Chairman’s Report
Coronavirus – COVID-19
I hope you are all well and staying
reasonably occupied during these trying
times. The COVID-19 virus has the Tribe
in an emergency state that can’t be com-
pared to any other.
The Tribe has taken the epidemic very
seriously and taken all the precautions to
protect the Tribe and our communities.
Essential personnel remain on duty in the
office/clinic while others remain working
at home. Program funds have allowed us
to pay employees of the Tribe to be on
paid leave.
The clinic remains open but prefers
that patients call in to receive advice
before going to the clinic. They are taking
all precautions to protect patients.
The Tribe has not had any confirmed
COVID-19 cases at this time. Lincoln
County has a very low rate of cases, how-
ever, Washington, Multnomah and Marion
counties lead the state in confirmed cases.
The Indian Health Service has pro-
vided personal protective equipment and
funds to purchase additional supplies
dealing with the virus.
Conference and consultation calls
have been many to keep Tribes informed
of the latest news covering this issue.
With the exception on the Navajo
Tribe, other Tribes have not been hit hard
with the virus.
Chinook Winds Casino Resort
Chinook Winds was closed in mid-
March. All employees were paid for the
first two weeks of closure of the casino.
Essential staff remain on duty to complete
deep cleaning, repair and replacement,
facility enhancement and security duties
for the entire facility.
Seven hundred twenty (720) employ-
ees have since been furloughed until fur-
ther notice. On April 15, the golf course
re-opened with new rules in place to
protect clients. Aces Sports Bar & Grill
remains closed at this time.
Plans are being considered for the day
when the casino can reopen. That date is
unknown.
With the three legislative acts passed
by Congress to assist Tribes in dealing
with the layoffs and all the bad effects of
the virus, no funds have been allocated to
assist with the closure of Tribal gaming
operations.
Staff and council have been involved
in many conference calls and collabo-
ration with the Indian Health Service,
Bureau of Indian Affairs and various other
state and government organizations.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown holds con-
ference calls with the Oregon Tribes and
has been extremely helpful in assisting
Tribes through this pandemic.
The White House hosts calls to keep
Tribes across the nation informed.
Congressman Kurt Schrader has
reached out to our Tribe to determine
our status, provide assistance and ask for
recommendations for help.
Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley
have supported Tribal efforts to provide
guidance on how the $8 billion distributed
to Tribes under the CARES Act will be
allocated. It is not clear at this time how
that will happen, but the Treasury should
have started to distribute funds as early
as April 17. The money must be used to
assist in disease-related expenses.
Employment benefits
Filing and receiving unemployment
claims has been extremely slow. We
were informed that several hundred state
employees have been hired to speed up
the process, but they are working with an
antiquated system.
$1,200 payment
Several thousand Treasury payments
have been processed for folks who have
Delores Pigsley
direct deposit. Some of our membership
have reported receiving those payments;
hopefully all will get paid as funds are
very much needed.
We will keep you informed of any new
developments with regards to opening up
for business. The news has been very busy
keeping all informed.
Stay home, stay healthy.
Notice to members regarding the Memorial Day Ceremony on May 25, 2020
Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, to keep our membership safe, the May 25, 2020, Memorial Day Ceremony
will not be held this year. The decision was not an easy one to make, but during this challenging time the health and welfare
of the membership had to be taken into consideration.
Families may still attend to their family gravesites, but we strongly encourage social distancing measures. We want to
ensure the membership that the council is doing what is best to keep you safe and healthy.
Tribal Chairman Delores Pigsley
Siletz News is free to enrolled Siletz Tribal members. For all others, a $12
annual subscription fee applies. Please make checks payable to CTSI and mail
to Siletz News.
Name: _______________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________________
Tenas Illahee Childcare Center
Board of Directors Vacancies
Résumés are being accepted for the Tenas Illahee Childcare Center Board of
Directors. Currently, there are two vacant board positions.
If interested, please submit your résumé to Siletz Tribal Council, c/o Execu-
tive Secretary, P.O. Box 549, Siletz, OR 97380-0549.
Vacancies are open until filled.
Phone: _______________________________________________________
Change of address: Tribal members – contact the Enrollment Department
at 541-444-8258; 800-922-1399, ext. 1258; or enrollment@ctsi.nsn.us. All oth-
ers – call the newspaper office.
Send information to:
Deadline for the June issue
is May 11.
Siletz News
Submission of articles and
photos is encouraged.
P.O. Box 549
Siletz, OR 97380-0549
Please see the Passages
Policy on page 20 when submit-
ting items for Passages.
541-444-8291 or
800-922-1399, ext. 1291
Fax: 541-444-2307
Email: pias@ctsi.nsn.us
2
•
Siletz News
•
May 2020
Member of the Native American
Journalists Association
National Congress of American Indians
Call to Artists!
NCAI is holding its 77 th Annual Convention & Marketplace on Nov. 8-13,
2020, in Portland, Ore., and is seeking artwork for the conference program cover
from local Native artists in the Northwest region.
The artwork will be featured on the program cover with the artist’s biography
appearing on the back cover and in the marketing email broadcasts. One thousand
nine hundred + copies of the conference program will be printed, providing for
broad exposure of the winning submission.
In addition, the winning artist will be offered a complimentary booth at the
NCAI Marketplace.
Please submit original art in digital form by July 17, 2020.
If you have any questions, contact Amy Gay, director conferences and events,
at 202-466-7767 or agay@ncai.org.
Submit to:
NCAI
C/O Amy Gay
1516 P St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
Or agay@ncai.org