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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2002)
3R.C0LL. P.O.Box870 Warm Springs, OR 97761 KNIGHT LIBRARY W ) 1299 UNIVERSITY OF OREGON "" EUGENE, OR 97403 SFRIAl S DFPT U.S. Postage Bulk Rate Permit No. 2 Warm Springs, OR 97761 35 cents April 18,2002 Vol.27, No. 8 Coyote News, est. 1976 sees E 75 .S6B v. 27 no. B April 1B A off CW3 '-v Schools facing cut in budget Jim Manion has been on the School District 509-J board of directors for seven years. This year is the first time, during his tenure, that the school district is facing a re duced budget. To a large extent, how far the reduction will go is to be determined during the upcoming May Primary. In May, voters in the state will consider controversial Bal lot Measure 13. This measure would allow spending money from the state's Education En dowment Fund for K-12 fund ing in 2002-2004. In past years, earnings gen erated by the fund, established in 1995, have provided revenue to schools. Ballot Measure 13 proposes using $220 million of the fund's $272 million. ; The Oregon School Board ' Association, the Oregon Edu cation Association, and Gov. . Kitzhaber, among others, are opposed to Measure 13. "Raiding the trust fund is " nfl'f'a sound way to balance the , t budget or set a stable course ' for the future," according to a statement from the Education Association. On the other hand, Measure 13 is seen by many as a means of addressing immediate school funding needs. True, the measure is a tem porary solution, "but it buys us time to find a permanent solution," said Manion. See SCHOOL on page 7 Gang activity a serious problem Forum looks at possible solutions The speaker said to the people in the audience, "Raise your hand if your life has been directly affected by gang activ ity." Nearly everyone - from young people to riders and other adults - raised their hands. 'That's good," said the speaker, Wauneta Ixinc Wolf. "I'm talking to the right audi ence -1 don't have to convince you there is problem in this community." IHie Wolf, known to many young people as "Momma Wolf," was in Warm Springs last weekend, discussing prob lems that youth gangs bring to the reservation. These problems include drug and alcohol addiction, early teenage pregnancy, juve nile delinquency, shootings and other violence, and the loss of young people's lives. Police have estimated that about 100 young people on the reservation arc part of youth gangs. Wall Murray, a former Lo Angeles gang member who travels and speaks with Line Wolf, said the gang prob lem on the reservation is worse than he expected. After meeting with a group Need forjIhpMsing Tribal members contend with overcrowding, long waiting By Dave McMechan Spilyay Tymoo Staff New housing is one of the great needs on the res- ervation. -I , , A construction crew with Workforce Development, including Ricky Smith (above), is working on three new homes in the Sunnyside area. New homes are needed to meet demand. Wauneta Lone Wolf of youths who arc in trouble with the law, Murray said that gang activity on the reserva tion is as serious and harmful as in some of the major cities. Gangs arc leading many tribal youths into lives of crime, said Char Herkshan, counselor at the Warm Springs Community Counseling Cen ter. The Counseling Center with the police department and Title IX sponsored I .one Wolf and Murray's recent visit, which included a two-day gang prevention forum at the Com munity Center. The presence of gangs, said Herkshan, is one of the most serious problems faring the reservation, with children and youths ending up in prison, addicted to drugs, or Ining shot or stabbed or beaten. To help address these prob For this reason the subject of housing can be very contro- versial. "Even the word housing is almost like a dirty word in Warm Springs," said Chet Van vH r li lems, Lone Wolf's motivational group Dream Weavers, devoted to workshops on gang preven tion, was invited to Warm Springs. On hand for the two-day workshop were representatives of the local schools and law enforcement. During the first day of the forum, Lone Wolf discussed ways that the com munity can reduce gang activ ity on the reservation. Some suggestions include development of a citizens ad visory and review committee on gangs; identify youth lead ers, and have them mentor the troubled youths; involve the whole community in raising the youths. Most importandy, the solu tion to the problem begins in the individual homes. "A lot of this has to do with what is happening in the home," said Don Courtney, director of Warm Springs Pub lic Safety. There is no single cause of the problem, but lack of being held responsible is one factor, said Courtney. A lack of youth activities in the community is another fac tor, said Char Herkshan. The community center and the Hoys eV Girls Club arc do ing a good job, she said, but these kinds of programs need to lc expanded. p,.-h, director; of the Tribal Housing Department. Many tribal members who- would like to have their own homes are forced to live 'with relatives or friends in already- 'A lot of this has to do with what is happening in the home. " Don Courtney Chief of Police Involving ciders is an other important part of the solution, she said. All mem bers of the community are invited to the next forum on gang prevention forum, to happen within coming months, said Herkshan. . k l ' ' - ' V - - ! 4 V" f ' A (( J V Sjl Spllw ty,,0. .crowded dwellings. In some cases, two or more families are living in the same house. Some people live in trailers parked on the property of a friend or relative. ' In the very worst cases, and there are several of them, tribal members live out of doors. ; One tribal member told of working full-time on the res ervation while having to live in a teepee, and later in a tent. She finally moved into a small trailer, where she now lives with two brothers who cannot find anywhere else to stay. There are many stories like this. The lack of housing on the reservation is clearly demon strated by the long waiting lists for rental units and for homes that people would like to pur chase. There are about 140 tribal member names on the waiting list for rental units, and over 100 names on the list to pur chase a home. People are on these lists for years before their name finally comes to the top. Recently, Morris Holliday, who works in the Tribal Util ity Department, received word that his name was at the top of the list for an apartment. Holliday had been waiting a long time. I le first put his name on the list about six years ago. Once on the list, though, you have to renew your status every six months, or your name is re moved. This happened to Holliday, setting him back a year or two. Rodeo ready to buck It's back, the Root Feast Open Jackpot Rodeo. If you're looking for some great family entertainment and barrels of fun, the Warm Springs Rodeo Arena is the place to be on Saturday and Sunday, April 27-28. The all-new members of the Warm Springs Rodeo Associa tion will be hosting this must see, wild and wooly rodeo. Some of the exciting events include: The bareback and bronc riding, breakaway and calf rop ing, steer wrestling and team roping. And what rodeo would lists for homes "People need more space. Young people and elders especially need more privacy. " Elton Greeley Housing Authority board When tribal member Lynn Fluhr lived in Warm Springs, she was on the hous ing waiting list for years. Then in 1999 she moved to the town of Grass Valley, and within two days had located a home that she is purchas ing with her husband. In some instances, tribal members live in Madras and commute to work in Warm Springs, because they cannot find a place on the reserva tion. It takes a long time to move to the top of the list because the demand for housing is much greater than the supply. "I see a definite need for more housing," said Elton Greeley, chairman of the Warm Springs Housing Au thority Board of Directors, " which oversees the Housing Department. "We have many people living in over-crowded homes," said Greeley. "People need more space. Young people and elders es pecially need more privacy." All tribal officials - and probably the entire member ship - agree that the reserva tion needs more housing. See HOUSING on page 10 be complete without extreme bull riding. Other added attractions in clude kids calf riding, junior barrel racing, the hilarious calf scramble and the always-entertaining wild horse race. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 6-12, se niors and children under 6 are free. Rodeo action begins at 1 p.m. each day. So plan to take your family, and head on over to the rodeo arena on April 27 and 28 for great family enter tainment and barrels of fun. Set RODEO on page 6 Root Feast Agency Longhouse was the scene recently of the Root Feast. At left. Geraldine Jim helps prepare the salmon.