Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2005)
Spilyqy Tytnoo, VVrm Springs, Oregon July 21, 2005 Pqge3 Fire near Wolfe Point A fire broke out in rangeland in the Wolfe Point are on Tues day, July 19. The fire had burned 600 acres by Tuesday afternoon. No buildings were damaged. The fire was moving away from the subdivision by the afternoon, said Warm Springs I-'irc Manage ment Officer Gary Cooke. The fire was moving southeast, toward the Deschutes River, he said. The fire was human caused, but a more specific cause was not yet known, and is being investi gated, said Cooke. ( Fire Management and Warm Springs Fire and Safety responded to the blaze, which was first re ported at 1 1:45 a.m. Other crews and engines from the region pro vided support. There was talk on Tuesday afternoon of closing I lighway 26, though this decision was still pend ing at press time. This is the first large wildland fire of the 2005 season. Cooke said that current conditions on the reservation are conducive to wildfires. People need to be extremely careful with anything that produces sparks, but once ignited, a fire will take off in these conditions, he said. Officials struggle with problem of youth suicides WASl 1INGTON, D.C (AP) - Sur geon General Richard Carmona has been quick to acknowledge a major problem with teen suicide in Indian Country, l ie also says efforts to slow the death rate aren't working. "I am proud to report that for the general population, the long-term trend in the United States has been toward a decline in the suicide rate," Carmona said at a congressional hearing last month. "I am troubled by the fact, however, that suicide in Indian coun try is not declining." The statistics are grim: The suicide rate for American Indians and Alaskan Natives ages 15 to 24 is three rimes the nation's average, Carmona says. And it is estimated that there are 13 nonfatal attempts for every fatality. The Cheyenne River Indian Reser vation in South Dakota has lost 17 teenagers to suicide in recent years. On the Standing Rock reservation, which straddles the border between North Dakota and South Dakota, at least 10 teenagers have taken their own lives since early 2004. Perhaps the most highly publicized suicide was in Minnesota in March, when 16-year-old Jeff Weise killed nine people - including several students at Red Lake High School - before turn ing a gun on himself. The shootings brought a mountain of attention to the Red Lake Indian Reservation and de pression among teens there. Federal officials arc still looking for answers to the teen suicide increase. "The reality is that we have not ad equately explored either the problems or the necessary responses," Carmona said. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., says reservations need more money for mental health services and school coun selors that could be a help to troubled teens. President Bush proposed an in crease in mental health funding for the Indian Health Service in fiscal 2006, but the agency's budget has been tight in recent years due to cuts in domestic spending across the board. Dorgan said he is working with Sen ate Indian Affairs Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., on legislation that would authorize more money for mental health services on reservations. In his June testimony, Carmona said most teens who commit suicide have never visited with mental health pro fessionals. Twila Rough Surface, a North Da kota member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe who lost a niece to suicide, told a congressional committee that many Indian families do not have the transportation needed to seek help. "Families are economically disadvan taged, and with the 40- to 75-mile trip to seek counseling, it is virtually impos sible to access these options," she said. Marlene F.chol lawk, a doctor who works on the behavioral health staff at the Indian I Iealth Service, agrees that more funds are needed but says the problems arc complex. She speculates the suicides cannot simply be traced to poverty on the res ervations. "We have had poverty since 1492, and you haven't had this degree of suicide," she says. Echol lawk, a member of the Otoe Missouria tribe from northern Okla homa, attributes the deaths to high rates of alcoholism on reservations, frequent incidents of sexual abuse and a lack of identity among many American In dian teens. The IHS says a University of New Mexico study found 69 percent of all Indian suicides involved alcohol. The agency has worked to bring agencies together to identify causes and re sponses, including emergency services in communities with the highest level of suicides. But doctors have much to learn about Indian suicides, Carmona said. "We have nothing close to the more robust literature and science that are available about the general population," he said. For now, many of the prevention The IHS says a Uni versity of New Mexico study found 69 percent of all Indian suicides in volved alcohol. efforts will fall to the reservations themselves. Carmona said the Jicarilla Apache of New Mexico decreased the rate of suicide on that reservation by 60 percent over 10 years by creating a prevention strategy that involved tribal leadership, community members, teen agers, II IS staff and local academics. The Cheyenne River tribe in South Dakota is also working to lessen the pain for young people. The Cheyenne River Youth Project is a nonprofit or ganization that provides after-school activities for teenagers. "Unfortunately there is no one magic answer to fix what decades of neglect and hopelessness have caused," said project director Julie Garreau at the Senate hearing. "But our community is strong and resilient, and we are work ing hard to address these issues together." July 27-30, 2005 Wednesday, July 27 Opening ceremonies 9:30a.m. Buildings open everyday at 10:00 a.m. . High Desert Dance 5:00 p.m. Talent Show prelims 6:00 p.m. Jefferson County Fair Hay Day 6:00 p.m. Teen Dance (Pavillion) 9-10:30 p.m. Thursday, July 28 Cow-Horse Contest (Corwin Arena) 6:00 p.m. Talent Show finals 6:30 p.m. Estella & Alberto 9:00 p.m. Friday, July 29 Queen Lorene & the Skillet Lickers 1 , & 4:30 p.m. ZachDriscoll 2:30 & 6:30 NFRA Rodeo (Corwin Arena) 8:00 p.m. Juice Newton (Les Schwab Stage) 9:00 p.m. Saturday, July 30 Parade 1 0:00 a.m.: , i j Juniper Clicken Cloggers 3:00, & 6:30 p.m. IindyGravelle (Beef show barn) 4:00 p.m. Kiwanis BBQ (Beef show barn) 4:00 p.m. Livestock auction (Beef show barn) 5:00 p.m. NFRA Rodeo (Corwin Arena) 8:00 p.m. Countryfied (Big Western Dance-Pavillion) 9 p.m. Appearing daily Wagon's Ho, Atlas Robots, Busybee Dogs, Sam Klemke caricature artist, Davis Amusement Show (carnival) i wn I A Juice Newton will perform at the fair at 9 p.m. on Friday, July 29, on the Les Schwab stage. Businesses Wishing Warm Springs a Great Time at the Fair! Busy Bee Market Deli, Laundry 480 SW 4th Street Madras, OR 97741 475-7162 Legendary Pizza . 1235 SWHwy97 Madras, OR 97741 Bl We Tdln 475-6363 Terri Chandler Branch Manager Madras Branch Office MBja PD-OR-3123 I I WBn f 42SWCStrt - tjf-1 Madras. OR 97741 ft () (541)475-3811 (541) 475-5377 votes ma (541)475-3346 fax (800) 872-2657 24-hr aervtoa tsrrl chandtsrOusbar com - i . ifrs.,,- m!r-ma ,,i ,J I ' STEVE ZACHARY 1810 SW Hwy 97 Madras, OR 97741 (541) 475-2476 Fax.- (541) 475-2879 www.madrasmarine.com Ron McDonald Chevrolet 2000 S.W. Hwy. 26 ttSom. kmiuc CHEVHDlfT FricikionV Enjoy The Frltd liest sJtort Ivi tow 561SM)thStne,Madry 47 5 '3637 t Paint & C3a VJ. I V 5S c A 541)475-0440 1-877-475-0440 SC V" St Madras, OR 97741 "Our Customers Deserve Quality Discount Ccirpef Floor Copering (541)475-4434 1825 SW Hwy 97, Madras. OR 97741 (Next to Miller Ford Nissan)
