Looking back in the journal I kept for 2020, it is surreal how much I was hurt last year from July to November. Last year, I tested positive for Coronavirus days after the Fourth of July. It is still hard to pinpoint how or when I contracted the sickness, but I know it was before the start of July. There…
Category: CUJ Editorial
EDITORIAL: What’s your opinion?
Noticeably absent this issue are letters to the editor. Our question to you is: “Where’s your opinion?” Letters to the editor have been a historic feature of newspapers. In them, you’re allowed to take a stance on an issue, educate readers on happenings, suggest ideas, influence the opinions of the public or even, perhaps, tribal leadership. We’ve seen the power…
Editorial: Uplifting the community
With COVID-19 causing emotional and mental distress perhaps as much as harming the economy and society, it is inspiring to see Nixyaawii Community School’s effort to uplift the community. In October, NCS sponsored a virtual photo contest to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day. The winning photo, at right, was taken by Meadow Fossek-Spencer. “Students from the new media class sponsored the…
Where are our local legislators?
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) work extremely hard to address issues of mutual concerns with the State of Oregon. This government-to-government relationship ensures open and clear communication to ensure the needs of all of our citizens are being addressed through executive, legislative and judicial bodies. To this end, the CTUIR regularly meets with elected members of…
More tribes regulating single-use plastics
As the federal government and many state governments fail to address plastic waste, Indian tribes become policy innovators. The world is waking up to the growing problem of plastic waste contaminating our ocean and terrestrial environments. Local governments—lauded as laboratories of innovation—have begun enacting bans and fees on single-use plastics, reducing the amount entering the waste stream in the first…