Spilyjy Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
July 12, 2001
Pjqej
Business
survey
I under
wraps
The Hood River County
Chamber of Commerce this
' week declined to release the
. results of survey regarding
; the Tribes' proposal to build
a casino in the Gorge. The
survey, mailed to 300 busi
ncss owners in the county,
1 asked whether the Chamber
of Commerce should take a
role in the casino issue.
Chamber Executive Di
rector Craig Schmidt said the
survey and discussion will be
taken up at the business
group's August meeting.
The survey aimed to dem
onstrate whether pr not the
business community of
Hood River, like many resi
dents there, is opposed to the
Tribes' plan to develop a ca
sino near the town.
The Tribes in the past
tried to accommodate the
local sentiment, by propos
ing to develop the Gorge ca
sino at Cascade Locks. The
governor blocked this idea.
In the past, the City of
Hood River adopted a reso
lution opposing the casino
plan. The county adopted a
similar resolution, based on
a referendum, opposing the
Hood River site, but recom
mending Cascade Locks.
Casino
plans
Continued from Page 1
Nevertheless, most people in
Hood River County would still
rather see a casino developed at
Cascade Locks, rather than near
Hood River.
Tribal officials also favor the
Cascade Locks site, in part because
the community there is receptive .
to the idea, and also because a ca
sino at Government Rock would
possibly generate more revenue, as
it would be closer to the Portland
market. .
The Tribes, though, have no
plans to try to persuade. Gov.
Kitzhaber to change his decision
regarding the Cascade Locks ca
sino idea. The Tribes tried once
to win the governor's approval,
and are not inclined to do so again:
"The Tribes are not going to beg,"
Clements said.
I Instead, he said, any attempt to '; '
gain approval of a tribal casino at .
C&scade Locks '-would' have to'
come from residents 'of Hood
River County.
Toward this goal, local officials
of Cascade Locks, along with busi
ness owners1 in the town, are orga
nteing an effort to lobby the gov
ernor to reconsider. Hood River
County Commissioner Carol
York is also part of this effort.
York said her hope is that residents
of the town of Hood River will
add their support.
An important part of gaining
this support, she said, is convinc
ing residents that the Tribes are
moving forward with the plan to
develop the Hood River site. A
significant number of people in
town, she said, still don't believe
it will happen.. .
In Cascade Locks earlier this
week, tribal officials gave their
assurance that Hood River plan is
real. 'There should be no doubt
that we will build there," said
Tribal Councilman Joe Moses.
Councilman Raymond
Tsumpti said, "We will do what
the law allows, which is to build
it Hood River."
Academy couples fon with learning
Students learn
beyond the
basic lessons
By Jerrj Brnnot
Spijaj Stuff
More than 200 K-4 students will
attend Summer Academy at Warm
Springs Elementary this summer
between July 2nd and the 27,h of
July. The experience provides
many opportunities for hands-on
activities.
Students were unable to do
many activities in the regular
school year because of time re
straints. "We wanted to give kids a
chance to experience things," said
Principal Dawn Smith
In 1999, said Smith, the teach
ers wanted a way to identify their
students as a group when they were
on a field trip, so they tie-dyed T
shirts. The tie-dye worked, said
Smith, although the Summer
Academy has a new set of shirts
for field trips, they still make tie
dye shirts for fun.
While one student enjoyed the
independence of the project, 10-year-old
Crystal Spino said, "And
we got to have a little water fight,"
referring to the funner part of rins
ing the dye from the T-shirts.
Third-grade classes have been
studying Hawaii and on July 10 a
group of Polynesian Dancers called
Hokule'a, meaning 'The Star of
Gladness,' did a set of dances at an
assembly, he dances were set from
a more traditional style of music
to contemporary radio music.
Teacher Laura Fuentes said all
the third-grade boys loved the girl
in the coconuts.-
Before dancers were finished
they had the elementary teachers
dance, which provided laughter for
most students., "It was funny 'cause ,
they, dida't really.knpw how, to
move their hips," said 9-year-old
Maria Garate.
Astronomy, especially the con
stellations, has been the main sub
ject of study for second-grade
classes, said Smith. On July 6 the
second-grade classes invited the stu-
lh
Photos by Jtrry Bruno
7-year-old Hiram Yaw (above)
works on his beekeeper
assignment during Summer
Academy. Chris Elliott (below)
provides safety instruction
during a job fair at the academy.
dents and their parents to view the
stars and constellations through
night binoculars and telescopes.
When the program started in
1999 many parents didn't want to
send their children, saying they
didn't need remediation, said
Smith. Unlike most summer
schools, the Summer, Academy is ,
not scheduled with remedial j
courses - it's for enrichment, said
Smith.
Every Friday afternoon the.
school gives the students ice cream
and they have a parry. Also on Fri
days, the thjrd-,and.,fourth:graders
experience ."Fnee Fridays,',' whjcb,,,.
allows them to sit anywhere in the
cafeteria during lunch. "It's some
thing the 'big kids' look forward
to," said Smith
Smith noted it isn't all fun and
play. "They do math and reading, '
too," she said.
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Gaming magazine looks at Kah-Nee-Ta
The people from Indian Gaming
Magazine, a national publication,
recently enjoyed a three-day stay at
Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort and
Casino.
This was a chance to relax, as well
as to learn more about Kah-Nee-Ta:
In August, Indian Gaming Magazine
will include a feature article on the
resort and casino.
The article will appear in the
magazine's new "Road Trip" section.
Indian Head Casino at Kah-Nee-Ta
Resort is one of 15 tribal casinos in
the nation that will-be featured in
the. "Road-Trip" series, said Steve
Burke, publisher'-of 'the magazine. 1
There are about 300 tribal casi
nos across the U.S.; Kah-Nee-Ta was
chosen second for inclusion in the
"Road Trip" series, Burke said.
He explained that the magazine
board of directors chose to feature
various tribal casinos that have
unique qualities. For instance, the
series is starting this month with an
article on the Barona Casino in Cali
fornia. This casino, owned by the Barona
Band of Mission Indians, is outstand
ing in that it uses the latest technolo
gies in gaming machines, customer
service, and other-facets of the op
eration, said Bifrke!' ' v ' " !' ',
Kah-Nee-Ta was chosen because
of its unique mix of the morcm-ily-style
resort amenities such as the
swimming pool, riding and hiking
trails, kayaking, the golf course, etc.,
along with the casino.
This arrangement is the result of
the history of Kah-Nee-Ta Resort,
which has been a resort for many
years, but where the casino was
added relatively recently, about five
years ago.
,"We see it as a family resort, with
the addition of the casino for the
parents," Burke said. From a mar
keting standpoint, he said, "we
'found that to be very interesting, and
we were excited to learn, more about
it." '- " ' ' '
During their visit, Burke and oth- ,
etsfrom Indian, Gaming Magazine
met with .Rudy Clements, chairman
of the Kah-Nee-Ta board of direc-
tors; Jeff Ford, casino manager;
Myron Wilcox, slot shift manager;
and Catherine Kamau, Kah-Nee-Ta
marketing director.
Kamau mentioned that the up
coming magazine article would ben
efit the resort and casino by provid
ing some national exposure.
The article will include some
background information on how
The Confederated Tribes of Warm
Springs began in the gaming indus
try, the current circumstances and
future plans.
Burke commented that he and
the nine magazine staff members,
plus their families, "had a terrific
time at Kah-Nee-Ta. It was very
impressive."
Downtown survey includes Warm Springs
The results are in on how
downtowns across Gilliam,
Sherman, Wasco and Wheeler coun
ties and the Warm Springs Indian
Reservation currently stand in re
gards to community appearance,
marketing, planning and assets.
Public presentations on the find
ings of a regional downtown devel
opment assessment conducted by
representatives of the Oregon Down
town Development Association and
State Historic Preservation Office
are scheduled to be held in each of
the counties and the reservation on
July 25 and 26..
The presentation in Warm
Springs will be held at 3:30 p.m. July
26 at the conference room at the
Business & Economic Development
office located across from the el
ementary school.
The presentations are open to the
public and residents, business own
ers, Chamber of Commerce mem
bers, civic organizations and area
officials are encouraged to attend the
presentations.
The findings of the assessment are
important to short and long term
planning in the region's communi
ties for residents' quality of life, busi
ness development, historic preserva
tion, readiness for growth, and com
munity improvement projects.
The assessment was funded by
the Lower John Day Partnership and
Regional Investment Board and in
cluded field work in 19 communi
ties and gateways to the north cen
tral Oregon region.
The assessment serves as the first
step of a proposed multi-phase over
all downtown development program
for the region. Components of the
assessment include Community
Appearance (town entrances, clean
liness, streetscape amenities general
health of the downtown core). Com
munity Marketing (marketing ma
terials, visitors' amenities, recre
ational opportunities, designations),
and Community Assets (attractions,
landmarks, historic fabric, artscul
ture, scenic features).
The assessment will recommend
next steps for the surveyed commu
nities and what the region, as a
whole, can do for these downtowns.
Affected communities and gateways
include Rufus, Wasco, Moro, Grass
Valley, Biggs Junction, Mosicr,
Dufur, Maupin, Shaniko, Antelope,
Arlington, Condon, Lone Rock,
Fossil, Spray, Mitchell, Warm
Springs and Simnasho.
Scheduled presentations will be
held on Wednesday, July 25 at noon
in Condon at Memorial Hall (next
to city hall on Main St) and at 7 p.m.
that evening at the conference at
Haven House Retirement Center,
Fossil. On Thursday, July 26, pre
sentations will be held at 9:U0 a.m.
in Moro at Sherman Countv Court
House -, noon at Columbia Gorge
College, Building 2, Lecture Hall,
400 E. Scenic Dr. in The Dalles,
and at 3:30 p.m. in Warm Springs at
the conference room at the Business
& Economic Development office
located across from the elementary
school building.
For further information, contact
or area community and economic
development personnel Sal Sahme of
Confederated Tribes of Warm
Springs at 541-553-3468, Michelle
Colby of Gilliam County at 541-384-3767,
Yvette Hamilton of
Sherman County at 541-565-3601,
Greg Waters of Wasco County at
541-298-3145 or Lyn Craig of
Wheeler County at 541-763-2355.
The Oregon Downtown Devel
opment Association is a statewide
nonprofit dedicated to the improve
ment of vital city centers as the foun
dation for Oregon's cultural, civic
and commercial life.
Kennewick
issues
examined
On display at The Museum at
Warm Springs is an exhibit explain
ing the issues surrounding the hu
man remains known as Kennewick
Man.
The exhibit is located in the mu
seum lobby, and consists of display
panels with text, photographs, maps
and historic illustrations related to
the Kennewick Man remains.
The actual remains arc being
stored at the University of
Washington's Burke Museum of
Natural History and Culture in Se
attle. The eventual fate of the 9,300-ycar-old
remains will be decided in
federal court.
Native American tribes, and the
federal government, believe the
Kennewick Man remains should be
turned over to the tribes in the re
gion where the bones and bone frag
ments were found.
Some scientists, however, want to
study the remains, and have been
challenging the tribes and federal
government in court. Earlier this
year, the U.S. Department of the
Interior ordered that the remains be
turned over to the tribes, but the
transfer has been delayed by the law
suit. The exhibit at The Museum at
Warm Springs, called "Kennewick
Man on Trial," will be on display
through Aug. 6.
The exhibit explains some of the
legal issues involved in the case, in
cluding explanation of the federal
Native American Graves Protection
and Repatriation Act of 1990, a con
trolling law in the case.
. The exhibit explores anthropo
logical issues currendy under debate,
from how and when people first
came to the Americas, to changing
thoughts about the nature of race.
The Kennewick Man remains con
stitute one of the oldest and most
complete skeletons ever found in
America.
The skull was found in July 1996
by two men who were watching a
boat race at Columbia Park at
Kennewick, Wash., in the eastern
portion of the state. A subsequent
organized search uncovered 350
bone fragments spread over a 300-square-foot
area.
The bones were on the bottom
of a dammed lake-like area, under
jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers, adjacent to the Colum
bia River.
Initially, an archaeologist work
ing with the Kennewick coroner
thought the remains might be those
of a 19th-century non-Indian, such
as a trapper. The remains were then
sent to a laboratory to be dated, with
the result indicating the remains to
be at least 8,400 years old.
Later, more precise dating put the
age at 9,300 years or more. The re
mains are now thought to be those
of a male Native American, age 45
to 55.
Fire strikes
jail again
For the second time in recent
weeks, a fire was started in the
juvenile section of the Warm
Springs Jail.
The first fire, which hap
pened the evening of June 22,
resulted in five inmates being
treated for smoke inhalation.
No one required medical at
tention following the more re
cent jail fire, the night of July 4.
The June 22 fire also required
the off-site evacuation of the
facility's 48 inmates.
The July 4 jail fire resulted
in inmates being evacuated from
inside the jail, but they were
detained on site in the recreation
yard, which is fenced and secure.
"Our officers did a fine job
of evacuating the facility," said
Police Chief Don Courtney.
The more recent jail fire was
started in the female juvenile
section. The June 22 jail fire was
started in the male juvenile section.