Smoke Signals 5
Fate Of Casino's Bingo Hall Is "Yet To Be Determined"
Planned closure of popular area brings capacity crowd on final day.
FEBRUARY 1, 2006
By Toby McClary
As of Friday, January 27, Spirit
Mountain Casino's Bingo Hall is
closed. Despite recent news reports
stating that the area will become
occupied with slot machines, the
future for the Bingo Hall has yet to
be determined.
There are several options for this
area," said Greg Fritz, Marketing
Manager for Spirit Mountain Ca
sino. "After 10 years, the area is in
need of a facelift and we will begin
a remodel in the near future."
Fritz said that one of the many op
tions for the bingo hall is an increase
in non-smoking gaming due to com
plaints from non-smoking patrons.
"With all things considered," said
Fritz, "we will do what is best for our
customers as well as the casino itself."
The removal of bingo will have an
effect on many community mem
bers as well as employees. On a
positive note, BingoKeno Manager
and Tribal member Jon George is
happy to see the changes.
"This will create many opportuni
ties for me as well as the casino,"
said George. "Now I will be able to
focus more on all aspects of the gam
ing industry rather than devoting
all of my time to bingo."
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BingoKeno Manager and Tribal member Jon George
George will continue working as ments throughout the year are cur- Spirit Mountain filled all of the 850
the Keno Manager and explained rently being discussed. seats and was held on Thursday,
that ideas of holding bingo tourna- The final session of bingo for January 26.
Doernbecher Children's Safety Center Opens
CENTER continued
from front page
long time in prevention." He
pointed to smallpox and other child
hood diseases that now are substan
tially eradicated.
But in this instance, said Nicholson,
"We'll never know
which children are
saved by these efforts."
During the Grand
Opening of the
Doernbecher
Children's Safety Cen
ter at Doernbecher
Children's Hospital in
Portland, Nicholson
also offered a message
of thanks to the Spirit
Mountain Community
Fund and other donors
who "joined in with the
vision."
The Community
Fund has been a long
time contributor to
Doernbecher projects.
Last year, it contrib
uted $38,000 to the
new Safety Center, or
half of the first year's
anticipated operating
expenses. In 2002, the
Community Fund pro
vided $150,000 for the
expansion of the
hospital's Cancer Center. And at
the recent celebration honoring $20
million in giving, the Community
Fund presented the hospital with a
gift of $5,000.
Pediatrician Scott Shipman M.D.
arrived at Doernbecher three years
ago with plans to prevent childhood
accidents. Shipman now is Medical
Director of the Safety Center as
well as an Assistant Professor of
Pediatrics at Oregon Health Sci
ences University. On Tuesday,
January 17, Shipman's efforts were
rewarded as the Center officially
opened for business.
Portland General Electric (PGE),
with a significant safety program of
Think First Oregon and the Injury
Free Coalition for Kids.
The first group aims "to reduce
the incidence of brain and spinal
cord injuries and fatalities in Or
egon by providing age-appropriate
injury prevention education to
youth in kindergarten through
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"Thank you" Tribal Council member Kathleen Tom, Pediatrician and Director of the
Safety Center at Doernbecher Scott Shipman M.D. , Executive Director of the Doernbecher
Children's Hospital Foundation Sue Nicol, Spirit Mountain Community Fund Director Shelley
Hanson and Tribal Vice Chair Angie Blackwell pose for with a "Doernbecher Hero Award."
its own, and Scottsdale, Arizona
based Discount Tire, with 20-plus
stores in Oregon and Washington
also contributed to the effort.
For months already, though, the
work of the Safety Center has been
in motion on the Doernbecher
Children's Hospital's seventh floor
and with outreach. The work goes
through two subsidiary groups
12th grade," according to the pro
gram brochure.
The second group runs the Safety
Center at the hospital and reaches
out to groups to talk about safety
around school, playground and
windows, among many areas.
In addition to outreach, the
Safety Center pulls in kids and
families through the recommenda
tion of physicians throughout the
hospital.
Once there, families receive not
only the education but also such
safety products as car seats. The
products are provided at a discount
or free to families that cannot af
ford them.
"What the dental industry did
with fluoride in the 1940s, we want
to do with preventable accidents,"
said Sue Nicol, Executive Director of
the Doernbecher Children's Hospi
tal Foundation.
"One of the things we appreciate
about Doernbecher," said Commu
nity Fund Director and Tribal mem
ber Shelley Hanson, "is that you're
an innovator."
Also on hand for the event were
two characters in cartoon cos
tumes: PGE's Mr. Lightbulb and
Doernbecher's Mr. Fish. Mr. Fish
apparently couldn't see very well
through those fish eyes and was
led shuffling carefully into the
atrium by a land-savvy assistant.
The characters' proximity to safety
displays enabled them to pitch
electric and water safety.
But neither had the following of
PGE retiree Don Selden, who oper
ated a board wired for about eight
potential electricity disasters.
"How about the car hitting the
light pole," said Seldon to six-year-old
Justin Leyva, who smiled like it
was Christmas morning.
"Yeah," said the boy, and he ran
the car into the pole again.
"Zzzzzzt, said the board.
Then they turned to the guy with
the power saw who gets the power
surge when he accidentally cuts
through a power line.
"Cool," said Leyva. "When he
uses the saw Zzzzztl"