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Oglala Lakota rapper Stella Standingbear’s hit song, “Home Runs,” sets a message for her career that continues to ring true.

“I remember when they said they see something
I remember when they said I wouldn’t be nothing
But Ima keep swinging
Ima keep swinging
I’m hittin’ home runs”

And home runs she’s hitting.

On Aug. 12, cheers erupted from the audience as Standingbear’s name was called at the International Indigenous Hip Hop Awards in Vancouver, Canada, making her the first Lakota artist to take home an award from the show and the only artist nominated three times this year. READ MORE — Amelia Schafer, ICT + Journal Staff

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A global enterprise based in Spain may seem an unlikely role model for a fledging Native American initiative. But inspired by its success, Winona’s Hemp and Heritage Farm in Anishinaabeg territory is sowing the seeds of an intertribal cooperative consortium.

The new endeavor, called the Indigenous Hemp and Cannabis Farmers Cooperative, is laying the groundwork for the envisioned network. Farm owner Winona LaDuke and fellow founders intend to support the development of seeds, Indigenous standards, cultivation, value-added processing, appropriate technologies and fair-trade markets.

LaDuke spoke to other Native hemp growers during a recent informational meeting at Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center, located not far from Oglala Lakota tribal offices. Alerting listeners to an Aug. 17-18 fundraiser for the cooperative cause, she said, “I hope that some seeds are in the ground, and we will pray for gentle rains.” She announced the initiative at the fundraiser, a concert featuring folk singer-songwriter David Huckfelt at Madeline Island in Lake Superior. READ MORE — Buffalo’s Fire

It was an overcast day, water still gleamed off the concrete slab from Wednesday night’s rain. Walking through the construction site of a new hospital in a neon yellow vest over her red and black midi-length work dress was U.S. Treasurer Chief Lynn Malerba. Her beige flats looked out of place against the backdrop of the exposed metal framing.

“Visiting tribal communities allows us to understand how they’re implementing the programs that we have and how our policies and the guidance that Treasury is implementing works on the ground,” Malerba, Mohegan Tribe, said. “You can’t do that in D.C. You have to go visit the communities that you are serving in order to understand how best to serve them.”

This visit marked the first time Malerba, in her capacity as the U.S. Treasurer, visited a Virginia tribal nation with Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, Wally Adeyemo. The official visit with Chickahominy Indian Tribe officials is part of the Treasury’s ongoing commitment to meet with tribal leaders to learn about their unique economic needs and challenges. The tribe is located in the eastern part of the state.

“They underscored over and over again that this kind of funding — the formula funding that we’ve used — the flexibilities that we’ve built in, is more user-friendly than grants and allows them to serve their tribe in a way that is culturally-specific, as well as meet their particular needs,” Malerba told ICT. “They identify what their needs are and then, they use the funding to work to meet those needs. That’s exactly how we should be working. That respects tribal sovereignty and it respects their ability to be self-determining in how they provide for their tribal citizens.” READ MORE — Pauly Denetclaw, ICT

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Thousands of tourists spill onto a boardwalk in Alaska’s capital city every day from cruise ships towering over downtown. Vendors hawk shoreside trips and rows of buses stand ready to whisk visitors away, with many headed for the area’s crown jewel: the Mendenhall Glacier.

A craggy expanse of gray, white and blue, the glacier gets swarmed by sightseeing helicopters and attracts visitors by kayak, canoe and foot. So many come to see the glacier and Juneau’s other wonders that the city’s immediate concern is how to manage them all as a record number are expected this year. Some residents flee to quieter places during the summer, and a deal between the city and cruise industry will limit how many ships arrive next year.

But climate change is melting the Mendenhall Glacier. It is receding so quickly that by 2050, it might no longer be visible from the visitor center it once loomed outside.

That’s prompted another question Juneau is only now starting to contemplate: What happens then?

“We need to be thinking about our glaciers and the ability to view glaciers as they recede,” said Alexandra Pierce, the city’s tourism manager. There also needs to be a focus on reducing environmental impacts, she said. “People come to Alaska to see what they consider to be a pristine environment and it’s our responsibility to preserve that for residents and visitors.” READ MORE— Associated Press

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We want your tips, but we also want your feedback. What should we be covering that we’re not? What are we getting wrong? Please let us know. dalton@ictnews.org.