News from Incj¡an Country
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Tribe appoints new prosecutor
PEN D LETO N (AP) - The new
prosecutor for the Confederated Tribes
of the Umatilla Indian Reservation said
he plans to reduce crime rates in the
tribal communties by focusing on cur
tailing domestic violence rates.
Mark Kemp, who stepped into the
position four weeks ago, said most
domestic violence cases are drug and
alcohol related.
Because simply locking people up
won't solve the problems, Kemp said,
he wants to also place more o f those
who are. convicted into drug and alco
hol treatment, and mental health pro
grams, as well as anger management
and batters prevention programs.
“Alcohol-related offenses and do
mestic violence constitute a substan
tial amount o f what I'm doing here,”
Kemp said. “There's quite a bit of do
mestic violence on the reservation just
as there is quite a bit o f it off the res
ervation with non-Indians as well.”
Kemp, 54, was born in Hermiston
and grew up in La Grande. He gradu
ated from Eastern Oregon State Col
lege, and was a deputy district attorney
in Umatilla County before becoming
Umatilla Indian Reservation's prosecu
tor.
From 1986-2001, he was the chief
judge on the tiny Burns Paiute Res
ervation, where he became familiar
with the tribe's customs, culture and
issues.
K em p is the U m atilla Indian
Reservation's only tribal prosecutor and
has one staff member.
He can prosecute American Indians
in most cases, but has no criminal ju
risdiction over non-American Indians.
In most instances, only federal offi
cials can prosecute non-American In
dian offenders who commit a crime on
Indian reservations and only federal
agents can make arrests in murder, rape
and other major crimes cases, regard
less of whether the offender is Ameri
can Indian or not.
Tribes bitter over past casino results
Maine tribal officials face trial
BANGOR, Maine (AP) _ A former
Passamaquoddy tribal governor at In
dian Township and the tribe's ex-busi
ness manager go on trial in U.S. Dis
trict Court on Monday for allegedly
misusing $1.7 million in federal funds,
health care center funds and other tribal
money over a 41 / 2-year period.
Robert L. Newell, 64, o f Princeton
and James J. Parisi Jr., 45, of Pordand,
✓ ......... .
Need help with a legal problem?
Speak with a Legal Aide attorney
during drop-in hours 1 to 4 p.m.
on the first Monday of the month
i
'
pleaded not guilty on April 1 to a
multicount indictment.
Newell, who most recendy served
as tribal governor at Indian Township
from 2002 to 2006, and Parisi, who
served as Indian Township's finance
director from 2003 to 2006, were in
dicted on March 19 by a federal grand
jury after a nearly two-year investiga
tion.
at the Family Resources Center.
Or call 385-6944 Monday through
Wednesday between 10 a.m. and
2 p.m.
..................
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Maine's
Indian tribes have tried three times to
have laws passed so they could build a
casino in the state. Three times they've
failed.
There's a lingering bitterness among
many tribal members as Mainers pre
pare to vote Tuesday on whether to al
low a casino under the operation of a
Las Vegas company.
This is the second time Mainers will
have voted on a casino that isn't being
proposed by either the Penobscot In
dian Nation or the Passamaquoddy
Tribe. The first time, back in 2003, vot
ers approved a ballot question that al
lowed for the Hollywood Slots casino
and its 1,000 slot machines in Bangor
while rejecting a separate proposal for
a tribal casino.
Wayne Mitchell, the Penobscot rep
resentative to the Legislature, didn't
vote on the casino question when he
cast an early ballot for Tuesday's elec
tion. That decision, he said, should be
left to Oxford County residents to de
cide.
But tribal members can't help but
feel resentment that they can't build a
casino when others can, Mitchell said.
“We've lived through so much ad
versity, put up with so much racism and
discrimination — economic discrimina
tion — that we're numb to that sort of
thing now,” he said.
Question 2 on Tuesday's ballot asks
if voters favor allowing a casino to be
built in Oxford County. Olympia Gam
ing of Las Vegas is proposing a $184
million resort in the town of Oxford
that would include a 300-room hotel, a
conference center, restaurants and a
casino with up to 1,500 slot machines
and a variety of table games.
The first time Mainers voted on a
casino was five years ago, when the
Penobscot and Passamaquoddy tribes
floated a referendum proposing a $650
million casino and resort in Sanford.
After a costly and contentious cam
paign, Mainers voted down the pro
posal by a 2-1 margin.
That same election, however, vot
ers gave the thumbs-up to another ref
erendum pushed by Las Vegas busi
nessman Shawn Scott allowing for slot
machines at harness racing tracks. The
vote allowed Penn National Gaming to
build the Hollywood Slots casino in
Bangor.
A year ago, voters again rejected a
statewide referendum calling for a ca
sino and resort in eastern Maine, to be
operated by the Passamaquoddy Tribe.
And earlier this year, the Legislature
approved a bill to allow 100 slot ma
chines on the Penobscot reservation
near Old Town, only to have the gov
ernor veto it.
N either tribe has taken a public
stance on the Oxford casino, but sev
eral Penobscot members said the vote
is stirring up painful memories of past
casino efforts.
Leading up to this election,-Barry
Dana has heard from many tribal mem
bers who oppose the Oxford casino.
Dana is a former Penobscot chief who
served as the public face of the tribes
in the 2003 campaign for the Sanford
casino.
“N o one has said to me they have
anything against Oxford County. They
just don't feel it's right for the tribes to
be kicked in the face and then have
somebody else go ahead and get it,”
said Dana, who lives in Solon. He de
clined to say how he would vote.
Many Indians still scratch their
heads at Gov. John Baldacci's stand on
gambling, Dana said. How can the gov
ernor veto slot machine legislation for
the tribe and speak out against casinos
while expanding the state's lottery op
erations to include Powerball, he asked.
“You cannot tell me that Powerball
is not gaming,” Dana said. “If you go
into a little store and see all the scratch
tickets people buy, they're basically slot
machines on paper. Gambling is gam
bling.”
EUS i T i IBISI!
Communicating with your schools November dates
Regular, respectful, thoughtful communication builds trust and morale
among community members, parents, grandparents, students
and school staff members
__
Message from the Superintendent:
As a district, we are committed to keeping a focus on important issues. We work diligently to follow our policies and
procedures. Policies and procedures are the rules the School Board has established to follow all laws, regulations, and our
communities’ overall expectations. I am extremely proud of the work that is going on in the Jefferson County School
District. We have amazing students and staff doing great things each and every day. As with any institution, issues arise
that are not always positive. When those instances occur, it is critical to have open lines of communication in order to
handle them appropriately, and be able to keep our outlook positive and focused on the important work going on in the
District. I will do my part in communicating and I hope you will do the same.
... and TELL US the BAD news
TELL US the GOOD news...
► A simple “Thank You” goes a long way
► Send a note to someone thanking them for
their extra efforts
► Let the building administration know when you
see good things happening
► Share with other community members positive
things that you see in the district
► Get involved in school activities to show
support
► Tell your School board members about the
positives
► Start with your child’s teacher whenever
possible
► If you cannot, or do not, find resolve in the first
step, contact the building administrator
► The next step is to contact the Superintendent’s
office
► If you do not find resolve from the Superintendent,
you can address the School Board
I
to remember
NOV. 1 0 -N o school
End of Quarter
School Board meeting at
Warm Springs Elementary 7 pm
NOV. 11 - No school
Veterans Day
NOV. 24
School Board meeting at
Support Services Building 7:30 pm
NOV. 26-28-N o school
Thanksgiving
www.jcsd.k12.onus
Hey! National Education week starts November 10th.
Thank a teacher or principal for all their hard work
■
Your Board Members are your
representatives. Let them know
what is going on:
Jeff Sanders, Chair 553-1769 ; 553-3250
Lyle Rehwinkel, Vice Chair 475-5
Steve Earnest 475-3583
Brad Holliday 475-4231
Stan Sullivan 475-7225
2008 MHS Homecoming fun at pep assembly