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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2001)
0 MAY 1, 2001 Smoke Signals mm Bush Nominates Neal McCaleb as the New Head of the BIA WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) President George W. Bush recently announced his intention to nominate Oklahoma transportation boss Neal McCaleb as the head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. "I'm honored and humbled by President Bush's confidence in con sidering me for a position of service to the Indian community," McCaleb said in a statement. McCaleb, 65, is a member of the Chickasaw Tribe but has never held an elected Tribal office. Now, the Senate must confirm McCaleb before he can assume his new appointment. "Neal McCaleb will bring a unique blend of skills, experience and back ground that will serve him well as Assistant Secretary for Indian Af fairs," Interior Secretary Gale Norton said in a statement. "His com passion for Indian issues, decisive management skills and ability to fa cilitate dialogue will help to improve this program and the relationship of the department with Indian Tribes around the country." McCaleb served on the Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission from 1967 until 1972 when President Ri chard M. Nixon appointed him to the National Council on Indian Oppor tunities. He also was a presidential appointee on President Ronald Reagan's Commission on Indian Res ervation Economics in the 1980s. He was a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1974 to 1982 and lost a bid for Republi can nomination for governor in 1982. He served as secretary of the Okla homa Department of Transportation from 1987 to 1990 under Governor Henry Bellmon and was reappointed by Governor Frank Keating in 1995. "Neal has been an outstanding and vital member of my cabinet and is a trusted friend and adviser," Keating said. "Under his leadership, we were able to embark on the largest road building plan in Oklahoma history." McCaleb is a graduate of Okla homa State University. The Bureau of Indian Affairs over sees the education of 50,000 Indian schoolchildren, administers roughly 2,000 reservation law enforcement officers, and manages an estimated $500 million annually in mining and grazing royalties on Tribal land. McCaleb singled out the trust fund management and the economic sta tus of Indians as one area in clear need of improvement. The government for more than a century has mismanaged the trust funds. Tribes that have sued the gov ernment claim the mismanagement has cost them as much as $10 billion and the Interior Department has been court ordered to clean up the management of those funds. "Neal has a long record of public ser vice in Oklahoma and hell bring tre mendous leadership skills to the Bu reau of Indian Affairs," Keating said. The governor said he would name McCaleb's successor as soon as possible. Former BIA Head Reverses Tribal Status, Joins Law Firm that Handles Indian Affairs PORTLAND, OR. (AP) - The former head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs approved Tribal status for the Chinooks of Southwest Washington this year, then joined a law firm that handles Tribal gaming issues accord ing to The Boston Globe. The designation of Tribal status went against staff recommendations. The former BIA head, Kevin Gover, then solicited business from the Chi nook, according to Tribal records and government documents. The Chinook declined the offer, their attorney said. The Tribe could put a casino in the Portland metro area. There has been no such discussion within the Chinook Tribe," said Den nis J. Whittlesey, a Washington, D.C. attorney. They would be frankly fool ish to even have that thought in mind." The Boston Globe reported that Gover and his deputy, Michael J. Anderson, made crucial decisions on behalf of Tribes on the East Coast and Washington State during their last days in office, then took jobs with firms promoting Tribal gaming. Neither man would comment on the specific cases to The Boston Globe. As the head of the Bureau of In dian Affairs, Gover had final deter mination on whether a Tribe could be recognized as a legal entity and thus be entitled to federal benefits. Typically, the bureau follows the recommendations of its staff, which opposed federal recognition of the Chinook and Duwamish. The Duwamish Tribe had its ances tral lands in the Seattle area, while the Chinook occupied the Lower Co lumbia River areas. Conceivably, the Tribes once recognized could open casinos in Seattle and perhaps Vancouver, Washington. After Gover left office he joined the Washington, D.C. law firm of Steptoe & Johnson, which specializes in rep resenting Tribes before Congress and the federal government, according to a letter the firm sent to the Chinook that was obtained by The Oregonian. Their monthly fees range from $5,000 to more than $20,000. Anderson now works for the firm Monteau, Peebles and Crowell, which represents gaming Tribes, The Bos ton Globe reported. On January 3, Gover made it his last official act to re-establish a government-to-government relationship with the 2,000-member Chinook Tribe. On January 19, his last day in office, Anderson approved Tribal status for the Duwamish. The Bush administration is citing the Duwamish case as part of a large number of decisions made in the waning days of the Clinton adminis tration that would be reviewed. But Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton has made it clear that she will not challenge the Chinook case. Yet, all is not clear for the Tribe. The Quinault Tribe in Western Washington, where many Chinook have land holdings, is set to appeal the Chinook decision. The number of Tribes seeking rec ognition has soared since 1988, when Tribes were allowed to overrule state regulations against gambling and build casinos. The most successful Tribal casinos have been near large cities. Gover is a Pawnee Indian and was appointed head of the bureau in 1997. J Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde DENTAL CLINIC Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Closed from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. for lunch. APPOINTMENT AGREEMENT We understand that situations arise and occasionally an appointment must be rescheduled. Appointments must be canceled 24 hours in advance or as early as possible on appointment date. Valuable time is lost when patients do not show up for an appointment. This time could be utilized to serve others. LATE If you are more then 10 minutes late for an appointment without calling ahead this will also be counted as a "broken appointment (B.A.)" When you arrive 10 minutes late, you may have to be rescheduled because it may not allow the dental staff enough time to give you the quality care you deserve and it would not be fair to keep the next patient waiting. BROKEN APPOINTMENT - A patient with two broken appointments within one year of the exam or the first emergency visit will not be allowed to schedule any further appointments with our Dental Clinic until you meet with Sheila Blacketer, Broken Appointment Coordinator. After meeting with Mrs. Blacketer there will be a three month waiting period until you can schedule appointment for routine care. The meeting with Mrs. Blacketer must be scheduled with her in advance (503-879-4524). EMERGENCY Emergency Clinic is at 8:00 a.m. each day. Emergencies most commonly involve pain. No appointment is needed for emergency care. Emergen cies consist of things such as an abscessed tooth, a broken temporary crown, or a missing filling causing a toothache. Swelling andor a fever related to an oral condi tion would most definitely be considered an emergency. Emergency time is used to address the pain. Afterwards you need to schedule a regular appointment. Pa tients must register with the receptionist no later than 8:15 a.m. ELIGIBILITY The Dental Clinic is presently only accepting new patients that are members of a federally recognized Tribe and that have a Tribal I.D. card. 1 liiiiiiiii'iiuiiiiiiiiiHriiiiijiiinniniiiuniiiiiiiitumi IIIIIIH'I'HII TONY BGNN6TT I N CONCERT - -f ( err1 '.""s. ; s ' I .' v May 10, 2001 Show time: 7pm $25 & $35 tickets available in person ,it Spirit Mountain Casino and all Safeway Fastixx Ticket Centers, Order by pbone only at 800-99 2-TJXX. No alcoholic beverages served. Must be 21 or older. All sales final, no refunds. iPIWT MOUNTAIN CASINO Highway 18. Grand Ronde, OR .800760-7977 www.spiritBiountain.com Hiiim mi riiuimiii
