NATIVE NEWS ONLINE

BOSTON, Mass. — On Monday, March 22, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment against former Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell. Native News Online reported that Cromwell was arrested on Nov. 13 after an indictment by a federal grand jury for two counts of accepting or paying bribes. 

WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge on Thursday announced $450 million in Indian Housing Block Grants (IHBG) to Indian tribes across the country to respond to COVID-19. This funding will be used to help Tribes carry out affordable housing activities to protect the safety and health of their Tribal members and communities.

RAPID CITY, S.D. — According to a statement made by NDN Collective on March 22, 2021, the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s office proposed a dismissal of all criminal charges against individuals charged for an organized protest outside the Mount Rushmore National Memorial last July 3, 2020.

American bald eagle populations have quadrupled since 2009, according to a new report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and its partners, the U.S. Department of the Interior said Wednesday. 

PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota’s House and Senate passed a bill this month that will establish a liaison in the Attorney General’s Office dedicated to pursuing cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP).

REDDING, Calif. — More than 150 people gathered last Saturday at a federal district court house on Bechelli Lane, creating a sea of red clothing, to stand in solidarity with Missing and Murdered Indigenous People in Northern California — specifically Nick Patterson (Pat River Tribe), a 27-year-old who has been missing for more than 15 months.

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Last Thursday, March 18, marked the one-year anniversary of the loss of the first Cherokee citizen and Oklahoman, Merle Dry, who passed away from Covid-19.

KESHENA, Wis. — Human remains found on the Menominee Indian Reservation last week belong to Katelyn Kelley, who had been missing since June 2020, the Menominee Tribal Police Department announced Monday. 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Campaign for Georgene Louis, a five-term New Mexican state representative and a tribal citizen of the Acoma Pueblo, launched an ad on Monday to glean support for her run to fill the congressional seat vacated last week by Interior Secretary Debra Haaland, who made history last week when she was sworn in as the first Native American ever to serve as a presidential cabinet secretary.

WASHINGTON — On Friday, March 19, 2021, the Department of Interior reversed a Trump-era decision that determined a portion of the Missouri River on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation would belong to the state of North Dakota.

MINOT, N.D. — A member of the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara) was chosen by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NDAPSSA) as both athlete of the year and North Dakota’s Mr. Basketball. Jesse White, 18, of White Shield, N.D. is Arikara and was the lone Native student athlete to be considered for Mr. Basketball among five finalists.

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. —  On Sunday, the Navajo Department of Health, in coordination with the Navajo Epidemiology Center and the Navajo Area Indian Health Service, reported nine new Covid-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation. The total number of positive Covid-19 cases is now 30,007.

MCLAUGHLIN, S.D. — On Sunday, March 14, a Standing Rock tribal citizen was shot and killed by Bureau of Indian Affairs police in McLaughlin, South Dakota on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, according to a statement made by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Law enforcement is providing little information about the shooting that occurred at the deceased mother’s house. 

WASHINGTON — Rep. Yvette Herrell (Cherokee) is the only Native American in Congress who voted no H.R. 1620: Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021 on Wednesday. The bill passed the House of Representatives and will move to the Senate for consideration.

NEW TOWN, N.D. — When Agnes Woodward, 38, sat down to create the traditional ribbon skirt Secretary Deb Haaland — the newly confirmed head of Interior, and the first Native American to lead a federal department — would wear at her ceremonial swearing-in on Thursday, she said she was nervous the entire time.

TRURO, Nova Scotia, Canada — A well-known Mi’kmaw educator, cultural advisor and media personality is expected to arraigned for a sex crime by the Truro Provincial Court in Nova Scotia, Canada on March 31, 2021. According to documents shared with Native News Online by the Nova Scotia Judiciary, Trevor Sanipass, 45, is accused of committing an indecent act on July 7, 2019.

WASHINGTON — Wearing a traditional ribbon skirt embroidered with corn and butterflies, Madam Secretary Deb Haaland of the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico was ceremonially sworn in as the 54th Secretary of the Department of the Interior with an oath administered by Vice President Kamala Harris.

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives today passed a bill reauthorizing a lapsed Violence Against Women Act with new provisions speicifcally addressing Native American victims. The legislation will now be sent to the Senate for consideration.

DURANT, Okla. — Two years ago, on March 12, 2018, the prime minister of Ireland visited the Choctaw Nation in Durant, Okla. He was in the United States during a week-long tour to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day festivities.

Madam Secretary Deb Haaland (Pueblo of Laguna) took the oath of office to become the 54th Secretary of the Department of the Interior Tuesday night in a small ceremony with family, according to department spokesperson Tyler Cherry. The oath was administered by Chief of Staff Jennifer Van der Heide.