martínez reports that the health system sent out an email on Tuesday to more than 5,000 workers. That email says, “Central Oregon has begun to experience high COVID activity.”

Dawn Azevedo works in infection prevention for St. Charles. She says there wasn’t a lot of activity in the spring, “and then it’s just started picking up again in the last couple of weeks.”

The Oregon Health Authority calls it a summer surge. And it’s happening across the country. OHA data shows that nearly all wastewater treatment centers in the state have COVID-19 showing up in testing. Azevedo says Central Oregon infection rates are climbing, “it was 14 percent last week and I believe it was 13 the week before,” she says.

Even though positivity rates are rising– health officials say hospitalizations haven’t gone up as much.

 

Weather for Central Oregon –

Today: Widespread haze before 2pm, then widespread haze after 5pm. Areas of smoke after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 96. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight: Widespread haze before 8pm. Patchy smoke before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Saturday: Widespread haze before 11am, then widespread haze after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Light and variable wind.

Saturday Night: Widespread haze before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm after midnight.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.

Labor Day: Sunny, with a high near 96.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 63.