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State analysis:
Private casino
a bad deal
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
First, the Oregon Citizens' Ini
tiative Review Commission
voted 17-7 against measures
82 and 83, which would amend the
state Constitution and allow a pri
vate casino in Wood Village.
And now a state economic analy
sis by the nonpartisan Legislative
Revenue Office finds that a huge
casino in east Multnomah County
would probably cost state and lo
cal governments money and likely
shrink the Oregon economy.
The analysis, written in July by
Mazen Malik, a senior economist
in the Legislative Revenue Office,
evaluated three scenarios in which
the proposed casino would operate
2,200 slot machines and three more
scenarios in which it operated 3,500
slots, the number included in the
See CASINO
continued on page 8
Community Fund
awards $902,699 to
nonprofits, Tribes
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
As part of the Tribe's most
recent effort "to improve
the quality of life in Oregon
consistent with the Tribe's values,"
Spirit Mountain Community Fund
gave out $902,699 in grants to
Oregon nonprofits and Tribes on
Wednesday, Sept. 12.
In 34 grants to nonprofits,
the Community Fund awarded
$502,405, funding projects in edu
cation, health, arts and culture,
environment, historic preservation
and public safety.
This quarter's recipients included
the Black Parent Initiative of Port
land, a 6-year-old nonprofit that
uses parent training and coaching
to bring about family stabiliza
tion in Multnomah County, said
Charles McGee, president and CEO
of the nonprofit. The $20,000 award
will enable Black Parent Initiative
to increase services to 250 families
from the 200 it served before the
award.
This was the first Community
See COMMUNITY FUND
continued on page 9
IP
Tribe aids joint operation searching for marijuana grows
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
A National Guard helicopter comes in for a landing near the Tribal Natural Resources Department building
on Thursday, Sept. 6. The crew on board was part of a multi-agency drug team searching for large-scale
marijuana grow sites in the area.
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
At 11 a.m. on a sunny
Thursday, National
Guard helicopters land
ed on a patch of grass in front
of the Tribal Natural Resources
Department building like it's a
M.A.S.H. unit, but the whirly
birds were not bringing in the
wounded.
They are part of a multi
agency drug team, back from
the first of two flights scheduled
for the day, searching for large
scale marijuana growing sites.
This year, for the first time,
the operation for the four
northwestern counties started
and ended on Tribal property
in Grand Ronde.
"We're a certified law en
forcement agency," says Direc
tor of Development and Public
Safety Pete Wakeland, "so it
makes sense that we cooperate
with other law enforcement
agencies. It's a combined effort
to keep the Reservation and
local community safe."
Making Tribal property
available to the team started
with a request from Oregon
State Police Senior Trooper
Randy Ogle to Tribal Interim
Police Chief Jake McKnight.
They have worked together for
years Ogle as coordinator of
the Coast Region Marijuana
Team and McKnight as the
Tribe's Forest Patrol officer.
"Whatever I can do to make it
easier on them, I'll lend a hand,"
says McKnight.
Ultimately, Natural Resourc-
See GROW SITES
continued on page 11