Native voters could be key to winning Arizona and some of the most contested swing states Nov. 5.

AP Elections Top 25: The people, places, races, dates and things to know about Election Day

By The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans will cast roughly 160 million ballots by the time Election Day comes to a close — in several different ways, including many submitted a few weeks before polls even open. They will choose a president, members of Congress and thousands of state lawmakers, city council members, attorneys general, secretaries of state —…

To obtain a CTUIR burn permit application, visit CTUIR – Burn Permits, call the CTUIR Department of Natural Resources’ Office of Air Quality at 541-429-7080 (follow prompts) or email oaq@ctuir.org.

Umatilla Indian Reservation to allow open burning starting Oct. 11

MISSION – The Umatilla Tribal Fire Department (UTFD) has announced that open burning will be allowed again on the Umatilla Indian Reservation (UIR) starting Friday, Oct. 11. UTFD Chief James Hall said the ban on open burning would be lifted Oct. 11 and that all other public use restrictions are lifted and allowed. Hall’s announcement corrects an earlier report that…

Pilot Rock get the W, Nixyáawii falls to Echo in Oct. 8 play.

ICYMI: Volleyball

By ANNIE FOWLER, The CUJ PILOT ROCK 3, GRISWOLD 0 — Lillie Holman had eight kills and two blocks to lead the Rockets to a 25-14, 25-15, 26-24 Old Oregon League road win over the Grizzlies Oct. 8. “We had a great all-round match tonight,” Pilot Rock coach Jen Porter said. “The entire team contributed and played aggressively offensively and on…

Pendleton goalkeeper Citlalli Garcia stops a La Grande kick on goal on Oct. 8, 2024, in Pendleton. KATHY ANEY | THE CUJ

La Grande holds off Bucks in GOL play

La Grande holds off Bucks in GOL play
By ANNIE FOWLER, for The CUJ
PENDLETON — Rowan Evans had a goal and an assist to lead second-ranked La Grande to a 4-1 Greater Oregon League victory Tuesday, Oct. 8, over Pendleton.
“It’s a long season and sometimes teams can start to wear down come October,” La Grande coach Chris Gianandrea said. “Right now, this group is ultra focused and hungry. We are hitting our stride at the right time. The girls can tell we have a special group and we just are focusing on one game at a time.”…

Video game studio Firaxis approached the Shawnee Tribe with a proposal to make a playable character out of the famous Shawnee leader Tecumseh in the upcoming game Civilization 7. FIRAXIS | COURTESY

Civilization 7 makers work with Shawnee to bring sincere representation of the tribe to the game

By GRAHAM LEE BREWER and MATT O’BRIEN MIAMI, Okla. (AP) — Shawnee Tribe Chief Ben Barnes grew up playing video games, including “probably hundreds of hours” colonizing a distant planet in the 1999 title Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri. So when that same game studio, Firaxis, approached the tribal nation a quarter-century later with a proposal to make a playable character…

Gravestones of American Indians, including children, who died at the Carlisle Indian School, an Indian boarding and industrial school from 1879 through 1918, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS | COURTESY

Army returns remains of 9 Indigenous children who died at boarding school over a century ago

CARLISLE, Pa. (AP) — The remains of nine more Native American children who died at a notorious government-run boarding school in Pennsylvania over a century ago were disinterred from a small Army cemetery and returned to families, authorities said Oct. 2. The remains were buried on the grounds of the Carlisle Barracks, home of the U.S. Army War College. The…

The IRS and US Treasury Department have announced an expansion of the types of returns that can be filed using IRS Direct File beyond what was available in the pilot program during the 2024 tax filing season.

Oregon to team with IRS to offer free income tax e-filing option

SALEM – Oregon resident taxpayers preparing their respective tax returns in 2025 will have the option to electronically file their federal and state income tax returns using the combination of IRS Direct File and Direct File Oregon, the IRS and the Oregon Department of Revenue (ODR) announced Oct. 3. “The Direct File Program is a game-changer for taxpayers,” Gov. Tina…

Trish Carter-Goodheart, left, is a Democratic candidate for the Idaho House District 6 seat and a member of the Nez Perce Tribe. Right is Republican Sen. Dan Foreman. COURTESY

Idaho state senator tells Native American candidate ‘go back where you came from’ in forum

KENDRICK, Idaho (AP) — Tensions rose during a Sept. 30 bipartisan forum after an audience question about discrimination reportedly led an Idaho state senator to angrily tell a Native American candidate to “go back where you came from.” Republican Sen. Dan Foreman left the event early after the outburst and later denied making any racist comments in a Facebook post.…

CTUIR Board of Trustees Chairman Gary I. Burke and Health Commission Chair Althea Wolf team up to cut the ribbon in celebration of Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center’s soon-to-be-open expansion. CHRIS AADLAND | THE CUJ

Yellowhawk celebrates upcoming expansion completion

By CHRIS AADLAND, The CUJ MISSION – Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center unveiled an expanded facility Oct. 4 that its leaders say will allow the tribal health provider to meet demand for its services and increase the types of care it offers to patients.   The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) health care provider began construction in the…

Brandie Weaskus puts her arm around newly registered voter Irma Totus at the Housing Department’s annual Community Picnic on Aug. 15 at the July Grounds in Mission. TRAVIS SNELL | CTUIR

CTUIR hosting voter registration event Oct. 10

Non-partisan event will be free and open to the pubic to aid registered voters in checking their status and to help those who are eligible to vote get registered in time for the Nov. 5 election. PENDLETON – The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) will host a voter registration drive from 4-8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10…