Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 9, 2001)
Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon August 9, 2001 Region wins $11.7 million for poverty The Northwest Area Founda tion of St. Paul, Minn., has com mitted $11.7 million over the next decade to combat poverty through out Central Oregon, including Warm Springs. An agreement between the foundation and the Central Or egon Partnership, signed Aug. 1, calls for the funding of network of Community Action Teams in Bend, LaPinc, Madras, Prinevillc, Redmond, Sisters and Warm Springs. The teams will develop an initiative to attack the root causes of poverty. Central Oregon is the second re gion in the county to win final ap proval and funding for such a plan. "We are beyond happy that the NWAF selected our region for con sideration of this incredible part nership," said Bill Willitts, chair man of the steering committee that has worked the past two years to craft the plan. "It means that for 10 years we'll be able to make a concerted and creative effort to see if we can re duce the root causes of poverty in a region about which we all care so deeply." Members of the committee in-' dude Willitts, Eric Alexander Jolcnc Estimo Atcncio, Marilyn Deem, Lynne and John Brccsc, Jerry Colonna, Becky Lu Ham mer, Clint Jacks, Mary Krcnowicz, Jim Lussier, Jessie Macias, Jill Phillips-McLanc, Julie Quaid and KrisRees. The organization will form over the next few months, with exten sive planning, recruitment and other activities. Karl Staubcr, foun dation president, will visit Central Oregon in early October to meet with the partnership and others. Pre-teens sought for sitter class Children age 11 to 13 may now register for the Safe Sitter course that will be offered on at Moun tain View Hospital District in Madras. The 8 - hour Safe Sitter program will begin Tuesday, Au gust 14, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, and is a being held in the Commu nity Education Room. To pre-rcg-istcr, or for more information, call the Mountain View Hospital Dis trict Wellness office at 475-3882 extension 2307. Sponsored by Mountain View Hospital District, the Safe Sitter program instructs youngsters on how to handle emergencies when caring for younger children. The goal of Safe Sitter is to re duce preventable deaths among children being cared for by babysitters. Thousands of adoles cents across the country have been trained in Safe Sitter. Students receive hands-on prac tice in basic life saving techniques as well as instruction I security precautions such as what to do if a stranger comes to the door. The sitter will also learn information on child development and age ap propriate activities. Financial literacy The Small Business Develop ment Center is sponsoring ONABEN Financial Literacy classes. Whether you want to start a business, buy a home, or pay off your debt, personal financial lit eracy is a first step to gaining con trol over your financial future. The' scries runs for six weeks. Classes will be held at the SBDC from 6-9 p.m. Sept. 18; Sept. 25; Oct. 2; Oct. 9; Oct. 17; Oct. 23. For more information or to reg ister, contact SBDC at 553-3592. Summer classes set : August 13 - 14, 2001: K - 6 Grades - Cost: $2.50 per student 10 am - 12 Noon: Weaving & Twining Instructor: Eileen Spino August 13 - 14, 2001: 7"1 - I2,h Grades - Cost: $4.00 per student 2 pm - 5 pm: Corn Husk Weav ing Class Instructor: Eileen Spino August 15 - 16, 2001: K - 6"1 Grades - Cost: $2.50 per student 10 am - 12 Noon: Bead Weaving & Loom work Instructor: Dorothy "Pebbles" George August 15 - 16, 2001: Th - 12,k Grades - Cost: $4.00 per student 2 pm - 5 pm: Advanced Beading Projects , Instructor: Dorothy "Pebbles" George August 17, 2001: Higher Ed. Stu dents - Cost: $5.00 per student 9 am - 12 Noon: Corn Husk Weaving . , Instructor: Eileen Spino August 17, 2001: Higher Ed. Students - Cost: $5.00 per student 2 pm - 5 pm: Advanced Bead ing Projects . Instructor: Dorothy "Pebbles" George Keeping his cool , 1 ""i i """" "' i -A i Jl f M I 1 I i 1 -i :kjl Photo by Jtrry Bruno The dunk tank (manned by Percy Winishut, 17) proved to be a popular attraction this week during the Family Jamboree. Warm temperatures pretty much guaranteed anything involving water would draw a crowd. Foster mother gets prison term for death of young boy Tamcra Coffee recently was sentenced to 6 Vi years in fed eral prison for causing the death last year of 4-year-old Andres E. Saragos. Coffee, 34, will begin serving her sentence on Sept. 13. Coffee pleaded guilty earlier this year to second-degree murder in the death of the child, who had been in her foster i. 'v.caxe. Coffee's wrest happened in early July of 2000, after '''" AndS'SaragoS, leftin a vehicle on a hot summer day, died , of heat stroke. , . , The 6 Vi-year prison sentence was the recommended term included in her plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Of fice. The judge in the case also imposed a five-year period of post-prison supervision. At the hearing last week, assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Wil liams argued to the court that Coffee should be taken into custody on the date of the sentencing. However, Coffee's at torney, Andrew Bates of Portland, said there was no reason for such action. The judge ruled with the defense, giving Coffee six weeks before having to surrender to custody. Coffee had been on pre-trial release from custody since a short time after her arrest in July 2000, the time of Saragos' death. She had presented no problems to the court during that time, a main factor in why the start of her prison term was delayed until Sept. 13. During her sentencing hearing in federal court last week, Coffee declined the opportunity to make a verbal statement regarding the crime. The natural mother of the child, Vernice Switzler, did, however, make a brief comment. She mentioned how the death of Andres has been devastating for her other children. In recounting Switzler's testimony, assistant U.S. Attor ney Williams said last week, "She and her children want to know why this happened, and they want to know why she is still out of custody." The children are having a hard time understanding why Coffee, while admitting to second-degree murder of their brother Andres, is still not in prison, Williams said. "It's very-difficult for Ms. Switzler and her children to see Tamera. Coffee in public on the reservation," Williams said. Committee members sworn Traditional Tribal committee members were sworn into office this week. Many of the members sworn in this week also have served on the same committees during the past term. The terms of the committee members are for approximately three years, or until approximately 60 days following the end of the Tribal Council terms. The swearing-in ceremony for the new committee members hap pened Monday morning, Aug. 6, in front of the Tribal Administra tion Building. Members of the Culture and Heritage Committee are Viola Kalama, Emily Waheneka, Marga ret Suppah, Brigette Whipple, Madeline Mclnturff and Gladys Thompson. Members of the Education Committee are Urbana Ross, Col leen Johnson, Ramona Tanewasha, Martha Winishut and Alyssa Macy. Members of the Fish and Wild life Off-Reservation Committee are Harold Blackwolf Sr., Olney Patt Jr., Claude Smith Sr. and Terry Courtney Jr. Members of the Fish' and Wild life On-Reservation Committee are Donald Winishut Sr., Tony Suppah, Elmer Scott Jr. and Leslie Bill. The Health and Welfare Com mittee members are Janice Clements, Robert Miller, Urbana Manion and Geneva Charley. The Land-Use Planning Com mittee members are Phillip Florendo, Lepha Smith, Moses Kalama and Lee Tom. The Range, Irrigation and Ag riculture Committee members are Evans Spino, Jacob Frank Sr., Jay Suppah and Carmella Scott. The Timber Committee mem bers are " Reginald ' Winishut, Theron Johnson, Max Jackson and Raymond Moody. leave ... Trial date scheduled chief Heath for murder suspects An October trial date has been set for the three Warm Springs youths accused of murder in the death of Michael Saludo, whose body was discovered July 12. Last week, the three suspects -Ronald McKinley, 23, Angelo Fuentes, 22, and Tony Gilbert Jr., 18 - were arraigned on federal grand jury indictments charging first-degree murder and robbery. Each of the suspects was also charged with felony murder, mean ing they are accused of having com mitted murder during the commis sion of a felony crime, robbery. Following the arraignment, the suspects, each of whom is a tribal member, entered pleas of not guilty. Michael Saludo also was a tribal member. The suspects, facing a possible life sentence if convicted of first-degree or felony murder, remain in federal custody in Pordand. The judge has set Oct. 2 as the trial date. Michael Saludo was 26 at the time of his death. His body was discov ered at the Lower Dry Creek Campground. Antelope tags made available The Confederated Tribes has se cured a total of 27 tags to hunt prong horn antelope on ceded lands dur ing the 2001 season in Oregon. The tags are being offered through the tribal Natural Resources Branch and the deadline to sign-up is Aug. 10. Tribal members 12 years of age and older are eligible for the tags. Youngsters must complete a Hunter's Safety Education class. J , If there .are more interested hunt ers than available tags, a drawing will be held to determine the recipients. The 27 tags being offered through the Natural Resources Branch in volve 10 separate Oregon hunts. '"'' Tag holders must follow all rules established by the state of Oregon for hunting pronghorn antelope. For more information stop by or ' call Natural Resources at 553-2002. taken to hospital Warm Springs Chief Delvis Heath was hospitalized for four days last week. After some rest, Chief Heath, 62, earlier this week said he was "feeling great." Chief Heath and other mem bers of the Tribal Council last week traveled to Las Vegas for a seminar. At the seminar on Wednesday afternoon, Heath men tioned that he was not feeling well. Joe Moses, sworn in recently as Chief of the Seekseequa District, then drove Heath to the hospital in Las Vegas. At the time, there was some concern about the possibility of a stroke, but Heath this week said the problem had to do with going off his special diet, combined with a lack of rest. He was in the hospital in Las Vegas from Wednesday until Sat urday afternoon. He flew home that night, and on Monday said he was feeling fine. Heath has been Warm Springs Chief for close to 20 years. Budget proposals ... Continued from Page 1 While reducing expenditures in 2002, the Tribal Council must also ensure that adequate funding is budgeted for essential government services such as police and fire safety, delivery of drinking water, and treatment of wastewater. While the recommended annual reduction of $600,000 will not be easy, the situation could have been worse. For instance, last year, in developing a 10-year budget pro jection, tribal officials anticipated a need to reduce the budget by as much as $1.2 million for 2002. The reduction number now being con sidered is half that amount. Also on a more positive note, the need to reduce the budget has generated some new ideas in how to meet community needs with limited tribal government revenue, said Willy Fuentes, chief opera tions officer. For instance, the tribes could see some benefits trough work with private foundations, Fuentes said. "If there is a silver lining to the dark cloud of the budget cuts, it is that the tribal leadership is now looking hard at other opportuni ties," Fuentes said. Secretary-treasurer Jackson added that the tribes' budget situ ation, while a difficult one, is not dire. "Right now, we have room to maneuver and make adjustments, and we have the wherewithal to make investments to increase fu ture revenue," Jackson said. "But we are entering a time when we must carefully marshal our re sources." ' In the long-term, the tribes are planning to develop new sources of revenue - a Columbia Gorge ' casino, for instance - that eventu ally will replace revenue that has declined from timber, Jackson said. " Later this month, Fuentes, Jack , son and other staff of the finance department, along with the heads .pf the enterprise operations, will present an initial budget proposal, -including revenue forecasts, to the Tribal Council. c c The finance staff will make a budget recommendation, which the Tribal Council will review in early September. A proposal will be posted by Oct. 1, and follow ing this posting, the process calls for district and general council meetings on the recommended budget. After considering input from tribal members, the Tribal Coun cil will make a final decision by Dec. 1, at which time the final budget must be posted The new budget year then be gins Jan. 1. Continued from Page 1 In his initial research, Heath then reviewed basic documents of the tribes, such as the Constitution and Bylaws, and the Comprehen sive Plan, the Organizational and the Management plans, for in stance. All of these documents include statements regarding the need to preserve culture and languages, Heath said. For this reason, a tra ditional leave policy would be in keeping with the purpose of the tribal government, he said. With direction from Tribal Council, Heath then reviewed the traditional leave policies that other tribes have adopted. Working with a group of traditional food gather ers and preparers, Heath developed a draft policy for Council review, which the Council considered in June. The Tribal Council is scheduled to review a revised draft policy on August 28. The revised draft states that the traditional leave policy would ap ply to any tribal member worker, in the employment of the tribes, who is an active practitioner of a traditional tribal religion of one of the three Confederated Tribes. Such an employee could take "leave from employment with full pay and benefits to participate in all traditional religious activities of the Confederated Tribes," accord ing to the proposed draft policy. 'The extent of such leave," the draft states, "is dependent on the specific role of the employee in an approved activity and shall include sufficient time for preparation prior to the event and rest after the event before the Traditional Prac titioner must report back to work." The proposed policy includes a list of specific activities to which the traditional leave policy would apply. Also, the proposed policy would apply to an employee tak ing a Ichishkin, Kiksht or Numu language class, with a 2-hour per week limitation. The draft policy says that an employee taking traditional leave must "ensure that job duties are maintained and participation in traditional events and any adverse impacts to the work site are mini mized." The employee must give his or her immediate supervisor prior notice that the employee will be taking leave from employment. The supervisor would then docu ment the leave, and report it to the payroll department.