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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 2026)
Spilyay Tymoo Coyote News, est. 1976 The Miss Warm Springs Pageant 2026 The Miss Warm Springs 2026 Pageant is scheduled for 10 o’clock on Saturday morning, January 31 at the Agency Longhouse. The committee invites young la- dies 18-24 years of age to apply (more details on page 3). Stop by the Tribal Council office in the admin- istration building, or call 541-553- 3257 for an application or more information. Or send an email to either: minnie.yahtin@wstribes.org sandra.danzuka@wstribes.org 59th Annual hoops tourney The Fifty-Ninth Annual Warm Springs All Indian Men’s Holiday Tournament is this Thursday through Saturday, Januar y 22-24 at the War m Springs Community Health Cen- ter. For infor mation contact Austin Greene at 541-553-3243. Homeless count survey next Wednesday The Confederated Tribes’ Health and Human Services is getting ready for the annual Point in Time Count: This year the count happens from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, January 28 in the former Warm Springs elementary school gym. The Point in Time gives the tribes an idea of the tribal commu- nity homeless situation. This is im- portant for future planning to help address this problem; to help de- termine what resources are work- ing best at relieving the situation; and what additional resources may be available, said Dayle Tufti, of- fice coordinator with Health and Human Services. For the Count: Starting at 9 a.m., participants can register for the event with staff. Please bear in mind this event is for the homeless population. Screening questions will be asked at registration. The survey counts unsheltered community members who are liv- ing in tents, camps, vehicles, RVs with no electrical or water hook- ups; living temporarily ‘couch surf- ing’ with relatives; as well as shel- tered members who are in the shel- ter-transitional homes. Residents residing in the new Permanent Supportive houses are not considered homeless. For the January 28 event, meals are provided to participants. There will be resource booths; health screenings on-site; and incentives for survey participants. For more information, please contact Dayle at 541-777-2787; or email: dayle.tufti@wstribes.org January 21, 2026 - Vol. 51, No. 2 PO Box 489 Warm Springs, OR 97761 ECR WSS Postal Patron U.S. Postage PRSRT STD Warm Springs, OR 97761 Wiyak’ik’ila – Winter - Anm Work continuing on Power Pathway The Warm Springs Power Pathway is a proposal to re- build the infrastructure and expand the capacity of the ex- isting Bethel Round Butte transmission line. The project is jointly coordinated by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and Portland General Electric. The Bethel Round Butte line spans approximately 100 miles between the Madras area and Salem; and more than 30 miles of the line passes through the Warm Springs Reservation. The upgrade project is cur- rently underway with project permitting planning and engi- neering design. In 2023, the tribes received a $250 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to pursue this project, representing approxi- mately one-quarter of the project cost. Power and Water Enterprises and PGE are about one year into the project, and have been work- ing with partners and leaders within the U.S. government to ensure con- tinued access to the federal fund- ing. In particular, Power and Wa- ter would like to thank Oregon U.S. Congressman Cliff Bentz. Rep. Bentz wrote a letter di- rectly to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright in support of the grant and its many benefits Power Pathway to the region and nation The Power Pathway will upgrade the Bethel Round Butte line built in the 1960s, to address transmission constraints and increase access to electricity generated east of the Cascade mountain. WSPWE in pursuit of grid resilience and national security. In late 2025, the Warm Springs Power Pathway team began meet- ing with stakeholders along the transmission line pathway. The team will be scheduling more meet- ings this year. To keep updated on progress, find meetings in 2026 as they are announced; or to contact the project team, please visit the website: warmspringspowerpathway.com Housing projects adding many new homes The Warm Springs Housing Authority, during the first part of this year, is completing the construction of several new homes for the community, while initiating a number of new resi- dential endeavors. By about the end of next month, for instance, the first new houses will be finished at the Housing development on Kalama Lane, located just past Deer Loop. This project is on seven and a half acres, and when finished will include 10 new four- and five-bedroom homes. The Housing Authority team obtained the funding for the $7.5 million development through a competitive U.S. Housing and Urban Develop- ment grant process. This is a significant new development, with the initial construction in- cluding fairly large-scale site- grading, road and infrastructure for water, sewer and electrical; followed by the home construc- tion. The residences will be for income-qualified homebuyers, based on the standards of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as D.McMechan/Spilyay Construction work is finishing up on the first of 10 new houses at the Kalama Lane development. a HUD grant was the source of the $7.5 million cost. The Hous- ing Authority started the grant process in 2023, said Danielle Wood, Housing director. The com- petition for the funding was na- tion-wide among tribes. Project manager for this development is Joel Holliday. Tribal members interested in qualifying to buy can stop by Hous- ing for an application. Trailer Court projects Meanwhile, Housing continues work on a longer-term plan to re- place some of the older Trailer Court trailers with new stick-built residences. This work is using two grants: the first to build eight new two-bedroom houses, and the sec- ond for six additional homes for a total of 14. In time, the long- term plan includes 45 new houses at the Trailer Court, Ms. Wood. The first two phases are along Kuckup and Oits Loop at the Trailer Courts. Some of these houses are finished and occupied, with more nearly fin- ished. The homes are afford- able for families; and include energy efficient lighting and windows, said Mr. Holliday, project manager for this devel- opment as well. HOUSING continue on 8 GoVisions seeks tribal input regarding wind, solar projects Members of the Confed- erated Tribes of the Warm Springs are invited to attend a community meeting to learn about the proposed Speedway and Saddle Butte hybrid wind and solar projects. The meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Janu- ary 27 at the Greenly Heights Community building. Dinner will be provided. The meeting is hosted by Warm Springs GeoVisions, a tribally-owned and operated enterprise of the Confederated Tribes, in coordination with the Tribal Historic Preservation Of- fice. The purpose of the meeting is to share information about the energy projects; and to invite tribal members to recommend knowl- edgeable individuals and families to participate in oral history inter- views as part of a Historic Prop- erties of Religious and Cultural Sig- nificance to Indian Tribes identi- fication study. The proposed projects are lo- cated in Sherman, Gilliam and Morrow counties, within the tribes’ ceded and traditional home- lands. Under tribal law, the Integrated Resource Management Plan, and state and federal historic preserva- tion requirements, culturally impor- tant places must be identified and protected before development pro- ceeds. The Historic Properties of Re- ligious and Cultural Significance to Indian Tribes process centers tribal knowledge, including history, cultural practices, plant use, travel routes, and family connec- tions to the land. Information is gathered through oral history interviews recom- mended by the community and conducted under tribal protocols. All information shared through this process is confidential and re- mains the property of the tribes. The meeting is open to all tribal members and families. For more information or ques- tions, please email: hello@wsgeovisions.com
