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$672,525 to fund two police
officers for three years
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
Moving to accept a three-year, $672,525
federal Department of Justice grant on
Oct. 12, the Grand Ronde Tribal Coun
cil has set the stage for a greater Tribal police
presence in town.
The Tribal police force will consist of three of
ficers supervised by Tribal member Peter Wake
land, the Tribe's Development Director.
Earlier this year, Tribal member and Forest
Patrol Officer Jake McKnight graduated from
the state's Department of Public Safety Stan
dards and Training Academy in Salem to become
the Tribe's first officer. McKnight's position is
Tribally funded.
When the two new positions are filled, the
four-member team will continue to work with
the Polk County Sheriffs Office for coverage in
the community.
"We are not going to build a jail," said Tribal
Council member Toby McClary. "And we are not
going to set up our own police communications
system."
In July, the Oregon Legislature gave Tribal
police the same powers given to other Oregon
police. Senate Bill 412 required Tribal police
be trained at the state's training academy, that
Tribes provide police oversight, adhere to the
See GRANT
continued on page 9
1,463 Tribal members
register to vote in
Nov. 1 5 election
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Interest among Grand Ronde
Tribal members in the Nov.
15 Constitutional Amendment
election regarding enrollment re
quirements is slightly less than the
interest that occurred during 2008's
enrollment election.
According to the Bureau of Indian
Affairs' Siletz Agency Office, 1,463
Grand Ronde Tribal members reg
istered to vote in the upcoming elec
tion. Of the 3,834 Tribal members
who could have registered to vote,
38.2 percent did so.
In 2008, 1,491 Tribal members
out of 3,578 eligible registered to
vote for a 41.6 percent registration
total. In addition in 2008, 1,159 of
those who registered eventually
voted for a 78 percent turnout.
In early June, Tribal Council
voted 5-4 to send a bundle of four
proposed enrollment changes to the
General Membership. The Bureau
of Indian Affairs approved calling
See VOTE
continued on page 8
si
1
Photo by Michelle Alalmo
The Grand Ronde Canoe Family sings and drums during the first anniversary of the opening of Achaf-Hammi,
the Tribe's plankhouse, in Grand Ronde on Saturday, Oct. 1 5. More photos on page 1 2.
Second Elder housing units due in summer 2012
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By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
The Grand Ronde Tribal Hous
ing Authority expects that
the new development of 23
Elder homes, which have designs
making new units easier to use and
more comfortable to live in, will be
completed next summer.
Work on the Elders Housing Phase II, a
new development of 23 Elder homes,
recently began in Grand Ronde and
will be completed next summer.
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
The build-out has started be
tween the existing Elder housing
units and the Governance Building,
displacing some of the trees there,
but keeping a country feel in the
new neighborhood.
The project is funded with "maxi
mum development costs" of $5.6
million in federal Indian Housing
Block grants, according to Housing
Authority Executive Director Ca
rina Kistler. The funding requires
See HOUSING
continued on page 6