Chairman’s Report
Administration status
All employees who provide essential
services are either working from home or
in their offices. Administrative buildings
are still closed to walk-ins, but all staff
can be reached by phone. The clinic does
see patients as needed, but the majority of
services have been by phone.
Everyone will be notified when the
offices reopen.
We have never experienced anything
like this in our lives. We appreciate that
folks are following the governor’s recom-
mendations on staying safe and taking
necessary precautions to protect those
whom we love. Lincoln County has expe-
rienced a very low rate of COVID-19 cases
thanks to all the county residents.
Gov. Kate Brown has held weekly calls
with all nine Oregon Tribes to keep us
abreast of new information and changes.
Coronavirus update
Staff and the Tribal Council are
updated daily by counterparts in the state
and consultations with the Bureau of Indian
Affairs, Indian Health Service, Housing and
Urban Development, and many other enti-
ties. All share details on available grants,
new information, and Tribal updates in
Oregon, the Northwest and the nation.
Visit ctsi.nsn.us.
Legal Aid Services of Oregon
and the Oregon Law Center, civil
legal service providers for low-
income Oregonians, operate a public
benefits hotline where low-income
Oregonians can talk to lawyers and
paralegals to get advice on public
benefits, including unemployment
benefits:
Oregon public benefits hotline
800-520-5292
Oregonlawhelp.org
Gaming update
Chinook Winds Casino Resort had
a soft opening with Tribal members and
some tiered players on May 20. The casino
officially opened to the public May 21.
There are many changes in the casino
as well as the restaurants and hotel that
were necessary to keep employees and
Résumés are being accepted for the Tenas Illahee Childcare Center Board of
Directors. Currently, there are two vacant board positions.
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.
Deadline for the July issue is
June 10.
Submission of articles and
photos is encouraged.
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
•
June 2020
Delores Pigsley
Siletz Tribal Head Start is
accepting applications for the 2020-
2021 school year. Classrooms are
located in Portland, Salem, Lincoln
City and Siletz.
Children must be age 3 or 4 to
attend.
Applications are available by
mail or can be downloaded from
the Tribal website. To request an
application, call DeAnn Brown at
541-444-2450.
Thank you.
Address: _____________________________________________________
P.O. Box 549
We all look forward to being able to
gather and visit as we have done in the
past, although I am sure the future will
still hold restrictions. It’s very sad not to be
able to gather for memorial services as we
have experienced many Tribal members
passing, attend graduation ceremonies
and visit in person.
We will all be grateful when the virus
is contained and we get to our new nor-
mal. All summer events – solstice dances,
Chinook Winds 25 th Anniversary, Culture
Camp and our pow-wow have been can-
celed this year.
Please be safe and stay healthy.
Tenas Illahee Childcare Center
Board of Directors Vacancies
Name: _______________________________________________________
Siletz News
Our future
Apply Now for Siletz
Tribal Head Start
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.
Send information to:
guests safe. We look forward to employ-
ees returning to work and having our
doors open.
Member of the Native American
Journalists Association
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.
Census response deadline extended
The big news out of the Census
Bureau is that the 2020 Census response
deadline has changed from July 31 to Oct.
31. So the census began on April Fool’s
Day and ends on Halloween. No joke.
This is great news for those who
haven’t had an opportunity to show their
Siletz pride and be counted. For those
who have been laid off, it’s an opportunity
to get a well-paying temp job as a census
taker. Just contact the Census Bureau at
2020census.gov/jobs.
If you haven’t yet responded
to the Census, it also means
that Census takers will
be coming to your door
later than planned.
Originally, they were
to start on May 13.
Now they will start in
August.
If you want
to avoid their visit,
respond online at
my2020census.gov or
phone 888-444-2020.
Phone lines may have long
hold times.
So far, response from the Siletz com-
munity has been in the middle of the pack
as far as other Oregon Tribes, but well
below the Oregon and national rates.
Indian Country funding is depen-
dent on getting a full response. Funding
for schools, roads and health programs
are highly influenced by our numbers.
COVID-19 funding for states and Tribes
is determined by the 2010 Census, which
undercounted American Indians by 5%.
The census is not complicated and
only asks the minimum of nine questions
to identify the number of people in each
household. Your answers are protected
and secure. They can’t be released to other
agencies. Remember to identify yourself
as an American Indian and as a proud
member of the Siletz Tribe.
In order to add a little fun to respond-
ing, the Complete Count Committee has
arranged for some contests complete with
prizes:
1. The first 100 people who text ORE-
GON to 33339 will receive $15
Taco Bell gift cards. Agree
to receive census-related
emails from Dancing
Hearts. After send-
ing the text, email
your name, mail-
ing address and
phone number
to completecount-
committe@ctsi.
nsn.us.
2.
If you have com-
pleted the census
response, tell us and
send your name, mail-
ing address and phone number to
CTSI, Complete Count Committee-
Planning, P.O. Box 549, Siletz, OR
97380-0549. You will be placed in
a drawing for a barbecue grill, five
Kindle Fire 10s, five Kindle Fire 5s,
shirts, insulated bags and hundreds of
other prizes and gifts.
If you haven’t completed your response
and need assistance, contact your area
office. You can also call the Siletz cen-
sus hotline at 541-444-8285. Watch for
upcoming special census events at your
local area offices.