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GILA RIVER INDIAN NEWSJANUARY 2012 WWW.GILARIVER.ORG/NEWS VOL 15, NO.01

SERVING ALL SEVEN DISTRICTS OF THE GILA RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY

Inauguration 2012GRIC GovernorGregory MendozaAddresses FiftiethLegislature; Page 5

Community Chal-langed to developapp for mobile de-vices; Page 5

No Build rebuttesYes 202 ad; Page 4

NEWS:

FEATURES:

OPINION:

A New Generation of Leadership for the PeopleBy Roberto A. Jackson, Community Newsperson

Jan. 7, 2012 will go down as a

memorable day for those in the

Akimel O’otham Ballroom at the

Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort

& Spa. While the spotlight was on

GRIC, several distinguished and

notable guests attended and offered

support to the new administration

and all the judges.

Master of Ceremonies Randy

Ruiz welcomed the crowd prior to

the posting of the colors followed

by an extensive procession headed

by Gov. Mendoza and Lt. Gov.

Lewis.

District 5 Council Representa-

tive Brenda Robertson provided

the invocation. Lorena Clashin,

Miss Gila River 2011-2012 and

Lisa Hendricks, President of the

Akimel O’odham/Pee Posh Youth

Council each gave a welcome ad-

dress.

U.S. Rep. David Schweikert

said he was honored to give the

opening remarks, and is looking

forward to working with Gov.

Mendoza and Lt. Gov. Lewis.

Arizona Attorney General

Tom Horne’s general remarks

touched on the permanence of

GRIC’s ancestral roots. “You

treasure and revere your history

and your ancestors, and for that I

applaud you,” Horne said.

In a special videotaped mes-

sage, Gov. Jan Brewer recognized

former GRIC Gov. William R.

Rhodes for his accomplishments

and congratulated Gov. Mendoza,

Lt. Gov. Lewis and the judges.

“As Arizona enters into its second

century in this centennial year, I

wish you well on your journey in

public service and I trust that you

will carry the torch - and with it

light the way to a great future for

the Gila River Indian Community,”

said Gov. Brewer.

In her keynote address, Diane

Enos, President of the Salt River

Pima-Maricopa Indian Community

(SRPMIC) pointed out the close

ties between GRIC, SRPMIC, The

Tohono O’odham Nation, and the

Ak-Chin Indian Community. “We

are family,” President Enos said.

The governor’s inaugural ad-

dress was awakened by the occa-

sion to bring the Community

together not just for one magical

evening, but for the breadth of his

term and beyond. “I am truly hum-

bled by the privilege I have been

given to partner with the people to-

wards a new era of prosperity and a

Before a great crowd rejoicing in a moment of unity and

optimism, GRIC inaugurated Governor Gregory Men-

doza and Lieutenant Governor Stephen Roe Lewis

under the theme, “A New Generation for the People”-a refer-

ence to the administration’s spirited outlook and determina-

tion.

See Inauguration 2012/Page 8

Governor Gregory Mendoza taking the oath of office. GRIN/Roberto A. Jackson

GRIN/Roberto A. JacksonLt. Governor Stephen Roe Lewis taking the oath of office.

2 • JANUARY 2012 • Gila River Indian News

Gregory Mendoza, GovernorStephen R. Lewis, Lt. Governor

Gila River Indian CommunityP.O. Box 459

Sacaton, AZ 85147(520)562-9715

www.gilariver.org/grin

Robert Keller, Tribal Treasurer Linda Andrews, Community Council

Secretary

LETTERS POLICY: GRIN welcomes lettersand columns from readers. Letters should belimited to 200 words and be in good taste.Material that could be libelous or slanderous isnot acceptable. All letters or columns shouldbe signed with the writerʼs true name, addressand telephone number in the event GRIN mayneed to contact the writer. Only the name ofthe writer will be printed in the paper. Letters orcolumns without a complete signature, name,address or phone number will not be accept-able to GRIN for publication. GRIN reservesthe right to edit submitted materials for gram-mar, spelling and content.

Write to:Editor, GRINP.O. Box 459

Sacaton, AZ 85147

Published letters or columns do not necessarilyreflect the opinion of the editor or Gila River In-

dian Community.

District #1: Arzie HoggCynthia Antone

District #2: Jewell Whitman

District #3: Dale G. EnosMyron Schurz

District #4: Jennifer AllisonBarney B. Enos Jr.Christopher Mendoza

District #5: Brenda RobertsonBrian DavisAnnette J. StewartJanice Stewart

District #6: Anthony Villareal Sr.Albert PabloTerrance B Evans

District #7: Martha Miller

Material published in the Gila RiverIndian News may not be reproduced in

any form without consent from theGila River Indian Community.

Gi la River IndianNews

ZUZETTE [email protected]

CPAO Acting Director(520)562-9715

MIHIO [email protected] Managing Editor

(520)562-9718

GINA [email protected]

Receptionist(520)562-9715

ROBERTO A. [email protected]

Reporter(520)562-9719

WALT [email protected] volunteer reporter

Fax: (520)562-9712Email: [email protected]

www.gilariver.org/index.php/news Gila River News

Gila River Indian News • JANUARY 2012 • 3

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

For My Summer A. Blackwater!

Congratulations on winning the title of

CGUHS Miss Amerind for 2011-2012. For

you, this is a great accomplishment and the

beginning of something new for your life.

Your family is so very proud of you. Learn

from your new upcoming experience and

practice your lessons. I know this was

something new to you and you jumped in

with both feet, not knowing if you were

going to sink or swim. Now you are swim-

ming!!! Have fun with this experience and

I hope it inspires you to keep going and to

pursue whatever you want to accomplish in

life! We Love You Shweetie!! From Mom,

Noodlez, Easha and the babies, Alex & of

course your escort, Big Broskis, Tim!

For My New Daughter Ayissa “Easha”

Antone!

A BIG CONGRATULATIONS for being

named as the 19 Tribal Nations-WIA Out-

standing Youth of the Year! I know your

struggles and have seen you overcome and

conquer those struggles. You are the mother

of my grandchildren and I thank you for al-

lowing me to call them my grandsons, Mr.

Tracy & Mr. Hunter! You are still learning

lessons that life is constantly teaching all of

mankind and sometimes we fail and suc-

ceed, but we learn and that is the point in

life. Keep learning for the boys and yourself

and you will succeed in whatever life has to

throw your way!

Love Your “Mom”

Dear Citizens of the Gila River Indian Com-munity,

On February 7 you have the opportunity tovote on where to build the southwest seg-ment of the 202 Freeway. The current plancalls for the road to cut northward fromPecos Road through the western ridges ofSouth Mountain. Due to the amount of cut-ting and filling involved this would be avery expensive stretch of road that wouldforever scar the western end of the SouthMountain Range. This is why we, ThePhoenix Mountains Preservation Council(PMPC), respectfully request that you votein favor of placing the freeway on the morelevel lands at the northern edge of yourcommunity.

PMPC has been a strong advocate for thebeautiful mountains of Phoenix for over

forty years. We believe that if we fail to pro-tect and maintain the mountain lands thenour responsibility to current and future gen-erations has been neglected. Furthermorethe cultural ties that have existed between apeople and the mountain should never beforgotten. For more than twenty years wehave worked with numerous groups andagencies including Arizona Department ofTransportation (ADOT), the Maricopa As-sociation of Governments (MAG), thePhoenix City Council, the Governor of theState of Arizona and your legal counsel,Simpson Cox, in an effort to keep the 202Freeway from damaging the function,unique biology, archeology and naturalbeauty of South Mountain.

We understand you must carefully considerother things when deciding how to vote.There may be significant economic oppor-tunity in having this road connect your com-

munity with both the east and west sides ofthe Greater Phoenix Area. There will also beenvironmental and land transfer issues toconsider. With forethought and vigilance allthese things can accrue to the greater good.Fortunately for all of us the fate of themountains we all cherish is now in the handsof a thoughtful community.

Thank you for your consideration on thismatter.

Respectfully,Scott Frische, PresidentPhoenix Mountains Preservation Councilhttp://www.phoenixmountains.org

Christmas time is a time

for giving. There are

some who have been

givers throughout their

lifetime. The Elderly

Service Program is

proud to acknowledge 6

elders who have been

recognized by their dis-

tricts for outstanding

achievements. Leslie

Pasqual Dist. 4, Brenda

Kyyitan, Dist. 5, Tilly

Pratt, Dist. 3, Irving

Terry, Dist. 4, the late

Ethelene Histia, Dist. 3,

and the late Frances

Vavages, Dist. 3. In

keeping with the theme,

lifelong cowboy Leslie

Pasqual was leading the

float. Each horse repre-

sents the six elders. Two

unridden horses are in

honor of the late Ethe-

lene Histia, Dist. 3, and

the late Francis Vav-

ages, Dist. 3.

Elderly Services Program acknowl-

edges D6 elders

In Remembrance of Lita Reynolds

Lita Reynolds, 78, of

Peoria passed away at

5:23 p.m. Thursday,

Dec. 15, 2011 at OSF

St. Francis Medical

Center in Peoria. Born

March 17, 1933 in

Sacaton, AZ to Miles

and Eliza (Vavages)

Davis. She married

James H. Reynolds in

Florence, AZ on Dec.

15, 1955. He preceded

her in death in 1971.

She was also preceded

in death by her parents;

two sisters, and two

brothers. Surviving are

her daughter, Jeanie

(Harry) Lutes of Chan-

dler, AZ; son, Philip

(Marsha) Reynolds of

Peoria; four grandchil-

dren; eight great-grand-

children; brother,

Chester Davis; and sis-

ter, Neva Davis. Cre-

mation has been

accorded. There will be

no services or visitation.

Davison-Fulton Wood-

land Chapel in Peoria is

in charge of arrange-

ments. Online condo-

lences may be made at

w w w . d a v i s o n -

fulton.com.


The December 2011 edition of the Gila

River Indian News featured a paid ad-

vertisement from a campaign calling

itself 202 Yes. A company called

Pangea that leases Native American

land for profit is behind the 202 Yes

campaign. Pangea paid Initial Impres-

sions, an advertising agency that spe-

cializes in marketing Native American

casinos, to design the ad. Pangea and

Initial Impressions work hand-in-hand

at the same physical address in Tempe.

Pangea refers to themselves as GRIC

landowners, but Pangea is actually a

corporation that is pressuring GRIC

landowners to lease their lands to

Pangea for development. Pangea’s

website, designed by their casino mar-

keting friends at Initial Impressions,

announces their goals to build a mas-

ter-planned city in District Six, which

Pangea refers to as nothing but “acres

of undeveloped land” in a prime loca-

tion for Pangea’s City Concept.

Our responses to Pangea’s ad. Re-

sponses from O’odham who are for

NO BUILD.

*202 Yes states that the on-reserva-

tion option saves the mountain.

In fact, both proposed freeway align-

ments destroy the mountain. The on-

reservation alignment will force the

loss of more than 600 acres of GRIC

lands at the base of South Mountain

(source: Kimberly Dutcher, GRIC Law

Office). These sites are full of cultural

significance, and The Arizona Depart-

ment of Transportation (ADOT)

knows this. By destroying the foothills

of Muhadag Do’ag, we destroy the en-

tire mountain, as well as Muhadag

Do’ag’s connection to the Estrellas.

And what about the Pee Posh and

O’odham families that would fall vic-

tim to the on-reservation alignment,

and lose their homes to the freeway?

*202 Yes states that by allowing the

on-reservation alignment to be built,

GRIC has a say in the noise control,

pollution, and construction costs of

the freeway extension.

In fact, any and all cost and environ-

mental analysis has already been done

by HDR Engineering, an international

consulting firm handpicked by the Ari-

zona Department of Transporta-

tion/ADOT without the input of GRIC.

HDR and ADOT also share office

space. HDR completed a draft envi-

ronmental assessment in 1987 that has

not made been made available to Gila

River. The obvious question is—why

not?

HDR was supposed to finish the EIS

in 2006 (Environmental Impact State-

ment, which describes the freeway’s

impact to our air quality, cultural sites,

groundwater, displacement of homes,

plant and animal life, etc), but they

have still not released the EIS to our

Community. GRIC will not have a say

in the noise control, pollution control

measures or construction costs of this

freeway extension…we can only make

comments on the EIS that HDR is

doing for ADOT. A vote for NO

BUILD will remind ADOT that Gila

River is sovereign, and we will have

our say. If neither ADOT or HDR have

made an effort to disclose past envi-

ronmental findings to our Community,

with the freeway proposals still in

limbo, why should anybody in Gila

River believe they will do right after a

yes vote?

*202 Yes states that NO BUILD is

not an option, because Maricopa

County voters approved it in 2005,

through the passing of Proposition

400.

In fact, Proposition 400 merely pro-

vided the State with partial funding for

a freeway, by authorizing a sales tax,

with revenues from the tax going to

freeway planning. It did not authorize

the South Mountain extension of the

202. Furthermore, due to rising con-

struction costs and decreasing sales tax

revenues, the state of Arizona is facing

a 5.3 billion dollar shortfall for free-

way planning. (source: Arizona Re-

public, March 9, 2009 “Freeway

decision put off until 2011”).

* 202 Yes states that NO BUILD is

not an option.

In fact, ADOT’s own website states the

following, from a section about the

South Mountain extension to the 202:

14. Is it possible that nothing will be

built?

Yes, that is one of the options being

studied. It is important to recognize

that impacts can occur by doing noth-

ing. The no-build alternative is being

evaluated in the Draft Environmental

Impact Statement. (source:

http://www.valleyfreeways.com/High-

ways/Valley_Freeways/Loop_202/Sou

th_Mountain/library.asp#faq)

Another source: In a January 26, 2005

Arizona Republic article about the 202

titled, “ADOT Report Stirs Up Con-

cern” the following point is made:

“The environmental impact study and

preliminary design of the project was

begun in 2001 and is expected to be

complete by 2006. If after the study’s

completion the Maricopa County As-

sociation of Governments, the com-

munity and other governmental bodies

deem the freeway unfeasible or unnec-

essary, the process will stop. The free-

way will not be built.”

It is important to note that the State of

Arizona has delayed the release of the

202 EIS for decades. The “due date”

of 2006 was already severely behind

the expected EIS completion date. In

1986, former Governor Donald Antone

wrote a letter stating the Community’s

concerns about environmental impacts

of the proposed freeway. Governor

Antone requested that the EIS be re-

leased to the Community before any

other steps regarding the 202 freeway

were to be made. Twenty five years

later, Gila River is still awaiting the

EIS.

* 202 Yes states that the freeway will

bring economic development to Gila

River.

In fact, there are no freeway exits

planned within the boundaries of Gila

River, and ADOT’s own report circu-

lated within Gila River stated that the

purpose of the freeway is to shorten

east-west travel time by 17-20 minutes

for Phoenix area commuters.

This freeway proposal is not for our

benefit. The off-reservation option will

cut a 40-story high, 200-yard wide

blast through our sacred mountain. The

on-reservation alignment is just as bad,

forcing families out of their homes,

and forcing us to give up 600 acres of

our lands with no guarantees of a land

swap. If approved, both alignments

would bring cancer-causing emissions

to the west end, as well as release

chemicals into the air that cause

deficits in lung function for our chil-

dren as they age (source: The Lancet,

January 2007, “Effect of exposure to

traffic on lung development from 10 to

18 years of age: a cohort study”).

The Loop 202 should not be extended

anywhere at all! Either proposal for the

202 would be a killing zone, bringing

us the footprint of an 8-lane freeway

where nothing grows, all plant and an-

imal habitats in the footprint would be

destroyed, and our groundwater and

air would be polluted with carbon

emissions, nitrogen dioxide, and other

exhaust pollutants. The two proposed

routes for the 202 extension are less

than 1/4 mile apart in some areas, and

both routes would come close to Gila

Crossing, where our children would

breathe in freeway pollution that

harms brain development. In addition,

because the two routes are so similar,

our Creator’s home would be forever

destroyed if either Loop 202 proposal

is approved.

We are O’odham who believe in NO

BUILD, and we hope that you are too.

The evenings in Komadk this time of

year, the night air is sweet and cold.

You do not hear waves of freeway traf-

fic rushing by. Our skies are dark, so

you can clearly see the stars twinkling

over the Estrellas. No noise pollution,

no freeway lighting, no haze of smog

blanketing the desert. We hope to keep

it this way for our children, our nieces

and nephews, and their unborn chil-

dren and grandchildren.

Please attend the January 14th forum,

9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Sacaton

Boys and Girls Club and voice your

opposition to the South Mountain ex-

tension to the 202. And please save the

date for the January 21st 202 forum in

D6, at the Komatke Boys and Girls

Club, 9:00 am to 3:00pm. Lunch will

be served at both forums.

Please contact us for more informa-

tion on how you can help

support NO BUILD before the Feb-

ruary 7th vote at home.

Sapo.

http://gilariveragainstloop202.word-

press.com

Gila River Alliance for a Clean Envi-

ronment

Gila River Against Loop 202

(we’re on Facebook)

[email protected]

[email protected]

(520) 610-3405

(480) 458-8329

OpinionViews expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of Gila River Indian News

No Build rebutes 202 Yes ad

Submitted by Ms.

Francina Francisco-Gar-

cia, Senior Administra-

tive Assistant, TOCC

Sells, AZ—Tohono O’od-

ham Community College

(TOCC) inaugurated James

Vander Hooven, Ed.D., as

its fourth College President

on December 9, 2011. The

ceremony was a festive

event held in the Fine Arts

Building at Baboquivari

High School in Topawa,

Arizona. The stage was

decorated with creosote

greens, gourd rattles, bas-

kets, and other artwork.

The Tohono O’odham

Kekel Ha-Mascamakud

(TOCC) Himdag Commit-

tee and College Outreach

& Events staff arranged for

participation in the cere-

mony from throughout the

College. TOCC student

Yvette Ventura sang the na-

tional anthem in Tohono

O’odham. Students Eliza-

beth Ortega, Nacho Flores,

and Richard Pablo gave

opening and closing bless-

ings. Delores Saraficio,

GED Instructor, and

George Miguel, Depart-

ment Chair of Occupa-

tional Programs, served as

Mistress and Master of

Ceremony.

Mr. Timothy Joaquin,

Chairman of the Tohono

O’odham Nation Legisla-

tive Council, welcomed Dr.

Vander Hooven on behalf

of the Tohono O’odham

Nation. Mr. Joaquin con-

veyed greetings from the

Honorable Dr. Ned Norris,

Jr., Chairman of the To-

hono O’odham Nation. Dr.

Vander Hooven was also

greeted by Mr. Jonas Rob-

les, Vice Chairman of the

TOCC Board of Trustees,

and by TOCC students, fac-

ulty, and alumni.

Mr. Bernard Siquieros,

Chairman of the TOCC

Board of Trustees, gave the

Trustees’ Charge to Dr.

Vander Hooven and pre-

sented him with a custom-

made basket woven by Ms.

Geneva Ramon as a gift

from the College.

Dr. Vander Hooven’s

Inaugural Address touched

on the need for the College

to build partnerships and to

rely on the strength of its

faculty and staff. He em-

phasized that projects

started by the College must

be sustainable over the long

term and must be imple-

mented with natural objec-

tives (rather than methods

contrived for short-term re-

sults). He said that com-

munity colleges change

lives and that he is commit-

ted to bringing this power

of change to as many peo-

ple as possible on the To-

hono O’odham Nation.

Jim Vander Hooven’s

wife Jennie Vander

Hooven, and the couple’s

sons Jude, age 3, and

Jonah, age 1, attended the

inauguration, as did Jim’s

two uncles from Colorado

Springs, Colorado. Jim and

Jennie said they are happily

settled in Arizona, and they

are looking forward to their

first winter in the desert.

For more information

on the inauguration cere-

mony or the College,

please contact Ms.

Francina Francisco-Garcia

at tel. 520-383-0015 or

f f r a n c i s c o -

[email protected]. The Col-

lege’s website is

www.tocc.edu.

Dr. James L. Vander Hooven

Inaugurated as President of

TOCC

NEWS FROMAROUND THE STATE


Valarie Tom, Media Re-

lations

SALT RIVER PIMA-

MARICOPA INDIAN

COMMUNITY— The

next Indian Law and Order

Commission field hearing

will be held from 8:30 am

to 4:30 pm on Friday, Janu-

ary 13 at the Talking Stick

Hotel in Scottsdale, AZ.

The Salt River Pima-

Maricopa Indian Commu-

nity (SRPMIC) will host

the one-day event that will

bring together legal ex-

perts, tribal judicial repre-

sentatives and law

enforcement officials to

gain insight into implemen-

tation of the Tribal Law and

Order Act (TLOA) from

the people who are going to

be affected by it the most—

Native Americans living on

Reservations.

Some of the topics to

be discuss include: “Law

Enforcement in Indian

Country”, “Overview of

Juvenile Systems: The

Practitioner’s Experience”,

“Community Perspective

on Judicial Systems in In-

dian Country”, and “Tribal

Court Jurisdiction and the

TLOA”. SRPMIC Presi-

dent Diane Enos will ad-

dress the gathering during

the welcoming address.

The Tribal Law and

Order Act (TLOA) was

signed into law by Presi-

dent Obama in July 2010

with bipartisan support and

makes federal agencies

more accountable for serv-

ing Indian lands. TLOA

also provides greater free-

dom for tribes to design

and run their own criminal

justice systems.

TLOA created the In-

dian Law and Order Com-

mission, an independent,

all-volunteer advisory

group, to help with the

greatest challenges to se-

curing equal justice for Na-

tive Americans living and

working on Indian lands.

TLOA directs the

Commission to report back

to the White House and

Capitol Hill this fiscal year

with specific proposals to

make Indian Country safer

and more just, so that Na-

tive Americans may finally

receive the full protections

guaranteed to all U.S. citi-

zens by the Constitution.

To gain insight into

these and many other sys-

temic challenges, the In-

dian Law and Order

Commission has begun vis-

iting Indian tribes and na-

tions to develop

recommendations for last-

ing public policy reform.

For event informa-

tion, contact www.indian-

lawandordercommission.c

om.

Indian Law and Order Com-

mission Field Hearing

GRIC Governor addresses

State Legislature

Commission to listen and learn from Indian Countryabout lasting structural reforms to tribal justice sys-tems.

SACATON – Youth Council Coordi-

nator, Michael Preston, presented a

challenge for Gila River youth to cre-

ate a smart phone applications revolv-

ing around culture and community.

The criteria for the challenge in-

cludes: Original content must be cre-

ated and designed by a Community

member under 22 years old, and incor-

porates O’odham or Pee-Posh songs,

culture, stories, language, history or

teachings. For creating the app the

youth would receive an iPad.

“Young people interact with tech-

nology and I see they’re always on

their cell phones. Everyone wants an

iPad and they mess around on their

computer. They consume the content

everyday. I want them to look at creat-

ing their own content,” said Preston.

The reason for the challenge is to get

youth interested in technological de-

velopment and for them to use the re-

sources within the Community,

according to Preston.

“Also, it will get these young people

to see that you don’t need to work in

those fields to create content,” said

Preston.

Android owner and GRIC youth ex-

plains what smart phone apps are used

for.

“Certain applications allow you to

get on to certain stuff, like music,

games, New Year’s applications, or

check the weather,” said Craig Antone.

Antone said he knows general

knowledge about technology, but com-

puters are a different story on applica-

tion development.

“If I put my time into it, I could,”

said Antone when asked if he would be

able to create an Droid application.

Time and an idea is what it would

take to make an application for the An-

droid Market and Apple App Store ac-

cording to Mike Mercado, IT Security

Manager for MIS.

Mercado developed an application

for the Droid and showcased the gourd

music maker to the 23rd Youth Con-

ference.

“I did a little bit of research and

found that Google had an application

engine that allows you to develop ap-

plications for the Android smart

phone,” said Mercado.

Mercado explained the methodology

and idea process in making the app and

putting the pieces together through the

website’s engine.

“It was a culmination of ideas, put-

ting together the sound, the picture and

understanding the logistics of the

phone,” said Mercado.

“It’s very simple. You would think

programming language would be very

tedious. Understanding functions and

processes and how they work in con-

junction with each other, but with the

Google App engine, everything is la-

beled for you.”

He is aware of technological ad-

vances and the benefits for youth in the

Community. Understanding mobile as-

sets, how to utilize them, Mercado

says will allow us to see the technol-

ogy transition over the next few years.

Mercado believes that ‘dinosaur

phones’ will be phased out and even-

tually everyone will have a smart

phone sooner or later.

Dallas Delowe, Cultural Coordina-

tor for the Tribal Education Depart-

ment, jokingly said all he knows about

phones is that if he presses a button he

can talk to someone or get something

called a text message, but not too

much about applications for smart

phones.

Other than that, Delowe says he has

does not have a problem with sharing

songs or even legends as long as fac-

tual.

“I have no qualms with sharing, but

just what is it? What would I be not

comfortable sharing or given the ex-

treme ‘not wanting to share’....? I can’t

think of anything right now,” said De-

lowe.

Robert Cruze from the Four Tribes

Cultural Resources Protection Com-

mittee wants to get orthography from

the different communities: Ak Chin,

Gila River, Tohono, and Salt River to

digitize the information from an online

interview with tohonocom on

youtube.com.

“We were talking about keeping it

here in the schools, but they were

thinking about cyberspace,” said

Benny Thomas.

The big question for everyone is

what can and cannot be shared. Pre-

ston said to ask people in the Commu-

nity what can and cannot be shared.

According to Delowe he says culture

should be shared with everyone be-

cause it has not been defined with

specifics what can and cannot be told.

As reported recently in the Navajo

Times, an application has been devel-

oped for the Navajo language, Speak

Navajo Native Indian Language, and

is both criticized and heralded, receiv-

ing remarks from app users like, “in-

teresting, but fail.” And “Some of the

translations are incorrect.”

This is something that O’otham com-

munities have asked when individuals

want to put together a multimedia lan-

guage program or written language.

Would it be possible to develope an es-

oteric app? Meaning sharing informa-

tion on what is thought to be cultural

sensitive information (including lan-

guage) -for a specific group of people?

If you have any questions or com-

ments for the Digital Youth Challenge,

please contact the youth council office

at (520)562-1866 or youthcoun-

[email protected]

Challange: Develop an app for a mobile device

NEWS FROMAROUND THE STATE

STATE CAPITAL-GRIC

Governor Gregory Men-

doza was one of three dig-

nitaries to address the

opening session of the Ari-

zona House of Representa-

tive’s Fiftieth Legislature –

Second Regular Session.

Governor Mendoza

addressed the House of

Representatives remarking

on the great history of Ari-

zona and how the Akimel

O’odham has historically

played an integral role in

the United States path to

westward expansion. The

Gila River Indian Commu-

nity was the first Indian

Reservation in Arizona

having been established by

Congress in 1859.

The GRIC Governor

gave a brief synopsis of the

tribe’s history and struggles

in losing water provided by

the tribe’s namesake, Gila

River.

“Though we have

struggled much as a people,

our struggle has helped us

grow in faith and en-

durance to become a com-

plete people,” he said.

“Today, the GRIC is a vi-

brant center of economic

development, agriculture

and ranching. Like you, I

look to the next 100 years

and I am filled with opti-

mism.”

Governor Mendoza

pledged to continue to

make Arizona a better place

for everyone by striving to

create jobs within GRIC’s

economic corridors that

border Phoenix.

“As we always have,

we will work with our

neighbors as a kind and de-

pendable friend,” he said.

The Fiftieth Legisla-

ture – Second Regular Ses-

sion marks the beginning

of Arizona’s Centennial

Year with the first legisla-

ture having taken place in

1912.

By Mihio ManusGRIN Managing Editor

Is good nutrition important for learning? In a word, yes.

We cannot underestimate the impact of nutrition on learn-

ing. Nutrition plays an important role in mental, physical

and emotional development in the first three years of life,

plus life in the womb. When food intake is inadequate a

child’s body conserves energy by first limiting social activ-

ity and brain development (they do not play or learn). The

body then limits the energy available for growth. Most

growth failure occurs between 6 months and 24 months of

age. Early damage due to anemia, iodine deficiency, and

chronic malnutrition can only partially be reversed in later

life.

Although it is likely that children are most susceptible

to the effects of insufficient nutrition in the first few years of

life and that some of these effects may be irreversible, much

can still be done to improve the learning potential of mal-

nourished schoolchildren. The First Things First Program

promotes early childhood nutrition programs as a way to al-

leviate malnutrition and its effects on learning. Proponents

of such programs argue that improved diet, particularly in

the crucial first years of life, enhances intellectual develop-

ment and, ultimately, academic success. Early childhood

programs at Gila River such as Head Start and BabySmarts

promote and provide early childhood nutrition programs

Malnutrition

With the increase in the number of working parents and the

over abundance of fast-food establishments, children are eat-

ing more meals away from home than ever before. Fast

foods, although convenient, tend to be high in fat and in-

crease children’s risk of becoming obese and of developing

various chronic diseases in adulthood. Today, it is estimated

that one out of three kids is overweight. Surprisingly, both

overweight and underweight kids in America may be con-

sidered malnourished. A lack of proper food intake is

known as malnutrition/malnourishment and it does not only

mean that there is a lack of food; malnutrition signifies a

lack of nutrients. Therefore, while most American children

may be taking in a great deal of calories, they may not be

taking in any essential vitamins, nutrients, and minerals.

This lack of vitamins and minerals leads to detrimental side-

effects. Children with insufficient diets are reported to have

more problems with health, academic learning, and psy-

chosocial behavior (Chen 2008).

Breakfast Is Important

Some research indicates that there is a connection between

food additives and children’s learning disabilities and that

those children who eat an adequate breakfast show better

late morning learning than other children. For these rea-

sons, children in the preschool setting should be provided

with nutritious breakfasts and snacks and should be offered

nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables instead of junk

foods high in sugar, salt, and fat.

Children who regularly eat breakfast have better standard-

ized test scores, better behavior, and are less hyperactive

than children who skip breakfast. What makes a good

breakfast for children? One good example would be an egg,

a slice of whole grain toast with nut butter, a piece of fruit

and a glass of low-fat milk. Lean meat and whole grain ce-

reals are also good choices at breakfast. The protein and

fiber from the whole grains will keep your child satisfied

until lunch time. Try to avoid giving your child sugary

breakfast cereals, white-flour pancakes and syrup — all of

which will leave your child hungry and tired half way

through the morning. If your child tends to get hungry in the

middle of the morning no matter what breakfast they are

given, send an apple, whole grain crackers, nuts and cheese

snacks rather than sugary cookies or white-flour crackers.

After School Snacks

Even with a great breakfast and healthy lunch, a light after-

school snack is nice to refuel a kid’s body before play or

study time. A handful of nuts and an apple is perfect, or

maybe a snack tray of vegetables and dips. Even a healthy

version of a peanut butter and sugar free jelly will satisfy

picky kids. Keep chips, sugary sodas, pastries and candy

out of the house.

A Plan at Home

To promote healthy eating and brain function outside of

school, parents should provide their kids with smaller meals

and snacks every three to four hours. Reports reveal that

after just thirty minutes feelings of fatigue and stress drop

after a nutritious snack or meal. Healthy meals and snacks

should consist of natural fruits and vegetables, whole grains,

and lean proteins, such as chicken, fish, nuts, and eggs.

Also, specific vitamins can be incorporated to target defi-

nite functions. For example, to improve memory, individu-

als should purchase foods that are rich in lecithin such as

peanuts, soy beans, and wheat germ. Potassium also aids in

energy and brain functioning and can be derived from or-

anges, bananas, apricots, avocados, melons, peaches, and

nectarines. Avoiding processed foods, and incorporating

natural foods into a daily diet will ultimately promote a

healthier body, behavior, and brain power (Chen, 2008)

The Relationship Between Child Nutrition and Learning

Skyline District 5 is excited to have in

place this year’s 7th and 8th grade Honors

Program for Language Arts and Math.

These subjects focus on advanced skills in

preparation for secondary honors and AP

course work in high school. Honors courses

provide expectations and opportunities for

students to work at an accelerated pace. It

engages them in more rigorous and complex

content and processes, and it also utilizes

their higher level thinking process to de-

velop authentic products that reflect the stu-

dent’s understanding of key concepts. The

curriculum in each honors course includes

appropriate adaptations for accelerated and

enriched learning for pursuing in-depth stud-

ies that require abstract and higher-order

thinking skills. Student accountability is

stressed.

Placement in the honors program is based

on multiple criteria including the student’s

performance on the AIMS scores, bench-

mark testing, attendance, attitude, previous

class grades from each block, and effort.

Factors such as the desire of the student and

parent or guardian to be in the program are

also taken into consideration. Once the stu-

dent is in the program, he/she must maintain

an A or B average, have good attendance,

exhibit good behavior, show true effort, and

have a positive attitude.

One of the most critical components to the

success of every student is parent involve-

ment and support from home. Parents are

committed to ensuring that students are re-

sponsibly completing homework and proj-

ects that often require additional time

outside of the classroom setting.

Although the program has only been in

place for a portion of the year, we have al-

ready seen growth in both subjects. Our stu-

dents are excited, enthusiastic, motivated

and humbled that they were selected to be

recipients of Skyline District 5’s Honors

Program. We are continuously working to

refine the program based on what works best

for the success of our students.

Skyline D5 Honors Program Students.

Skyline District 5 Honors ProgramBy Rudy Dolfo

Counselor, Skyline D5

Front from left to right. Amanda Scoofer, Alexcine Kist, Marissa Ulate, Kayla Lewis, Justine

Pratt, Raven Peters, Alyssa Scoffer, Tori Whitman, Roman Rodriguez, Christine Cannon, Sab-

rina Jackson, Dakota Pablo, Zane Miller, Elleno Bandin, Devin Yazzie, Samuel Valencia, Alysia

Serawop, Enony Gonzalez, LaDawn Long, Brianna Kisto, Kohl Barnes, Elex Ruvacaba,

Braden Brown, Fabien Calleros, Suzette Lewis, Maria Robles, Martin Solarez & Cornrlia

Apkaw. Not pictured: Nicole Lyons, Olivia Ramirez,and Sierra Austin.


BLACKWATER-George Pettit is no

stranger to the Elderly Center in D1, Black-

water. He’s a regular who comes in to drink

coffee and share meals with the other elders

from the district. Like many other Com-

munity elders, Pettit is a war veteran; a dec-

orated war veteran.

Elderly Coordinator for D1, Doris Jold

said that Pettit would often talk about the

medals he received for his service in the

Navy and how he regrettably had lost his

medals through the course of his life. As a

proud veteran of the Navy, Pettit felt these

honorable decorations spoke to the com-

mitment and excellence of his service to

this country. Yet, they were missing.

Interestingly, the widowed Pettit is not

a GRIC Community member but was mar-

ried to a Community member and has lived

here for many years.

Pettit asked Elderly Center employee

Cruz Lewis to look into having his medals

reissued to him. Lewis took it upon him-

self to give it a try.

With only a partial service record pro-

vided to him by Pettit, Cruz beat the trail to

the Navy department via phone calls and

emails. Putting the information together

was a puzzle of sorts.

“Some medals were listed on the

record,” Cruz said. “[Pettit] had some rib-

bons that were issued to him and these

matched the service records.”

Having put some of the pieces to-

gether, Cruz said the Navy department was

able to assist in following through with rest.

Altogether the process took three months

which in the scope of things isn’t very long.

During D1’s Christmas Dinner on

Wed, Dec. 21, 2011 all the elders came to-

gether as usual. They watched Community

Council on their television. But before the

meal was served, veterans from the Haskell

Osife-Antone Post #51 were called upon to

make a special presentation.

The Navy department had restored

George Pettit medals. Pettit had medals

from the 1st Asiatic Campaign with stars for

his service in Quadulan, Saipan in the

Philippines; American Medal for Service,

World War II Victory Medal and the Philip-

pine Liberation Medal.

SACATON-Since the New Year, the staff at

the Wellness Center has received more people

whom would like to shed pounds through low

impact workout exercises with a well-trained

staff.

Scott Garman, fitness instructor, is bring-

ing different types of training to the Commu-

nity: stout, suspension, bag, and battling

training along with diet. Through these meth-

ods, Garman plans to “turn this world upside

down.”

“We take individuals based on whether

they want to gain weight or lose weight. Our

programs are based on performing and getting

stronger,” said Garman.

The instructor has two counterparts, Ryan

Duran and Jacob Valasquez, that are learning

how to train.

Duran says he challenges himself as

much as he does the cliental, “I learn and I

teach what I learn.”

There are lots of resolutions to lose

weight this year or to maintain a healthy

lifestyle, and according to Garman, the 30 min.

workout will do just that.

Using sand bags, kettle bells, ropes, med-

icine balls, and other gear helps individuals to

build self-esteem, self-confidence and a

stronger heart.

“What we do in everyday life, we’re

training people for that. As far as their, kids,

work, home, taking care of the yard, art work,”

said Garman.

Since the start of the program, more peo-

ple have joined in the fitness fun, in turn, the

instructors have to turn people away because

of limited equipment.

The staff plans on ordering more equip-

ment for use and have a morning cardio blast

class at 5:30 a.m.

Garman and the staff believe that getting

a workout in the morning, “kicks the day off

and you will have a more productive day.”

There are few that are in the class now,

but they think that once you start you will like

the remainder of your day

“If you’re tired and have that lazy feeling,

it’s going to take you half the morning to get

going,” said Garman.

Prior to working in the Community, Scott

has worked for the Arizona Rattlers’, Suns’,

and Cardinals’ cheerleaders, Fort Lewis Uni-

versity football team, Coolidge High School,

UFC and MMA Fighters, trained a few play-

ers for the Philadelphia Eagles and designed

specialty fitness programs for gyms and or-

ganizations throughout the state.

The fitness expert says age is not a factor

when it comes to getting muscle tone. It can

be done and according to Garman, the ropes

exercise is the best way to go verses the tradi-

tional treadmill.

A combination between the two is going

to break up many fat cells. Garman also ad-

vises for faster results in losing weight to

squeeze excess fat around the belly. Massage

it because it does break up the fat cells and

eventually shrink them.

“When they come back they’re not too

sore, it’s very low impact. We start adding

more to those that need to be pushed a little

more. You’re going to find areas that are going

to be sore because those muscles haven’t been

worked before,”

Words of encouragement are always of-

fered by the staff to keep your mind focused

and to endure. What can be heard from the in-

structors is, “Breathe, work together, relax.

Focus on one movement at a time and

breathe.”

Garman says, the brain is a computer.

And the body is going to do what it tells it to

do.

Duran encourages the individuals he

trains to get a lot of sleep, because sleep is the

biggest recovery for the body.

When talking about a diet and eating right

Garman believes that everyone needs to keep

a good balanced diet. Keeping carbohydrates

low and proteins high Garman added, “Water

is the best thing to drink. Soda is poison pe-

riod.”

The team at the Wellness Center would

like to start going out in to the Community.

Visiting the fire and police departments and

getting the elders more active.

New Year Prompts New Fitness Goals forCommunity Members


Elder Veteran has Navy Medals Restored

By Mihio Manus, GRIN Managing Editor

By Walt Porter, GRIN

Stacey King, Eva Johns, Lenay Chavez, Deanna Jackson, and Tina Nuvamsa havecommitted their lunch time to the ropes exercise for a healthier New Year.

Fitness instructor, Ryan Duran, pedals tothe max during the cardio blast.


Inauguration continued from the Cover

new generation of leadership restoring gov-

ernance to the people,” said Gov. Mendoza.

Gov. Mendoza’s said that major issues

were greater transparency, accountability

and creating, “a user-friendly GRIC.”

Gov. Mendoza outlined a 100-day plan

and the 12 initiatives toward building cohe-

sion and support. The initiatives were Fi-

nancial Stability, Tribal Constitution,

Communications, Protect and Promote Sov-

ereignty, Health Care, Housing, Public

Safety, Natural Resources, Education, Youth

and Elderly, Economic Development and In-

frastructure.

Gov. Mendoza said that hardcopies of

his plan would be available soon, and also

via email and online.

A particularly touching moment came

when Gov. Mendoza paid tribute to his late

mother, Brenda Mendoza. “She was a true

inspiration and my first teacher and while

she is no longer with us, her influence is pro-

found and lasting.”

In his conclusion, Gov. Mendoza ac-

knowleded the challenges ahead, but at the

same time he anticipates many opportuni-

ties. “I will look forward to collaborating

with you to restore confidence in govern-

ment and to create the quality of life that

each of you are deserving of and can truly

become a reality.”

Following his speech Gov. Mendoza

called out to Lt. Gov. Lewis who was seated

in the audience and asked him if he was,

“ready.” Lt. Gov. concurred and the two

shook hands before the audience.

“Today we stand united,” Lt. Gov.

Lewis opened in his remarks. Services for

GRIC veterans, children and elders are a pri-

ority of great importance, Lt. Gov. Lewis

emphasized.

Lt. Gov. Lewis said he was particularly

inspired during the campaign by letters from

GRIC students. One young student was

keen to point out that as Lieutenant Gover-

nor he should not forget about the people;

especially the elders. He responded, “I

promise you, I will not.”

Lt. Gov. Lewis also quoted from, “A

Pima Remembers,” written by the late

George Webb noted Community author.

“Many moons, many suns have come and

gone since our forefathers here on this same

ground, toiled and struggled so that we

might enjoy life today.” Adding to this Lt.

Gov. said, “Let us all strive together to make

this a better day for our families, for our dis-

tricts, our community and our country.”

The oath of offices for Chief Judge An-

thony Hill and Associate Judges Harriett Al-

lison-James, Donna Kisto-Jones, Lucinda

Oliver, Lucille Antone-Morago were like-

wise integral to the inauguration highlighted

by traditional social dancing, a fireworks

show, an O’otham social giveaway and an

inaugural dance.

Gov. Gregory Mendoza (center) with Miss Gila River 2011-2012 (left) and Lisa Hendricks, President of the AkimelOʼodham/Pee Posh Youth Council (right) during the procession.

Lt. Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis during his remarks.

Oath of Office for Harriett Allison-James, AssociateJudge.

Oath of Office for Lucinda Oliver, Associate Judge. Oath of Office for Lucille Antone-Morago, AssociateJudge.

Oath of Office for Anthony Hill, Chief Judge.

Oath of Office for Donna Kisto-Jones, AssociateJudge.

Oath of Office for Janice Breckenridge, AssociateJudge.


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Across Down 1. Rainbow 2. Whirlwind 4. Lightning 3. Wind 6. Cloud 5. Snow 8. Rain 7. Hail 9. Fog 8. Duststorm 11. Thunder 10. Drizzle (Light Rain)

Cultural Crossword Public Notice

Public NoticeThe Gila River Indian Community Department of Envi-ronmental Quality will be submitting a proposal for aBrownfield’s assessment/clean-up grant for the formerDela-Tek facility located within the former Blackwater

Industrial Park. If the grant is awarded to the Communityit will provide funding to conduct remedial activities atthe former Dela-Tek facility.


ACTION SHEETCommunity Council; PO Box 2138; Sacaton, Arizona85147; Phone (520) 562-9720; Fax (520) 562-9729CALL TO ORDERThe First Regular Monthly Meeting of the CommunityCouncil held Wednesday December 7, 2011, in the Com-munity Council Chambers at the Governance Center inSacaton, Arizona was called to order by presiding Chair-man Governor William R. Rhodes at 9:00 a.m.INVOCATIONCouncilwoman Jennifer AllisonROLL CALLSign-In Sheet CirculatedExecutive Officers Present:Governor William R. RhodesExecutive Officers Absent:Lt. Governor - VacantCouncil Members Present:D1- Arzie Hogg, Cynthia Antone; D2-Jewel Whitman; D3-,Myron G. Schurz, Dale G. Enos; D4- Jennifer Allison, Gre-gory Mendoza, Christopher Mendoza, Barney Enos, Jr.;D5-Brian Davis, Sr., Annette Stewart, Janice F. Stewart(9:04); D6-Anthony Villareal, Sr., Albert Pablo, Terrance B.Evans (9:09); D7- Martha Miller (9:14)Council Members Absent:D5 - Brenda RobersonAPPROVAL OF AGENDAAPPROVED AS AMENDEDPRESENTATIONS1. Casa Blanca Community School Presentation Presen-ter: Eric JamesMr. Eric James was present and introduced Ms. DeniseRodriguez, Administrative Assistant, Mr. James providedan overview of the Casa Blanca Community School’s re-port card and the plan established to obtain a high rate ofstudents passing.2. Gila River Telecommunications, Inc.Presenters: GRTI Board of DirectorsMr. Malcom Eschief, the GRTI Board, and BruceHoldridge General Manager presented a check in theamount $2.0 million to the Community.REPORTS*1. Ira H. Hayes High School 3rd Quarter Allocation Re-port Presenter: Wendy OngREPORT HEARD2. Off Reservation Boarding Schools 1st Quarter Report Presenter: Christopher BanhamTABLED AT APPROVAL OF AGENDA3. 2010/2011 School Administrator and School BoardCoalition Meeting Attendance Presenter: Benny ThomasREPORT HEARD4. Pima Leasing & Financing Annual Report 2010-2011Presenters: Pima Leasing StaffREPORT HEARDMOTION MADE AND SECOND FOR 10-MINUTE BREAKRECONVENED AT 11:00AM5. Health Resources Department FY10-11 Annual Report Presenter: Laverne DallasTABLED6. Managed Aquifer Recharge Sites Evaluation Presen-ter: Eugene Franzoy REPORT HEARD7. Head Start Facilities Update: Districts 4, 5, & 6 Presen-ter: Wilfred BrownREPORT HEARDMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO ENTER EXECUTIVESESSION8. Gaming Internal Audit – Fourth Quarter Report July 1,2011- September 30, 2011 (Executive Session)Presenter: Robert Russin & Robert KellerREPORT HEARD IN EXECUTIVE SESSION9. FY2007 Basic Financial Statements For The Gila River IndianCommunityFY2008 Basic Financial Statements For The Gila River Indian Community FY2009 Basic Financial Statements For The Gila River Indian Community FY2010 Agreed Upon Procedures Report For Per Capita (Executive Session) Presenters: Bruce Bleakman, Robert Keller & Mike JacobsREPORT HEARD IN EXECUTIVE SESSIONMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO EXIT EXECUTIVESESSIONMOTION MADE AND SECOND FOR AN HOUR ANDHALF LUNCH BREAKRECONVENED AT 1:46PMMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO ENTER EXECUTIVESESSION10. Gila River Gaming Enterprises Monthly Report Octo-ber 2011 (Executive Session) Presenters: John James &Board of DirectorsREPORT HEARD IN EXECUTIVE SESSION11. Gila River Gaming Commission Monthly Report Octo-ber 2011 (Executive Session) Presenters: Scott Sander-son & Courtney MoyahREPORT HEARD IN EXECUTIVE SESSIONMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO EXIT EXECUTIVESESSIONRESOLUTIONS1. A Resolution Amending Resolution GR-112-11 And GR-18-06 To Identify Interim RentalLease Rates For Undeveloped Agricultural Lands WithinThe Exterior Boundaries Of The Gila River Indian Reser-vation Until A Permanent Agricultural Resources Manage-ment Plan is Established (NRSC forwards to Council withrecommendation for approval, with corrections; G&MSCconcurs) Presenters: Javier Ramos & Gary Parker

APPROVED

2. A Resolution Approving and Authorizing an Agreement Between the Gila River Indian Community and Quarles & Brady, LLP for Fiscal Year 2012 (NRSC forwards to Council with recommendation for approval; G&MSC concurs)Presenter: Rudy C. MixAPPROVED3. A Resolution Approving And Authorizing An Amendment To The Intergovernmental Agreement Between The Regional Public Transportation Authority And The Gila River Indian Community For Extension Of Transit Services To The Lone Butte Casino (G&MSC forwards to Council with recommendation for approval) Presenter: David WhiteAPPROVEDORDINANCESUNFINISHED BUSINESS1. A Resolution Authorizing The Bureau Of Indian AffairsTo Enter Into Deputation Agreements With Selected Juris-dictions For Special Law Enforcement Commissions(G&MSC forwards to Council under Unfinished Businesswith accompanying report) Presenters: Michael Carter & Tracy NortonDISPENSED2. Request for Special Council Meeting re: Fire Depart-ment Report On The Organizational Structure (G&MSCforwards to Council with recommendation for a SpecialCouncil Meeting; item under Unfinished Business) Presenters: Government & Management Standing Com-mitteeMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO HAVE A SPECIALCOUNCIL MEETING REGARDING THE FIRE DEPART-MENT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE; DIRECT THE COUN-

CIL SECRETARY TO ORGANIZE A DATE

NEW BUSINESS1. Casa Blanca Community School Written PlanSY2011/2012 (ESC forwards to Council with recommen-dation for approval) Presenter: Eric JamesAPPROVED2. Education Standing Committee Declaration of Vacancyof One (1) Council Member Seat (ESC forwards to Coun-cil with recommendation to Declare Vacancy and to Ap-point on December 21, 2011) Presenters: Education Standing Committee

DECLARED3. Legislative Standing Committee Declaration of Vacancyof One (1) Council Member Seat (LSC forwards to Coun-cil with recommendation to Declare and set the deadlinedate for Letters of Interest to December 15, 2011, 12 p.m.and to Appoint on December 21, 2011)Presenters: Legislative Standing CommitteeDECLARED4. Gila River Gaming Enterprises Holiday Gift2011(G&MSC forwards to Council to concur with theGRGE Christmas gift)Presenters: John James & Board of DirectorsAPPROVED5. GRTI Tariff and GRTI Bylaws (G&MSC forwards toCouncil with recommendation for approval) Presenters: GRTI Board of DirectorsMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO APPROVE GRTITARIFFMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO ASK THE BYLAWSGO BACK TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STANDING COMMITTEE6. Gila River Indian Community Revenue/Internal AuditFourth Quarter Report – FY2011 (Executive Session)(G&MSC forwards to Council in Executive Session)

Presenter: Penni McCabeAPPROVED7. Certification of the 2011 General Election Results Presenters: Legislative Standing CommitteeFOR THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR: GREGORY MEN-DOZA CERTIFIEDFOR THE OFFICE OF LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR:STEPHEN ROE LEWIS CERTIFIEDFOR THE OFFICE OF CHIEF JUDGE: ANTHONY J. HILLCERTIFIEDFOR THE OFFICE OF ASSOCIATE JUDGE: LUCINDAM. OLIVER CERTIFIEDFOR THE OFFICE OF ASSOCIATE JUDGE: HARRIETALLISON-JAMES CERTIFIED FOR THE OFFICE OF ASSOCIATE JUDGE: LUCILLEANTONE-MORAGO MOTION CERTIFIEDFOR THE OFFICE OF ASSOCIATE JUDGE: DONNAKISTO-JONES CERTIFIEDFOR THE OFFICE OF ASSOCIATE JUDGE: JANICEBRECKENRIDGE CERTIFIED[ADDENDUM TO AGENDA]MOTION MADE AND SECOND TO ENTER EXECUTIVESESSION8. Personnel Issues (Executive Session)Presenter: Robert KellerITEM HEARD IN EXECUTIVE SESSIONMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO EXIT EXECUTIVESESSIONMOTION MADE AND SECOND FOR 10-MINUTE BREAKRECONVENED AT 3:14PMMOTIN MADE AND SECOND TO TERMINATE FORCONVENIENCE THE CHIEF OF POLICE DEREK ARN-SON; ALSO IN THIS MOTION TO TERMINATE FORCONVENIENCE COMMUNITY DIVISION MANAGERALEX YAZZA; ALSO IN THIS MOTION TO SUSPENDDEPUTY CHIEF VALARIE BRIBIESCAS, PENDING IN-TERNAL INVESTIGATION; FURTHERMORE THE COUNCIL RECOMMENDS SER-

GEANT RAYMOND SOTO TO BE THE ACTING CHIEFAND BE COMPENSATED AND GIVEN THE RANK UNTIL ANEW CHIEF OF POLICE IS PLACEDAMENDMENT: EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELYMOTION MADE AND SECOND FOR THE COMMUNITYCOUNCIL TO DIRECT FOR ONE OUTSIDE COUNSELTO CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION OF POSSIBLE FI-NANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE IRREGULARITIES ATTHE GILA RIVER POLICE DEPARTMENT AS DIS-CUSSED; 2 – THE PUBLIC SAFETY DIVISION WILLCOOPERATE FULLY WITH THE INVESTIGATION: 3 – AMORATORIUM BE PLACED ON TERMINATIONS FROM THE POLICE DE-PARTMENT; 4 – DIRECT THE GOVERNOR TO SUS-PEND THE MEMORANDUMS DATED MARCH 7, 2011MINUTES

*1. July 6, 2011 (Regular)APPROVED*2. July 20, 2011 (Regular)APPROVED3. October 19, 2011 (Regular)APPROVEDANNOUNCEMENTS>CHRISTOPHER MENDOZA’S BIRTHDAY >UPDATE OF COUNCIL HOLIDAY PARTY>VERLENE PARSONS SERVICES FRIDAY AND SATUR-DAY>PRAYERS REQUESTED FOR DARLENE FLOOD>DONATIONS FOR THE WORKROOM>LIGHT PARADE DECEMBER 8, 2011 IN DISTRICT 3>REQUEST FOR ACTING DELEGATION FOR DIVISIONMANAGER & POLICE DEPARTMENT>PRAYERS REQUESTED FOR JAN JONES FAMILY>PRAYERS REQUESTED FOR SUNDUST FAMILY>EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REVIEW AT 11AM, DECEM-BER 8, 2011ADJOURNMENTMEETING ADJOURNED AT 3:32PM* Denotes TABLED from previous meeting(s)

ACTION SHEETCommunity Council; PO Box 2138; Sacaton, Arizona85147; Phone (520) 562-9720; Fax (520) 562-9729CALL TO ORDERThe Second Regular Monthly Meeting of the CommunityCouncil held Wednesday December 21, 2011, in the Com-munity Council Chambers at the Governance Center inSacaton, Arizona was called to order by presiding Chair-man Governor William R. Rhodes at 9:02 a.m.INVOCATIONCommunity Member Delores WilliamsROLL CALLSign-In Sheet CirculatedExecutive Officers Present:Governor William R. RhodesExecutive Officers Absent:Lt. Governor - VacantCouncil Members Present:D1- Arzie Hogg, Cynthia Antone; D2-Jewel Whitman; D3-,Myron G. Schurz, Dale G. Enos; D4- Jennifer Allison(9:07), Gregory Mendoza, Christopher Mendoza (9:41),Barney Enos, Jr. (9:33); D5-Brian Davis, Sr., AnnetteStewart, Janice F. Stewart (11:15); D6-Anthony Villareal,Sr., Albert Pablo, Terrance B. Evans; D7- Martha MillerCouncil Members Absent:D5 - Brenda Roberson. APPROVAL OF AGENDAAPPROVED AS AMENDEDPRESENTATIONS1. District Three Elders –Christmas Carols to CouncilThe elderly of District three sang several Christmas carolsand presented the Council with gifts.REPORTS*1. Off Reservation Boarding Schools 1st Quarter Report Presenter: Christopher BanhamREPORT HEARD2. Re-Discovering Culture and Building Sustainable Com-mercePresenters: Mathew Kisto, Danelle Spring & Phil Allsop

REPORT HEARD3. Caring House Annual Report Presenters: Fernanda Reams & Mark KlienTABLED AT APPROVAL OF AGENDA4. United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation’s Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study – Update to the Gila River Indian Community Presenters: David H. DeJong & Gary L. ParkerREPORT HEARDMOTION MADE AND SECOND FOR 10-MINUTE BREAKRECONVENED AT 11:22AM

5. Human Resources Department Annual Report Presen-

ter: Sydney McKinneyREPORT HEARDMOTION MADE AND SECOND FOR 1-HOUR LUNCHBREAKRECONVENED AT 2:33PM6. District Housing Development Office Monthly ReportPresenter: Robert MawsonREPORT HEARDMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO ENTER EXECUTIVESESSION7. FY 2011 4th Quarter Financial Reports (Executive Ses-sion)Presenters: Robert G. Keller & Mike JacobREPORT HEARD IN EXECUTIVE SESSINMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO EXIT EXECUTIVE

SESSION RESOLUTIONS1. A Resolution Acknowledging And RatifyingThe Distribution Of The Rawhide Operating Company,LLC Assets To The Wild Horse Pass Development Author-ity (EDSC forwards to Council with recommendation ofapproval, G&MSC concurs) Presenter: Ron RosierAPPROVED2. A Resolution Approving An Amendment To The Lease Agreement Dated February 18, 1998 Between The Gila River Indian Community And The Gila River Gaming Enterprise (EDSC forwards to Council with recommendation of approval, NRSC & G&MSC concurs) Presenters: Ron Rosier & Steve HeeleyAPPROVED3. A Resolution Approving And Authorizing The Gila River Health Care Corporation And The Thwajik Ke (Residential Treatment Center) To Enter Into Contracts With Indian Tribes To Pay For Services Received By The Tribes’ Members At The Thwajik Ke (HSSC forwards to Council with recommendation of approval, G&MSC concurs) Presenters: Linus Everling & Steven GreenAPPROVED4. A Resolution Authorizing Gila River Health Care To Submit A Competitive Grant Application On Behalf Of The Gila River Indian Community To The Indian community Development Block Grant Program Of The U.S. Department Of Housing And Urban Development For Fiscal Year 2012, Requesting Grant Funds In The Amount Of $2.75 Million Dollars (HSSC: forwards to Council with recommendation for approval; noting this also serves as a Public Hearing) Presenters: Richard Narcia & Amish PurohitAPPROVED5. A Resolution Designating a Representative for the Purpose of the Gila River Indian Community’s Participation in the Bureau of Reclamation’s Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study (NRSC forwards to Council with recommendation for approval and insert into The resolution David DeJong as an Alternate, G&MSC concurs) Presenters: Gary L. Parker & David DeJongAPPROVED6. A Resolution Rescinding Resolution GR-853-62 and Authorizing and Approving a 17 Acre Parcel of Community Trust Land to District Six for the Purpose(s) of a Cemetery located on Community Trust Land within the Gila River Indian Reservation and Designated as Drawing No. 40811-0233C (NRSC forwards to Council with recommendation for approval contingent upon the correction of P&Z Commission’s motion sheet)Presenter: Pam PasqualAPPROVED 7. A Resolution Granting an Ingress/Egress and a Utility Corridor Right of Way to the Gila River Indian Community Department of Transportation, Gila River Indian Community Utility Authority, Salt River Project, Gila River Indian Community Department of Public Works, and Gila River Telecommunications, Inc. for the Purpose(s) of a Road Way and other Utility Services, located on Community Trust Land in District Six of the Gila River Indian Reservation and Designated as Drawing No. 30609-0084D-EA (NRSC forwards to Council with recommendation for approval) Presenter: Pam PasqualAPPROVED8. A Resolution Approving a Fifty (50) Year Homesite Assignment Agreement for Donald T. Johnson located in District Six of the Gila River Indian Reservation and designated as Drawing No. 30609-0084C (NRSC forwards to Council with recommendation for approval)Presenter: Pam PasqualAPPROVED 9. A Resolution to Request the Reassessment of Cultural Affiliation of the Los Muertos Hohokam from Maricopa County, Arizona and all other Hohokam that are presently listed as Culturally Unidentifiable in Control of Harvard University, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (CRSC forwards to Council with recommendation for approval) Presenter: Semana ThompsonAPPROVED 10. A Resolution to Request to Cease Current and Future Research Study of Hohokam Human Remains and Funerary Objects Determined Culturally Unidentifiable by and in Control of Harvard University, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (CRSC forwards to Council with recommendation for approval) Presenter: Semana ThompsonAPPROVED 11. A Resolution of the Gila River Indian Community Designating Monument Hill (ha’ksh do, xagavicado’, Water Divider) as a Sacred Place and Traditional Cultural Property (CRSC forwards to Council with recommendation for approval, NRCS concurs) Presenters: Barnaby V. Lewis & Devin RedbirdAPPROVED 12. A Resolution Approving The General

Community Council action sheets for GRIC council meetings held on Wed, Dec. 7 & Wed, Dec. 21, 2011


Investment Policy Of The Gila River Indian Community (G&MSC motions to forward to Council with recommendation of Approval under Resolutions) Presenter: Robert G. KellerAPPROVED 13. A Resolution Approving The Bylaws Of The Voter Registration Board Of The Gila River Indian Community (G&MSC motions to forward to Council with recommendation of Approval under Resolutions) Presenters: Linda Andrews, Javier Ramos & Janice StewartDISPENSED[Addendum to Agenda]14. A Resolution Approving The Immediate Payment Of A Portion Of The Amount Appropriated Under The Gila River Indian Community Operating Budget For Fiscal Year 2012 To Certain Organizations Who Are Recipients Of Grants Or Supplemental Funding

Presenter: Robert KellerAPPROVED ORDINANCESUNFINISHED BUSINESSMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO ENTER EXECUTIVESESSION1. Status Update on All Pending Matters – Fiscal Year 2011 Contracts (Executive Session) (NRSC forwards to Council with recommendation for approval, G&M concurs)Presenter: Steve HeeleyITEM HEARD IN EXECUTIVE SESSIONMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO EXIT EXECUTIVESESSIONGOVERNOR WILLIAM R. RHODES CALLED FOR 10-MINUTE BREAKRECONVENED AT 4:07PM2. Recommendation for Appointment of GRGE Board Va-cancies (2)Presenters: Reviewing CommitteeMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO APPOINT KENNETHMANUEL, JR. AND PAMELA JOHNSON3. Gila River Farm Board Vacancy ExtensionPresenters: Reviewing CommitteeMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO EXTEND THE VA-CANCY FOR 30 DAYS

4. Council Member Appointment to Legislative StandingCommitteePresenters: CouncilMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO CERTIFY JENNIFERALLISON5. Council Member Appointment to Education StandingCommitteePresenters: CouncilMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO CERTIFY CYNTHIAANTONENEW BUSINESS1. GRHC Board Vacancy – (1) One (HSSC forwards to be declared at the Council meeting of 12/21/11, closing date 2/21/12; with appointment date of 3/7/12)Presenter: Richard NarciaAPPROVED2. Executive Office – Donation Process (G&MSC motions to forward to Council under New Business with Recommendation of Approval) Presenter: David WhiteAPPROVED3. Resignation of District 4 Councilman Greg MendozaPresenters: Legislative Standing CommitteeMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO ACCEPT THE RESIG-NATION OF COUNCILMAN GREGORY MENDOZA IN-

CLUDING THE DISTRICT FOUR WAIVER OF ELEC-TION; EFFECTIVE DECEMBER 31, 2011[Addendum to Agenda]4. Mendoza-Lewis Work Session (proposed Dec. 30)Presenter: Gregory MendozaMOTION MADE AND SECOND TO HOLD WORK SES-SION ON DECEMBER 30, 2011, 8AM, SIVLIK GRILL,WILD HORSE PASSMINUTES1. September 7, 2011 (Regular)APPROVED WITH CORRECTIONS2. October 5, 2011 (Regular)APPROVED WITH CORRECTIONSANNOUNCEMENTS>TERMINATION OF MS. FAYE LEWIS>JERYLN MCDONALD AND AUDRE MORRIS NEWCCSO TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES>COUNCIL MEMBERS EXPRESSED WORDS OF GRATI-TUDE TO GOVERNOR WILLIAM R. RHODES CLOSING PRAYER PROVIDED BY PHYLLIS ANTONEADJOURNMENTMEETING ADJOURNED AT 4:52pm* Denotes TABLED from previous meeting(s)

CCSO Action Sheets continuedfrom page 13

Gila River man sentenced to over

six years for selling crack cocaine

Submitted by

Office of the United States Attorney

PHOENIX – Joseph Kelly Molina, 35, of

Sacaton, Arizona, and a member of the

Gila River Indian Tribe, was sentenced by

U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell to

78 months in federal prison on January 9,

2012. On August 8, 2011, Molina pleaded

guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with the

Intent to Distribute 28 Grams or More of

Cocaine Base.

Between December 2007 and May

2009, during an undercover investigation

on the Gila River Indian Reservation,

Molina and his co-defendant, Darin James

Kisto, conspired to sell, and did sell, co-

caine base, to an undercover officer on

multiple occasions. The sale of crack co-

caine by Molina and Kisto took place at

their residences which are both located on

the Gila River Indian Reservation. Kisto

was sentenced on October 24, 2011, to 87

months in federal prison after pleading

guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with the

Intent to Distribute 28 Grams or More of

Cocaine Base.

The investigation in this case was

conducted by the Gila River Police De-

partment and the U.S. Bureau of Indian

Affairs. The prosecution was handled by

Christina J. Reid-Moore, Assistant U.S.

Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

Gila River man sentenced to 230

months for murder

PHOENIX – Raymond Herman French,

41, of Sacaton, Ariz., was sentenced yes-

terday by Judge Frederick J. Martone to

230 months imprisonment, followed by

five years of supervised release.

French pleaded guilty on May 31, 2011,

to the crime of second degree murder.

French murdered the victim, Jeffrey

Thomas, on January 22, 2011, when he

shot the victim with a firearm. The victim

died as a result of the injury. The crime

occurred on the Gila River Indian Com-

munity.

The investigation in this case was con-

ducted by the Federal Bureau of Investi-

gation and the Gila River Police

Department. The prosecution was han-

dled by Heather H. Belt, Assistant U.S.

Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

Gila River man sentenced to 41

months for involuntary

manslaughter

PHOENIX – Steven Burnette III, 41, of

Sacaton, Arizona, was sentenced on Janu-

ary 17, 2012, by Judge Roslyn O. Silver to

41 months imprisonment to be followed

by three years of supervised release. Bur-

nette pleaded guilty on August 30, 2011,

to the crime of involuntary manslaughter.

On December 3, 2010, Burnette

drove his car, which contained three pas-

sengers, while intoxicated. Burnette

drove in excess of 50 miles per hour on a

dirt road on the Gila River Indian Com-

munity. After failing to stop for stop signs

and driving erratically, Burnette crashed

into a canal that he did not see. Burnette’s

front seat passenger died as a result of the

crash. Burnette’s blood alcohol concentra-

tion was .18.

The investigation in this case was

conducted by the Gila River Police De-

partment. The prosecution was handled

by Heather H. Belt, Assistant U.S. Attor-

ney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

Press Releases From the US Attorney’s Office,District of Arizona

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Solutions for Cultural Crossword

Sacaton branch of the Boys &Girls Club gets a facelift.

Submitted by Colleen Sparks

[email protected]

SACATON-The Boys & Girls Clubs of

the East Valley’s Gila River – Sacaton

branch is getting a facelift that will make

learning even more fun on Sat, Dec. 10.

Honeywell Aerospace is sponsoring a

renovation and repair project with its or-

ganizing partner Rebuilding Together Val-

ley of the Sun at the club branch at

Seedfarm Road and Cholla Avenue.

Honeywell volunteers along with mem-

bers of Rebuilding Together Valley of the

Sun will paint walls in the art and discov-

ery room, teen center and computer room

in kid-friendly colors.

Children and teens will find it more fun

to watch movies after the volunteers paint

black walls surrounding a white, high-

gloss spot where the films can be pro-

jected in the movie room.

New cubbies and shelving will make it

easier for club members to find their fa-

vorite toys, games and art supplies and for

staff members to stay organized.

Ceiling tiles will also be repaired to en-

hance the positive learning space that

draws 760 members a year or about 100

children and teens on average per day.

“Our children and teens are going to

love the new look and feel to their club,

their home away from home,” Boys &

Girls Club Gila River- Sacaton Branch

Executive Rebecca Martinez said. “We are

grateful to Honeywell Aerospace and Re-

building Together Valley of the Sun for

helping us spruce up our club, something

which would be difficult for us to do oth-

erwise in this economy.”

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the East Val-

ley’s Gila River – Sacaton branch opened

its doors to the Gila River Indian Commu-

nity in 1997. The club draws its members

directly from the surrounding community

and area middle and elementary schools

provide transportation there for youth.

Many of its members also walk to the club

from one of many local housing projects.


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