January 09, 2025
A Montana judge will sentence Sunny K. White on January 31 in the hit-and-run death of Mika Westwolf, a 22-year-old Blackfeet Nation member, marking a rare conviction in a case that became a rallying point for Indigenous justice.
Currents
The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians’ $200 million casino project in Norton Shores, Mich. appears unlikely to move forward after 14 years of planning and $35 million in development costs.
From Our Partners
I am Lee Blank, CEO of Summit Carbon Solutions, and I am writing to provide insights about a project we believe holds significant potential for enhancing environmental stewardship and contributing to the socioeconomic wellbeing of our local communities, including those which are Native American.
Opinion
Guest Opinion. Of all the massacres, domestic and foreign, carried out by the U.S. Military, the Medal of Honor was never awarded, with one exception: the Wounded Knee Massacre on December 29, 1890.
Guest Opinion. As Indian Country welcomes in 2025 and the beginning of another massive change in political leadership in Washington, D.C., tribes must better position themselves for the rebuilding of the United States’ depleted infrastructure, while also positioning themselves to gain the economic benefits from developing their enormous amount of natural resources. This is especially true in the primary economic sector of hydrocarbon and industrial mineral resource drilling and mining operations.
Sovereignty
Biden’s Indian Boarding School Apology Marks New Chapter in Healing, Says Interior Secretary Haaland
President Joe Biden made history on the Gila River Indian Reservation last October with the first-ever formal apology from the U.S. government for the federal Indian boarding school system, where tens of thousands of Native children were forcibly sent to schools designed to erase their cultures and languages.
A bill protecting the rights of Native American students in Michigan to wear regalia during graduation ceremonies has been sent to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s desk.
Education
California enacted Assembly Bill 1821 (AB 1821) last week, mandating the inclusion of Native American history and perspectives in public education.
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) will return to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in the 119th Congress, his office announced today.
Arts & Entertainment
At the Chase Center in San Francisco, history and heritage came together on January 5, 2025, as Phil “The Flash” Jordon, the first Native American player in NBA history, was honored with the Golden State Warrior Impact Award.
On February 11, 2025, a podcast produced and hosted by Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness, Aunties on Air … and Some Uncles Too, will release a special episode featuring world-renowned cellist and songwriter Yo-Yo Ma.
Health
Environment
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has rescinded a permit for the reconstruction of a petroleum pipeline near Pipestone National Monument after tribal nations raised concerns about the project’s impact on sacred land.
The Department of the Interior has announced an unprecedented $121 million investment to help Tribal communities combat the most severe climate-related threats to their homelands.