Smoke Signals 1 1 SEPTEMBER 1,2012 Team Portland snares 3-on-3 championship The Tribe's Recreation Department, in collaboration with the Youth Education Department, held a 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament on Saturday, Aug. 18, during the Grand Ronde Contest Powwow. The winners of the individual contests were Brenon Bobb in the three-point shooting contest and Zach Smith in the slam dunk con test. Isaiah Holmes finished second in shooting threes while Diego Rentsch was second in dunking. Team Portland, which consisted of Smith, Jessie Ream, Greg Spencer and Darius Brumfield, won the 3-on-3 title while Team Grand Ronde, which included Zoey Holsclaw, Jade Colton, Braden Ebensteiner and Isaiah Davidson, finished second. Organizers thanked staff, parents, volunteers and youth who made the basketball tournament an enjoyable and successful event. B K S Team Grand Ronda won sacond placa in tha 3-on-3 baskatball gama of tha touraamant hald on Saturday, Aug. 18, during tha Grand Ronda Contost Powwow. Tha taam mambars wora, front row from laft, Isaiah Davidson, Zoay Holsclaw, Jada Colton and Bradan Ebanstainar. In tha back row is Matt Moslay, laft. Tribal racraation coordinator, and Tim Barry, Tribal Youth Education Program managar. "V. f V. Si t ft i Submitted photos Zoay Holsclaw dribblas past Dakota Rock during a 3-on-3 baskatball gama of tha tournamant hald on Saturday, Aug. 18, during tha Grand Ronda Contast Powwow. Tim Barry, laft, Tribal Youth Education Program managar, and Matt Moslay, right, Tribal racraation coordinator, posa with tha thraa-point shooting contast participants Isaiah Holmas, sacond from laft, who finishod sacond, and Branon Bobb, who took first placa. 'We wonry aboutt ttDte puroDotfeirattnoin) aspect INITIATIVE continued from front page west Senior Economist Bob Whelan, Tribal Council member Kathleen Tom, Spirit Mountain Community Fund Board of Trustees Chairman Sho Dozono and Steve Ungar, for mer chair of the Oregon Lottery Commission. Currently, only Oregon's nine fed erally recognized Tribes are allowed to operate casinos under the auspices of the Indian Regulatory Gaming Act and compacts signed with the state. The Oregon Constitution must be amended to allow the Wood Village casino, which is being backed, as it was in 2010, by a Canadian invest ment firm and two wealthy Lake Oswego businessmen. Tyrone Reitman, executive direc tor of Healthy Democracy, which oversees the review panel, was quoted in the Aug. 25 Oregonian as saying that there were a "couple of things" that led to the overwhelm ingly negative assessment. "The revenue stream is uncer tain," Reitman said. "It opens up the possibility of multiple casinos in the future. There are some ques tions about the economic impact on the Tribes." Oregon voters are being asked this year to approve two measures: 82 would amend the Oregon Con stitution and 83 would specifically permit a private casino at the for mer Multnomah Greyhound Track in Wood Village. In addition, Wood Village residents will have a chance to weigh in on the idea, having to approve it in a citywide vote before it can be built. The Citizens' Initiative Review Commission was established in 2011 by the state Legislature to create panels of "randomly selected and demographically balanced voters" to evaluate ballot mea sures. Panel members hear from campaigns both for and against measures, as well as policy experts, before voting on them. In 2010, private casino backers were only able to get one measure on the state ballot that would have amended the state Constitution to allow privately owned casinos. It was resoundingly rejected by voters 68 percent to 32 percent. This year, private casino support ers collected enough signatures to place both measures on the ballot. Opponents, including the Confed erated Tribes of Grand Ronde, point to the negative effects a private casino would have on Tribal casino revenues, which pay for Tribal governmental operations, includ ing housing and health care. They also cite the negative effect it would have on Oregon Lottery revenues, which fund schools, parks and eco nomic development. "Amending our Constitution to allow privately run Las Vegas-style casinos near major population cen ters is simply irresponsible," Mar tin said. "And it sets a dangerous precedent that will unleash a tidal wave of deep-pocketed, out-of-state casino interests spending millions to put new initiatives on the ballot to build even more casinos in nearly every community in our state." Chuck Baumann, a spokesman for the Oregon Lottery, told The Oregonian that a privately run ca sino in Multnomah County would affect revenue the state earns from its video slot machines. "Anytime you get a casino in the Portland metro area, that will af fect our retailers," he said. Within a 20-mile radius of Wood Village are 800 restaurants and taverns that have video lottery terminals, representing 37 percent of the state total and about $350 million in sales, Baumann said. Martin reiterated the stance that convinced Oregon voters to reject the idea in 2010. "We worry about the prolifera tion aspect," Martin said. "Once you knock out the barrier of the Constitution, what's to prevent the Legislature, or the next wealthy ex ecutive, from putting one between Salem and Eugene? "We in Oregon have this delicate balance of gaming. Why on earth would Oregonians choose to bring in a third party?" As part of the Citizens' Initiative Review process, the panel will draft a "Citizens' Statement" highlight ing the most important findings about a measure and it will be published as a prominent page in the Oregon Voters' Pamphlet "as a new and easily accessible resource for voters to use at election time." Includes information from The Oregonian. B