Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 4, 2005)
SCA OrColl E ' 73 .S8 f no. 16 (( O s"5pily3y P.O. Box 870 Worm ftnrirm OR Q77R1 Univenity of Oregon Library Received oni 08-11-05 Spilyay tyioo. yrn PRSRTSTD Warm Springs, OR 97761 50 cents Coyote News, est 1976 August 4, 2005 Vol. 30, No. 16 oo Governor supports casino fee to trust Gov. Ted Kulongoski this week sent a letter to the BIA stating that a tribal casino at Cascade Ixcks would not be a detriment and would benefit the lo cal community, the tribes and the state. The casino proposal, the letter states, "is a winning deal for the tribes and for all stakeholders in Oregon, but mostly the proposal is a winning deal for the tribes and the people in and around Cascade Ixcks." The letter from the governor is in response to several questions from the BIA regarding various aspects of sit ing a casino at Cascade Locks. The comments from the governor will be used to assist the Secretary of the Interior in considering whether to approve taking the Cascade Locks ca sino site into trust. The fce-to-trust pro cess is a necessary step in the overall casino approval process. "I have considered the tribes' Cas cade Locks proposal carefully over the last two years," Kulongoski said in the letter. "Generally, I am not in favor of off reservation Indian gaming and I was initially reticent to consider the tribes' proposal. I Ibwcvcr, based on all infor mation currently known, and in light of the risks associated with the tribes' proposed development near Hood River, and the totality of the compact commitments agreed upon by the tribes and the state, I am convinced that the Cascade Ixcks proposal is in the best interests of the surrounding area and the state," Kulongoski said in the letter. The governor in April signed a gam ing compact with the Confederated Tribes regarding the Cascade Locks site. The Secretary of the Interior has not yet approved the gaming compact, pending the outcome of the fee-to-trust process. ' In the letter to the BIA, Kulongoski addresses various issues related to the casino proposal. One important issue, for instance, is the environmental im pact. There are various aspects to this is sue, including consistency with the Co lumbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act, resolution of Hood River land claims, and environmental protec tion. Ste CASINO on 12 Council appoints three new judges By Dave McMechan SpilyJj Tjmoo i " . '' Tribal Council has appointed three new trial judges to the Tribal Court. The new chief judge is Anita Jackson, and the associate judges are Marie Calica and Barbara Jim. The previous Chief Judge was Lola Sohappy, who has retired. The previ ous associate judges were Walter Langnese and Wilma Smith. The associate judges' terms had ex pired, and Tribal Council earlier this year directed staff to advertise the positions, said Jody Calica, secretary treasurer. Now that the trial court judges have been appointed, Council can shift attention to appointment of the nine appeals court judges, said Calica. Chief Judge Anita Jackson has pre vious experience on the judicial bench, as she served as Tribal Court juvenile judge in the 1980s. Marie Calica and Barbara Jim are new to the judgeship positions, but both have previous experience with the court system. Calica has been director of the Vic tims of Crime Services for a number years; and Jim, lately of the accounts payable department, has served as a legal advocate. Jackson most recently had been working on various projects, on a contract basis, with tribal man agement. The main goal of the new judges is to ensure that the court system best serves the community, said Jackson. "One of my goals is to bring in tradi tion and culture to the family law area," she said. There will be a focus on the meth amphetamine problem, she said. Fed eral grants could help in setting up an effective drug court, said Jackson. The Tribal Council action in appoint ing the new judges came after many months of attempting to convene a judicial nominating committee, said Jody Calica. Because of scheduling conflicts the committee was not able to convene, although the positions had been adver tised and the applications submitted for consideration. Ice JUDGES on 12 r .. 6 L-V.1 DtvtMcMacharVSptyay Steven Begay cooks eels for the feast at the Celilo Village Longhouse dedication. (See page 11 for more on the new longhouse.) . , .. Youth enjoy jobs in the media By Ashley Aguilar Spilyay Tymoo During the summer, there are many youth workers involved in a variety of positions spread out across Warm Springs, Kah-Nee-Ta and Simnasho. One particular depart ment that has made an impact on the community is Tribal Relations, including KWSO and the Spilyay Tymoo. Youth workers at both these de partments make their contribution by relaying news to the community, the main point of their occupation. Whether it's broadcast over the ra dio station daily, or written in the bi weekly newspaper, the information gets to the people. Brandon Caldera (KWSO staff call him "the B man"), 17, has worked at KWSO for the past two summers, and said he has enjoyed his time working with the radio station staff. "I first chose the job because it's cool," Caldera said. "I came back be cause I thought it was fun." Caldera's job requires more than phone manners and typing on the com puter. The position requires him to talk on the air, during the show called "Teen Spirit." He also downloads music into the computers and sometimes takes over shifts for others who are not avail able. ( The most fun part of the job is dur ing the Teen Spirit show, he said, when he picks the music and talks on the air. Sally Polk-Adams, another youth worker for KWSO, performs similar tasks. Polk graduated from high school in June. She plans to take a year off from school and then attend Portland Community College. In her five years of work experi ence, she has come to find that "find ing a job you really like and you're in tune with" is most important. In her first week of working with KWSO, the staff had her help knock down a wall and paint at the studio. She found the job when she was selling raffle tickets as part of the Pi-Ume-Sha Court. KWSO manager Sue Matters said she found an interest in the way Polk carried herself. "When they asked me to work, I thought it would be fun and different working with the equipment," Polk -Adams said. More recently she was at the Jefferson County Fair with other KWSO workers representing the sta tion. "I would have to say that doing the Community Calendar is the most chal lenging," she said. Ste YOUTH on 12 Judge Sohappy retires after many years of service By Dave McMechan Spilyay Tymoo Lola Sfthappy has been a judge of the Tribal Court for just over 20 years. Her judicial work has been mainly in the area of child welfare and domestic cases. "I've always felt this is where I belong," she said of her work with children and families. Sohappy decided to retire recendy. For now she is taking a break and re laxing, but in the future she plans to remain involved in helping Indian youth and families. Sohappy is a founding member of the National Indian Child Association, and may become more active in the organization, she said. Even before becoming a Tribal Court judge in 1985, Sohappy was in volved in child welfare work. In the late 1960s and early 70s she worked for the Warm Springs Police Depart ment. Her position was that of matron, and her job duties involved everything from dispatch and answering emer gency phone calls, to keeping jail records, cooking for the inmates and cleaning. She often took calls from people in domestic dispute situations. In those days the matron lived at a residence at the police station. In 1972 the department was re-organized. Part of the reorganization involved elimi nating the matron residence where Sohappy and her husband Don lived. So she decided to switch jobs. She served as a foster parent for a while. This was before the opening of the Children's Protective Services group home. In time Sohappy became a counse lor, having earned an associate's degree r -i r ' 1 " " "f i f v 1 Lola Sohappy in mental health from Mount Hood Community College in Gresham. She was a counselor for a number of years. Then in 1985 the judge posi tion came open, she applied and was hired. As a judge her focus has re mained in the area of her expertise, juvenile and domestic cases. "That has always been an interest of mine, to help these children," she said. Her work has been difficult, because the cases involve child neglect and abuse. "This is not a position that anyone would covet," she said, "because of the kinds of cases you have to handle." It can be hard to sleep at night, be cause "you are literally holding the lives of children in your hands," she said. People have said to her that they don't know how she has done the job for so long. "My faith is what has carried me through," she said. "My faith, and also the support of my family and co-workers." The workload is large for the judges of the Tribal Court. Sohappy said she has about 165 open cases, and another 1 00 cases with pending warrants, so the judge is responsible for about 265 cases during an average month. Recent years have been bad ones in the areas of child neglect and domes tic problems, she said. "We're going through a hard time right now, the worst I've seen in all these years, I believe, because of the meth amphetaminc use," said Sohappy. "It is a very bad problem, very fright ful, because of what can happen to the kids." Her job has been difficult, but she will miss the work. "I'm still concerned about the chil dren and families," she said "And I'd like to hope I've made a difference here."
