2 S moke S ignals june 15, 2014 NOTICE — Monthly Tribal Council Wednesday Meetings DATE TIME Wednesday, June 25............................................................................5 p.m. Please note that these times and dates are subject to change if needed. Tribal Council Nominations Sunday, June 29, 2014 Special General Council Meeting Letters Tribal Community Center — 11 a.m. Dear Smoke Signals: I would like to thank Adult Foster Care’s Cougar Lodge for the wonder- ful and loving care they gave my late Uncle Eugene “Gene” Hudson, 93 years old and a World War II veteran. He was the last of 13 children of Abe and Maude “Warren” Hudson. I was so happy when I learned Uncle Gene was coming out here to live right next door to me. But I was a little worried because I knew Uncle Gene was known to have a little temper! And I didn’t want him to get ornery with the girls. But wouldn’t you know he was on his best behavior and they spoiled him. One caregiver, “Ginger,” would even warm his blankets in the dryer at bedtime so he expected all of them to do it! Thank you so much to all the caregivers of the Cougar and Elk lodges; you take such good and loving care of all of your residents and Elders. We all loved him and will miss him. Val Grout Roll #268 Smoke Signals Dear Smoke Signals: I was pleased to see Gov. Vic Atiyeh’s photo in the June 1 Smoke Signals. His receiving a blanket is well-deserved recognition of the years — decades, actually — of support he has given Oregon Tribal communities. The photo’s caption says, “Atiyeh supported Grand Ronde during its Restoration effort and started the commission while in offi ce.” While true, that statement is incomplete, so here’s a little more historical context. Gov. Atiyeh was instrumental in starting the Oregon Commission on Indian Services as a state senator in 1975, when he co-sponsored and got both legislation and an appropriation approved. At the time, he was Sen- ate Republican leader, heading what was then called the “Phone Booth Caucus” because there were so few Republicans in the Senate that they could have met in one. Ever since, including the eight years he served as Oregon’s chief executive, he’s been a stalwart supporter of maintaining government-to-government relationships between Oregon Tribes and state government. That’s what the ceremony in the photo celebrated last month. But the commission is not just another state agency. It’s a legislative commission, an anomaly in Oregon state government, but one well-suited to its role. Ironically, the commission’s location in the legislative branch was probably a quirk of politics. It’s unlikely that the governor in 1975 would have supported a new state agency for Tribal and Indian issues. So Sen. Atiyeh put it in the legislative branch, outside the executive’s control. Had it been an executive agency, it might well have dissolved by now. But with strong legislative involvement like Gov. Atiyeh modeled, the commission has functioned successfully within the legislative branch for nearly 40 years. The reason this history matters to me is that it was my privilege as a young attorney to be the fi rst full-time staff director of the Commission on Indian Services, a position I held from 1976 (when Atiyeh was still in the state Senate) until 1980 (while he was serving his fi rst term as gover- nor). I learned a lot about Oregon Tribes and state government from Vic Atiyeh, then-Rep. Sam Johnson and other members of the Commission on Indian Services. Next year, it will be the commission’s 40th anniversary, and I trust that Gov. Atiyeh will be honored then too for his vision and leadership. Bruce Bishop Portland See page 13 for more letters. PUBLICATIONS OFFICE 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347 1-800-422-0232, FAX: 503-879-2173 Web site: www.grandronde.org/news E-mail: news@grandronde.org Twitter: CTGRgov Facebook: Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde SIOBHAN TAYLOR CHELSEA CLARK DEAN RHODES PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIRECTOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS/ PUBLICATIONS SECRETARY PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR 503-879-1418 dean.rhodes@grandronde.org 503-879-1920 siobhan.taylor@grandronde.org 503-879-1463 chelsea.clark@grandronde.org GEORGE VALDEZ JUSTIN PHILLIPS RON KARTEN GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST PAGE DESIGNER STAFF WRITER 503-879-2190 503-879-4663 503-879-1416 justin.phillips@grandronde.org ron.karten@grandronde.org MICHELLE ALAIMO VALERIE COX SCARLETT HOLTZ PHOTOJOURNALIST CENTRAL PHONES 503-879-1961 503-879-1446 michelle.alaimo@grandronde.org valerie.cox@grandronde.org george.valdez@grandronde.org DEADLINE DATE CENTRAL PHONES 503-879-1447 scarlett.holtz@grandronde.org ISSUE DATE Friday, June 20 ..............................July 1 Monday, June 7 ...........................July 15 Monday, July 21 .......................... Aug. 1 Editorial Policy SMOKE SIGNALS, a publication of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Com- munity of Oregon, is published twice a month. No portion of this publication may be reprinted without permission. Our editorial policy is intended to encourage input from Tribal members and readers about stories printed in the Tribal newspaper. However, all letters received must be signed by the author, an address must be given and a phone number or e-mail address must be included for verifi cation purposes. Full addresses and phone numbers will not be published unless requested. SMOKE SIGNALS reserves the right to edit letters and to refuse letters that are determined to contain libelous statements or personal attacks on individuals, staff, Tribal administration or Tribal Council. Not all letters are guaranteed publication upon submission. Letters to the editor are the opinions and views of the writer. Published letters do not necessarily refl ect the opinions of SMOKE SIGNALS, Tribal staff, Tribal administration or Tribal Council. Members of: n Native American Journalists Association n The Associated Press n Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association 2014 Tribal Council 1-800-422-0232 — tribalcouncil@grandronde.org Fee assistance n Reyn Leno Tribal Chairman — ext. 2399 n Denise Harvey — ext. 2353 reyn.leno@grandronde.org Enrolled Tribal members can request assistance with test fees (i.e. GRE, SAT, LSAT, ACT) and admissions application fees. Contact Higher Education for more information at 1-800-422-0232, ext. 2275. n n Jack Giffen Jr. Tribal Vice Chair — ext. 2300 n June Sherer — ext. 1444 Cover Oregon sign-ups continuing Native American and Alaska Natives can enroll year-round in Medicaid and the Oregon Health Plan, as well as for private health insurance coverage, through Cover Oregon. For more information, contact Cover Oregon Certifi ed Applica- tion Assisters Loretta Meneley at 503-879-1359, Sydney West at 503-879-2197 or 800-775-0095 for an appointment to apply for or discuss Cover Oregon. n jack.giffen@grandronde.org denise.harvey@grandronde.org june.sherer@grandronde.org n Cheryle A. Kennedy — ext. 2352 n Toby McClary Tribal Secretary — ext. 4555 cheryle.kennedy@grandronde.org toby.mcclary@grandronde.org kathleen.tom@grandronde.org n Kathleen Tom — ext. 1777 n Ed Pearsall — ext. 2305 n Jon A. George — ext. 2355 ed.pearsall@grandronde.org jon.george@grandronde.org