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ICT special interview with Peggy Flanagan
For this week’s edition of the ICT Newscast, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan speaks to ICT’s Aliyah Chavez from the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul. In this must-watch interview, Flanagan shares her journey to public office, how she first connected with Gov. Tim Walz, and powerful stories from her lived experience. WATCH MORE. — ICT Newscast
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Colville tribal citizens left on the hook when Indian Health Service doesn’t pay medical bills
Jarred-Michael Erickson was surprised when he opened the $600 bill for hearing tests taken when his child was born two years earlier.
The bill should not have been his to pay. Erickson is the chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. The cost and administration of his health care — and that of all tribal citizens — is the trust responsibility of the federal government.
But the Indian Health Service didn’t pay the bill, despite the fact that it had approved the procedure, and Erickson faced a choice: Pay it himself or take a hit to his credit score.
“I ended up getting to the point where it’s about to go to collections, and I’m just gonna pay it,” he said. “I had the money at the time — and I made even less than I do now, and it hurt me more then — but I was like, I can’t have it impact my credit, so I paid it.” READ MORE. — InvestigateWest
Failed federal housing commitments leads to evictions for Native families
From Norma Aldredge’s kitchen table, you can hear the cooing of her three-month-old granddaughter and the crying of another grandchild, just 6 months old, in the next room. Two more of Aldredge’s elementary school age grandchildren giggled in the living room before finding their way to the snack cupboard shortly after they were dropped off by her daughter. The smell of fried rice and hot dogs soon filled the air. The sounds of family coming and going, and smells of Aldredge’s food are regular occurrences in her home at the end of a cul-de-sac on the off-reservation Nooksack Indian Tribe allotment.
Tuesday, Aug. 20, was a little different. Aldredge sat at the kitchen table with her niece, Michelle Roberts, as they prepared for a virtual court hearing about whether she and her husband would be evicted from the four bedroom, two bathroom house they’ve lived in for almost 19 years. The same house and yard where her 11 Nooksack grandchildren and six great-grandchildren have grown up visiting and playing. Where Aldredge used to host gatherings for the entire neighborhood until she, Roberts, and 304 of their family members were disenrolled from Nooksack Indian Tribe in 2016. READ MORE. — Luna Reyna, ICT
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Navajo Nation to press for revival of aid to bomb victims
WASHINGTON – Survivors of nuclear testing and uranium mines are ramping up pressure on Congress to reauthorize a federal compensation program that expired in June.
Many of those afflicted since World War II are from the Navajo Nation, which is organizing a rally next week that will include prayers at the Capitol for radiation victims.
“I want Congress to realize that it’s important and we need to pass this bill because some people did not get any … compensation,” said Maggie Billiman, whose father, a Navajo Code Talker during World War II, died of stomach cancer that she attributes to fallout from nuclear tests that settled over their hometown in Arizona. READ MORE. — Cronkite News
What’s trending on social media
Other top stories:
- ‘Rez Ball’ is a story for everyone
- New children’s book tells story of young Two-Spirit person
- Top Indigenous horror films for Halloween
What we’re reading:
- Why aren’t tribal nations installing more green energy? Blame ‘white tape.’
- Feather Alert issued for indigenous woman missing out of Riverside County
- Indigenous Peoples Are Key to Navigating the Climate Crisis. We Deserve a Seat at the Table
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.
