Spilyay Tymoo
Coyote News, est. 1976
Halloween in
Warm Springs
Looking forward to a Warm
Springs Halloween with artist
Travis Bobb.
The Trick or Treat ‘Mask-
Erade’ Parade is coming up on
Saturday, October 30 from 1
to 4 p.m. at the Warm Springs
Academy. Social distancing
and mask wearing—not just a
Halloween mask—will be en-
forced. Hosted by the Con-
federated Tribes and War m
Springs Health and Wellness.
There are vendor spaces still
available. For information con-
tact reina.estimo@wstribes.org
The October 30 event will also
be a chance to give feedback on
the Confederated Tribes’ pro-
posed 2022 budget. There will also
be a chance to enter into a raffle
drawing.
Then on Halloween day there
will be live music, concessions and
candy at the Campus basketball
area. Vendor set-up will be at 9:30
a.m. onwards. Presented by the
Warm Springs Community Action
Team.
Covid safety precautions are
required (see page 2) . For vendor in-
formation contact Mallory Smith:
mallory@wscat.org
Covid-19
update
Recent health data, as of ear-
lier this week, shows there were
19 people with active covid on the
reservation; and 15 close contacts
receiving daily monitoring. This
was an improvement from the
previous week, when there were
45 people on the reservation with
the active covid.
The Warm Springs Health and
Wellness Center has conducted
14,803 covid tests, with 967 posi-
tive tests since the pandemic and
testing began.
Another 142 people of the tribal
community tested positive through
outside facilities, for a total of 1,109
positive tests. Twenty-six people of
the tribal community have died
from the illness.
As of late last week, there were
no hospitalizations from covid,
and no recent deaths. Close to
3,000 people of the community
have received at least one vaccine
shot; and 2,507 have received their
second dose.
October 20, 2021 - Vol. 46, No. 21
October – Anwicht’ash – Fall - Tiyam
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Water funding talk with U.S. Senators
Infrastructure legislation cur-
rently before the U.S. Congress
includes funding that would go
a long way toward addressing the
domestic water system of the
Warm Springs Reservation.
A federal delegation visited
Warm Springs last week, tour-
ing the Dry Creek water treat-
ment plant, with Utilities general
manager Chico Holliday, then
meeting tribal officials and the
public.
U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and
Jeff Merkley were joined by
Assistant Secretary for Indian
Affairs—Department of the
Interior for the water treatment
plant tour.
“It was exactly what we
needed,” Mr. Holliday said. “A
chance to show the deficiencies
we have to deal with every day.
Slowly but surely, we’re making
progress toward being able to pro-
vide a better quality of life.”
As is well documented, the
tribal domestic water system is old
and in need of improvement, and
in some places replacement. Some
necessary parts of the treatment
plant, built in the 1980s, are no
longer available. Utilities had to
have one part re-made, for in-
stance, because it is no longer sold.
This is expensive and time-con-
suming, Mr. Holliday said.
Both of Oregon’s U.S. Senators
have been among the strongest ad-
vocates for help to the tribes in de-
veloping a modern style domestic
water system, from the treatment
plant to the piping that delivers the
water.
“The people who have been on
this land since time immemorial de-
D.McMechan/Spilyay
Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland, and U.S.
Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley at the Warm Springs
water press conference last week.
serve more than boil water notices,”
Sen. Wyden said. “We all know
wealthy neighborhoods in this coun-
try would not have to live with that.”
Infrastructure legislation cur-
rently before Congress would ad-
dress the problem.
See WATER on 2
In honor of dedication to students, schools
The school district has seen
a number of changes this year.
The 509-J district has a new su-
perintendent and a new Acad-
emy principal, plus new board
members. The district finished
the previous school year with its
first-ever all-distance learning;
then started this year in-person
while still dealing with the pan-
demic. And there was a teach-
ers’ union agreement to work out.
With these and other chal-
lenges a good thing to have is
experience and perspective at
the policy making level. District
board chairwoman Laurie
Danzuka was re-elected this
year to her fourth term on the
school board. “There was a lot
happening,” Laurie says of her
decision to serve again.
The new district principal
this year is Jay Mathinsen. He
would agree it’s a good idea
to have Laurie for another
term. Since he became super-
intendent over the summer,
Mathisen has talked often with
Laurie for her perspective on
the issues that have come up
Courtesy Madras Pioneer/Pamplin Media
A congratulations to Laurie Danzuka from tribal Education general manager Val Switzler.
over these months so far. “And
I’m always impressed with her abil-
ity to listen, think, problem solve
and act,” Mr. Mathisen said.
Her fellow board member
Jamie Hurd said after a recent
district meeting, “Laurie is one
of the most humble servant-
leaders I know. She’s a ser-
vant to the children and the
greater community.”
See SCHOOLS on 8
School district outreach at the Academy
A public meeting for the
Jefferson County School District
509-J, to discuss the evaluation
of current programs and plans
for future educational programs,
is set for 5:30 p.m., Wednesday,
October 27 at the War m
Springs Academy.
Another meeting for the
same purpose is the following
day, October 28, at 5:30 at Ma-
dras High School.
The district annually affords
its patrons, specifically Native
American parents and guardians,
the opportunity to offer com-
ments and make recommenda-
tions relative to the district pro-
grams, district outcomes, and of-
fer feedback for all programs.
meeting.
The October 27 meeting will be
in the Academy cafeteria area.
Academy classrooms
Courtesy Kirby-Nagelhout Construction
The Warm Springs Academy, built in 2012-13
If anybody wishing to attend the
meeting has a disability requiring
assistance, please advise Tessa
Bailey at 541-475-6192 about spe-
cific arrangements that may accom-
modate your participation in this
Voters of the School District
509-J are encouraged to mail in your
county Special Election ballot by Oc-
tober 28, to ensure receipt at the
County Clerk’s Office by Novem-
ber 2.
On the ballot is a $24 million
bond measure for the Jefferson
County School District 509-J; and a
ballot measure that would fund op-
eration of the Jefferson County Jail
for five years.
Regarding the school district
bond proposal:
See ACADEMY on page 2