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Member Benefit questions raised
at General Council meetings
The November General Council meeting featured a gam
ing update from Bruce Thomas, as well as an open hearing
for members to comment on the 1 998 Proposed Tribal Bud
get. There were many questions and comments about tribal
member and Elder benefits at that meeting.
GAMING UPDATE: Bruce Thomas said that to date, there
are 145 tribal member employees at Spirit Mountain Casino,
and that they are always taking applications from tribal mem
bers. Members interested in working for the Casino should
contact Camille Mercier or Sarah Harvey at the Human Re
sources department.
Construction for the 57,000 square-foot expansion project
is in full swing , and Bruce said there will be more machines,
and more Casino parking. It is scheduled for completion by
the winter of 1 998.
Kathy Grey, Marce Norwest, and Camille Mercier all won
$50 door prizes. Marion Forster won $ 1 00.
MEMBER BENEFIT PROGRAMS: The following infor
mation is designed to help explain some of these programs
to tribal members, and differentiate between them all. More
programs will be described in the next issue of Smoke Sig
nals. It is important to remember that the Six-County Ser
vice Area exists through a mandatory act of Congress. If
you do not live in the Six-County Service Area, and are
concerned about what you and your family are eligible to
receive, please read the following information carefully. You
may be eligible for more than you realize. If fact, almost all
tribal services are now being provided to tribal members
regardless of residency. It is important that all tribal mem
bers learn about these programs so that they make utilize all
the benefits they are eligible for. continued on page 2
14 year of Restoration
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The Tribe's Restoration Celebration took place on Saturday, November 22. Pictured with the Sacred Hide
are Kayla Leno, Merle Leno, Jon George, and Dorothy Greene. The Sacred Hide will hang in the new Health
and Wellness Center. Story and more photos on pages 4 and 5.
Sheriff encourages community to take back control
Submitted by Tom O'Brien, Grand Ronde Deputy Sheriff
How many times have you asked yourself, where is the
cop when I need him? Or how about: Oh sure, now he's
behind me. Can you relate these same frustrations to your
job or to your life? Sure you can.
We all wish we had our own cop or our own broker, agent,
mechanic, or genie. At some time when we least want or
expect it, we have a problem and need assistance. The trouble
is, there are just too many of us and not enough resources
available to fill our needs when we want those needs taken
care of.
As a community, not just Grand Ronde, but as a whole, we
have learned to increasingly depend on the government with
all its agencies, and its frustrating dialing instructions to
meet our needs. A sense of community responsibility has
been passed on to "others." The results of which can be,
and sometimes are very frustrating to deal with or under
stand. This frustration has turned many citizens away from
sharing in the pride of responsibility and duties of citizen
ship. We as a community in Grand Ronde are experiencing
rapid growth and a faster pace in lifestyle. Our resources are
not keeping pace with the growth and probably won't for
the foreseeable future. Even with all this, we have the op
portunity to maintain some local control and project influ
ence on future decisions affecting Grand Ronde.
Little things like the new sports program started this year
at the Grand Ronde Elementary School have been received
with enthusiasm by both the children and participating
adults. This new and exciting program needs volunteers to
make it work.
Recently at a Tribal Council meeting another new and
exciting proposal was introduced, a Juvenile Sanction Court.
This court is designed to keep local youthful offenders out
of the state criminal system, with emphasis and responsibil
ity placed with local community control.
This new juvenile court concept is presently working well
in the cities of Independence and McMinnville. Each Juve
nile Sanction Court is slightly different and tailored to the
needs and desires within the two communities.
This is one way we as a community can take back some
local control of our community. It is an opportunity for us to
exercise our responsibilities as parents and as citizens of
Grand Ronde.
With full support and encouragement of the Circuit Courts
and the County Juvenile Departments, these Juvenile Sanc
tion Courts are run by local citizens with a panel of judges
selected from ordinary citizens within the Community. Cer
tain criteria must be met for the court to function.
The criteria are in place and punishment guidelines are
established. These guidelines are somewhat flexible and
can be tailored to fit the individual communities needs. Want
to have input within our community? Want to make a differ
ence who controls our community? Contact the Tribal Coun
cil at 879-230 1 ; the Sheriffs Substation at 879-2420, or the
Juvenile Department at 623-2349.
Other great ideas are floating about at local meetings.
Anyone interested in being a Boy Scout or Girl Scout leader?
Are you interested in coaching local youth in sports? If so
attend the Council meetings and the Service Integration Team
meetings at the Grand Ronde Elementary School. These
ideas have been put forth and need support. Your input is
truly a phone call away. The Grand Ronde Sheriffs Depart
ment also looks forward to hearing from you.