Local News
KWSO News for Fri., Nov. 29, 2024
Nov
Today is Native American Heritage Day, thanks to legislation signed by President Obama that permanently designates the Friday after Thanksgiving Day each year as a day of honoring American Indian and Alaska Native cultural heritage and tribal sovereignty.
After more than a year working with tribal leaders, Oregon State University erected a facility to house ancestral remains and cultural items that rightfully belong to Native peoples as the college works to repatriate them. Oregon State University, like other universities across the country, currently possesses ancestral remains of Native Americans as well as funerary items taken from the original inhabitants of U.S. land. The school is legally obligated to return them to the tribes they belong to under the 1990 federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA. Some of the partners in the OSU-NAGPRA effort have included: Warm Springs Wasco Chief Jefferson Greene & Tribal Councilman Wilson Wewa, Chief Doug Barrett of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians. Chinook Indian Nation Chairman Tony Johnson. Briece Edwards, manager of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde’s Historic Preservation Office. Bud Lane, the cultural resources manager and a tribal council member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. Chance White-Eyes, director of Tribal relations at Oregon State; plus Jayathi Murthy, Oregon State University president; Scott Vignos, Oregon State vice president and chief diversity officer; and Dawn Marie Alapisco, director of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act office at Oregon State.
The final Environmental Impact Statement for a proposed gambling facility in Medford was released last week, kicking off a public comment period ending Dec. 23 on what would be Oregon’s first off-reservation tribal gaming center. The final draft issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Friday includes comprehensive reviews of 111 comment letters and 81 public comments in response to an earlier draft of the environmental review as part of the Coquille Tribe’s efforts to convert 2.4 acres of property in south Medford into a Class II tribal gaming facility. The property is located at the site of the former Roxy Ann Lanes, which closed in late May on South Pacific Highway because of structural concerns.
The 48th Annual Warm Springs Indian Holiday Bowling Tournament began yesterday and runs through tomorrow at Lava Lanes in Bend. This year’s Tournament is in memory of Teeny Tappo and Jermayne Tuckta. There will be a Youth Bowling Tourney for ages 4 to 18 on Saturday morning at Lava Lanes. Scholarships are available for the first sixty youth who sign up, and then it’s $15 per bowler which includes three games and shoes. This is a fun tourney and no experience is necessary. Every bowler will receive a t-shirt and a raffle ticket for a chance to win a bike, hover board and many other items. Youth should arrive at Lava Lanes before 9:30am and see the Tourney Director to sign up.
Retailers in the United States and some other countries have spent weeks pushing early holiday deals, but they are trying to seduce customers with promises of bigger discounts on Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving still reigns as the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season even if it’s lost some luster. In the U.S., analysts envision solid sales, though perhaps not as robust as last year’s. Despite the easing of inflation, many shoppers are being cautious with their discretionary spending, according to analysts. Retailers are even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there are five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.
Just a reminder that shopping local helps to support small business and keeps money local. Today and tomorrow is the Madras Saturday Market’s Annual Holiday Market 10am to 5pm at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Madras. Here in Warm Springs there are gift getting opportunities at Tananawit in the Casino Plaza – also at Rose’s Gift Shop and Warm Springs Market. The Warm Springs Christmas Bazaar will be held Saturday Dec 14th at the Community Center.
KWSO weather for Central Oregon – mostly Sunny for the next several days with highs in the 40s and overnight lows in the 20s.
