February 02, 2026
Reporters Notebook: MINNEAPOLIS — Nicollet Avenue in South Minneapolis was lit with trees trimmed in clear lights on Sunday afternoon. In ordinary times, people from all over the Twin Cities come to eat in the restaurants because the avenue is famously known as “Eat Street.”
Currents
A week after Bridge Michigan published an article reporting that the state was withholding a $1.1 million study on Native American boarding schools, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights — which oversaw the research — said it plans to release a redacted version of the report in the coming days. The department had shelved the completed study for several months.
From Our Partners
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.
From January 21 to February 1, The Visitors will be at Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC), making its international debut in New York City. Written by Jane Harrison and directed by Wesley Enoch, this award-winning play is a Moogahlin Performing Arts and Sydney Theatre Company Production, produced by Performing Lines, and presented in partnership with Under the Radar Festival©.
For generations, many Native families have relied on community knowledge, not institutions, to guide their financial lives. That wisdom remains essential.
Opinion
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.
Guest Opinion. In recent decades, Cherokee Nation has continued to prosper in cultural preservation, health care and economic development by leaps and bounds. But when we assess our nation’s true strength, we can only measure success by what is afforded to our most vulnerable citizens.
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
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.
The William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the Tribal Leadership Council on Tuesday announced a new partnership to launch an executive education certification focused on Tribal governance, business strategy and organizational leadership.
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