Smoke Signals 7
JANUARY 15, 2013
Council amends Tribal
corporations ordinance
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
In a 7-0 vote. Tribal Council
amended the Tribal governmental
corporations ordinance on Dec.
12, eliminating the requirement
that Tribal Council must approve
compensation of director level and
higher employees at Tribal busi
ness entities, such as Spirit Moun
tain Gaming Inc.
The ordinance was approved
by Tribal Council Secretary Toby
McClary and Tribal Council mem
bers Kathleen Tom, Chris Mer
rier, Cheryle A. Kennedy, Steve
Bobb Sr., June Sherer and Jon A.
George.
Tribal Council Vice Chair Jack
Giffen Jr. chaired the meeting and
did not vote. Tribal Council Chair
man Reyn Leno was absent because
of health-related issues.
By eliminating the requirement,
Tribal Council will no longer be
required to endorse or deny raises
already approved by a Tribal busi
ness entity's board of directors.
Tribal Council is currently invit
ing Tribal member comments on
the proposed amendment, which
was adopted on an emergency basis
at the Dec. 12 meeting.
Comments should be directed to
the Tribal Attorney's Office, 9615
Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde,
OR 97347, or sent by e-mail to le
galgrandronde.org by Jan. 31. B
Education offers Chinuk Wawa classes
The Tribe's Cultural Education Department offers adult Chinuk Wawa
language classes from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday in Room 207
of the Tribal Education Building. Language classes can be taken for college
credit or fun. For more information, call 503-879-2249 or 503-437-4599. B
Spirit Mountain Casino
Security also on hand
TRAINING continued
from page 6
two people. That work, he said,
unfolded just as police teams had
practiced.
"You're getting a taste of what
it's really like to be engaged," said
Detective Josh Calef of the Dal
las Police Department, who was
participating in his second active
shooter exercise. "It's invaluable,
though chances are we'll never even
have this happen."
Despite the unlikelihood, "Be
ing in denial that it could happen
makes it easier to happen," said
Terry Miller, Training Coordinator
for Oregon State Police.
This preparedness is coming at a
cost, Miller added. "For years, we've
told them to 'be safe, go home safe,'
but now we've seen that waiting for
a SWAT team can be costly. The
faster we confront the shooter, the
more lives we save. Guys are say
ing, 'This is way more risk than we
signed on for.' "
Also on hand at the training was
Spirit Mountain Casino Security
Manager Joann Mercier, who has
long worked with local police and
fire, even training a fire brigade of
immediate responders at the casino
who handle emergency crises until
state, county or local first respond
ers arrive.
"We are here to try to help the
situation until law enforcement
gets here, and then to help them,"
said Mercier.
Grand Ronde's new Tribal police
are "in the process now of getting
a plan together" with the casino's
security detail, said McKnight, who
used a semi-automatic simulated
weapon during the exercises.
The Tribe's new police chief, Al
LaChance, used a simulated hand
gun during the exercises.
"I learned a couple new tech
niques for doing a dynamic entry
into a room, the new style of active
shooter," LaChance said.
He noted that the value he sees in
the exercise is "the ability to train
with other agencies from our area
that we'll be responding with in
the event of an incident, actually
working with them, gives us all a
better understanding of our roles
and responsibilities should we have
to respond. This is something that
needs to be done bi-annually or, at
the very least, annually.
"Hosting the event on Tribal
property was a huge plus for us
gaining respect in the law enforce
ment community. I hope to do more
of that in the future."
For McKnight, the value of the
exercise was "huge."
"What it does is it puts tools in
our toolbox, so we'll know how to
react in a situation," McKnight
said.
LaChance also thanked all of the
Tribal members and children who
participated as role players and
made the training that much more
realistic.
Among them were Kailiyah Kre
hbiel, Kaleb Reid, Dyami Eastman,
Nick Colton, Julius Roan Eagle,
Dakota Ross and Marcel Allen.
Education Department staff mem
bers Cultural Education Specialist
Travis Mercier, High School Lead
Chris Bailey, Middle School Lead
Matt Zimbrick and College Intern
Tahnae Baker also participated.
Parent Dustin Ross volunteered
as well.
Officers all the way up to police
chiefs participated from Monmouth,
Independence, Dallas, Polk County,
Oregon State Police and the Grand
Ronde Police Department. B
Tribal member starting
Tribal-oriented blogcast
Kevin Simmons hopes to bring 'a voice to the people'
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
Radio is in Kevin Simmons'
blood.
His father, the late John Sim
mons, was a disc jockey in Warm
Springs and Portland.
"Radio has always been in my
family," said Simmons, a father
of five in Eugene.
He announced at the Jan. 6
General Council meeting that
he is working with wife, Robin,
a school psychologist in Spring
field, in developing the first
computer-based radio program
a blogcast targeted at the
Grand Ronde community.
"Robin and I have been prep
ping, talking with people, re
searching the topics," said
Simmons.
For three or four years, when
Simmons lived on the Hoopa
Indian Reservation in Califor
nia, he produced an educational
show on the reservation station,
KIDE, Hoopa Tribal Radio.
The show, "Ed Info," covered
education in the valley and on
the reservation, Simmons said.
Simmons also comes to the
blogcast project with a freshly
minted master's degree in Spe
cial Education from the Univer
sity of Oregon.
On the Web site www.blog
talkradio.comgrwawaradio, the Simmonses write, "We're
excited about our first show on
Tuesday January 15, 2013 7
PM. We are going to discuss jobs
in Grand Ronde and explore the
Tribal Employment Rights Or
dinance or TERO development
in Grand Ronde. Guests to be
determined in the future."
Among the first to express
interest in participating was
Tribal Council Secretary Toby
McClary.
"I feel that any time technol
ogy, can be used to enhance
communication, it opens up op
portunities to reach a broader
demographic," McClary said.
"I am also very impressed with
Tribal members creating inno
vative ways to discuss, debate
and explore the 'goings-on' of our
Tribe and our people.
"I also feel this is yet another
way to educate communities
outside Indian Country about
Tribes and the issues surround
ing Native Americans.
"I look forward to any oppor
tunity I get to participate and 1
am thankful to Mr. Simmons for ,
his leadership and his ability to
think outside the box." ' '
"I believe folks would be in
terested in cultural topics and
this could prove to be a learning
experience," said Tribal Council
member Cheryle A. Kennedy.
"The public can be educated on
CTGR and our history through
this new venue. From the per
sonal perspective, I want to
Kevin Simmons
enrich our community and pro
mote diversity."
Former Mentorship and
Workforce Development Coor
dinator Denise Harvey also has
expressed interest in speaking
on the show.
The technology making this
all possible means that guests
can participate from any place
that has a telephone and an
Internet-capable computer.
Simmons said his goal is "to
bring a voice to the people, to
get something rolling for our
folks."
First thing, it took the sup
port of the community to get it
rolling.
"We wheeled it out yesterday,"
he said on Jan. 7 and already
people have been calling in
suggesting topics. "Elders have
been talking about learning how
to get on the computer to listen
and participate."
The project also benefited
from "a little bit of cash and
self-initiative," he said.
Simmons said he anticipates
future shows that feature Elders
and youth doing good things.
"Maybe some Tribal employees
because you guys are part of our
family, too," he said. 'The next
step is a show for the kids."
The bottom line, he said, is
that the tone is going to be "all y;
positive."
The program will be broad
cast live with phone-ins and
include news and updates from
the Grand Ronde community.
Tribal music also is anticipated
during the 30- to,40rminute
show, broadcasting from 7 to
7:30 p.m. Tuesdays.
, "It started from a need for
good dialogue and good pro
gramming for our people and for
folks outside the Grand Ronde
area," Simmons said. "A lot of
us know what's going on, but
maybe not as many outside of
the res.
"I want to grow it. I don't want
it to be a Kevin Simmons thing.
Maybe somebody will step up for
8 o'clock." B