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)