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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