It’s appropriate that I’m writing this ‘swan song’ column on deadline. The CUJ is supposed to be out the door on its way to a press in Caldwell, Idaho, in a couple of hours so I’m penning this thing at the last minute. But I’ve always thrived on deadlines. I like the pressure of deadlines. And by now, after 46…
By Wil Phinney of the CUJ Frank and Nan Taylor suffer physically, emotionally For Frank Taylor, COVID-19 “got real” when nurses in the intensive care unit at St. Anthony Hospital suggested he might want to get his affairs in order. Frank is better, but for Nan Taylor, COVID-19 is still a nightmare. First it was a matter of life or…
CTUIR will provide USDA commodity foods on Reservation By Wil Phinney of the CUJ MISSION – The Pandemic Preparedness Building under construction in Coyote Business Park South will include a food pantry to provide commodity foods – everything from fruit to nuts – to members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). About one-tenth of the 10,500…
By the CUJ MISSION – The Confederated Tribes plan a new round of purchasing a dozen fractionalized interests on a dozen parcels, some of which have more than a dozen owners. The process can be long and cumbersome, especially if the parcels are in the probate process for owners who have died. The 12 parcels are 40-80 acres in size,…
MISSION, OR – Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center will receive 300 COVID vaccinations this week. The clinic will begin administering the vaccine to healthcare staff, first responders and Yellowhawk patients over the age of 75 on Saturday and Sunday, December 19 and 20. “Yellowhawk staff are working hard to protect the CTUIR community and now they are starting to get healthcare…
“I have said time and again that hope is on the way. Today, I can tell you that help is here.” (Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown issued a video statement today as the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine began arriving at Oregon hospitals. “In recent weeks, as COVID-19 vaccines reached the final stages of approval, I have…
(Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown held a press conference today to update Oregonians on the status of COVID-19 and the pending distribution of vaccines. The Governor was joined by Patrick Allen, Director of the Oregon Health Authority (OHA); Dr. Dean Sidelinger, State Epidemiologist; and Darrah Isaacson, an Oregonian who has experienced COVID-19 symptoms for nearly 10 months. “Oregon is…
I was going into the interview cold. I didn’t know the subject at that March 2014 meeting; she didn’t know me; anything could’ve happened. As a reporter, you have to be proactive and reactive for interviews, but I was not quite prepared for this one. Pauline Stensgar, one of the last fluent speakers of one of my tribe’s ancient dialects,…
By the CUJ MISSION – COVID-19 is not going away. On Nov. 30, Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center recorded an all-time high with 10 positive cases, bringing the total number of positive cases to 169 on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. In November, Yellowhawk performed 364 tests with 65 returning positive for the coronavirus. That’s an 18 percent positivity rate for November,…
MISSION – Walls are expected to go up during the week of Dec. 9 on the 10,560 square foot “Pandemic Preparedness” building under construction in Coyote Business Park South on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Workers are hurrying to get the $2.5-million building up and finished by the end of the year because CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act…