Chehalis: Flood Authority, tribe ask state for $100 million for flood mitigation - The Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority and the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation will request $100 million in state funding for Interstate 5 flood protection.

Chehalis: Tribal Chairman, Authority Member to Talk Flooding - David Burnett, chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, and J. Vander Stoep, a Chehalis attorney and alternate to the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority, on Monday, Nov. 4, will speak about the status of efforts to find solutions to reduce catastrophic flood damage and enhance fisheries in the Chehalis River Basin. The presentation will take place at Centralia College from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Chehalis: Klahowya celebrates Native culture - War chants, love songs and drumming filled the auditorium of Klahowya Secondary School during the CK School District’s annual Native American Culture night. The event, in its sixth year, brought out around 100 guests from various tribes and the community last Thursday. Paige Richards, a member of the Chehalis Tribe, joins in on the celebration every year. Richards is a graduate of Klahowya and said she is proud to see the community gather together to learn about the Native American culture.

Chinook: Tribal Chairman Ray Gardner honored by NYC tribal youth for years of service - “When you have something like this, it’s difficult for me. The way I look at it, I’ve done nothing to be honored for,” said Chinook Tribal Chairman Ray Gardner following a ceremony in his honor during the Naselle Youth Camp (NYC) Native Brotherhood’s annual potlach Friday afternoon.

Chinook: Awaiting transplant, Gardner takes leave from chairmanship - Chinook Indian Nation Chairman Ray Gardner of Menlo is taking a medical leave of absence from tribal leadership in order to prepare for a lung transplant. While Gardner takes time off, tribal business will be left “under the capable leadership of Vice-Chairman Sam Robinson and the Chinook Council,” Gardner said in a letter to the Chinook Observer.

Chehalis: Tribe Receive More Than $1 Million in Federal Money - The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday announced it has awarded 1,125,991 to the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation for criminal justice services. The Chehalis Tribe's award is part of more than 10 million that was awarded to eight Indian Tribes in Western Washington.

Chehalis: Tribe receiving more than $1 million - The U.S. Department of Justice awarded more than $10 million to eight Indian Tribes in Western Washington, including the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis. U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan said that the money is specifically to enhance services to crime victims and improve criminal justice in the tribal communities, tailored to the needs of each tribe.

Chehalis-Nisqually: Thurston homeless complex nearer reality - The end is in sight for the 30 or so residents of Camp Quixote, a homeless tent city that has moved every few months to a new church-sponsored site since 2007. The Nisqually Indian Tribe also gave $40,000, and the Chehalis Tribe gave $7,000.

Chehalis: County Loses Effort to Tax Tribe's New Casino - A casino that was built on land held in trust for the Chehalis Indian tribe, off its reservation, should not be taxed by state and local governments, the 9th Circuit ruled.

Chehalis: Thurston County can't tax Great Wolf Lodge - Thurston County won’t be able to assess a property tax on the south county resort known as Great Wolf Lodge after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday that the lodge is not subject to the tax.

Chehalis: Algae Removal Ongoing at Fort Borst Lake - Large algae blooms can be found lingering in the lakes around Centralia, leaving a negative effect on the water quality and fish habitat.

Chehalis: Ninth Circuit Decides Important Tax Case in Tribe's Favor - In a long-awaited decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today decided an important tax case, Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation v. Thurston County Board of Equalization, (9th Cir. 2013) in favor of the Tribe. The decision creates a strong pro-tribe precedent binding within the Ninth Circuit and likely to carry weight with other courts as well.

Chehalis: Fireworks Business is Booming on Reservation - Business is about to start booming at the Chehalis Indian Reservation’s largest group of firework stands dubbed Boom City.

Chehalis-Nisqually: Quixote Village soon to take shape as permanent shelter - June 8, 2013, marked the ceremonial groundbreaking of Quixote Village at 3350 Mottman Road SW, the permanent home of Camp Quixote, the itinerant tent camp that formed six years ago in downtown Olympia. Major donors include the state ($1.55 million), federal Housing and Urban Development dollars distributed by the county ($604,002) and county-distributed Home Consortium dollars ($170,000). The Nisqually Indian Tribe gave $40,000 and the Chehalis Tribe gave $7,000.

Chehalis: Tribe OK’s Adna Levee Project - The Chehalis Tribe last week approved the Adna levee project, giving a key approval for this project aimed at fixing a problem blamed for sending 2007 floodwater through the nearby community. The “levee” is actually an old railroad berm that has caused water to back up due to a lack of maintenance. The purpose of the project is to clean it out.

Chehalis: U.S. surgeon general joins effort to reduce smoking in youths - Despite efforts to reduce smoking in Washington state, 70,000 youths smoke cigarettes and 50 start every day, according to state officials, with American Indian youth showing the highest rates. U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, state Secretary of Health Mary Selecky and other national, state and local health officials discussed youth tobacco use at a town-hall meeting on the University of Washington campus Thursday. The meeting was part of a nationwide awareness initiative by the Department of Health and Human Services. "Our main objective is intergenerational," said panelist Jesse Youckton, 26, of Olympia. "It requires the whole family and whole community to address the issue. We look up to our elders, so we follow their lead." As a member of the Chehalis tribe, Youckton said he participated in prevention programs in school to end the cycle of tobacco use ravaging his community.

Chehalis: Great Wolf Lodge Tax Exemption Stands Despite Internal Doubts, Court Ruling - Since the 1970s, U.S. policy toward American Indian tribes has been to encourage economic independence. Tribal casinos are probably the most visible symbol of that policy. These days, tribes are diversifying into other businesses. In 2005, the Chehalis Indian tribe in southwest Washington partnered with a Wisconsin-based water park chain to build a destination resort. The state of Washington, in turn, granted the project tax exempt status. But now, internal state documents question whether Great Wolf Lodge really is a tribal entity and eligible for favorable tax treatment.

Chehalis: Documents Show Agency Insiders Questioned Great Wolf Lodge Tax Exemption - Great Wolf Resorts is a Wisconsin-based chain of indoor water parks and hotels. It opened its first west coast property at Grand Mound, Washington south of Olympia. The state of Washington declared the resort tax exempt because Great Wolf partnered with the Chehalis Indian Tribe. Now, Correspondent Austin Jenkins has obtained internal state documents that question that tax-free status – potentially worth tens of millions of dollars.

Chehalis: Bidders sweeten offers for Great Wolf Resorts - Great Wolf Resorts of Madison, Wis., which jointly operates Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, has now attracted two potential suitors, and both have increased their price-per-share offers for the indoor water park company. Great Wolf Resorts owns a 49 percent stake in the Grand Mound-based lodge, while the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis control the rest.

Chehalis: Death Notices: George Youckton - George Youckton , 78, Oakville, died Wednesday, March 28, at St. Peter Hospital, Olympia. A public viewing was Friday at the Oakville Shaker Church. A funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the church. Interment with military honors will be at the Chehalis Tribal Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Whiteside Family Mortuary, Elma.

Chehalis: Great Wolf Resorts agrees to new ownership - Great Wolf Resorts, the Wisconsin operator of indoor waterparks – including a stake in Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound – has agreed to be acquired by a New York-based investment company. It was not immediately clear how the deal would affect the company’s lodge in Grand Mound. Great Wolf Resorts controls a 49 percent stake in the hotel and indoor waterpark resort, while the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis owns the rest. A representative of the tribe said it was surprised by Tuesday’s announcement and that the tribe’s attorneys were reviewing all of their contracts with Great Wolf.

Chehalis: Great Wolf net loss falls in fourth quarter - Great Wolf Resorts of Madison, Wis., which jointly operates the Grand Mound resort with the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis, reported a $14.4 million net loss in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Chehalis: Chehalis Tribal Representative Bars the Door to Training Session on Tribal Relations - After differing opinions over the best way to mitigate flooding led to the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation withdrawing from the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority in May, relations between the two entities have been strained. In an effort to better understand and be able to work with the tribe, the remaining jurisdictions of the Flood Authority participated in a "Government to Government" training session hosted by the Governor's Office of Indian Affairs.

Chehalis-Quinault: State agencies, tribes say earthen dam study is lacking - State agencies and officials from both the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis and the Quinault Indian Nation blasted the first draft of a study looking at the potential impact on fish if an earthen dam would be built on the upper reaches of the Chehalis River Basin to help control flooding. They say the study’s preliminary results and simulations "simply fly in the face of reality" and contain "unreasonable assumptions."

Chehalis: Vader contract extends Winlock police jurisdiction - Winlock police are now helping protect the troubled hamlet of Vader. A contract agreement became necessary after last fall's resignation of Vader's police chief and only paid officer, Steve Uhlich, said Winlock Chief Terry Williams. Uhlich took a position with the Chehalis Tribal Police Department in November.

Chehalis: Great Wolf posts quarterly profit

Basin Partnership Seeks Paying Partners

Earnings season begins Thursday