KWSO News 9/25/25

New Fall Season Tribal Fishery

The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission has announced another fall season Tribal Fishery. A Zone 6 Commercial Gillnet Fishery will open at 6AM Monday, September 29th for 4 nights – closing at 6PM Friday October 3rd. Gear can be set and drift gillnets with an 8-inch minimum mesh size restriction. Remember – anyone can subscribe to CRITFC TEXT ALERTS by sending the keyword “CRITFC” in a text message to the number 555-888.

WSK8 Sports

• Warm Springs K-8 Academy Cross Country has a 4 PM meet at Sister’s High School.
• Warm Springs K-8 Volleyball hosts Trinity at 3:30.
• Girls Soccer is hosting The Dalles/Dufur – JV at 4 PM and Varsity at 6.
• Volleyball is hosting Molalla – JV2 & JV at 4:30, and Varsity at 6.
• Boys Soccer teams play at the Dalles at the Wahtonka campus

Oregon Cultural Trust Awards Record $4.15 Million to Statewide Cultural Nonprofits

An increase in donations, as well as investment earnings, has resulted in an all-time high of $4.15 million awarded to cultural nonprofits and organizations statewide by the Oregon Cultural Trust.

This includes awards to 91 individual arts, heritage and humanities nonprofits, organizations and state cultural agencies. Among them is more than $1,000,000 for the Cultural Trust’s five statewide partners (Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Humanities, Oregon Historical Society and the State Historic Preservation Office), and another million for 45 County and Tribal Cultural Coalitions – who annually award an average of 450 local grants within their communities.

Cultural Development Program awards fund nonprofit projects or programs that increase access to culture, invest in organizational capacity, support community creativity and/or provide cultural heritage and historic preservation. Applications were reviewed and scored by peer review panels; final award amounts were determined and approved by the Cultural Trust Board of Directors.

Oregon Handed Over Medicaid Data to Feds Amid $30 Million Fine Threat

Oregon health officials have turned over personally sensitive data about some Medicaid patients to the federal government as part of a spending probe — a move that follows months of heated debate over privacy and potential federal misuse of health data.

Earlier this month, the Oregon Health Authority sent the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services a report containing data on every adult who used emergency Medicaid services between April and June. The information included Medicaid identification numbers, dates of birth and Medicaid eligibility categories tied to citizenship status — but not immigration status or patient names or addresses. During a public meeting earlier this month, state officials said CMS had threatened to fine the state $50 million if it did not hand over the data, although the state clarified Wednesday that the amount was actually $30 million.

The state currently spends roughly $15 billion on Medicaid annually, with $11 billion of that coming from the federal government. It’s not clear how much could have been at risk of being cut.

The state said it repeatedly sought confirmation from CMS that any submitted information would not be used for immigration enforcement. State health officials said CMS assured the state that it was bound by a temporary court order barring it from sharing Medicaid data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for enforcement purposes.

Madras High School Homecoming 

Homecoming week is rapidly approaching for Madras High School, and kicking it off this Sunday, September 28th, students will dive headfirst into a week with spirited events and friendly class competition.

• Sep. 28: Sunday is where festivities begin with hall decorations, where each class will transform their designated areas from 10 AM to 6PM.
• Sep. 29: A high-energy Power Volleyball tournament begins on Monday, featuring Freshmen vs. Juniors, and Sophomores battling the winners from the first game. Even the losing teams will play on, as every match earns valuable points for the class!
• Sep. 30: Tuesday night offers a chance for students to unwind with a movie night in the Maras High School Cafeteria, featuring a film from 7 to 9PM, with snacks for sale.
• Oct. 1st: Action ramps back up on Wednesday with a staff vs. students volleyball game, followed by a Powderpuff football game at 7PM, where Senior and Freshmen girls take on the Sophomore and Junior girls at the football stadium. The evening finishes off with a bonfire from 8:30 to 9:30 PM, with a perfect lead-in to Thursday’s float decorations.
• Oct. 3rd: Friday is the grand finale, starting with morning activities for all students, a Distinguished Alumni luncheon, and the much-anticipated Homecoming Parade. The parade, starting around 12:30 PM, will feature the band, alumni, class floats, and more, with middle school teams and local law enforcement also participating. It’ll travel from the PAC, up Buff Street, turning right on 10th street, and continuing to Madras Elementary before heading to the stadium for the assembly.

Later that evening, the football game will see the crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen during halftime. The week then concludes with the Hawaiian beach party-themed dance, opening its doors at 8:30 PM and running until 11 PM.

Here’s Shauna McConnell, the Leadership teacher at Madras High School, sharing her excitement for the upcoming week:

With a full schedule full of events and plenty of opportunities for students to show their school spirit, Madras High School’s Homecoming Week promises to be a memorable celebration for the entire community.

KWSO weather for Central Oregon

Today: Sunny, with a high near 75.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 44.

Tomorrow: Sunny, with a high near 75.