2
OCTOBER 1, 2021
Smoke Signals
General Council meeting
11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 3
sNok signflz
Tribal members can participate remotely
through the Zoom application.
PUBLICATIONS OFFICE
NOTICE — Monthly Tribal Council Wednesday Meetings
9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347
1-800-422-0232, FAX: 503-879-2173
DATE
TIME
Wednesday, Oct. 13...............................................................,..............4 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 27...............................................................,..............4 p.m.
Please note that these times and dates are subject to change if needed.
Website: www.smokesignals.org
E-mail: news@grandronde.org
Editorial.Board@grandronde.org
Twitter: CTGRSmokeSignal
Health & Wellness Center hours
The Health & Wellness Center is pleased to add additional access for
patients during holiday weeks on Thursday mornings. The clinic will be
scheduling patients at 8 a.m. every Thursday preceding or following a
holiday closure. Urgent care also will be available during this time. 
Letters welcome
Letters should be exclusive to smok signflz.
Letters should be 400 words or less and must include the writer’s name,
address, phone number and Tribal roll number. You will be contacted to
confirm authorship.
All letters are subject to editing for space, grammar and, on occasion,
factual accuracy. Only two letters per writer are allowed during a three-
month period.
Letters written in response to other letter writers should address the
issue at hand and, rather than mentioning the other writer by name,
should refer to the date of the letter published. Discourse should be
civil and people should be referred to in a respectful manner. Letters
deemed in poor taste will not be printed. Send letters via e-mail to news@
grandronde.org, or submit in person at the Tribal Governance Center in
Grand Ronde, Ore., or mail to smok signflz, 9615 Grand Ronde Road,
Grand Ronde, OR, 97347.
Tribal Office Closures
Tribal offices will be closed Monday, Oct. 11, in observance of
Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
www.facebook.com/SmokeSignalsCTGR/
www.youtube.com/c/SmokeSignalsChannel
DEAN RHODES
PUBLICATIONS
COORDINATOR
503-879-1463
DANIELLE
HARRISON
TIMOTHY J.
GONZALEZ
STAFF WRITER
503-879-4663
PHOTOJOURNALIST
503-879-1961
dean.rhodes@grandronde.org
danielle.frost@grandronde.org
timothy.gonzalez@grandronde.org
SAMUEL F.
BRIGGS III
JUSTIN
PHILLIPS
KAMIAH
KOCH
GRAPHIC DESIGN
SPECIALIST
503-879-1416
PAGE
DESIGNER
503-879-2190
SOCIAL MEDIA/
DIGITAL JOURNALIST
503-879-1461
samuel.briggs@grandronde.org
justin.phillips@grandronde.org
kamiah.koch@grandronde.org
DEADLINE DATE
ISSUE DATE
thursday, Oct. 7 ................oct. 15, 2021
monday, Oct. 25 .................. nov. 1, 2021
monday, nov. 8 ...................nov. 15, 2021
friday, nov. 19 .......................dec. 1, 2021
Editorial Policy
smok signflz , a publication of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Communi-
ty 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 verification purposes. Full addresses and phone numbers will not
be published unless requested. Letters must be 400 words or less.
smok signflz 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 reflect
the opinions of smok signflz .
Members of:
 Native American Journalists Association
 Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association
Seeking Veterans (men and women) from all eras (wartime and/or peacetime).
(Especially WWII, Vietnam, Korea, the Gulf War and the War in Afghanistan)
(war or peacetime)
Are you a military Veteran?
(All Veterans Welcome! Tribal or non-Tribal and in the local area)
Q: Has it been a while since you applied for benefits or had your benefits reviewed?
A: New legislation could have been passed since the last time you applied for benefits
which means potential new avenues of eligibility for you!
Q: Do you have a current service-connected disability, but are interested in applying for an
increase or additional disabilities?
A: Contact me to schedule an intake appointment as soon as we can to start the process.
Q: Have you thought about applying, but think you might not qualify?
A: Contact me and let’s try anyway. You might qualify for additional compensation.
Q: Do you know a Veteran who has not applied for their military benefits, but should try?
A: Refer them to me or give them my contact information (blue box below).
Are you a spouse of a military Veteran?
Do you want to help your Veteran spouse apply for and/or increase their benefits?
2021-22
Tribal Council
tribalcouncil@grandronde.org
 Cheryle A. Kennedy
Tribal Council Chairwoman
— ext. 2352
cheryle.kennedy@grandronde.org
 Chris Mercier
Tribal Council Vice Chair
Have you
heard there
might be
burial benefits
or spousal
benefits but
aren’t sure?
Contact me, the CTGR
TVSO to find out more
about the available
benefits that could help
you and/or your family.
Do you have
questions
about Veteran
benefits for
you or the
family?
— ext. 1444
chris.mercier@grandronde.org
 Michael Langley
Tribal Council Secretary
— ext. 1777
michael.langley@grandronde.org
Do you worry about what to do if something happens to your Veteran spouse?
Have you wondered how you might make ends meet if something happened?
 Kathleen George
— ext. 2305
kathleen.george@grandronde.org
 Jack Giffen Jr.
— ext. 2300
jack.giffen@grandronde.org
 Denise Harvey
— ext. 2353
denise.harvey@grandronde.org
 Jon A. George
— ext. 2355
jon.george@grandronde.org
 Lisa Leno
— ext. 1770
lisaleno@grandronde.org
 Michael Cherry
— ext. 4555
michael.cherry@grandronde.org