Patrick Louis Luke Dec. 7, 1962 – June 22, 2020 WHITE SWAN, Wash. – Patrick Louis Luke, “Yetatamanisht,” passed away at his home in White Swan, Wash., on June 22, 2020. He was born on December 7, 1962 in Pendleton to Faydeena (Thompson) and Marcus Luke. He was raised in Portland, on the Columbia River, and at Thornhollow and Mission…
Verna Dee “Duck” Conner
Verna Dee ‘Duck’ Conner March 5, 1959 — June 19, 2020 Born in Salem, Oregon, Verna Dee was named after her doctor, Dr. Vernon D. Casterline. Verna graduated from Madras High in 1977, excelled at tennis and went to districts in girls’ doubles. She annually made the Pendleton Round-Up, camping in the Indian Village with her family. In 1978 she…
Come on America: Listen to COVID-19 experts
It’s summer so the virus must be over, right? Not so fast. Pull that mask back up over your nose. A coronavirus resurgence is wiping out two months of progress sending infections to scary new levels across the southern and western United States. Hospital administrators and health experts are warning that politicians and a cooped-up public are letting a calamity…
Climate makes BOT priority list
By the CUJ MISSION – For the first time, climate change and enrollment are listed among the top priorities for the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). The BOT adopted seven priorities by resolution on June 22, more than six months into their 2020-2021 term, which has been hijacked by a historic…
Leaders of CTUIR, Round-Up begin talks
Board of Trustees members and Presidents of the Round-Up and Happy Canyon Boards talked over Zoom June 24. By Wil Phinney of the CUJ MISSION – Triggered by a lack of coordination before the COVID-19-caused cancellation of Pendleton’s annual rodeo and night pageant, members of the Confederated Tribes’ Board of Trustees (BOT) and officials from the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy…
Board OKs new Internet tribal portal
By the CUJ MISSION – Tribal leaders have taken the first official steps toward development of a new Internet portal that will allow members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) to interact online with their government. With transparency as an overriding goal, the Board of Trustees (BOT) on June 22 approved a resolution calling for modernization…
COVID-19 Incident Command changes as CTUIR moves into Recovery stage
By the CUJ MISSION – Moving into Level 4 Recovery, the Board of Trustees (BOT) on June 22 transferred the Incident Command and changed the scope to monitoring the status of COVID-19 cases on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Ted Wright, Executive Director for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), is the new Incident Commander charged with coordinating…
BLM prompts review of Umatilla Tribal Police policies
By Wil Phinney of the CUJ MISSION – “Black Lives Matter” to members of the Board of Trustees (BOT) for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). And even though the nine policy makers couldn’t agree in June on an official statement calling for justice after a white police officer killed George Floyd in Minnesota May 25, the…
$750 cash relief approved for all CTUIR members
By the CUJ MISSION – All Tribal members should expect to receive a $750 stimulus check in mid-to-late July following action June 29 by the Board of Trustees (BOT) for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). The Pandemic Relief Benefit, which will provide checks to more than 3,100 enrolled CTUIR members, will total more than $2.5 million.…
88 new COVID-19 cases in Umatilla County; 375 in Oregon
PORTLAND, Ore. — COVID-19 has claimed one more life in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 209, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today. Oregon Health Authority reported 375 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 9,294. The new cases reported today are in the following counties:…