KWSO News 08/18/26: Clothing Giveaway This Thursday; WSK8 Sports Prep; Grasshopper Fire Support

Warm Springs Emergency Management is holding a free clothing giveaway during the KWSO Thursday Market from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the campus pavilion. Everything must go, including men’s, women’s, kids’, and baby clothing, as well as blankets and toys.

Fall sports preparations are underway at Warm Springs K-8 Academy, with a Back to School BBQ scheduled for Wednesday, September 3rd from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Student-athletes can register for cross country, football, and volleyball during the event, and football players can receive helmet and shoulder pad fittings. Official fall practices begin September 9th, with winter and spring sports scheduled for later in the school year. All athletes must submit a current physical and required paperwork to the main office prior to participation.

Oregon National Guard leaders, including Brigadier General Alan Gronewold, landed by Black Hawk helicopter in Wasco County on Monday to thank Airmen battling the state’s largest active blaze. Visiting crew members at the Grasshopper Fire camp near Tygh Valley—where over 1,800 responders are deployed—Gronewold commended units like the Kingsley Field-based 270th Air Traffic Control Squadron for taking on physical labor, such as hauling water packs up steep terrain for wet mop-up operations. As of Monday, the fire has scorched over 90,000 acres and stands at 47 percent containment.

Nineteen specialized wildland firefighters from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon Territory arrived in Oregon this week under a mutual aid agreement to support local wildfire operations. Serving as Type 3 incident commanders, heavy equipment bosses, and safety officers on active blazes like the Grasshopper Fire, state forestry officials noted the international backup provides crucial relief to local crews following weeks of continuous deployment.

New data from the U.S. Drought Monitor reveals over 90 percent of Oregon is experiencing drought conditions, with more than 20 percent facing extreme to exceptional levels. Driven by persistent above-average temperatures and parched vegetation, wildfire managers warn that upcoming gusty winds and scattered lightning could trigger volatile new ignitions, prompting fire agencies to urge strict adherence to local burn bans.

To address the statistic that 80 percent of K-12 learning is visual while a quarter of students face correctable vision issues, the Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation is partnering with five Oregon Tribal Foundations for the 2026-2027 school year. Grant funding from the Wildhorse, Three Rivers, Siletz, Coquille, and Cow Creek Umpqua foundations will expand the School Vision Screening Program across nearly 60 percent of Oregon counties to deliver equitable screenings, exams, and glasses.

Governor Tina Kotek has officially declared August as Emergency Management Awareness Month in Oregon to honor the personnel coordinating response and resilience efforts statewide. Through specialized Regional Emergency Management Coordinators and a dedicated Tribal Liaison, the Oregon Department of Emergency Management (O-E-M) partners with Oregon’s nine federally recognized Tribes and over 50 local emergency offices. Director Erin McMahon emphasized that successful emergency response relies on building inter-agency partnerships long before a disaster occurs.

Beginning September 11th, the Oregon Department of Transportation will initiate an around-the-clock, five-week complete closure of all southbound lanes on Interstate 5 through Portland’s Rose Quarter. According to OPB, the two-mile closure between I-405 and I-84 for structural repairs and seismic retrofits could triple peak travel times and create gridlock extending into Vancouver. ODOT’s David Kim advised drivers to bypass the stretch using I-205 or I-405, though the Broadway-Weidler exit will remain open for local destination access.

Expect patchy smoke today with a high near 96 degrees and northwest winds gusting up to 21 mph before settling into a clear night with lows around 55. Smoke clears early Wednesday morning, paving the way for partly sunny skies and another 96-degree high.