Community
Smoke Signals
Buy a home with no money down
Time is running out on the USDA
guaranteed home loan program. The
U.S. Department of Agriculture still
has $19,904,000 available to guar
antee home loan mortgages in rural
Oregon. These funds need to be used
by September 30, 1998. The USDA
guaranteed rural housing program
allows buyers to purchase a home in
rural Oregon with no down payment
and without mortgage insurance. The
home must be located in an eligible
rural area, or communities with
populations less than 10,000 which
are rural in character. Communities
with a population of less than 20,000
which are not located in a metropoli
tan statistical area are considered eli
gible rural areas. The loans are 30
year fixed interest rate. Income lim
its vary according to family size and
county of residence. Household in
come can not exceed up to 115 per
cent of the county median income.
To qualify, for example, the adjusted
family income for a family of four is
$57,000 if the family resides in
Benton, Multnomah, Clackamas,
Washington, Yamhill, or Columbia
counties. The loans can be used to
buy or build homes up to the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban
Development's maximum mortgage
loan limits for the area.
Some participating lenders are
Northwest Mortgage, Premier Mort
gage Resources, Commonwealth
United Mortgage, Security Bank,
Bank of the Cascades, North Ameri
can Mortgage Company, Mellon
Mortgage, Republic Mortgage Com
pany, Inland Empire Bank, and Com
mercial Bank.
If you are interested you can call a
participating lender, the USDA Port
land office at (503) 414-3335 (Stan
Schmidt or Debbie Nichols) or any lo
cal USDA Rural Development Office.
Be aware of lead paint in older homes
Approximately three-quarters of the nation's housing stock built before 1978
contains some lead-based paint. When properly maintained and managed,
this paint poses little risk. However, 1.7 million children have blood levels
above safe limits, mostly due to exposure of lead-based paint hazards.
Lead poisoning can cause permanent damage to the brain and many other
organs and causes a reduced intelligence quotient and behavior problems in
children. Lead can also cause abnormal fetal development in pregnant women.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Housing and
Urban Development announced efforts to ensure that the public receives in
formation necessary to prevent lead poisoning in homes that may contain
lead-based paint hazards. Most home buyers and renters will receive infor
mation on lead-based paint hazards during sales and rentals of housing built
before 1978. Buyers and renters should receive specific information on lead
based paint in the housing, as well as a federal pamphlet with practical, low
cost tips on identifying and controlling lead-based paint hazards. Sellers,
landlords, and their agents are responsible for providing this information to
the buyer or renter before sale or lease.
For a copy of Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home, call the
National Lead Information Clearing House at 1-800-424-LEAD. There is
more information on the Internet at e-mail address: www.leadctrnsc.org.
Reprinted from the EPA Tribal Newsletter, June 1998
Volunteers big part of "Excellence in Service"
MCMINNVILLE, OR - Some do
nate their time to learn a new craft.
Others help out because they know
they are helping law enforcement
with keeping their county safe. Still
others do it for the satisfaction-of a
job well done. Whatever the reason,
volunteers are helping keep customer
service a top priority for the Yamhill
County Sheriffs Office.
Over40 volunteers donated over
3,000 hours of time to the Sheriffs
Office during the first six months of
1998. Duties included fingerprint
ing children during crime prevention
seminars, assisting the civil depart
ment and animal control staff, staff
ing the Sheriff s Museum trailer dur
ing local fairs and festivals, phoning
area seniors to check on their condi
tion, and even assisting with security
for the Yamhill County Courthouse
in McMinnville.
Sheriffs Office offers driving tips:
Nice weather means that construction
crews will be working. Expect de
lays and give crew members "a
brake" or choose an alternate route.
When driving busy roads, maintain
your cool. Many drivers will be ag
gressive, testing the limits of your
tolerance by tailgating, changing
speeds, or jumping lanes. The best
thing you can do when challenged by
an aggressive driver is get out of his
or her way, and call the police
(safely) from a cellular phone. Re
port a description of the vehicle and
direction of travel.
Make sure passengers in your ve
hicle are secured. Oregon's child
safety seat law requires a properly
installed safety seat for children un
der age 4, andor 40 pounds. Never
place a child safety seat in the front
seat, especially in an airbag equipped
vehicle. And, always wear seat belts.
Guidance and leadership directs
young people in today's world
There seems to be many tragic stories in the news lately about youth vio
lence. The shootings at Thurston High School in Springfield, as well as the
ones in Dallas, made national headlines. For many tribal and community
parents, these incidents have ignited concern about the threat of violence among
children and young adults in Oregon and elsewhere. What can we do? How
can we prevent it?
The Grand Ronde Service Integration Team (SIT) has been organized for
more than three years, and is committed to addressing these difficult ques
tions. Made up of community leaders, educators, parents, and citizens, one
of SIT's main issues is the eradication of gangs, drugs, and violence among
Grand Ronde's young people. You can help today's youth by volunteering at
your local school. Grand Ronde Elementary School (GRES) can always use
volunteers in the following activities:
LUNCH BUDDIES is a program linking community volunteers with stu
dents in need of a positive adult friendship. Volunteers are asked to spend
just one lunch hour a week with a child at GRES. The time will be spent
eating, talking, perhaps reading or shooting hoops, but most importantly lis
tening to and taking an interest in that one special individual child. For more
information please call GRES at 879-5210.
AFTER SCHOOL SPORTS program is offered at GRES from 3:30 to 5
p.m. Statistics show these are the hours most kids get into trouble because
they are unattended until parents get home from work. In cooperation with
the newly formed West Valley YMCA, sports this fall will include soccer for
Kindergarten-2nd grade on Tuesdays and football for 3rd-5th graders on
Thursdays. Both sports will begin run for 6 weeks, beginning September 22.
Middle school students through adults are encouraged to help no experi
enced needed call Kim Mueller at 879-2264.
SANCTION COURT is a program for first time juvenile offenders in the
community. The goal is to reduce the number of first-time juvenile status
offenders and misdemeanants who re-offend. Currently, when a juvenile
commits one of these offenses, a letter is sent to the youth's parents from the
Juvenile Department.
The Sanction Court Plan requires the collaboration of the Juvenile Depart
ment, the local police agency, the Grand Ronde Tribe, and the Grand Ronde
Service Integration Team, and will require support and involvement from
members of the Grand Ronde community, tribal and non-tribal.
Volunteers do not need to live directly in Grand Ronde or be parents, but
should be people who care about youth and helping deter crime in the area.
Volunteers who serve on the committee will work with the Service Integra
tion Team and the police department in considering a community service or
punishment for first-time juvenile offenders.
If you would like to serve as a Court panel member or supervise the com
munity service, please call Rhonda Holder at (503) 623-2349.
SMART (START MAKING A READER TODAY) is an early literacy
program which will be launched in the Willamina and Grand Ronde elemen
tary schools this fall. SMART will recruit and train 195 volunteers to read for
one hour each week with 195 kindergarten, first, and second graders in Yam
hill County. Each student participating in the SMART program receives two
new books to take home each month.
The mission of SMART is to enhance the reading skills, attitudes, and life
prospects of children, and to enable adult volunteers and communities to ex
perience the rewards of enriching young lives. If you are interested in be
coming a SMART volunteer for the 1998-99 school year, please call (503)
474-1252.
BAND INSTRUMENTS and CLOTHING DONATIONS are always in
need at Grand Ronde Elementary. If you have instrument that is just collect
ing dust, why not give a child a chance to learn? Band instruments, freshly
washed clothing and shoes in good shape can be dropped off to Mrs. Olsen or
Mrs. Sumners at the school please do not drop them off unattended!
For a second time, the popular
DOOBIE BROTHERS
will perform at Spirit Mountain Casino on October 1 5th.
TICKETS ON SALE SEPTEMBER 3.
Ticket prices: $30 and $35. Available at Spirit Mountain
Casino, or call I-800-992-TIXX.