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FEBRUARY 15, 2024
Tribal nonemergency text line
The Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department has a nonemergency text
line at 541-921-2927.
“If you have a nonemergency situation or question, feel free to contact
my officer via text through this line,” said Grand Ronde Tribal Police Chief
Jake McKnight. “When one of my officers receives the text, they will call
you back when they have time.”
McKnight said that emergency situations still require calling 911.
For more information, contact McKnight at 503-879-1474.
Scheduled Appointments Only
Walk-In Day
Monday
Thursday
Tuesday
To schedule an appointment:
Call (503) 879-1424 or
CTGRTribalVSO@GrandRonde.Org
The Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde
5
Tribal Council approves loan for Spirit
Mountain Casino virtual golf suite
By Danielle Harrison
Smoke Signals editor
Tribal Council approved a
$893,600 construction loan to Spir-
it Mountain Gaming Inc. at its
Wednesday, Feb. 7, meeting for the
construction of an indoor virtual
golf simulator.
“TopGolf, the product we are
looking at, is part of the national
brand,” Spirit Mountain Casino
Chief Operating Officer Clint John-
son said during a Tuesday, Feb.
6, Legislative Action Committee
meeting. “People are probably fa-
miliar with the outdoor version but
they also have a sister operation,
TopGolf Swing Suite, a virtual golf
simulator that you can play inside a
building. These are very high-tech.”
The suite will be located inside
Spirit Mountain Casino near the
BetMGM Sportsbook. There will
be four bays with a capacity of up
to eight people per bay.
“We plan to hopefully start this
later this month or early next
month and expect to be done with it
before the summer,” Johnson said.
Other uses for the golf suites
include renting them out for meet-
ings, business retreats and major
sporting events, as well as hosting
indoor golf leagues.
“This will be a great tool for us,
especially midweek as we’ve strug-
gled to get people out here and we
think this could be an amenity that
will drive them out there,” Johnson
said.
In other action, Tribal Council:
• Declared a per capita date of
Friday, March 8, for the time
period of December 2023 through
February 2024;
• Approved the purchase of a mort-
gage note from the U.S. Depart-
ment of Housing and Urban
Development Section 184 Loan
for a vacant property in Grand
Meadows in the amount of $10;
• And enrolled two infants into the
Tribe because they meet the re-
quirements outlined in the Tribal
Constitution and Enrollment
Ordinance.
To watch the entire meeting, visit
the Tribal government’s website at
www.grandronde.org and click on
the Videos tab.
Blackwell grew up in area
COMMITTEE SUMMIT
GENERAL MANAGER
continued from front page
Thursday, March 14, 2024
5:30 to 8 p.m.
Chemeketa Community College,
and is a certified family life educa-
tor and professional coach.
She is the daughter of past Tribal
Council member and key Resto-
ration figure Candy Robertson and
the great-great-granddaughter of
Chief Solomon Riggs.
Dinner Provided
Spirit Mountain Casino
For questions please contact:
Shannon.Ham-Texeira@grandronde.org
Blackwell grew up in Willamina
and Grand Ronde, and currently
lives in Dallas with her husband,
Darren; and three dogs, Kira, Callie
and Mayzie.
The couple has five children, six
grandchildren, fifteen nieces and
nephews, and 11 great-nieces and
nephews.
She can be reached at angie.
blackwell@grandronde.org.
Ad by Samuel Briggs III
ATTENTION GRAND RONDE TRIBAL MEMBERS
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE
MARCH 2024 PER CAPITA DISTRIBUTION
Deadline Dates for March 2024 Per Capita
• Change of Address: Tuesday, February 27, 2024 BY 5 P.M.
• Change of Direct Deposit: Tuesday, February 27, 2024 BY 5 P.M.
PER CAPITA DIRECT DEPOSIT
NOW ACCEPTING NEW AND EXPIRING TERM
APPLICATIONS!!
TRIBAL COMMITTEE/BOARD AND COMMISSION
*DO YOU WANT TO BE MORE INVOLVED WITH THE TRIBE?
*ARE YOU INTERESTED IN MAKING POSITIVE CHANGES FOR
FUTURE GENERATIONS?
Forms can be found:
• Online at: www.grandronde.org
• Or by contacting Kalene Contreras at 503-879-2204 or
Kalene.contreras@grandronde.org
ADDRESS CHANGES
Changes can be made by:
• Calling the Member Services Department at 503-879-2116
• If you get voicemail your address will still
be changed if you clearly state your:
• Name
• Roll #
• Date of Birth
• Last 4 digits of SS#
• New Address
Ad by Samuel Briggs III
APPLY TODAY
OR PICK UP A HARD COPY NEAR GOVERNANCE SECURITY.
PLEASE DIRECT ANY QUESTIONS TO TRIBAL COUNCIL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISSTANT SHANNON
HAM-TEXEIRA@SHANNON.HAM-TEXEIRA@GRANDRONDE.ORG OR CALL (503) 879-2301.