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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2023)
PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND, OR PERMIT NO. 700 Shimkhin exhibit opens 4 pg. 13 may 1, 2023 Families having fun Kotek reiterates stance on expansion of Tribal gaming: No! By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor S announcement that almost 70 percent of current Tribal members have lower provable blood quan- tum than what is contained in their conodential enrollment oles, the problems were inescapable. Former Tribal Council member Jack Giffen Jr. said the Tribe was in an <enrollment crisis.= In addition, Tribal Council announced a poten- ALEM 3 New Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek officially notified the chairs of the nine federally recognized Tribes in the state on Thursday, April 13, that she does not support an expansion of gaming and will maintain the status quo during her term in ofoce. As orst reported by Smoke Signals before the November 2022 general election, Kotek reiter- ated that she will main- tain the policies of former governors John Kitzhaber and Kate Brown regard- ing Tribal gaming in Or- egon. <Throughout my leg- islative career, during my campaign for office and since the start of ad- ministration, I have been clear that I do not favor Oregon Gov. an expansion of gaming,= Tina Kotek Kotek wrote, adding she will stick with the one gaming facility per Tribe on Reservation land policy. <This helps all of us avoid confusion, use of resources, and advocacy for and against changing my stance in favor of one gaming facility per Tribe on Reservation land.= Kotek9s letter potentially affects the future of two proposals to expand Tribal gaming in Oregon. The Coquille Tribe has applied to the Depart- ment of the Interior to have land in Medford tak- en into trust for gaming purposes and the Siletz Tribe has proposed opening a second casino in north Salem. The Siletz Tribe already operates Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City. Should either of the two proposals be approved by the Department of the Interior, they would still need the OK from Oregon9s governor before they could proceed. See ENROLLMENT continued on page 10 See GAMING continued on page 8 Photo by Michelle Alaimo One-year-old Reece Ryan plays with a pinwheel before the start of the Children & Family Services Family Fun Run/Walk held on the Tribal campus on Saturday, April 15. April was Child Abuse Prevention Month and the pinwheel is a symbol for it. More photos on page 12. Enrollment endgame? Other Tribes might hint at solution By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor D uring the March 22 Tribal Council meet- ing that lasted almost three hours, Tribal members asked what the <endgame= is for the current enrollment quagmire the Grand Ronde Tribe is experiencing. Between predictions that the Tribe will not have qualified members it can enroll under current membership rules within 50 years to an Memorial Day event set for May 29 By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor A ttendees at this year9s Me- morial Day event at the West Valley Veterans Me- morial will see one of two things 3 two holes in the ground or two new blank black granite slabs. The Tribe received a $33,000 grant from Oregon State Parks to install the two new granite slabs that will continue to hold the names of West Valley residents who have served in the military. After almost two decades of add- ing names to the pillars, two of the four pillars are running out of room. The pillars for Navy and Army veterans are olling up and in February 2020 Tribal Council approved seeking s state grant to add two additional pillars. According to Smoke Signals9 run- ning tally, the Army pillar contains more than 1,140 names while the Navy pillar has almost 700 names. The two new pillars should last awhile since the Air Force and Marine Corps pillars have substan- tially fewer names on them. Tribal Engineering and Planning Manager Ryan Webb said the orig- See MEMORIAL DAY continued on page 5 Installation work has started for two new granite slabs to be added to the West Valley Veterans Memorial located on the Tribal campus. The Tribe received a $33,000 grant from Oregon State Parks to install the new slabs because the pillars for Navy and Army veterans are filling up. Photo by Michelle Alaimo