For many people living in rural or tribal communities, accessing the internet is not the easy. Almost 28 percent of people on tribal lands lack high speed internet–compared to less than two percent of Americans in urban areas, according to the FCC. Cronkite news brings us the story.

In the sprawling landscapes of a rural community, aspirations can feel like a distant mirage. This next story turns that idea on its head. Kim Etsitty, a Navajo Pine High School biology and physics teacher, has been selected by Ocean Exploration Trust as a 2024 Science Communication Fellow. ICT’s Daniel Herrera has the story.

A standout basketball player from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, is taking on a new and unconventional challenge. Ruth Dreamer is the boys basketball coach for the Oelrichs Tigers. Our partners at SDPB Nate Wek and Jonathan Rouse have the story.

  • A Native nation in Massachusetts is celebrating a land back victory after the U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear a case against it. It’s a big win for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, and a legal boost for other tribes seeking to reclaim a land base. ICT’s Stewart Huntington has more.
  • Volunteers in Alaska have identified thousands who were un-justly sent to a mental hospital in Oregon over a century ago. Between 1904 and the 1960s, around 55,000 Alaskans were committed to Morningside Hospital in Portland. A new database went online in February allowing families of lost relatives, many of them Alaska Natives, to check for their loved ones and give them proper burials.
  • The Oglala Sioux Tribe is officially supporting Palestinians in Gaza. In a press release, the South Dakota tribal nation cited the similar history between Palestinian and Lakota people fighting against colonialism.
  • Near the Grand Canyon, the largest uranium producer in the U.S. is ramping up work on a contested project, that has been mostly dormant since the 1980s. Officials from the Havasupai, a tribe that borders the Grand Canyon are worried that mining could affect water supplies and wildlife.
  • Polynesian leaders are protecting whales by granting them personhood. Officials from the Cook Islands, New Zealand, and Tahiti signed a treaty last month recognizing whales as legal persons. The goal for conservationists is that the legislation will pressure national governments to grant legal protections to whales in the future.
  • It’s a story our partners at APTN have been following for two years, about a young First Nations entrepreneur from the Yukon, who stitches a name for himself in the fashion world one bead at a time. Now the Owl Boy has his very own clothing line. APTN’s Sarah Connors has the story.

You can help elevate meaningful stories from Indigenous nations when you support ICT during Arizona Gives Day! ICT is headquartered in Arizona, and covers the Indigenous world across North America. Help us reach our goal to raise $10,000 for reliable, compelling, Indigenous-led journalism in Arizona and across the U.S.

Today’s newscast was created with work from:

Shirley Sneve, Ponca/Sicangu Lakota, is vice president of broadcasting for the ICT Newscast. Follow her on Twitter @rosebudshirley. She is based in Nebraska and Minnesota.

Aliyah Chavez, Kewa Pueblo, is the anchor of the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @aliyahjchavez.

Paris Wise, Zia and Laguna Pueblo, is a producer for the ICT Newscast. Email: paris@ictnews.org.

Stewart Huntington is a producer for the ICT Newscast.

Quindrea Yazzie, Diné, is a video production editor for the ICT Newscast. Email: qyazzie@ictnews.org. Yazzie is based in Phoenix.

Daniel Herrera Carbajal is a video editor for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @daniulherrrera

Pauly Denetclaw, Diné, is a political correspondent for ICT. Email her at pauly@ictnews.org

Pacey Smith-Garcia, Ute, is a production assistant for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @paceyjournalist.

Ebonye Delaney is the Executive Producer for the ICT Newscast. Email: ebonye@ictnews.org

Mark Trahant, Shoshone-Bannock, is ICT editor-at-large Email: marktrahant@ictnews.org

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