February 03, 2026
Opinion. On the Monday before the 2016 presidential election, I covered campaign stops by the two major candidates — Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump. Both came to my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, to ask voters for their support.
Currents
On Tuesday afternoon, Congress approved a major spending package that will keep most federal agencies funded through September, averting what would have been the second government shutdown in four months.
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New Ojibwe Children’s Book Shares the Seven Grandfather Teachings Through ‘Aaniin: I See Your Light'
One afternoon, during the pandemic, I sat alone at my kitchen table. Over the months I would read a lot (like so many of us did then). One theme kept resurfacing as I read books, articles, and social media posts: The Seven Grandfather Teachings (which I’ve included below).
Renowned author Nikki Grimes and debut picture book writer Stacy Wells (Choctaw) lend their resonant, lyrical voices to award-winning artist E. B. Lewis’s (Lenni Lenape) luminous watercolor illustrations in a deeply moving picture book that explores heritage, memory, and the enduring power of ancestral love.
Opinion
Opinion. On the Monday before the 2016 presidential election, I covered campaign stops by the two major candidates — Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump. Both came to my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, to ask voters for their support.
Guest Opinion. Holidays and the law around them may not be your first thought when you think about these official and unofficial events; but those who follow my work know I have written a couple of books on two different holidays. My first was The Legal Kiss (2012) for Valentine’s Day, and the second was Halloween Law (2012). So Groundhog Day seemed to warrant at least an investigation into legal issues that might involve it.
Sovereignty
Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jose Farinango Muenala, 47, of Casselberry, Florida, pleaded guilty on January 28, 2026, to misrepresenting Indian-produced goods. U.S. District Judge William M. Conley sentenced Farinango Muenala to three years of probation and imposed a $25,000 fine.
The Navajo Nation Commission on Emergency Management on Friday declared a state of emergency in response to severe winter weather, as forecasts call for snow, low temperatures and hazardous road conditions across the region.
Education
By 2029, it will be mandatory for all high school students to take courses in Native American history. The reason: California education has failed its first people.
Congress has approved $13.482 million in federal funding for the Institute of American Indian Arts for fiscal year 2026, rejecting a Trump administration proposal that would have eliminated the school’s federal appropriation.
Arts & Entertainment
It’s been a meteoric rise in Hollywood for Kali Reis. Since her breakout role in 2021's Catch the Fair One , the Seaconke Wampanoag actor and sixth-time world champion boxer has garnered critical acclaim, most notably for her portrayal of Trooper Evangeline Navarro in HBO's True Detective: Night Country (2024). In the high-stakes thriller Mercy —coming to theaters nationwide on January 24—Reis stars as officer Jack Diallo in an intense procedural alongside co-star Chris Pratt.
The Seminole Tribe of Florida will host the 2026 Seminole Tribal Fair and Pow Wow from Friday, Jan. 30, through Sunday, Feb. 1, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, celebrating Native culture through film, music, dance and tradition.
Health
Environment
The Rappahannock Tribe has filed an appeal challenging a state-issued permit that allows Caroline County to withdraw up to 9 million gallons of water per day from the Rappahannock River and transfer it to the Mattaponi River.
Published on January 9, 2026