Biden Picks Sams

CTUIR member may become first Native American to run National Park Service By Cary Rosenbaum of the CUJ CTUIR member Chuck Sams III has a knack for making history. Months ago, he received a historic appointment from Gov. Kate Brown to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, becoming only the second Native American to serve in that role. On Aug.…

A Round-Up to Remember

By Cary Rosenbaum of the CUJ PENDLETON – Light, cameras (if you’re a journalist, photographer or spectator), action. After a year without the Pendleton Round-Up, the fun continued — with a level of caution in mid-September. Culture and history were on display throughout the four-day event. And while some declined to attend due to the growing risk of continuing the…

COVID cases jump in July

By Cary Rosenbaum of the CUJ MISSION – The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation reached a small but grim milestone in July. Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center officials stated a second death has occurred since the pandemic began. And cases spiked in July with 86 locals diagnosed with the virus, according to Yellowhawk Interim CEO Aaron Hines. “The biggest…

Burns, Soaring Eagle, Moses anchor Young Guns to NABI Championship, win trip to NBA Finals game

By Cary Rosenbaum of the CUJ PHOENIX – A trio of CTUIR members played significant roles on an inter-tribal team called the “Young Guns,” which captured the 18th-annual Native American Basketball Invitational (NABI) championship in July. With the victory, former Nixyaawii Community School players Tyasin Burns and Magi Moses, and White Swan High School/Haskell-bound Teal Soaring Eagle got to attend…

Wildhorse Pow Wow Cancelled for Second Year

Mission, OR – Wildhorse Resort & Casino announced today the cancellation of the 2021 Wildhorse Pow Wow which was scheduled for July 2-4. The annual outdoor event which normally draws a crowd of 5,000 to 7,000 to the area over three days, was also cancelled last year. A Native American pow wow is a time when many tribes gather to…

Columbia Basin tribes urge Congress to make historic investment in northwest infrastructure

MISSION – This week, representatives from 12 different Northwest Tribes spent two days discussing advancing a salmon and energy proposal from Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) that could make an unprecedented infrastructure investment in the Pacific Northwest to save imperiled salmon runs, protect inland agriculture industries, and transform the region’s energy supply for a renewable future. Beyond the bold salmon and…

CTUIR opens COVID-19 vaccine clinic to 11 counties across ceded territory

MISSION – The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) has opened their two day mass vaccination event to any resident (16 and over) who resides in the 11 counties that span the CTUIR ceded territory. The 11 counties include Benton, Walla Walla, Columbia and Garfield counties in Washington and Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Grant, Baker, and Malheur counties…

HISTORY MAKER: CTUIR member is the second Native American appointed to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council

By Cary Rosenbaum of the CUJ MISSION – Appointment to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council is a goal Chuck Sams has had for 26 years. A 24-year-old Sams was working one of his first jobs after his service in the Navy with the Earth Conservation Corp’s Salmon Corps Program. His work regularly crossed paths with the Council. Before long,…