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…
Wildhorse Resort & Casino projects net profit loss of $9.6 million in 2020
MISSION – Net profits in 2020 for Wildhorse Resort & Casino were nearly $10 million lower than expected, which is a result of a nearly three-month shutdown caused by COVID-19 earlier this year. The Board of Trustees conducted a work session Oct. 21 to review a modified 2020 budget that saw projected net profit go from $36.9 million to $27.3…
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,…
CTUIR Executive Director Ted Wright Steps Down
Mission, OR – Ted Wright, who has served as Executive Director of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) government for the past two years, has resigned his position, effective on November 4, 2020. Mr. Wright has accepted a position as Executive Director with the Spokane Indian Tribe. Charles F. “Chuck” Sams III was formally selected for appointment…
Gov. Brown releases updated metrics regarding in-person learning
Governor Kate Brown held a press conference today to unveil updated metrics that will allow more Oregon students to return to in-person learning. She led off by saying that waiting for zero risk is not the path forward. Brown, along with state health and education officials, argued the updates are necessary because the benefits students gain from in-person education in…
Bighorn Sheep Ram Harvested by Tribal Treaty Hunter Tests Positive for Deadly Respiratory Disease
Mission, OR – Wildlife biologists from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) Department of Natural Resources received the results this week of biological tests on a four and a half year old bighorn sheep ram harvested from the Burnt River Herd in Oregon. The test results indicate the ram was carrying the deadly bacterial disease Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae…