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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2017)
PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND, OR PERMIT NO. 700 Tribe honors 116 graduates during ceremony — pg. 7 JULY 1, 2017 Seven vying for Tribal Council By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor or the first time in 21 years, Tribal voters will not be able to check off Reynold L. Leno’s name when they vote for Tribal Council. The current Tribal Council chair- man announced on May 31 that he would not seek an eighth con- secutive three-year term, ending a record 21 years of service come September. Incumbents Chris Mercier and Tonya Gleason-Shepek, however, are seeking re-election. Mercier, who was nominated by Tribal Council member Brenda Tuomi, will be seeking his fifth term on Tribal Council while Glea- son-Shepek, who was nominated by Laura Gleason, will be seeking her second consecutive term on Tribal Council. Tribal Council nominations oc- curred on Sunday, June 25, in the Tribal Community Center. Challengers will include Tribal Youth Prevention Supervisor Lisa Leno, who received 554 votes in 2016 (three short of being elect- ed), and Spirit Mountain Casino Internal Auditor Michael Langley, who ran for Tribal Council for the first time in 2016 and received 434 votes. Langley was nominated by Trib- al Council Vice Chair Cheryle A. Kennedy and Leno was nominated by former Tribal Council member Ed Larsen. Other challengers include long- time Tribal Council Chairman Mark Mercier, who was nominated by Travis Stewart; former Tribal F See TRIBAL COUNCIL continued on page 6 Smoke Signals file photo Tribal Royalty participates in grand entry during the Marcellus Norwest Memorial Veterans Powwow at Uyxat Powwow Grounds last July. This year’s Veterans Powwow runs from Friday, July 7, through Sunday, July 9. Veterans’ weekend arrives Summit, powwow continue week of patriotic events By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor wo days after the most patriotic holiday of the year – the Fourth of July/ Independence Day – a weekend of activities in Grand Ronde will seek to help and honor those who displayed their patriotism by serving in the U.S. military. The fifth annual Veterans Summit will occupy Uyxat Pow- wow Grounds off Hebo Road be- ginning at 1 p.m. Thursday and T resume at 9 a.m. Friday, July 6-7, and segue into the Marcellus Nor- west Memorial Veterans Powwow at 7 p.m. Friday with the first of four grand entries. The Veterans Powwow contin- ues throughout the weekend with grand entries at 1 and 7 p.m. Sat- urday, July 8, and 1 p.m. Sunday, July 9. The Veterans Summit will be- gin under the powwow grounds arbor with welcoming remarks from Tribal Council Chairman and Marine Corps veteran Reyn Leno, Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director Cam- eron Smith, Portland Veterans Affairs Health Care System Director Michael Fisher and Terry Bentley (Karuk), Western Region Tribal Government Re- lations specialist with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Thursday afternoon sessions See VETERANS continued on page 11 Community Fund surpasses $74 million mark in giving McMinnville School District teacher David Larson talks about the district’s Robotics League during Spirit Mountain Community Fund’s spring check presentation held in the Governance Center Atrium on Wednesday, June 14. In the background are Community Fund Board of Trustees Chairman Sho Dozono, left, and Community Fund Director Mychal Cherry. The league received a $25,000 grant during the event. By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor ith 33 grants totaling $671,500 distributed on Wednesday, June 14, Spirit Mountain Com- munity Fund surpassed the $74 million mark in charitable giving since it was formed 20 years ago. In those two decades, the Tribe’s philanthropic arm has distributed 2,474 grants funded by 6 percent of proceeds from Spirit Mountain Casino. Community Fund Director Mychal Cherry oversaw her second quarterly check distribution in the Gover- W Photo by Michelle Alaimo See COMMUNITY FUND continued on page 9