KWSO News 10/8/19

Central Oregonians will come together this week to rescue fish and mitigate impacts caused by drought and scheduled, seasonal streamflow changes in the Upper Deschutes River. Due to streamflows being reduced to refill reservoirs for the 2020 irrigation season, fish can become stranded along a 1 mile stretch of channel that dries out every year from Lava Island Trailhead to meadow Camp off the Deschutes River. By piping open irrigation canals, promoting on-farm conservation by patrons and entering temporary instream leases, irrigation districts have the opportunity to conserve millions of gallons of water each year. Over the next 5 years, the districts are expected to pipe more than 400 thousand feet of open canals across Central Oregon.

The city of Portland will be hosting the return of a regional climate conference this week. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports the 10th annual Northwest Climate Conference will be held at a downtown Portland hotel from Tuesday through Thursday. The event will start Tuesday evening with an open session that will talk about agriculture and climate change in the Pacific Northwest. The summit will cover topics including water quality impacts, drought, wildfires, and public perception of climate change.

The U.S. Supreme Court plans to hear a case with implications for Oregon’s non-unanimous jury system. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports Oregon is the only state where juries can render non-unanimous verdicts. Criminal defendants, not including those charged with murder, can be found guilty on votes of 10-2 or 11-1. The court will hear a 2014 Louisiana case, in which a 10-2 jury convicted a man of second-degree murder. Louisiana voters later approved a ballot measure doing away with non-unanimous juries. During the last legislative session, the Oregon District Attorneys Association spoke out against non-unanimous juries and supported a bill that would’ve put the issue before voters in 2020. The legislation died after the court agreed to hear the Louisiana case.

Monday Night Football saw the Cleveland Browns travel in to San Francisco to take on the 49ers. In a game where the 49ers Defense got after Browns Quarterback Baker Mayfield by sacking him 4 times and intercepting him twice, San Francisco showed why they shouldn’t be taken lightly.  San Francisco cruised to a 31-3 Victory. The 49ers and the New England Patriots remain the only undefeated teams in the NFL after week 5.