Monday Regional News Roundup: Pacific Power Town Hall, EPA Tribal Cleanup, and Supreme Court Ballot Ruling

Pacific Power recently hosted a town hall in Madras for customers experiencing frequent wildfire-safety power outages, which residents say damage appliances during subsequent power surges. Paul Patton, who lives outside of Madras, noted that buying a backup generator to protect equipment is a significant burden for people who wouldn’t normally need a thousand-dollar appliance. While the company offers rebates for customers with medical needs, it provides no financial assistance for those facing frequent safety outages, which it attributes to equipment issues or enhanced wildfire prevention settings.

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck deep underwater about 136 miles west of Bandon early this morning, though its vast distance from the shore meant minimal impact on Central Oregon and the coast. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that only five people logged onto their website to report feeling the 4:35 a.m. tremor, and officials confirmed there is no tsunami warning or danger expected.

Washington State University Spokane’s Many Medicines summer camp successfully utilized basketball to engage over 90 Native American youth and expose them to health sciences. Program director Jerry Crowshoe explained that the camp combined sports with intellectual education, utilizing doctors to teach anatomy, nurses to discuss injury prevention, and pharmacists to explain proper medication use. Due to the high demand and partnership with tribal elders, the university plans to expand the initiative into younger age demographics and take similar sports-themed health camps directly into tribal communities like Yakima, Nez Perce, and Umatilla.

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde will receive four million dollars from the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields program to fund the demolition and environmental cleanup of the historic Blue Heron paper mill. The funding is part of a larger nearly $250 million national cleanup initiative announced by the EPA last week. Tribal leaders have committed years to restoring the Oregon City waterfront site to heal the landscape, open public access, and revitalize an area of immense cultural and historical importance.

A new University of Washington study tracking killer whales from 1978 to 2022 revealed an increased presence of transient Bigg’s orcas in Washington’s inland waters, while the endangered Southern Resident pods showed more fragmented patterns. Lead author Zoe Rand noted that while J Pod remains as present as ever, K and L Pods are spending significantly less time in the Puget Sound. Researchers emphasize that these shifting habits indicate certain whale populations may require enhanced protections in coastal waters outside of traditional sanctuaries.

Across the Columbia River, the Lyle Hill Fire in Klickitat County, Washington prompted Level Two and Level Three evacuation orders Sunday afternoon near a region still recovering from devastating fires last summer.

In a major 5-to-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that states can legally accept mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, provided they are postmarked by the time polls close. Writing for the majority, Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s three liberal justices, noting that federal law sets the date for Election Day but says nothing about when ballots must be received. The ruling is a significant defeat for the Republican National Committee and President Trump, whose Justice Department had backed a legal challenge aiming to dismantle a Mississippi law allowing late-arriving ballots.

The Washington Mystics defeated the Portland Fire 124-123 on Sunday in a historic four-overtime thriller that tied the WNBA record for the longest game. The exhausting matchup featured 21 ties and 12 lead changes over three and a half hours of real time, with eight players logging over 45 minutes of game time. The teams combined for 247 points, marking the second-highest scoring game in WNBA history and extending a recent league-wide surge in high-scoring performances.

KWSO Weather – Cloudy morning skies across Warm Springs will give way to a mostly sunny afternoon with a high near 76 degrees and northwest wind gusts reaching 30 miles per hour. Skies will turn partly cloudy tonight with a low around 49 degrees, and the gusty winds will gradually ease after midnight.