Patrick, family cited for violating COVID-19 social gathering order

By Wil Phinney of the CUJ MISSION – Toby Patrick and perhaps as many as 16 others who attended his Easter feast in April have been issued citations for violating a COVID-19 social gathering order issued by the Board of Trustees (BOT) for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). Conviction for failure to comply carries a potential…

Patient getting her nose swabbed by a nurse.
Chelsey Dick, an employee in the CTUIR Department of Natural Resources, grimaces as a swab is put in her nose during a COVID-19 test on May. Like more than 100 other employees from Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center, Tribal government and several other CTUIR entities, Dick’s test came back negative. The tests were administered by Yellowhawk nurses, lab technicians and a doctor.

Second round of Yellowhawk tests reveals only negative results for COVID-19

By Wil Phinney of the CUJ MISSION – For the second time in May, results were negative for more than 100 people tested for the active COVID-19 virus on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. A third round of testing for the novel coronavirus, a worldwide pandemic that has killed more than 103,000 people in the United States, is planned June 16…

NGC staff could return to work by mid-June

MISSION – Although a specific date has not been determined, employees at Nixyaawii Governance Center (NGC) should expect to be back at work in the building by mid-June, according to Ted Wright, Executive Director for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). An NGC Re-opening Plan was submitted May 28 to the CTUIR COVID-19 Incident Command Team (ICT),…

Dealer at blackjack table with two guests.
Blackjack dealer Dominique Darwin waits for a player to make his bet on Friday, May 29, the first full day of operations for Wildhorse Resort & Casino since it closed in March for the COVID-19 pandemic.The Wildhorse facilities, including the hotel, restaurants and cineplex, re-opened under strict guidelines that call for, among other things, employees and guests to wear masks.

Wildhorse re-opens: 600 employees return as safety protocols implemented

By Wil Phinney of the CUJ MISSION – Guests were happy, employees were relieved and tribal leaders were satisfied when Wildhorse Resort & Casino re-opened May 28 on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. After being closed for more than two months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wildhorse met the standards set out by the Incident Command Team’s (ICT) Re-opening Plan as…