By Cary Rosenbaum of the CUJ, MISSION – Robert Windy Boy is a one of a kind — literally. The Pendleton High School student earned the Oregon Seal of Biliteracy after becoming the only student to pass the CTUIR Language Department’s Nez Perce language proficiency test. The honor — which recognizes high school graduates who have attained a high level…
Year: 2021
NCS welcomes three new faces
By Cary Rosenbaum of the CUJ, MISSION – Nixyaawii Community School added three new faces in May. Robby Bill (Behavior Support), Nicci Harrison (Language Arts) and Aaron Noisey (PE/Health) received contracts with the school. Bill, a CTUIR member, was hired in a Behavior Support position which is grant-funded. His role will be similar to an on-site counselor, the school announced,…
Guzman steps down as Yellowhawk CEO
By Cary Rosenbaum of the CUJ, MISSION – Former Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center CEO Lisa Guzman will be remembered as one of the key figures within the CTUIR that helped combat COVID-19. The Tribe’s Health Commission accepted her resignation in late May, designating Human Resources Director Aaron Hines to serve as Interim CEO, effective May 28. “Lisa’s service to the…
Fourth Wave: COVID-19 cases spike in MAY
MISSION – After a sudden surge in COVID-19 cases at the start of May, Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center saw a sharp decline. Of the 23 cases diagnosed on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, 18 were school-aged. Nine were diagnosed on one day alone on May 10. Following the increase, the Incident Command Team advised parents to keep students home for one…
CTUIR’s Department of Natural Resources releases lamprey in the Tucanon River
By Cary Rosenbaum of the CUJ, POMEROY, Wash. – Instead of history in the making, it was history in the releasing. On May 21, the long-awaited restoration project came to fruition with the release of approximately 150,000 juvenile Pacific lampreys in waves by the thousands. A decade has passed since a revitalization effort was launched to bring back lamprey to…
Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center designates interim CEO
Mission, OR – The Health Commission of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) has accepted the resignation of Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center CEO Lisa Guzman. The Commission designated Human Resources Director Aaron Hines to serve as Interim CEO effective May 28, 2021. “Lisa’s service to the Tribe has been exceptional. She lead through a global pandemic, rolled…
Cayuse seeks to hire another apprentice
Cayuse Shared Services is launching the second year of its Apprenticeship Program; an effort started in 2020 to support Tribal member college students as they work towards a degree and a career at Cayuse Holdings. According to Cayuse Shared Services President Debra Croswell, the lead organizer of the Program, “We support our apprentices with a part-time paid job, financial support…
Tribal Environmental Recovery Facility Announces Temporary Closure Due to Fire
MISSION, OR – The Tribal Environmental Recovery Facility (TERF), owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), has announced a temporary closure due to a fire on May 22, 2021. Commercial and residential routes for solid waste service will continue on schedule, however no self-hauling or onsite services will be available until further notice. The fire was…
Community Disaster Preparedness Survey now available
The Umatilla Indian Reservation experienced several natural and human-caused disasters in recent years – flooding, smoke from wildfires, hazardous materials spills and train derailments, and of course the COVID-19 pandemic. Every five years, CTUIR updates its Hazard Mitigation Plan to identify the greatest threats and hazards facing our community, and how we can best mitigate the impacts. Hazard Mitigation is…
Alarming Surge in COVID Cases Arises on Umatilla Indian Reservation
Mission, OR – After six straight weeks reporting zero COVID-19 cases among Tribal members and Yellowhawk-eligible patients, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation recorded five cases last week, followed by nine cases in a single day on Monday, May 10. These numbers bring the CTUIR to a total of 17 active cases on the Reservation as of data…