By the CUJ PENDLETON – Megan Van Pelt is the new Associated Student Body (ASB) President at Blue Mountain Community College (BMCC) in Pendleton. Van Pelt, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), will be a sophomore at BMCC this fall and, after graduation next spring, plans to transfer to Arizona State University in…
Logan Quaempts and the 6-pound, 6-ounce trout he took out of Indian Lake in June. By Wil Phinney of the CUJ INDIAN LAKE – On his way out the door, Logan Quaempts grabbed the 6-foot ultralight rod he uses to sneak up on brook trout hiding in the shadows under logs and behind boulders in the North Fork Umatilla and…
Tyasin Burns, a senior next year at Nixyaawii Community School, will play football with the Pendleton Buckaroos. By Wil Phinney of the CUJ PENDLETON – Pendleton High School Coach Eric Davis is excited about adding three seniors from Nixyaawii Community School (NCS), especially tough running-back Tyasin Burns, to the Buckaroo football roster this fall. The Nixyaawii School Board in May approved…
Dakota Sams drives to the basket for Pendleton Buckaroos last year. Grayson, Ryan and Dakota Sams stand in the Nixyaawii Community School gym. By Wil Phinney of the CUJ Ryan Sams, Nixyaawii Community School’s first basketball coach, is returning to lead the Golden Eagles after 14 years of coaching at Pendleton High School, and he’s bringing his two sons with…
By Wil Phinney of the CUJ MISSION – Toby Patrick says he has “no regrets” about hosting a feast in April that led to citations for perhaps as many as 17 adults who allegedly violated a COVID-19 order restricting social gatherings to no more than 10 people. Those who were cited by Umatilla Tribal Police will be scheduled for telephonic…
J.C. Penney Jan. 29, 1926 – June 29, 2020 James C. Penney,”wit-sy-ky-kun,” an enrolled member and life-long resident of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, left this earth of natural causes at the age of 94 on June 29, 2020 in his home. He was born in a tipi on Jan 29, 1926 in Thornhollow, Oregon to Hiuse (Annie George) and Heyumetelekartset…
Rod Cowapoo Jr. Jan. 25, 1961 – June 2020 Rod “Gibb” Cowapoo Jr. was born on Jan. 25, 1961 to Roderick Cowapoo Sr. and Thelma Johnson. He died June 19, 2020, at the age of 59. Rod was an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. He attended Wapato School District, but left in ninth grade…
Patrick Louis Luke Dec. 7, 1962 – June 22, 2020 WHITE SWAN, Wash. – Patrick Louis Luke, “Yetatamanisht,” passed away at his home in White Swan, Wash., on June 22, 2020. He was born on December 7, 1962 in Pendleton to Faydeena (Thompson) and Marcus Luke. He was raised in Portland, on the Columbia River, and at Thornhollow and Mission…
Verna Dee ‘Duck’ Conner March 5, 1959 — June 19, 2020 Born in Salem, Oregon, Verna Dee was named after her doctor, Dr. Vernon D. Casterline. Verna graduated from Madras High in 1977, excelled at tennis and went to districts in girls’ doubles. She annually made the Pendleton Round-Up, camping in the Indian Village with her family. In 1978 she…
By the CUJ MISSION – For the first time, climate change and enrollment are listed among the top priorities for the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). The BOT adopted seven priorities by resolution on June 22, more than six months into their 2020-2021 term, which has been hijacked by a historic…