Click here to download the February 16, 2019 issue of the syəcəb: SYS 09162019
Category: Tulalip News
Tulalip Minor Trust Account Info Meeting, Feb 27
Heritage basketball place 2nd at Districts
By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
Opening round: Hawks tame Cedar Park Lions, 52-32.
The Heritage Hawks boys basketball team steamrolled through the regular season and finished with an impressive (17-2) record. A high-octane offense averaged 74 points per game while a stingy defense only allowed 42 points to opponents, for a whopping average margin of victory of 30+ points. Prior to the season, these boys had one mission: win a State title. Nineteen regular season games later the mission remained unchanged.
District playoffs kicked off on Thursday, January 31. Heritage’s regular season performance earned them a #2 seed and with it came the rights to host an opening round playoff game at Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium. Their opponent was the Lions of Cedar Park Christian. In their two previous meetings, Tulalip won both easily by 20+ points.
In front of an energetic home crowd, Heritage sputtered on offense to start. Midway through the 1st quarter Tulalip had yet to score and trailed 0-5. Coach Cyrus “Bubba” Fryberg called a timeout to light the fuse of urgency for his explosive team of young gunners. Did they respond? Most certainly.
The Hawks locked in, took complete control of the playoff game, and went on decisive 26-2 scoring run spanning late in the 2nd quarter. From trailing 0-5 to leading 26-7, the home team gave their crowd much to cheer for. Junior guard Leno Vela led the charge with his combination of dead-eye perimeter shooting and ball pressure yielding steal after steal. Tulalip took a 28-12 lead into halftime.
In the 2nd half, the rout continued. Heritage held the Lions to only 6 points in the 3rd quarter while both Joshes, Iukes and Miranda, added to Tulalip’s scoring barrage from 3-point land. Entering the 4th quarter, the boys had their largest lead of the game up 23 points, 41-18.
With the outcome only a formality Coach Bubba inserted his bench players to finish the game. The Hawks starters cheered from the bench as everyone celebrated the 52-32 victory.
Leno led all scorers with 13 points and 6 steals. Josh Miranda added 12 points, while Rodney Barber collected a game-high 10 rebounds.
Championship round: Lummi Nation keeps Hawks grounded, 64-77.
Following their opening round win, the Tulalip Hawks had two days to prepare for the much anticipated District Championship game versus Lummi Nation. These two teams were clearly the best of the Northwest 1B league and had split their two regular season matchups. Tulalip won by 9 points back on December 8, but Lummi won by 3 points just two weeks ago on January 15. Both teams entered the game riding winning streaks, four straight Ws for Tulalip and an eye-popping nineteen consecutive wins for Lummi.
Being the Championship round, the game was held at the much larger venue of Marysville-Getchell High School on Saturday, January 2. Fans of both teams flooded the gymnasium and packed the bleachers for a lively atmosphere befitting a battle of two highly touted tribal teams.
In the 1st quarter, both teams traded early baskets notching the score at 5-5. Then Lummi clamped down on defense, leaving Tulalip reeling. Lummi came up with two big blocks and several steals that they turned into easy transition buckets. Meanwhile the Hawks offense couldn’t muster any rhythm, which led to an 8-21 deficit after the opening period.
The Hawks trailed by double digits for most of the game. Early in the 3rd quarter, senior guard Paul Shay, Jr. kept the Hawks offense afloat by continually attacking the basket and drawing contact to get to the free-throw line. In fact, Jr. took eleven free-throws and connected on eight of them. When Isaac Comenote finally found a rhythm and hit back-to-back 3 pointers, Tulalip cut their deficit to just 9 points, 34-43 midway through the 3rd.
To their credit, every time it looked like Tulalip was getting momentum, Lummi responded with a bigger scoring run of their own. Whether it was inside with their post players or hot outside shooting, they always had an answer and pushed their lead back to double digits. Heritage trailed 36-52 at the end of the 3rd quarter en route to a 64-77 loss. Lummi’s 77 points was the most Tulalip had given up all season.
Paul Shay, Jr. led the Hawks with 19 points, while Alonzo Jones added 11 points and 9 rebounds. It was a disappointing loss in front of a packed gym, but even so Tulalip still placed 2nd in the tournament and earned the right to host an upcoming Tri-District Tournament game. The time and opponent is to be determined. However, we do know the game will be played on Saturday, February 9 at Heritage High School.
February 9, 2019 syəcəb
Click here to download the February 9, 2019 issue of the syəcəb: SYS 02092019
Another snow day on the way, please be prepared
The National Weather Service is predicting another cold front will hit our area Thursday evening. By Friday morning we may have snow accumulating. By Saturday, winds may kick up. Because we are expecting wind combined with the freezing temperatures we anticipate power outages. Please take today and tomorrow to prepare. Stop by the pharmacy and pick up any necessary medications. Restock groceries for your family and pets, be sure to include foods that do not require heat. Make sure flashlights are accessible and replace batteries. Have fresh drinking water on hand.
Tomorrow, Thursday, is forecast to be clear and sunny. Take the time to inspect your pipes, wrap them if necessary. You may want to leave your faucets turned on at a trickle. Know where your water shut-offs are in case of a burst pipe. If your pipes burst, you will not have water to flush toilets, so you may want to store additional water in buckets.
If you lose electricity, limit how often you open your refrigerator and/or freezer in order to keep the food inside cold. If you are without electricity for an extended period of time, you may need to use or throw away some foods. For more information check out www.foodsafety.gov/keep/emergency/index.html for a handy guide on when to keep and when to toss foods.
Public works teams are responsible for ensuring reservation owned roads are safe. If there is a safety hazard, please report it to the Tulalip Police Department 360-716-4608. Snohomish County is responsible for Marine Drive, although in emergent situations, like our last snow storm, Public Works will clear the most dangerous sections of road in order to assist with public safety.
Although staff will be deployed to check on medically vulnerable adults, we encourage families to stay in touch with one another. If you know someone who may need assistance, please have them contact emergency management to see if they qualify for help, 360-716-4006, or adanielson@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov. If at any time you are worried about the health or wellbeing of an individual, please contact the Tulalip Police Department for a welfare check.
Be sure to check in with Tulalip News Facebook for the latest information and notification about closures and text STORM to 30644 for text alerts. In the meantime, please stay safe, warm and remember, you are the help before the help arrives!
Native American Student Art Festival, April 18
Notice of Candidates, Tulalip Tribes 2019 Board of Directors Election
Chief of Police letter to the Tulalip Community,
Chief of Police letter to the Tulalip Community,
I am reaching out to the Tulalip community for your help, drugs are causing great harm and impact on the lives of the people. I have witnessed and also heard the many personal experiences of pain and tragedy inflicted upon the Tulalip community by drug dealers who intentionally prey upon those afflicted with addictions. These drug dealers traffic into the Reservation dangerous and deadly drugs causing devastating and tragic outcomes to individuals, families, and our community.
The opiate drug epidemic is a national crisis and our community is not exempt. This problem requires the coming together of the community, police, and other service providers to effectively make a difference. Let my message be clear, for drug dealers, profiting off the pain and misery of others, the Tulalip Police Department will relentlessly investigate and pursue criminal charges. For those afflicted in the vice of addiction, we offer our support and referral to Tribal service providers and other resources for help.
Today, January 31, 2019, the Tulalip Police Department is out in the Community conducting a neighborhood outreach effort in the Quil Neighborhoods on 27thAve NE. This is part of the Tulalip Police Department’s commitment to working with the Community to address illicit drug dealing, and to assist individual by providing services resource information to those who may be afflicted with chemical dependencies.
Uniformed police officers will be going door to door introducing themselves to members of the community. Officers will provide information and offer any assistance to help improve the livability and safety of the neighborhoods. The Police Department also is planning to hold Neighborhood Policing Meetings to help facilitate improved communications and trust. I welcome the community’s input and concerns, my goal is to work collaboratively in partnership to solve problems.
Community members and neighborhood groups interested in scheduling in a meeting with the Police Department are asked to call Cmdr. Paul Arroyos at 360 716-5924.
To make an anonymous Narcotics Complaint please call the Tulalip Drug Task Force Tip Line at 360 716-5990, or call Drug Task Force Cmdr. Jim Williams at 360 716-5927.
Sincerely, Chris Sutter
Spring 2019 Free CERT Basic Training, May 1-3
Quil Ceda Creek Casino update
By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
After months of delay, construction is again underway on the $125 million casino and parking garage that will replace the aging Quil Ceda Creek Casino (locally referred to as ‘the Q’). The lengthy pause in construction was primarily due to the Tulalip Tribes undergoing a strenuous process to replace the original general contractor, Tribal Designs/Wright Hotel Development.
“Due to a lawsuit brought against the Tulalip Tribes by Tribal Designs/Wright Hotel Development we have not been able to comment in any detail on the reasons for the termination of the agreement with Tribal Designs/Wright Hotel Development,” stated Chairwoman Marie Zackuse. “We are currently in mediation and hope to find a mutually acceptable solution between the Tulalip Tribes and Tribal Designs/Wright Hotel Development.”
Andersen Construction is the new design-build contractor. Presently, Andersen Construction is starting with site work that includes soil improvement work and grading, installing concrete footings, and will soon start on the underground plumbing and electrical.
The multi-million dollar project will relocate the Q facility from its current location to a fifteen-acre property across the street on Northeast 33rd. Replacing the Q Casino was based on a number of factors, the most prominent being a stagnant revenue stream that is unable to grow due to logistical and structural challenges posed by the current facility. Also, with an ever growing population, it is critical to generate more revenue in order to meet the costs associated with more and more Tulalip citizens.
“We’re replacing [the existing Q] because it is bursting at the seams,” explained Les Parks, Board of Director Treasurer. “The revenue cannot grow anymore, they are using every square foot they can, and our customers are screaming for more machines and a hotel to stay at. This new journey is going to get us there.”
The project cost is “rolled into the syndicated loan that includes the new Quil Ceda Creek Casino, its parking structure, and the future Gathering Hall,” continued Les. “This is the same amount that was approved by General Council three years ago. Without increasing the loan amount, we were able to add in the hotel by extending the deferred payment process, which is typical of loans we do, to put more money towards actual construction.”
The new Q Casino will span 126,000 square feet and allow for 1,500 gaming machines, a lofty increase from the current 1,000 operating at the existing QCC facility. The 500 extra slot machines will bring in millions of additional gaming revenue annually.
Besides the increase of slot machines, there will be expanded table games, an innovative dining hall experience with multiple cooked-to-order food venues, an upgraded entertainment venue, and a state of the art smoke elimination system included in the new locals casino.
Current parking at the Quil Ceda Creek Casino has always been a nuisance for regulars. The new Q will solve that issue by having a parking garage that holds 1,068 stalls, plus surface parking for 684 vehicles. That’s total capacity for 700+ more vehicles than currently available.
The design schematic leaves the option open for the opportunity to build on a hotel to complete a casino resort destination stay, like the Tulalip Resort Casino.
“We have to maintain our competitive advantage by staying up to date with what’s going on in the gaming industry,” said Vice-Chairwoman Teri Gobin. “The Emerald Queen will be opening their new facility soon, Ilani recently had a renovation, and Snoqualmie is looking to add a second tower. That’s our competition and they all have or are going to build additional hotels.
“We all know the Tulalip Resort sells out every weekend, and that overflow of guests who can’t get a room with us end up staying in Marysville. That is lost revenue that we could keep if we add a hotel to the Q,” continued Teri. “Having a hotel is very important in order to keep our customer base while providing opportunity for many new guests to experience Tulalip.”
Potentially, an add-on hotel would feature 150 guest rooms, special event space and meeting facilities, while having recreation space that includes a pool, spa and exercise room. The Tribe is also investing in street improvements to enhance ease of access to the new casino.
“We anticipate this property remaining very popular with our local customers and will also attract new gamers,” said Chairwoman Zackuse.
The new Quil Ceda Creek Casino and parking garage is expected to open February 2021.