Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Judge decides stolen artifacts will go to preservation office - A two-hour hearing last week determined the fate of 134 Native American artifacts recovered more than three years ago. Circuit Court Judge Paula Bechtold ruled in favor of an expedited petition filed in November by the Oregon Department of Justice, asking the artifacts go to the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office. From there, they could return to local tribes, remain with the state or be shared, said David Petrie, activist and member of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Court rejects local challenge to casino - About 10 years ago when Three Rivers Casino was in its earliest stages, a group of Florence residents filed a lawsuit stating that the casino was being built illegally, that the governor did not have the authority to enter into an agreement that would allow the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians to build a casino. There was a fair amount of controversy and opposition to the project in those days, and still is in the current of public opinion.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Wyden hopes to double harvest - The bill includes a second title which transfers approximately 14,800 acres of coastal lands to a trust for the benefit of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, and another 17,800 acres for the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: How Wyden’s O&C Bill Walks The Line Between Logging And Conservation - Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden has introduced a bill that sets the stage for sweeping changes in the management of 2.1 million acres of federal forest in Western Oregon.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Confederated Tribes propose gaming facility - Should a new Class II gaming facility be built in Coos Bay? That’s the question posed by the tribal council of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians to its members. The idea is raising some members’ eyebrows. “We don’t know enough about it to support it,” said David Petrie, one of a few tribal members who are questioning the proposal.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Oregon court rejects challenge to Florence casino - The Oregon Court of Appeals affirmed the governor's right to enter into tribal gambling compacts. A group of property owners from the coastal city of Florence filed a lawsuit a decade ago claiming the Oregon Constitution prohibits casinos and the governor lacked the authority to sign a compact that allowed the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians to build its Three Rivers Casino & Hotel.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Hollering Place redevelopment in tribes' hands - The Hollering Place's redevelopment has been turned over to the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians. City Manager Rodger Craddock said the Urban Renewal Agency voted to move forward into negotiations with the tribes last week, with one dissenting member, councilor Gene Melton.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Salmon Celebration sees 10th year - The Salmon Celebration at the Mill Casino went swimmingly Saturday and Sunday. There were vendors, canoe racing, dancing, music, demonstrations and food from local Native American tribes during the 10th annual event, which celebrates the return of the salmon to rivers.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Confederated Tribes keeping health insurance options open - Tribal members have options when it comes to the Affordable Care Act. For starters, they don’t have to purchase health insurance. The Affordable Care Act goes into effect Jan. 1, and open enrollment for Cover Oregon, the marketplace for insurance, started Oct. 1. But those who can prove they are members of a federally recognized tribe can choose if they want to sign up for health insurance or continue to use their tribal doctor.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: A return to stewardship - When the Coast Guard transferred ownership of the Cape Arago lighthouse to the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw in a formal ceremony last Saturday, it was more than a simple land deal. For the tribes, it was a bit of their ancestry returned.

Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw: Cape Arago Lighthouse now owned by tribes - The Coast Guard transferred ownership of the Cape Arago Lighthouse and grounds to the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians at a ceremony held on the lighthouse grounds southwest of Coos Bay Aug. 3, 2013.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw-Coquille-Cow Creek Umpqua-Grand Ronde: Local Tribes to host 'Northwest Shells & Cedar Summer Event' - Four western Oregon Tribes are holding a Northwest Shells & Cedar Summer Event from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 20, at Champoeg State Heritage Park, 7679 Champoeg Road N.E., in St. Paul.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Big employers await health care clarity - Three Rivers Casino and Hotel in Florence has offered health insurance to full-time employees since 2004, when it opened in a tentlike structure off Highway 126. Today, the casino has more than 800 employees, and 85 percent are full-time and eligible for health insurance. The casino pays 80 percent of full-time employees’ premiums and offers a family health plan for employees’ spouses and children. So General Manager Michael Rose isn’t expecting that the casino will have to change much to comply with the new health care rules taking effect Jan. 1.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Test driving a bus route to the beach - Judy Morse wants to ride a public bus to Florence at a price she can afford. Bob Garcia, chairman of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, long has been an advocate for the bus run. He’s sure there’s demand.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Tribes hope to minimize land conflict - The Confederated Tribes hope to minimize legal conflict and maximize utility in lands sought for reclamation from the federal government. Howard Crombie, natural resources director for the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, said Sunday that the tribes had tried to identify federal lands that fell outside marbled murrelet and spotted owl habitat.

Coquille-Coos, Lower Umpqua, Siuslaw: Tall ships return in May - The tall ships Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain will bring educational programs, public excursions and walk-on tours to the Coos Bay waterfront May 1-12. The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, Siuslaw and the Coquille Indian Tribe will participate in a reconciliation ceremony with the crew of the Lady Washington.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Tribes will hold three land transfer meetings - The Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians plan to hold three community briefings on the proposed transfer of more than 14,000 acres of BLM land to the tribes. A discussion draft of the proposed legislation was circulated in March by Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, both D-Ore.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Jeff Merkley (D) & Ron Wyden (D) Push To Return Ancestoral Land To Local Tribes - A furor is brewing after two Oregon lawmakers proposed turning over thousands of acres of federal timberlands to a South Coast Indian tribe. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, both D-Ore., have circulated a discussion draft for legislation that would turn over 14,000 acres of federal lands to the custody of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Man fined after disturbing archaeological site - A North Bend man was fined $2,000 and he will be on probation for five years after disturbing an archaeological site in Coos Bay. Oregon State Police say David Gieselman repeatedly removed Native American artifacts from a site on the North Spit from 2010 to 2012, even after multiple warnings.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: North Bend man sentenced to 5 years probation, fined $2,000 for removing Native American artifacts from archaeological site - Officials with the Oregon Dept. of Justice said 53-year-old David Gieselman was accused of repeatedly excavating tribal tools from a site used for tribal gatherings on the north shore of Coos Bay, despite multiple warnings.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: ODOT to add local link to ‘electric highway’ - The site of Three Rivers Casino and Hotel will be another stop in the planned “electric highway,” according to Art James, project director for ODOT’s Oregon Innovative Partnerships Program (OIPP). The project director said on Monday that an agreement was recently reached with the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, who own the casino property, to put an electric vehicle charging station on the site. The exact spot for the station, scheduled for installation early next year, is yet to be determined.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Lighthouse readies for new owners - The Cape Arago Light Station, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993, is due to be transferred to the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians next year.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Three Rivers Foundation awards $100K in grants - Three Rivers Foundation, established by the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians as the giving arm of its Three Rivers Casino and Hotel, awarded its second cycle of gift grants to several nonprofit organizations in the region.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Mushroom madness - John Schaefer, a lover of mushrooms who works for The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw, suggested a mushroom hunting workshop at South Slough a couple years ago. The workshop has become popular, and about 13 people attended the short lecture and hands-on experience for four hours.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Ocean Dunes’ big golf gamble - The future seems bright for Ocean Dunes Golf Links, the picturesque and challenging 18-hole public golf course that wends its way through the dunes and trees on the eastern side of Florence. It was purchased in March by the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, owners of the adjacent Three Rivers Casino and Hotel, to broaden the casino’s financial base by attracting more customers as a destination resort.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Tribal casino expansion could bring in 200 jobs - Adding a golf course isn’t all the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians have in mind for their Three Rivers Casino & Hotel off Highway 126. By mid- to late 2014, the tribes hope to more than double the number of hotel rooms to 200, add a nonsmoking restaurant and indoor aquatic center, and create a 60-space overnight RV park at the north end of the property, general manager Mike Rose said. The multimillion-dollar expansion, to be funded with loans, would add 200 jobs, from blackjack dealers to housekeepers, to the existing workforce of about 500 people, he said.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Three Rivers plans expansion to become a destination resort - Adding a golf course isn’t all the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians have in mind for their Three Rivers Casino & Hotel off Highway 126. By mid- to late 2014, the tribes hope to more than double the number of hotel rooms to 200, add a nonsmoking restaurant and indoor aquatic center, and create a 60-space overnight RV park at the north end of the property, general manager Mike Rose said.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Residents respond to transportation plan proposals - Residents of Coastal Highlands Drive and surrounding streets made their opinions clear Monday night about a recent proposal to include a new access point to the casino in the city’s far-ranging transportation system plan. Some 40 people attended the July 9 City Council meeting to decry the prospect of casino traffic being routed through their streets.

Coos/Lower Umpqua/Siuslaw: Gov. Kitzhaber proclaims Tribal Information Week - Gov. John Kitzhaber, who was in office when the state negotiated its first compacts with federally recognized tribes for sharing of revenues from casinos, signed a proclamation (Friday, May 11) for Tribal Information Week. “I think we have one of the best relationships in the United States,” said Bob Garcia, vice chairman of the Legislative Commission on Indian Services and chairman of the Coos/Lower Umpqua/Siuslaw tribes. “It is first and foremost preeminent in finding ways for tribes and the state to work together.”

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Tribe, U.S. partner on management - The members of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians live and work in the communities designated as potential beneficiaries in two federal forest land management proposals currently under review in the U.S. House of Representatives. Readers of recent articles in The World might erroneously have inferred that one or both of the proposals would require Coos County to contract with a federally mandated specific tribe for the management of the Coos Bay Wagon Road lands. Not true.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Tribes purchase Ocean Dunes Golf Links - The Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians (CTCLUSI), owners of the Three Rivers Casino and Hotel, have purchased the Ocean Dunes Golf Links on Munsel Lake Road. The 109-acre golf course is adjacent to casino property.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Three Rivers Foundation awards grants - A newly established foundation is excited to announce, for the first time ever, they'll be awarding grant money to nonprofit organizations throughout local counties. Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. The Three Rivers Foundation is set to award nearly $76,000 to 501 (c)(3) in our area. "There's a lot of need out there" says Coos County Commissioner, Bob Main. "The Three Rivers Foundation and The Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Tribes make up The Three Rivers Foundation wanted to give back to the community. It was very important to them."

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Suislaw: Giving peace a chance - For years, Judge Donald Costello sentenced offenders to jail and prison terms, only to see them back in his courtroom with nothing to show for their time served. Costello doesn't work that way anymore. Instead, he practices an innovative spin on the judicial system that has become one of America's most effective restorative-justice programs.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Coal Fuels a Fight in Oregon - Environmentalists who scuttled development of a coal-export terminal in Washington last year are back at it in Oregon, trying to keep two ports from becoming transit points for coal shipped to the Far East. "Oregon's future lies in preserving our unique natural resources, not threatening public health and destroying our estuary for the benefit of foreign corporations," said David Petrie, a leader of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw, who is opposed to coal ports in the region.

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Coalition Appeals Massive Dredging Permit for Coos Bay that Paves the Way for Export of Liquefied Natural Gas and Coal - A coalition of local residents, grassroots environmental and clean-energy groups today filed an appeal of the Oregon Department of State Lands’ decision to issue a dredging permit for the Port of Coos Bay that would allow the Port to export dirty coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG). "Oregon’s future lies in preserving our unique natural resources, not exporting them across the world, threatening public health, and destroying resources in our estuary for the benefit of foreign corporations." said David Petrie, Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw tribal member and Coos Waterkeeper.

Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw: Three Rivers Foundation is accepting grant applications

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Three Rivers Casino sets up charitable arm

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Dedication bridges river, time and cultures

Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Foraging for fungi