December 15, 1998
News 3
Police issue gang warning
A police officer that works with the DARE program is passing this warning
on to other local and state agencies. The following warning may seem a little
outragous, but it is not a joke. Please tell all your family and friends about the
dangers of gang activitiy.
If you're ever driving after dark and see an on-coming car with no head
lights turned on, DO NOT flash your lights at them! This is a common gang
member "initiation game" that goes like this: The new gang member under
initiation drives along with no headlights and the first car to flash their head
lights at him is now his "target." He is now required to turn around and chase
that car and shoot at or into the car in order to complete his initiation require
ments. Make sure you share this info with all the drivers in your family!
Restoration: former Council honored
continued from front page
Also, special mention was made to
those Council members who have
passed on: Eula Petite, Frank Harri
son, Nick Leno, Ray McKnight, Ken
Hudson, and John Allen.
Chet Clark drummed a song and
told an old story of a boy and music.
Gifts were given to the oldest man and
woman present, as well as the per
son who had traveled furthest for the
celebration. Door prizes were drawn
for potted marigolds.
Tribal member Merle Leno, who
closed the ceremony, said, "This is
where we are today. I think we can
go a lot further."
Good news from Education Division
Members get updates from Education and Casino
staff at December General Council meeting.
By Tracy Dugan
More and more tribal members are
taking advantage of educational op
portunities through the Tribe, accord
ing to Education Division Manager
Dean Azule. The Division gave its
annual program report to the mem
bership at the General Council meet
ing on Dec. 6.
A representative from each of the
Division's programs spoke via video
presentation to the members. The pre
sentation included photos and record
ings of tribal education programs and
was the first time a division gave its
report using this type of technology.
All Education staff were available to
answer questions, as well.
Areas covered by Education included
Twah Sunchako Learning Center, the
Before and After School Care pro
grams, the Tribal Youth Development
program, Adult Education and Train
ingHigher Education, Adult Voca
tional Education, and education Advis
ingCounseling. "Our student enrollment is at an all
time high," said Azule. "In 1998 our
programs served more than five hun
dred tribal members."
Bruce, Thomas and Chuck Galford
gave a Casinodevelopment update.
Thomas said there are currently 155
tribal members employed at the Ca
sino, approximately ten percent of the
total employees. Thomas and Gal
ford presented the results of a cus
tomer satisfaction survey recently
completed, where 600 patrons of the
Casino were interviewed.
"Customer satisfaction at the Ca
sino is very high," said Galford.
"The results show that 87 of the
people interviewed rate their enjoy
ment level at the Casino as good or
great. Only one percent said they had
poor experience at Spirit Mountain.
There isn't a company in the United
States who wouldn't give anything to
have these same results."
Galford also noted that guests of the
Casino site employee friendliness and
positive attitude as one of their big
gest reasons for returning and hav
ing a good time.
Door prize drawings were won by:
Lisa Watt, $100; Stanley Jeffers,
$100; Tammy Cook, $100; and
Marilee Davis, $250.
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Regional News-.
Casino to double in size
AUBURN, WASH. (AP) -Plans
to more than double the size
of the Muckleshoot Casino and
install electronic gambling ma
chines have been announced by
the tribe.
John Daniels Jr., tribal chair
man, said the 78,000-square-foot
expansion should be completed
by September, when the casino
in this suburb between Seattle
and Tacoma will be four years
old.
The expansion will enable the
casino, which now has more than
$40 million in revenue a year, to
add 350 employees to the 900
now on staff, Daniels said.
A key feature of the project is
the addition of 450 machines de
signed to provide an electronic
form of scratch-ticket gambling
with the look and feel of slot ma
chines, which are banned in the
state.
The machines are still being de
veloped, and Jerry Allen, vice
president of the Northwest Alli
ance of Gaming Tribes, said it
could be months before any are
installed.
Also included are a 200-seat
buffet restaurant, showroom and
banquet hall.
s
Tribal employee
doctoring payroll
POCATELLO, IDAHO (AP) -A
Jan. 19 trial date has been set
for three Fort Hall residents ac
cused of embezzling funds from
the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe.
Suzan Bagley, Colleen Edmo
and Karen Nielson were ar
raigned in District Court this
month on embezzlement charges.
A grand jury indictment alleges
accused of
records
they stole tribal funds while work
ing for the tribe's finance depart
ment by adjusting payroll records
and paying themselves for more
hours than they worked.
Bagley, Edmo and Nielson
pleaded innocent to the charges.
U.S. District Judge B. Lynn
Winmill will preside over the
case.
Makah discuss whaling alternatives;
decide to proceed with hunt
NEAH BAY, WASH. (AP) -The
Makah decided this month to
go ahead with their gray whale
hunt after meeting to discuss a
proposal from opponents who say
the whales are worth more to the
tribe alive than dead.
"There will not be any deal that
will stop us from whaling," said
Keith Johnson, president of the
Makah Whaling Commission.
"We're not going to accept any
thing that could be construed as
selling our treaty rights."
About 200 Makah gathered for
a closed meeting called by the
five-member tribal council.
A group called People for
Makah and Whales has urged the
tribe to put off its first gray-whale
hunt in decades, paying for news
paper ads that mention potential
money-making ventures for the
Makah.
"The gray whale, by living,
can now provide for your tribe
in a way no longer possible
through its death, and in a man
ner that can enhance Makah tra
dition and pride," said an ad in
the Nov 25 Peninsula Daily
News.
"The instant one whale is
killed, however, your options are
foreclosed," it said.
Other opponents have called on
the tribe to explore tourism as an
option.
The Makah have been cleared
to whale since Oct. 1 but have not
yet ventured out into the Pacific
to intercept the gray-whale mi
gration from Alaska to Mexico.
The tribe, whose whaling tra
dition dates back centuries,
stopped the hunts in the 1920s
when commercial whaling deci
mated the world's whale popula
tions. The Makah moved to resume
the hunts after the gray whale was
taken off the Endangered Species
List in 1994. Their efforts are
supported by the U.S. govern
ment, but activists contend a hunt
would violate international law.