News Stories for Mon., Jun. 19, 2017

Oregon officials say the number of untested rapes kits have quadrupled over the past two years despite efforts to process them faster. The Statesman Journal reports half of the 2,800 untested rape kits sent to Utah last year have been processed, but that work was not enough to put the state back on track. Oregon State Police reported a backlog of 884 newly submitted assault forensic evidence kits as of April. Oregon lawmakers set aside $1.5 million to hire nine crime lab analysts. Public Information Officer Bill Fugate says the new analysts will complete their training by the end of December.

Warm Springs Housing Authority is hosting a training session on bed bugs this Thursday. Sprague Pest Control will conduct the training for tenants and community members at the Greeley Heights Community Building from 11-1:00.  Folks can learn about preventing bed bug infestations, what you need to look for, and treating a home for the bugs. A light lunch will be provided for those who attend.

The Oregon State Beavers took the lead in the eighth inning, coming back from a four-run deficit to beat Cal State Fullerton 6-5 in the College World Series opener Saturday. The Beavers (55-4) extended their winning streak to 22 games and will play this afternoon at 4:00 against LSU, which beat Florida State Saturday night.

The Nooksack Indian Tribe closed its Northwood Casino Friday – one day after the National Indian Gaming Commission ordered it to immediately do so over alleged violations, The Bellingham Herald reported. According to its website, the casino will stay closed until further notice. The federal commission issued the closure order Thursday, citing “numerous violations” of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, including that tribal gaming “must be conducted by federally recognized leadership.” The current tribal council isn’t recognized as a legitimate governing body by the Department of the Interior and its Bureau of Indian Affairs. The commission’s order was the latest blow in an ongoing legal battle over the tribe’s decision, under Tribal Chairman Bob Kelly, Jr., in November 2016 to remove 289 people from the Nooksack membership rolls because, the tribal council said, those people didn’t have strong enough blood ties to the tribe and had been erroneously enrolled.

Efforts to reform the Indian Health Service continue to see attention on Capitol Hill. The House Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs is meeting this week to take testimony on H.R. 2662, the Restoring Accountability in the Indian Health Service Act. The bill seeks to address long-standing management, employment and oversight issues at the agency. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs took testimony on S.1250, a companion version of the bill, on Tuesday last week. According to Indianz.com, although both measures are being pushed by Republicans, the Trump administration has not said outright whether it supports or opposes their efforts.

A presentation on Financial Literacy and Minor’s Trust Funds will take place on Thursday, June 29^th from 9 to 11:00 in the morning at the agency longhouse.  Covered will be the requirements to receive a trust fund, when funds are distributed and who has access to account information. Charles Jackson will talk about the requirements to access IIM accounts and how trust funds are invested. And, there will be staff from Columbia Bank who will talk about how to access trust fund accounts.