Community Corner
Long-time Morongo Tribal Chairman Lyons Dies
Public services are planned for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Morongo Community Center .
Former Morongo Tribal Chairman Maurice Lyons has died at the age of 63.
Lyons served 15 years as a tribal council member, chairman and vice chair between 1994 and 2011.
He helped lead the tribe during the development of its $250 million Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa, and was involved in compact negotiations with the State of California.
He initiated the development of the Morongo School, a college preparatory academy on the reservation, and served as president of the board of directors for the National Indian Child Welfare Association, the nation's only American Indian organization focused specifically on preventing child abuse and neglect.
As a member of the Riverside National Cemetery's governing board, Lyons was instrumental in establishing and building the cemetery's MIA-POW monument.
Public services are planned for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Morongo Community Center located at 13000 Malki Road on the reservation.
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