Warm Springs: Not enough notice on megaload - Kayla Godowa of the Warm Springs tribe told the Southeast Area Commission on Transportation her tribe hadn't been consulted about the move, which will go through a forest conservation area it owns near Prairie City, east of John Day.

Warm Springs: Warm Springs woman pleads guilty to murder - Angeledith Saramaylene Smith is the last of three defendants to plead guilty for their role in the murder of Kalama in September 2012. Her guilty plea was filed with the Department of Justice on Nov. 5. Smith will be sentenced on April 16. Tana Chris Lawrence and Curtis Lamont Brown entered guilty pleas in November and October, respectively. Lawrence is scheduled to be sentenced on March 19 and Brown will be sentenced Feb. 19.

Warm Springs: Arrests have been made following the shooting of a Lapwai woman - Two of the six people wanted for the shooting of a Lapwai woman, are now being extradited back to Nez Perce County. According to Nez Perce Tribal Police Chief, Dave Rogers, 29-year-old Heather Ellen Picard and 30-year-old Matthew Arthur were arrested Monday night by Warm Springs Tribal Police in Oregon. Both are active members of the Warm Springs Tribe and believed to have gang affiliations in that community.

Warm Springs: Turkey emerges as unlikely benefactor for Warm Springs tribe - As construction crews started work in June on a new K-8 school in Warm Springs, tribal officials had a problem: They needed a new, larger water tower to meet the needs of the school and adjoining neighborhood. Turns out, help was just 6,200 miles away. The Republic of Turkey has emerged as an unexpected and somewhat mysterious benefactor. At a ceremony Tuesday in Washington, D.C., the Central Asian country awarded $200,000 to the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs for the water tower.

Warm Springs: Know Your Rights When the FBI Knocks - You’re an aboveboard activist, passionate about the environment and willing to speak up and get heard. Then one day the FBI comes knocking on your door. What do you do? You don’t talk to them, and you don’t let it scare you away from being an activist, says Lauren Regan of the Civil Liberties Defense Center.

Warm Springs: Tribes return to Mount Hood Skibowl to celebrate cultural connection - The Warm Springs Tribes will celebrate the history of their ancestors during the third annual Warm Springs Tribal Celebration at Mt. Hood Skibowl, according to the ski area's Hans Wipper, on Saturday, Sept. 28.

Warm Springs: Tribes Celebration at Mt. Hood Skibowl canceled by storm - An extremely strong and unusual storm for September has caused the cancellation of the third annual Warm Springs Tribal Celebration at Mt. Hood Skibowl. The event had been scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28.

Warm Springs: Tribes, ODFW try to resurrect Hood River's spring chinook run - As salmon streams go, Hood River faces some unique challenges: glacial gullywashers from Mount Hood, heavy irrigation withdrawals for Oregon's top fruit orchards and a once hardy population of spring chinook that scientists figure was wiped out four decades ago. But the Powerdale Dam came down in 2010, improving prospects for young salmon migrating downstream.

Warm Springs: Confederated Tribes Of Warm Springs Breaks Ground On New School - In Warm Springs, tribal officials joined with federal, state and local representatives Friday to break ground on a new school for grades K through 8. The new facility will replace the reservation's aging elementary school which dates back to the early 1930's.

Warm Springs: USDA Announces $6.8 Million Loan for New School on the Warm Springs Reservation - USDA Rural Development’s Chief of Staff for Housing and Community Facilities, Dom McCoy, traveled to Warm Springs last week to announce the award of a $6.8 million loan to The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon for the construction of a modern new K-8 school complex.

Warm Springs: Protect the Drinkable Water of Waldo Lake - When Kayla Godowa-Tufti, of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, recently testified before the Oregon State Marine Board, she brought with her a bottle of water from Waldo Lake and took a sip. The hearing was focused on a proposed ban on the use of motorboats and floatplanes at the lake, which is located in the western slopes of Oregon’s Cascades and is considered one of the most pristine freshwater bodies in the world. The lake is so pure the U.S. Forest Service compares its water chemistry to distilled water, and almost 120-foot deep vertiginous views to the lake’s bottom can be seen from a canoe.

Warm Springs: Testing Programs for Drones Could Be Economic Opportunities for Tribes - A year ago, President Obama signed into law the Federal Aviation Administration Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, a bill that requires the FAA to integrate unmanned aircraft systems into national air space. In February of this year, the agency began vetting applications for test sites. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs is preparing their application, according to Anspach, CEO of Warm Springs' economic development arm, Warm Springs Ventures.

Warm Springs: Woman vies for 'Miss Indian World' - Warm Springs resident Norene Sampson will compete for the title of the 2013 Miss Indian World as part of the 30th Annual Gathering of Nations, the most prominent Native American powwow in the world, held in Albuquerque, N.M. between April 25 and April 27.

Warm Springs: Indian Head Casino - The new Indian Head Casino is 40,000 square feet, which is double the space of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs’ old casino at Kah-Nee-Ta Resort.

Warm Springs: Man admits domestic assault - Casey Marcus Lillie faces a possible maximum sentence for domestic assault by an habitual offender is 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for June 20. Lillie is currently in the custody of the federal marshals.

Warm Springs: Experimental Fish Program Starts at Dams - The relicensing of the Pelton Round Butte Project provided an opportunity to reestablish the steelhead fish runs upstream. The license requires fish passage around the Pelton Round Butte Project and is also part of a settlement agreement entered into by the licensees and 20 other parties, including government, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, and environmental groups, the rule said.

Warm Springs: Child Abuse Intervention Center -- second of its kind on tribal lands -- opens on reservation - Tribal leaders, police and medical professionals joined with federal law enforcement officials Monday to bless the opening of the Warm Springs reservation's Child Abuse Intervention Center, the second of its kind on U.S. tribal lands.

Warm Springs: Company finds international market - Warm Springs Composite Products makes specialty wood products, including doors and door frames rated for fire resistance. Warm Springs Composite, which is owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs in Central Oregon, supplies products for projects in Bahrain, Dubai and South Korea, with international sales accounting for 35 percent of the company’s revenue.

Warm Springs: Two-day search finds lost Warm Springs hunter - A major two-day air and ground search for a deer hunter lost in the cold, snowy woods of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation ended in cheers, hugs and tears of happiness Wednesday when he was found – cold and hungry but otherwise alright, having melted snow for drinking water to survive, officials said. About 135 searchers, some on horseback, had been combing the Lion’s Head area about 25 miles northwest of Warm Springs for Max Mitchell, 49, a tribal member who had left his friends at their car on the P-450 road about 8 a.m. Monday after they spotted a deer.

Warm Springs: Wild Horses Take APHIS Veterinarian to New Heights - It’s been a tough year for members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs in Oregon. The drought-blistered landscape of parched earth and wilting crops shows it. Then there’s the underlying damage created by two other forces of nature – menacing wildfires and wild horses.

Warm Springs: Three arraigned in pair of Warm Springs murders - Three Warm Springs tribal members appeared in federal court Friday on murder charges in a pair of killings on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation last week – and one suspect faces charges in both of what prosecutors say were otherwise unrelated homicides. The U.S. Attorney's office says tribal members Tana Chris Lawrence, 20, and Angeledith Saramaylene Smith, 25, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges during their arraignment in Portland Friday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Janice Stewart.

Warm Springs: Mill operator says layoffs temporary - Almost 100 Warm Springs Forest Products employees will be laid off, but a company official says it will only be temporary. The mill has been part of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs economy since the 1960s. It has been leased since 2008 by Vanport International, a firm that specializes in manufacturing lumber for international markets.

Warm Springs: Warm Springs Tribes celebrate Mount Hood return with powwow, dancing (video) - It was a beautiful day at Mount Hood for a beautiful ceremony by the Warm Springs Tribes. Other tribal members from around the Pacific Northwest were also on hand to celebrate a ceremonial return to Mount Hood. Oregon's highest peak was not part of tribal lands in the 1855 treaty, even though it played an important cultural and sustenance role for Native Americans in historic times.

Warm Springs: Tribes dedicate new heritage center at Mt. Hood Skibowl (photo gallery) - Members of the Warm Springs Tribes made a ceremonial return Saturday morning to Mount Hood, a culturally significant location for the tribes' traditional way of life. About a dozen tribal members began the ceremonial journey from the Warm Springs Reservation on Wednesday. They traveled 35 miles by horseback. Dallas Winishut Jr. said he hadn't ridden for more than 20 years, since he was 15 years old, but wasn't feeling too bad upon arrival, though he did not expect to join the dancing at the afternoon powwow.

Warm Springs: Traditional Powwow and Historic Celebration - On September 29, 2012 the Warm Springs Tribes will complete a three-day horse trail ride connecting to the footprints of their ancestors while marking the trail from the Warm Springs Reservation to the Government Camp area of the Cascade Mountains in Oregon. The conclusion of the ride will be a highlight of the Warm Springs Tribe Cultural and Heritage Department’s annual traditional powwow.

Warm Springs: Powwow Saturday showcases Warm Springs Tribe heritage - The Warm Springs Tribe Cultural and Heritage Department in will hold its annual traditional Powwow; a historic celebration, on Saturday at Mt. Hood Skibowl. The family friendly event will feature tribal drumming and dancing and a Native American village where you can watch the art of historical bead working and basket weaving.

Warm Springs: Tribes plan powwow, heritage center opening Sept. 29 at Mt. Hood Skibowl - The Warms Springs Tribes will celebrate a ceremonial return to the Government Camp area of Mount Hood with a salmon bake and powwow at Mt. Hood Skibowl on Saturday, Sept. 29. The tribe will also open a new Mt. Hood Tribal Heritage Center at the ski area, located in the Outback building just south of the two lodges at Skibowl West.

Warm Springs: Mill operators say layoffs are temporary - Laid-off Warm Springs Forest Products employees will be called back to work early next year after equipment and facility improvements are completed, a company official said Wednesday. State officials said Tuesday that the Central Oregon lumber mill, part of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs economy for 45 years, will lay off 93 full-time employees in mid-November. During the layoff period, the tribe will begin a $4.6 million upgrade of the mill's bio-mass system, which uses wood waste to produce electricity to power the plant.

Warm Springs: New E. Oregon fires grow fast; 5,000-acre blaze prompts evacuations; second at 18,000 acres - As two near Eastern Oregon wildfires race across thousands of acres, one prompting campground evacuations, 930 firefighters brought the more than 12,000-acre Waterfalls 2 Fire on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation to 60 percent containment.

Warm Springs: S&P revises Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs outlook to negative - Standard & Poor's Ratings Services revised its outlook to negative from stable on the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon (CTWSR)'s $35.64 million series 2009A taxable hydroelectric revenue bonds due Nov. 1, 2019 and $22.91 million series 2009B tax-exempt revenue hydroelectric revenue bonds due Nov. 1, 2033. Standard & Poor's also affirmed its 'BBB' rating on the bonds.

Warm Springs: High Desert shrouded by smoke from distant fires - Closures remain unchanged on the Warm Springs Reservation. The fire has spread into an area of timber managed by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. That's good news, in some ways: Forest management in this area has resulted in reduced fuel loading and more access for firefighters, providing opportunities for containment efforts to succeed. But other values at risk include the Shitike Butte lookout, bull trout and Chinook salmon habitat, peregrine falcon, spotted owl, and mountain goat habitat, cultural and archeological sites, and the Trout Lake and Breitenbush Lake recreational areas.

Warm Springs: Fire spreads to 2,700 acres - Interagency firefighting crews Wednesday morning took over management of a wildfire spreading on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. The Waterfall Fire had burned about 2,700 acres as of noon Wednesday, having spread about 1,000 acres in the past day, said Rewlin Richardson, spokesman with Oregon Incident Management Team No. 1, a group of federal state and local fire crews. The Warm Springs Fire Management Team asked for help fighting the fire after the blaze continued to grow Tuesday, Richardson said.

Warm Springs: Mt. Jefferson gets new goats - Twenty-four Rocky Mountain goats were captured from Baker County and placed at the base of Mt. Jefferson (“Salem’s mountain”) in recent weeks. The effort was to reintroduce a species wiped out by people several hundred years ago and ultimately to provide some of the animals for Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs members and other sportsmen to shoot.

Warm Springs: Decision in Washington, D.C. could impact Crooked River - From data centers to fish, they all need some of the water flowing down the Crooked River. Senator Jeff Merkley introduced a bill helping define how the water held behind the Bowman Dam is divvied up. "This would assure us of water for the next 15 or 20 years," said Betty Roppe, the mayor of Prineville. Downstream, the decision will impact the Confederate Tribes of Warm Springs. "Fish is very important to our tribes. because we're fish people. We come from the Columbia River," said Bobby Brunoe, the natural resource manager for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.

Warm Springs: Moving Day On The Middle Fork - It was moving day last Thursday on the Middle Fork John Day River – not for human residents but for some 8,800 aquatic denizens, from threatened steelhead fish to spotted frogs. About 100 people turned out to help net and transfer the creatures out of the north channel, a slow course cut through tailing fields left by mining in the 1930s and ’40s. The fishes’ new digs are in the river’s undredged south channel and a newly engineered stretch of Granite Boulder Creek, a key tributary. Last week’s fish salvage operation was a critical step in a major effort to restore the fish and wildlife habitat of the Middle Fork as it traverses ranchland owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation. The property is northeast of Prairie City, in Grant County.

Warm Springs: Prineville Reservoir bill presented to Senate - An agreement among users of Central Oregon’s Prineville Reservoir guarantees water for irrigators, allows more water for fish and wildlife habitat, and makes water available for the city of Prineville. Now the deal needs approval from Congress. The Oregonian reports talks that concluded last week led to an agreement between the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, agricultural interests, Prineville and conservation groups. The deal was introduced as legislation Friday in the U.S. Senate.

Warm Springs: Goat herd gets new blood in Cascades - Biologists from the state and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation have reinvigorated a herd of Rocky Mountain goats on Mount Jefferson, the inaugural site for goat reintroduction in the Central Oregon Cascades. Two dozen goats captured last week in the Elkhorn Mountains in Baker County were released on tribal lands at the base of Mount Jefferson, joining at least 40 others that were either released there two years ago or are offspring from that original release. This "secondary release" is designed to invigorate an already productive herd, says Steve George, an ODFW district wildlife biologist working on the project.

Warm Springs-Yakama: Lamprey harvest is under way at Willamette Falls by tribes of the Columbia River basin - Sean Sohappy steps into the water at Willamette Falls and plunges his arm into the flow. Seconds later, he yanks out a writhing, snake-like creature. On Friday a couple dozen members of the Warm Springs and Yakama tribes, mostly in their teens and 20s, harvested lamprey. The tribes have treaty rights that allow them to harvest Pacific lamprey. For generations, it's been an annual tradition -- and one the group hopes to keep alive.

Warm Springs: New Warm Springs school likely - On the second try, it appears the Warm Springs Reservation will get its new school. Members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs voted Tuesday in favor of a $10.7 million referendum to pay for part of a K-8 school in Warm Springs. Polling numbers were unavailable Tuesday, but Urbana Ross, chief operations officer for the tribes, said it appears the referendum received a majority of yes votes and drew the required one-third of eligible voters.

Grand Ronde-Warm Springs: Feds Assist Warm Springs Use of Tribal Foods - The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs were among 27 grant awardees announced Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A $30,000 grant will help the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs conduct a feasibility study and develop a business plan for the commercial processing and freezing of traditional tribal foods, such as salmon, elk, mushrooms and berries. In addition, the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde has been selected to receive a $30,000 grant to develop a marketplace where more than 30 tribal artisans may sell local basketry, paintings, traditional clothing, jewelry, sculpture and more.

Umatilla, Warm Springs, Yakama: Celilo Salmon Feast Is More Vibrant Than Ever, Despite Flood - An 18-minute black-and-white film, “The Last Salmon Feast of the Celilo Indians,” was produced by the Oregon Historical Society in the late 1950s to document the final fish ceremony conducted before the opening of a new dam flooded the ancient fishing grounds known as Celilo Falls. However, the strength and perseverance of the tribal leaders did not stop after that day’s ceremony and the annual Celilo Salmon Feast is still being held. The falls were silenced, but the tradition and culture of the river people remains vibrant. This year, the three-day feast attracted more than 500 tribal and nontribal people.

Warm Springs: Salmon Released to Spawn Above Dam - Friday brought a special moment of celebration for a Northwest icon: After more than 45 years, full-grown adult salmon have made it upstream of the Pelton Round Butte Dam on Lake Billy Chinook. "To tribal membership here, it's part of who we are -- it's our spirituality. And it's a special day,” said Billy Brunoe, natural resource manager for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.

Warm Springs: Kah-Nee-Ta Resort Offers Canoe Adventures - The Kah-Nee-Ta Resort is now offering a remarkable Native American experience that will benefit tribal members of “the canoe family.” The resort has posted four Saturdays this year in which guests can ride and paddle in the 36-foot, 18-passenger canoe named N’chi Wana (Big River). A Warm Springs guide will host and educate passengers on the history of the N’ch Wanapum (Big River People) and the canoe family.

Nez Perce-Umatilla-Warm Springs-Yakama: Treaty tribes dedicate final replacement fishing site - On April 25, 2012, representatives from four tribes, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Army Corps of Engineers all stood by the Columbia River to mark the end of a construction project both useful and symbolic. It was the completion of the 31st -- and final -- fishing access site on the river, giving tribes the ability to use their traditional fishing grounds and village sites, which they had lost access to due to dams on the river.

Warm Springs: Tribe Sinks New School Proposal - Plans for a new K-8 school in Warm Springs have fallen through. Too few Warm Springs tribal members cast ballots Monday. Just over 500 of the 3,066 qualified tribal members voted in favor, while 147 voted against. But the reservation’s constitutional law requires that one-third of eligible voters cast ballots for the results to count.

Warm Springs: Ex-Warm Springs Cop Found Guilty of Abuse - A retired Warm Springs police officer, Head Start teacher and child protective services worker faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release after his conviction on charges of abusing five young girls, prosecutors said. Harry Hintsala, 62, of Warm Springs, was found guilty Wednesday of five counts of abusive sexual contact after a trial before U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman.

Warm Springs: Two Women Appear in Federal Court for Separate Vehicular Assaults in Warm Springs - Two defendants appeared this week in United States District Court for separate vehicular assaults that occurred on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Doriann L Miller, 24, of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, was sentenced to six months in prison today by United States District Judge Michael W Mosman for driving under the influence of intoxicants, speeding and eluding the police, crashing her vehicle, and causing the paralysis of one of her passengers. Naomi Joann Brisbois, 27, of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, pled guilty on April 2, 2012 before United States District Judge Michael H Simon to one count of assault resulting in substantial bodily injury to an individual under 16 years of age.

Clatsop-Nehalem and Warm Springs: A celebration of heritage and culture on the water - Members of the Clatsop-Nehalem and Warm Springs Confederated Tribes used the Necanicum River in Seaside March 31 for a practice run with their canoe before will they take to the Columbia River near the John Day Dam this summer for an annual canoe journey to Northern Puget Sound.

Warm Springs: Warm Springs Woman Sentenced to Over Three Years in Federal Prison for Assaulting Victim with Knife - Krystal Lee Finnley, 20, of Warm Springs, was sentenced to 37 months in prison today by United States District Judge Ancer L Haggerty for assaulting a Warm Springs tribal member with a knife.

Warm Springs: Tribe gets grant for historic preservation - The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs will receive $75,440 in federal aid to help carry out national historic preservation on tribal lands.

Umatilla-Warm Springs-Yakama: Horse slaughter plant planned for eastern Oregon after change in national rules - A horse slaughter and processing plant -- which could be among the first in the country in five years -- may open in Hermiston within a year. Private investors and Northwest tribes are likely to underwrite the proposed 20,000-square-foot operation that would employ 100 people and slaughter 25,000 horses a year, Duquette said. No Northwest tribal councils have signed off on the project yet, but the tribes are bowed by crushing numbers of ownerless horses on the reservations. Examples: An estimated 6,000 horses roam the 640,000-acre Warm Springs Indian Reservation near Madras; up to 15,000 horses range across the 1.4 million-acre Yakama Indian Reservation in central Washington and 350 horses roam the 178,000-acre Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton.

Warm Springs: Last Fluent Speaker Of Oregon Tribal Language 'Kiksht' Dies - Gladys Thompson died Wednesday evening at home. She was 97. She was born on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in 1915 and learned Kiksht from her parents. She was also fluent in two other tongues, Ichishkiin which still has dozens of speakers in Warm Springs, and Sahaptin the language of the Columbia Plateau.

Warm Springs: SOU professor turns American Indian stories from childhood into musical - While Brent Florendo was growing up on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Central Oregon, his mother would tell stories of their Wasco heritage to help others understand American Indian culture. Now the Southern Oregon University Native American Studies instructor is continuing that tradition with a musical he's written based on his mother's stories. Called "Raccoon Earns His Stripes,"the musical will open Friday, Feb. 24, in SOU's Center Square Theatre and continue through March 11.

Warm Springs: Trout season opens Saturday in Hagg Lake; already in progress across northwest Oregon - Salmon and steelhead may spawn in the upper Deschutes, Metolius and Crooked river basins this fall for the first time in more than 50 years. Biologists for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon anticipate the first significant return of adults this year to the Pelton Round Butte Dam complex on the Deschutes River, where a new passage system in 2009 has been allowing juvenile releases upriver from Lake Billy Chinook since 2007.

Warm Springs: SOU stages 'Raccoon Earns His Stripes' - A character from ancient Pacific Northwest folklore will walk on the wild side of contemporary times when "Raccoon Earns His Stripes" premieres in the Center Square Theatre at Southern Oregon University. Playwright Brent Florendo is coordinator of SOU's Native American Studies. He was raised on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation near Madras.

Warm Springs: Eagle Watch this weekend - The annual Eagle Watch event is set to talk place Saturday and Sunday at Round Butte Overlook Park and Cove Palisades State Park near Culver. Eagle Watch, hosted by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Portland General Electric and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, celebrates the eagles and other raptors that make Lake Billy Chinook a popular wildlife viewing area.

Warm Springs: Tough Task in the Gorge - Vigilance must continue against efforts to build a casino in the Gorge. Earlier this month, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs in central Oregon opened the Indian Head Casino at Warm Springs on Highway 26 between Portland and Bend. Previously, the tribe had been pushing plans for a casino in the Gorge, at Cascade Locks. The Bend Bulletin reported that the election of Gorge-casino-foe Gov. John Kitzhaber put those plans on hold, but Deepak Sehga, chairman of the casino board, said the tribe’s "number one goal is still to move to the Gorge. That goal does not go away, because we’ve been stymied by the government agencies in the last 10 years."

Warm Springs: Warm Springs gets $1.5 million HUD grant - Warm Springs was one of eight tribes in Oregon to receive Indian Housing Block Grants, which totaled almost $14 million. The money will go toward housing development, housing services, crime prevention and safety, and other programs that help solve affordable housing problems.

Warm Springs: Indian Head Casino Has "Winning" Opening - It was a very big opening for the Indian Head Casino in Warm Springs this last weekend. Hundreds of people showed up ready to play as the doors opened to the public for the first time Saturday night.

Warm Springs: New Casino Set Top Open Along Highway 26 - This weekend, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs will open its new casino right alongside on Highway 26. The move is intended to bring its existing gaming operations closer to the main highway.

Warm Springs: Jefferson County School Bond on May Ballot - Jefferson County voters will decide in May on a $26.6 million bond measure that would help pay for a new school on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation and several other projects districtwide.

Warm Springs: Creating Jobs and Investing in an Economy That’s Built to Last in Rural Oregon - USDA Under Secretary Dallas Tonsager visited Central Oregon, where he joined the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs for a traditional celebration and ribbon cutting for their first-ever broadband project on the reservation. "You have the full support of the Obama Administration in your efforts to improve economic opportunities and quality of life here on the reservation," Tonsager said in his keynote address. With $5.4 million in USDA Recovery Act broadband funding, Warm Springs Telecommunications Company has constructed a state-of-the-art fiber and fixed wireless network that will eventually serve everyone on the 644,000-acre reservation with telephone and broadband. Until now, only about one-third of those living on the reservation had access to phone or Internet service.

Warm Springs: Indian Head Casino opens this week - The Warm Springs tribes open a new casino this week, expected to employ about 280 people. US Highway 26 connects Portland to Central Oregon. That's where the new $13.5 million Indian Head Casino is located just across the street from The Museum at Warm Springs. This new facility replaces the Kah-nee-tah casino. It has about 200 more slot machines and will be open 24 hours a day.

Warm Springs: Telecom Open for Business - A breakthrough celebrated Friday in Warm Springs: Access to phone and internet service will now be widely available for tribal members thanks to their very own, tribally owned telecommunications company. Warm Springs Telecom opened their doors Friday in a grand opening ceremony. About one-third of people living on the Warm Springs Reservation don't have access to phone or Internet service. Now, everyone will get access to basic telephone service and broadband, high-speed Internet.

Warms Springs: Tribe To Open US 26 Casino - Warm Springs tribal officials in Central Oregon plan to open a new casino in a few weeks. It's not in the Columbia Gorge, as the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs long hoped. But it is on U.S. Highway 26 linking the Portland area with Central Oregon cities.

Warm Springs: New Products, Processes Boost Oregon Seafood - Mark Whitham, a seafood specialist with Oregon Sea Grant Extension, has worked with two canning facilities in Oregon and consulted on a third. Mr Whitham is also working with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs on planning a packaging facility. Ron Suppah, vice chairman of the Warm Springs’ tribal council, said the tribes were losing as much as 20 percent of their salmon to freezer burn each year. Looking for a solution, Suppah was introduced to Mr Whitham through a contact at the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. Mr Suppah and other Warm Springs members took three trips to the seafood development laboratory at the OSU Experiment Station in Astoria to learn from Mr Witham about advanced preservation methods. Impressed by what they saw, Mr Suppah said, he and others decided to build a facility that employed Mr Whitham’s techniques.

Warm Springs: BPA, PGE Continue Discussions On Transmission Project - The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and Portland General Electric (PGE) have identified the terms and conditions that will be addressed in connection with their discussions concerning the joint development of PGE's proposed Cascade Crossing Transmission Project. PGE previously executed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with PacifiCorp, Idaho Power and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs (CTWS) for discussion surrounding Cascade Crossing. In order to build the project, PGE must obtain approvals from the CTWS, as well as from state and federal governments.

Warm Springs: Mountain goat population climbing - The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs teamed up with ODFW for the July 2010 release of 45 goats, helping set the animals free on a remote portion of the 640,000-acre reservation. Historically an animal found on Mount Jefferson, the Rocky Mountain goat is culturally significant to the tribes as a source for both spirituality and food, said Clay Penhollow, spokesman for the tribes. "It is important to have them back here," he said.

Warm Springs: Rocky Mountain goats prospering - Rocky Mountain goats released two years ago at the base of Mount Jefferson apparently are thriving and prospering. Three of the 45 goats released in July 2010 died within days, two apparently after falls and one was killed by a predator, said Chip Dale, the manager of the High Desert Region of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. But the rest made themselves at home. A hunter from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs reported seeing eight to 10 goats near the original release site on the upper Whitewater River, three of those believed to be kids. That site is on tribal lands.

Warm Springs: Deputy Marshal in Warm Springs Shootout Honored - Sen. Jeff Merkley and Rep. Kurt Schrader joined U.S. Marshal Russel Burger and U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall on Tuesday to present the Congressional Badge of Bravery to U.S. Deputy Marshal Vince Byford for his courageous actions during a 2010 standoff on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. The fugitive had warrants in Madras for nine counts of attempted murder and had holed up in a residence on the Warm Springs reservation. The fugitive started a fire fight with law enforcement and had vowed to kill as many police as possible before being taken down. Deputy Byford was positioned with a rifle behind a tree about 40 yards from the residence. After nearly being hit twice by the fugitive, Deputy Byford repositioned himself and called for his other team members to move to better cover. While continuing to provide cover to team members, Deputy Byford was able to see the barrel of the fugitive’s rifle and return fire. The fugitive was hit in the torso and shortly afterward surrendered to law enforcement.

Warm Springs: Learn about return of the bull trout to the Clackamas River - About seven years ago the Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Fish and Wildlife the U.S. Forest Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Tribes and Portland General Electric began discussing a bull trout reintroduction plan, which began this summer.

Warm Springs: The tribes want drones contract - The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are jumping onboard with Jefferson County to obtain a contract from the Federal Aviation Administration to allow drone testing on reservation property.

Warm Springs: Men Sentenced in Murder, Shooting - U.S. District Judge Ancer L. Haggerty sentenced Ted L. Barney, Jr., 23, to serve 18 years in prison for murdering 24 year-old Delmer Davis. Barney was trying to kill another man and didn't know he hit Davis. Later when he found out, he turned himself in and confessed.

Warm Springs: State Awards Grants to Boost Local College Access - Central Oregon Community College will partner with Madras High School and Warm Springs Indian Reservation in order to reach students to attend the Oregon Leadership Institute and Summer Symposium.

Warm Springs: Hermiston Man Sees Future In Legal Horse Slaughter - My Food Flicka?

Warm Springs: POWER magazine Announces Renewable Top Plants

Warm Springs: Retrofitting a Deep Water Plant Intake to Improve Fish Passage

Warm Springs: Clearing the way to re-start horse slaughter in the U.S.

Warm Springs: New Warm Springs Casino Set to Open Soon; But Is It Temporary? Tribes Seek Disputed Gorge Location

Warm Springs: Three Plead Guilty in Warm Springs Assaults

Warm Springs: Indian Head Casino gets go-ahead

Warm Springs: Warm Springs gets OK to move casino to new home on U.S. 26

Warm Springs: Man Pleads Guilty in Shootout

Warm Springs: Defendant Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Kill Three Warm Springs Police Officers

Warm Springs: Joint drug team arrests suspected meth dealer in Madras

Warm Springs: Return of the fish, with more on the way