1988-09-21 Char-Koosta News

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Chief Charlo of the Salish VOLUME 17, NUMBER 18
I i
A news puBCication of the Salish and Kootenai Tribes
of the 'Jlathead Indian Reservation
MONTH OF THE CHOKEB ERRIES
Chief Koostatah of the Kootenai SEPTEMBER 21,1988
IHS announces an eleventh-hour delay on new eligibility rules
One of the "downsides" of putting out a weekly paper is that changes sometimes happen that make lies out of some articles. Last summer, for example, we had a front page proclaiming fire danger and use limitations in the woods. While we were printing that issue, a week-long rain settled in and the limitations were lifted the same day we mailed 3,000 Char-Koostas saying otherwise.
The same thing almost happened this
year. The news of slightly tighter forest-use restrictions was greeted with three days of cold weather, a little rain, and even snow in the mountains. So far, however, the second batch of 1988 restrictions is still in place.
But just to keep us insecure about journalism as a career, the federal government turns out to be as fickle as Montana's weather: The day the Sept. 14 issue hit the mail, we got a call that IHS' new eligibility rules, due to be implemented Sept. 16, have been delayed until Oct. 1,1989.
So, put that story on page four last issue on hold, and read on to see the latest scoop, as of last week, anyway.
Area Indian Health Service offices across the country were notified Sept. 14 that they won'fbe implementing new eligibility rules Sept. 16 after all.
Everett R. Rhoades, assistant U.S. surgeon general, sent out a memo explaining that the Interior Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 1989 contained a provision delaying implementation for a year, pending a report on the new rules' impact.
It's not expected that the rules will disappear, however, Rhoades wrote, advising the area offices to continue their work of gearing up for an adjusted (Concludes on page two)
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"A Call to the River"
The Flathead Culture Committee and the Flathead River Watch are sponsoring the second annual "river honoring" to celebrate the importance of the Lower Flathead River to the history and culture of the people of the Mission Valley. The gathering will take place on Oct. 1, on the river approximately one mile below the mouth of Crow Creek.
Clarence Woodcock, one of the organizers of the event, said the purpose of the gathering is to celebrate the spirit of the Flathead River and to honor those Tribal elders who depended on the river as a source of food, transportation and spiritual renewal.
The gathering, which is open to all, will include a potluck feast, drumming, canoeing, and short presentations about the river. Several canoes will be
(Concludes on page two)