Collinsville, Oklahoma
June 19, 2014
Miscellaneous News
Cherokee Freedom Of Information Changed /
Maranatha VBS July 12th /
Zoe Stephens Masonic Award /
Community Church Former Pastor Invite
CHEROKEE CHAT
by Cara Cowan Watts
New Cherokee Nation Jobs Website

Week of June 15, 2014

This week, the Cherokee Nation announced a new job and career website considered a one-stop shop for Cherokee Nation citizens seeking employment.

For assistance "every step of the way," go to www.cherokeecareerconnections.com.

You are supposed to get help with resumes, interviews, your job search, single location for all open Tribal government and business jobs, applications for jobs, building new job skills, getting training and much more.

If you are unable to access the Internet either at home or your local library, call 1-855-487-5627 (JOBS).

Should you have any questions, concerns or feedback about this exciting new service and tools, please contact your local Councilmember.

If you have questions, issues or concerns about the Cherokee Nation government, please email me at cara@caracowan.com or write me at P.O. Box 2922, Claremore, OK 74018.

For daily news and event notices, ask to be added to my Cherokee Nation News and Events email listserv. You may, also, find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter. Lee Keener is at lee-keener@cherokee.org.

To contact the Tribe, call (918) 453-5000 or visit www.cherokee.org.

Cara Cowan Watts is an elected Tribal legislator within the Cherokee Nation for portions of Rogers and Tulsa Counties.

Cara Cowan Watts
caracowan.com

Masonic "Student Of Today"
CHEROKEE CHAT
by Cara Cowan Watts
Freedom Of Information
Cherokee Council Amends Nation's FOI law

Danielle Keeton-Olsen | Freedom of Information | News | June 18, 2014

http://rcfp.org/browse-media-law-resources/news/cherokee-council-amends-nations-foi-law

The Cherokee Nation Council passed an amendment to its freedom of information law that will extend the response time to records requests about the tribe’s government.

The Freedom of Information Act amendment passed 10-6 Monday night with one councilor not in attendance, after the council also passed an amendment to its Governmental Records Act, which provides government officials access to records.

The amendment creates an information officer that will receive all records requests and will be independent of any office within the government. Under the old act, the attorney general handled records requests from the press and public.

The time the tribal government has to respond to requests increased by five days, and the amendment also forces the information officer to redact identifying information on all citizens, including Social Security number, Cherokee citizenship number, date of birth and email address.

Tribal Councilor Cara Cowan Watts voted against amendments to the FOIA and GRA because she did not agree with extended response times and felt unsure of some of the additions to the laws.

For example, Watts said she fears some of the exemptions added in the amendment will deny citizens access to certain documents.

The added exemptions include bid or financial documents leading up to contracts with the governments, and documents that are already publicly available or previously provided, which creates a “huge loophole that a truck could drive through,” Watts said.

John Shurr, editorial board chair for the Cherokee Phoenix, the tribe’s newspaper, said he believes the amendment’s changes to the act are unnecessary. The previous act already redacted identifying information for private citizens, and the extended response time should not be necessary, Shurr said.

“The editorial board that I chair took a position that there wasn’t anything in need of fixing with the FOIA law, and I still believe that,” Shurr said. “Everything that was a concern had already been addressed in the law.”

Shurr, a former South Carolina Associated Press Bureau Chief who helped form the tribe’s FOIA, said he does not believe the amendment will have major impacts on the Cherokee Phoenix’s records requests, but it will likely slow response times for those who are not members of the tribe.

In 2001, the Cherokee Nation became the first Native American nation to implement a Freedom of Information Act. Shurr said the tribe modeled its FOIA after South Carolina’s law.

“There was no reason to open it up and start fixing things that weren’t broken,” Shurr said.

- See more at: http://rcfp.org/browse-media-law-resources/news/cherokee-council-amends-nations-foi-law#sthash.mOjbt2hw.dpuf

Zoe Grace Stephens, age 11, 5th grade Masonic Lodge student of the year.
-- Rachel Wight Stephens 6/18/2014 (Submitted Photo)

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Copyright 2014 -- Collinsville, Oklahoma
Letter To The Editor
Cherokee Governement Transparancy In Danger
Please see the Letter to the Editor from former Cherokee Supreme Court Justice, Philip Viles.

This is in response to the Attorney General's Letter to the Editor which many of you have printed this past week in your local newspaper.

The Cherokee citizens who are opposed to changes in the FOIA laws would appreciate a chance for balanced responses in our local media outlets.

Wado!
Cara Cowan Watts (6/19/2014)

From: Philip Viles <viles@swbell.net>
Date: Thu, Jun 19, 2014 at 11:51 AM
Subject: Letter to the editor
To: Cara Cowan Watts <cara@caracowan.com>

Cara, I have just sent this to the Tulsa World. Would you forward to all newspapers in the Tribe? Thanks.

Philip H. Viles, Jr. -- viles@swbell.net

Former Community Church Pastor
Will Speak Here Sunday June 22nd

Would you please put something on your website inviting Collinsville area people to come hear our former pastor, Serounian Keir, speak on Sunday, June 22?

He was pastor here from 1976-79 and is now living in California. He will bring the 11 a.m. service Sunday. The church will have a reception for him after church so people will have more time to greet him. There are still many people here who remember him and keep up with him on Facebook.

We appreciate your help. -- Thanks!, Susan Pratt (6/17/2014) -- Community Church

Maranatha Baptist Temple VBS In July

Please add this VBS announcement to your website. Thank you! -- Michelle Cross (6/18/2014)
VBS Director (Maranatha Baptist Temple)

Saturday July 12th
12602 N. Memorial Dr.
9am-3pm
Call 918-371-3673 for more info