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graduates — pg. 9
june 1, 2020
Spirit Mountain Casino re-opens
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
S
pirit Mountain Casino joined at least four
other Oregon and southwestern Washing-
ton Tribal casinos when it re-opened on
Monday, June 1, ending 2.5 months of being
closed because of the COVID-19 coronavirus
pandemic.
The casino, the Tribe’s principal economic en-
gine, opened its doors at 6 a.m. and implemented
additional safety measures to protect guests
and staff members, such as age restrictions of
not allowing anyone under the age of 21 on the
Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez
Tribal Council OKs
several more rounds of
virus relief payments
casino or Spirit Mountain Lodge properties, re-
quiring masks at all table games and “strongly”
encouraging all guests to wear casino-provided
masks, temperature scanning at the entrances
and additional hand sanitizer and sanitizer wipe
dispensers throughout the property.
In addition, hours will be limited to 6 a.m. to 2
a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6 a.m. to 4
a.m. Friday and Saturday to allow for additional
deep cleaning.
See CASINO
continued on page 7
Spirit Mountain Casino’s sign along Salmon River Highway touts the re-opening of the casino at 6 a.m.
Monday, June 1. The casino has been closed for 74 days because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Memorial Day flyover
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
A
dult Tribal members will see
a series of three virus relief
payments totaling $1,800
over the summer.
Tribal Council instructed the Fi-
nance Department on Wednesday,
May 27, to prepare a third supple-
mental budget that will allocate
$8.1 million that the Tribe received
in federal funding to fund the virus
relief payments.
The approximately 4,500 adult
Tribal members will each receive
$600 at the end of June, July and
August, according to a May 27 post
on the Tribal government’s Face-
book page.
The funding comes from the
Tribe’s share of Coronavirus Aid,
Relief and Economic Security Act
monies. Although the Tribe has not
disclosed exactly how much it has
received in CARES Act funding, a
Harvard study estimates it at being
approximately $33 million based
on the U.S. Treasury’s announced
See PAYMENTS
continued on page 2
Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez
Canada geese perform a flyover of the West Valley Veterans Memorial as Cemetery Service Technician Greg
Gnos with OM Stone works on etching new names on Friday, May 15. Army veterans Douglas D. Stake, Alden
H. Clark, Linden W. Frederic, Donald E. Holsclaw, David W. Weaver and Mervin J. Holmes and Navy veterans
James F. Marks and Ramona L. Quenelle were added to the memorial. To hear Quenelle, a Grand Ronde Tribal
employee, discuss her service in the Navy, visit www.spreaker.com and search for “Smoke Signals podcasts.”
For more photos see page 7.
Tribal employees adjust to ‘new normal’
By Danielle Frost
Smoke Signals staff writer
F
rom temperature checks to wearing masks,
working at the Grand Ronde Tribal gov-
ernment has fundamentally changed in the
wake of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
When the Tribe’s approximately 500 employ-
ees returned to work after a two-month partial
closure, the differences were readily apparent.
The first new requirement was to line up at
designated locations on the Tribal campus for
COVID-19 screening questions and a tempera-
ture check. Employees are required to carry
“pass” slips if leaving the building so they can
be readmitted. Entry to non-employees is by
appointment only.
Chachalu Museum & Cultural Center is closed
to visitors until future notice. Cultural activi-
ties are being posted to YouTube so that those
interested can still participate, albeit remotely.
Additionally, the Tribe’s popular Khofi Haws
stand is closed until future notice. TERO Di-
rector Harris Reibach sent out an all-employee
e-mail regarding the closure.
See EMPLOYEES
continued on page 8