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E
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. S68
v. 36
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Coyote News , est. 1976
P.O. Box 870
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECRWSS
ostai Patron
Acquisition Dept./Serials
November 2, 2011 Vol. 36, Ne
- I - -
November Anaku Ipach’aanxa Yaamash
50 cents
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Staff on board, new offices at Teleco
By Dave McMechan
Spilyay Tymoo
The exciting thing about something
new is the potential for the future. Take
the Warm Springs TeleCo, for example.
Danica Greene and Gabriel Walker
can tell you about the potential of the
teleco. “I love this job,” said Walker,
who is the sales and marketing coordi
nator for the enterprise.
“There’s a different feeling here than
with any other job I’ve had,” he said.
“We’re connecting the reservation to
gether, and we’re connecting the reser
vation to the rest of the world. I feel
blessed to be a part of this.”
“It’s been exciting to see the office
come together,” said Danica, “from the
remodel, to the new furniture coming
in, and now the equipment.”
Working at the teleco, “I’m learning
new things every day, as we go along,”
she said.
Greene is the teleco customer ser
vice manager. She and Walker are the
first teleco employees hired after op
erations manager Jose Mantanane, who
started in April.
Council,
district
considering
new school
By Dave McMechan
Spilyay Tymoo
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
WSTC’s Gabe Walker, Jose Mantanane and Danica Greene at the new offices.
‘Best service possible’
The Warm Springs Telecommunica
tions Co. (WSTC) central office is at
the industrial park in the former ap
parel building, which is now completely
remodeled.
Technicians this week continue in
stalling the state-of-the-art telecommu
5. Postage
RSRTSTD
, OR 97761
Kniaht Library
nications equipment. A key component,
called a “soft switch,” is going in soon.
Danica Greene comes to the teleco
from tribal Mail and Reception, where
she was supervisor for ten years. She
grew up in Warm Springs, and gradu
ated high school from Chemawa Indian
School.
As teleco customer service manager,
her goal is help the enterprise provide
the best service possible, the kind of
service you would expect from the best
telecom m unications companies.
“We’re here to help the people of.
the reservation connect to each
other and to the outside world,”
Greene said.
Tribal Council and the 509-J school
district board have been talking in re
cent week of the need for a new school
in Warm Springs.
The idea for a new school serving
the reservation has been on the table
for about a decade. Funding has been
the obstacle to getting the project be
yond the discussion phase.
To build a new K-8 school in Warm
Springs would cost an estimated $18
million, said Rick Molitor, school dis
trict superintendent.
An idea mentioned at Tribal Coun
cil last week is for the school district to
come up with half the money, and the
tribes to come up with the other half.
Tribal Council could put the issue
to a vote of the membership by refer
endum. The school district would go
to its voters for a bond levy.
The current Warm Springs Elemen
tary School is decades old, some parts
dating back to the 1930s. The location
by Highway 26 is also problematic for
safety and other reasons.
See SCHOOL on page 5
See TELEC O on page 8
Council hears business development update Chieftain
Tribal Council last week heard a rec
ommendation from the economic stew
ardship team on the process for ap
proving business loans to tribal mem
bers.
There is a. $2 million fund, called the
Private Business Revolving Fund, that
is intended to help members start new
businesses, or expand or improve ex
isting ones.
The fund is part of the “phase 2
settlement” money that Tribal Council
used to fund the Economic Steward
ship Plan.
Pumpkin
Parade
Jaurissa Bellanger (as crayon,
below), Jimmy George (as Luigi)
and Nakomis Rivera (Spiderman)
have fun trick-or-treating on
Halloween at the Early Childhood
Education Center and Clinic.
A total of $10 million was dedicated
by Council in 2009 to the plan. Six mil
lion was designated for loans to tribal
enterprises, and $2 million for capacity
improvements to support business de
velopment.
The remaining $2 million is to be
used as a revolving loan fund for pri
vate business ventures of tribal mem
bers. A question has been the process
by which the private business loans can
be made.
The economic stewardship team is
working with the Central Oregon In
tergovernmental Council (COIC) on
this project.
As stated in the presentation to
Council last week, “It is the intent of
the Private Business Revolving Fund
to sustain the fund by securing return
on investment with few if any default
loans.”
The key point, then, is to maintain
the fund in a sustainable way so that it
exists into the future, while making the
funds available to tribal members who
have sound business plans, said Clint
Jacks, o f the economic stewardship
team.
The Small Business Center pro
vides assistance to tribal members
who are developing a business plan.
The econqmic stewardship team also
said the Private Business Revolving
Fund is a lender that is cooperative
with the Credit Enterprise. The pro
posal from the team is that a Warm
Springs lender committee would re
view applications for private busi
ness loans, ensuring that a sound
plan exists.
—
by Dave McMechan
candidates
make
statements
By Duran Bobb
Spilyay Tymoo
Five of the six qualified nominated
candidates for the position of Wasco
C hief gave short statem ents at last
w eek’s m eeting held at the A gency
Longhouse.
About 60 Wasco tribal members
were present to hear statements of
Garland Brunoe, George Clements,
Grant Clements Sr, John Katchia Sr.,
and JR Smith.
F a c ilita to r C h arles V. Jac k so n
opened the meeting. “First, we’re go
ing to ask each of them to get up and
make a presentation to the group. They
will tell you why they should be selected
as the next chief,” he said.
“I left the reservation to serve in
the U.S. Army,” said Garland Brunoe.
“I was in Vietnam in ’68-9, and that’s
where I earned the Purple Heart. I
worked for the tribes for about 30 years
in various positions, starting with the
Credit Department. I moved to Hu
man Resources, and I eventually wound
up overseeing the Health Department.
I also served seven and a half years as
Vice Chair for Tribal Council...
“What happens on the other side of
the world affects us all,” Brunoe said.
“I learned how tough and protective
the government tries to be with our
people. Sometimes in the wrong way,
and we have to fight. I learned the
importance of gathering information
from Tribal Council members before
pushing for an issue or asking for a
decision. I’ll often not agree.”
See C H IEFTA IN SH IP on page 7