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…

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…

No salary increases in 2021 CTUIR budget

MISSION – There will be no salary raises in 2021 for employees of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, according to a proposed budget that will be presented at 2 p.m. Nov. 5 in a Special General Council meeting. The meeting will be a Zoom video-conference call. Contact General Council Secretary Shawna Gavin (Shawnagavin@ctuir.org) for Zoom meeting ID…

Board OKs needs-based COVID assistance

MISSION – Needs-based grant applications for tribal members who can prove they’ve experienced a loss of income or increased costs related to COVID-19 have been mailed to members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). The funding amount per individual is $750 for adults and $500 for each child. The CTUIR Enrollment Office mailing includes a cover…

Tribals to debut body cameras in December

MISSION – Tribal police will soon be wearing body cameras to record interactions with the people they contact during their patrols. The Board of Trustees at a work session Oct. 5 passed a motion to purchase body and vehicle cameras at a cost of $54,747 from Axon Enterprises, a company that also provides body cameras for police departments in Pendleton,…