It is hard to see strangulation, and it is a topic that is underreported and under-acknowledged. In fact, only half of victims have visible injuries, according to the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention (TISP). “Oftentimes, even in fatal cases, there are no external signs of injury.” Many factors influence why this topic isn’t talked about or understood as widely as…

Tribal youth will ‘paint the town teal’ in April
By Casey Brown of the CUJ MISSION – Enola Dick is on call 24/7/366. She answers calls, day and night, from sexual assault and domestic violence victims. But that’s not all she does. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), and Enola is going to paint to the town teal – with a little help from tribal youth. Students from…

Brown on green
Part of a bigger herd of Rocky Mountain elk graze on upcoming wheat in a field south of the Umatilla River in February. Winter hasn’t been too tough on big game this year and with March already here the outlook for more cold gets less and less. CUJ Photo/Phinney

Young son inspires Wus Gone to hold steady
By Wil Phinney of the CUJ Wus Gone was born with one kidney. Now he needs a transplant so he can see his sixth-grade son, Harley, graduate from high school. Two years ago, his poor eating habits – “whatever was greasy, sweet or salty” – caught up to him. His kidney has virtually shut down. He sits for 12 hours…

NCS slashes Siletz Valley for Baker berth
By the CUJ MISSION – It was over before it started and when it ended it was emphatic. The Nixyaawii Community School boys raced to a 22-0 lead and built a 50-point cushion in the third quarter before freshman Shane Rivera finished it off with a dunk and an 85-41 win over Siletz Valley in a game that sent the…

Pendleton boys, girls finish IMC; prepare for round-one playoffs
PENDLETON – Dakota Sams broke his father’s school record for the most three-pointers in a game Feb. 25 when he hit nine against Ridgeway High School in Redmond. The 95-58 win for Pendleton High School was the final Intermountain Conference game for the Bucks, which won the league title and will play Willamette on the road Saturday, March 7. Pendleton…

Birch Creek ‘best I’ve ever seen it’: Emphasis will be on family, junior-oriented activities
By Wil Phinney of the CUJ PENDLETON – Crews began mowing greens Feb. 28 at “The Golf Course at Birch Creek” where new memberships have already eclipsed the number of members who were left when Pendleton Country Club was purchased last June by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). One of those players, Ron Schultz of Pendleton,…

Nixyaawii boys wins Old Oregon League title
By the CUJ MISSION – The Nixyaawii Community School boys strung together what looked like seven conference wins in February, including the Old Oregon League championship in Baker City March 21 and 22. That would have given the Golden Eagles their second straight undefeated season in the Old Oregon League. But alas, their conference mark was marred on Valentine’s Day,…

NCS girls finish in wild one against Elgin
By the CUJ MISSION – A two-point loss to Elgin that had the Eagles Nest rocking Feb. 14 knocked the Nixyaawii Community School girls’ basketball team out of contention for the Old Oregon League district tournament. The girls were coming off a three-game winning streak and needed a win in their last two games against one of the two teams…

Young tribal member appears on national TV
By Casey Brown of the CUJ After the State of the Union address on Feb. 4, one of the first faces television audiences saw was Daijha Louise Roper, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The annual address from the President of the United States had 37.2 million viewers on 12 television networks, and anyone…