MISSION – In a tight 3-2 vote, the Board of Trustees for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation moved forward with a number of measures toward hiring a new Executive Director. Ted Wright resigned that position in early November. The Executive Director Recruiting and Selection Committee will consist of Human Resources Director Kathryn Burke, Deputy Executive Director Charles…
Category: News
COVID cases climb to 100
MISSION – The number of positive COVID-19 cases on the Umatilla Indian Reservation hit 100 as of Nov. 3, according to the Incident Command Team (ICT) for the Confederated Tribes. Meanwhile all of the staff at the Umatilla Tribal Fire Department who tested positive have completed their quarantine and have returned to work, according to information from the ICT. As…
Tamastslikt featured in Travel Oregon live-stream broadcast
MISSION – Travel Oregon featured Pendleton and Tamastslikt Cultural Institute in an Oct. 28 live stream. “(We’re) live-streaming an Oregon experience,” Michelle Liberty of Attitude Marketing said, “as a way of generating interest so media writers might do a story or stories on visiting Oregon.” Attitude Marketing, based in Walla Walla, handles advertising for Tamastslikt Cultural Institute. Liberty is a…
Failing grades triggers new policy at NCS
More than 60 percent of Nixyaawii students have one or more incomplete By Wil Phinney of the CUJ MISSION – With nearly seven out of 10 students with one or more F’s after the first quarter, Nixyaawii Community School (NCS) is adopting a new grading policy for its Comprehensive Distance Learning. Many students just aren’t achieving in an on-line classroom,…
New financial services to start in January
Institution will continue offering same tiered system personal loans, plus homeownership and business development coaching MISSION – Nixyaawii Community Financial Services (NCFS), which will consolidate three CTUIR programs – home ownership, business development, and the credit loan program – should be up and running early in the new year. Tribal members will still be able to borrow money, the same…
Two thirds of COVID emergency aid has gone to off-reservation Tribal members
MISSION – Some Tribal members from as far away as Virginia and Colorado are among those receiving CARES Act emergency assistance through the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. This CARES Act funding ($350,000), which has been allocated through the CTUIR Incident Command Team, is not the same as the recently approved grant from the Oregon Health Authority ($500,000).…
CTUIR receives another $500K in COVID relief
Oregon Health Authority grant will pay for food, back rent, utilities, child care and phone bills MISSION – A grant from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) will provide additional funds to help CTUIR members pay for costs incurred due to COVID-19. OHA has awarded $500,000 in federal Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) to the Department of Children and Family Services of…
CTUIR signs 2-year extension on Columbia River Accords
Walla Walla Chief Sampson disagrees with the decision By the CUJ MISSION – The tribe’s commitment toward protecting the Columbia River’s fish populations involved extending an agreement with regional tribes and government agencies. The Board of Trustees signed a two-year extension to the Columbia Basin Fish Accord Oct. 19, directing staff to work with four organizations to develop tools to…
CTUIR executive director leaves for Spokane
Half of Ted Wright’s tenure was emergency ‘nightmare’ with near constitutional crisis, floods and COVID By Wil Phinney of the CUJ MISSION – When Ted Wright took the job as CTUIR Executive Director in November of 2018, he had a track record of sticking around for a couple of years. Two years later, Wright is gone, leaving the Confederated Tribes…
Wildhorse Resort & Casino projects net profit loss of $9.6 million in 2020
MISSION – Net profits in 2020 for Wildhorse Resort & Casino were nearly $10 million lower than expected, which is a result of a nearly three-month shutdown caused by COVID-19 earlier this year. The Board of Trustees conducted a work session Oct. 21 to review a modified 2020 budget that saw projected net profit go from $36.9 million to $27.3…