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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 2021)
PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND, OR PERMIT NO. 700 Tribal youths learn to weave — pg. 10 August 15, 2021 Board holds first reading to name school after Kathryn Harrison By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor T he Corvallis School Board was scheduled to hold a first reading on Thursday, Aug. 12, that will rename one of the district’s schools after Kathryn Harrison, a key figure in the Grand Ronde Tribe’s Restoration effort and a longtime Tribal Council member. Corvallis School District Super- intendent Ryan Noss said that Harrison was one of three people he recommended to the School Board on Thursday, June 10. Harrison, who at 97 is the Tribe’s eldest Elder, said in June that she was “humbled and very flattered.” The process started in August 2020, according to reporting from the Corvallis Gazette-Times, when the Corvallis School Board voted to remove the names of former presidents Herbert Hoover, Thom- as Jefferson and Woodrow Wilson from elementary schools because the men engaged in racist practic- es. The schools then temporarily adopted the names of their mascots for the 2020-21 academic year. In December 2020, the Corvallis School District formed a Renaming Task Force to find new names for Husky, Jaguar and Wildcat ele- mentary schools, and potentially some of the other 14 district-owned buildings. Harrison’s name will be applied to Jaguar Elementary School. See NAMING continued on page 7 Contributed photo As visitors enter the proposed Spirit Mountain at Wood Village, the architect’s rendering shows wood planks surrounding it, complemented by lights designed to look like a river and highlight the Grand Ronde Tribe’s connection to local waterways. Tribe updates Wood Village officials on casino plans By Danielle Harrison Smoke Signals staff writer W OOD VILLAGE — Tribal Council members and staff met with Wood Vil- lage officials on Friday, July 30, to provide an update on casino plans for the former 26.5-acre Mult- nomah Greyhound Park property the Tribe has owned since 2015. “This has been a fun, exciting proj- ect to work on,” Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez said. “It’s been a fantastic process and we’re excited to share it with you.” Tribal officials shared archi- tectural renderings of the Spir- it Mountain at Wood Village project, which would feature a 350,000-square-foot casino that includes a 120,000-square-foot gaming floor, 300 hotel rooms and more than 3,000 parking spaces. There also would be space for con- certs and events. In addition to Hernandez, Tribal Council Secretary Jon A. George, Tribal Council member Lisa Leno, Tribal Attorney Rob Greene and Project Manager Ryan Webb at- See CASINO continued on page 9 Roads to Recovery: Leno used meth for 28 years before seeking help (Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of Smoke Signals stories in 2021 that examines addiction and recovery.) By Danielle Harrison Smoke Signals staff writer hen one thinks of a stereotypical addict who finally seeks help, the picture that often comes to mind is a homeless person, someone who has been in and out of jail, or an individual who has lost ties with family due to their drug use. Tribal Elder Rhonda Leno, 58, defied all of these stereotypes. Although she used methamphetamine for 28 years, her drug addiction was mostly W Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez Tribal Elder Rhonda Leno shares her story about the recovery process on Tuesday, June 22. well-hidden from those who didn’t know her well. She was never arrested and never spent time in jail. See RECOVERY continued on page 8