By General Council Chair Lindsey Watchman Oykalo iinim himiyuume, iin wees lilooyca – I am thankful/happy. Around mid-May, I turned 48 years old. Like many of you (as well as our children), birthday celebrations have been a bit more challenging these past few months. Held virtually, and even car parades … who would have thunk? Yet, each of us have…
By Kat Brigham On behalf of the Board of Trustees (BOT), I say congratulations to the tribal community on successfully staying safe and healthy over the past three months. Yellowhawk conducted their second round of testing for our community and all tests were negative. This BOT is very concerned about your health and safety and we are providing all the…
2020 salutatorian wants to return to teach history at Nixyaawii Community School Cloe McMichael is comfortable being a bit of a contradiction. Or should we say she’s not bothered if people thinks she’s a little different. When this light-skinned Indian heads off to Corvallis and Oregon State University in the fall, she will be one of the few students who won’t…
MISSION – The Board of Trustees (BOT) on May 18 approved an amendment to its gaming compact with the state that allows the Tribes to waive its obligation to fund the Wildhorse Foundation, according to a CTUIR press release. The move came as a result of Wildhorse Resort & Casino’s closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Revenues are expected to…
By Wil Phinney of the CUJ MISSION – Toby Patrick and perhaps as many as 16 others who attended his Easter feast in April have been issued citations for violating a COVID-19 social gathering order issued by the Board of Trustees (BOT) for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). Conviction for failure to comply carries a potential…
By the CUJ MISSION – Cayuse is introducing an apprenticeship program designed to attract tribal members to a career in one of Cayuse Holdings’ family of companies, which are owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Coordinating the apprenticeship program is Debra Croswell, recently named director of Cayuse Shared Services, which provides administrative support functions to Cayuse…
By Wil Phinney of the CUJ MISSION – For the second time in May, results were negative for more than 100 people tested for the active COVID-19 virus on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. A third round of testing for the novel coronavirus, a worldwide pandemic that has killed more than 103,000 people in the United States, is planned June 16…
MISSION – Although a specific date has not been determined, employees at Nixyaawii Governance Center (NGC) should expect to be back at work in the building by mid-June, according to Ted Wright, Executive Director for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). An NGC Re-opening Plan was submitted May 28 to the CTUIR COVID-19 Incident Command Team (ICT),…
By Casey Brown of the CUJ In the age of coronavirus, summer fire season for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) must go on. Jeff Casey, fire management officer, reminds his crew that all non-COVID-19 threats are still out there. “We are still responsible for all wildland fire management activities on the CTUIR. Our job is still to respond and…
By Wil Phinney of the CUJ MISSION – Guests were happy, employees were relieved and tribal leaders were satisfied when Wildhorse Resort & Casino re-opened May 28 on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. After being closed for more than two months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wildhorse met the standards set out by the Incident Command Team’s (ICT) Re-opening Plan as…