KWSO News 07/14/26

Youth Basketball Camp 

A Youth Basketball camp is already underway for the second week of July here on the Warm Springs Reservation. It happens daily and goes until this Friday July 17th from 9:15 AM – 11:30 AM at the Warm Springs Youth Center Gym on Campus.

One of their volunteers, Kamaran, is a steadfast supporter and helper to the organization.

“Our youth group is a high school group, but we come down every year and we go to Madras, Oregon, where we partner with Cornerstone Baptist Church, and half of our group stays in Madras, and we run a VBS there, which is a Vacation Bible School.”

They go to Warm Springs annually and this is their sixth year, where they share the word of the bible, as well as get the youth involved in a fun, engaging basketball camp.

“We just want to engage with them in way that they really enjoy, which we have found is basketball.” Says Kamaran.

They’re set up at the Old Gymnasium on the Warm Springs Reservation, where kids can sign up at a table that’s set up in age brackets from Kindergarten all the way up to sixth grade and higher.

They’ve only recently just started yesterday and are slated to be on the Reservation for this week until Friday from 9:15 AM – 11:30 AM.

If you’re interested in learning more about the organization, their website is Northview Bible Church.com

Oregon among 11 other states’ Attorney Generals to sue Paramount’s Merger

The states are wanting to block the $81 billion merger, saying it violates a long-standing federal law aimed at protecting competition.

Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown warned that if the merger goes through, it will raise prices and cost Americans jobs.

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield says that his office began their own investigation into Paramount’s lobbying efforts to secure approval from the Trump administration.

“Under trump, the federal administration has also stepped way back from investigating and enforcing our antitrust laws here in this country, and this is why states have had to step up.”

Just last month, 16 new positions were approved by lawmakers to beef up this kind of antitrust at the Oregon Department of Justice.

In a statement Paramount called the lawsuit “wrong on both the facts and the law,” and vowed to defend the deal.

Sriponya Funded for New Community Center 

A Madras organization will build a new recovery and reentry center thanks to $1.4 million in state grant funding. SriPonya Collective, which helps people returning to the community after incarceration or addiction treatment, received the money through Oregon’s Rural Health Transformation Program.

The funding will support construction of the Brothers & Sisters In Progress Recovery & Reentry Community Center over the next two years. Executive Director Jennifer Eales believes the project can make Jefferson County known for a strong healthcare ecosystem, calling diversity a key strength and expressing hope for the area’s future.

Currently, SriPonya runs a youth drop-in center and holds meetings in various locations. The new facility will serve as a single hub for adult services, offering peer-led mentoring by people with their own recovery or reentry experience. It will add transportation help, workforce resources, and other practical support while staying non-clinical to welcome those hesitant about traditional medical settings.

Antonio Becerra, Director of Reentry and Recovery, will lead the expanded program alongside more certified mentors. Eales called having a dedicated space “huge” for building a complete local recovery system.

Leaders say the center will help reduce recidivism and create a place where people feel seen as equals.

“I’m most excited about the possibility of our community coming together,” Eales said.

Becerra, drawing from his own journey 16 years after prison, stressed that people leaving incarceration or treatment often need more support to avoid relapse. The grant is part of nearly $100 million in statewide rural health funding. Both leaders encourage anyone needing help to reach out: “You do not have to do it alone.”