Tribal leaders gathered last week in Minnesota for the mid year conference of the National Congress of American Indians and its young leaders. ICT’s Paris Wise has this report.

Season two of the docuseries “America’s National Parks” takes viewers to lesser known parks around the United States. Episode four features Lake Clark National Park and is narrated by country singer Garth Brooks.

As co-chair of the Denver American Indian Commission, Joshua Emerson has a front row seat on race relations in his city. He says he sees some positive things happening — like a local museum listening to the Native community by shutting down an American Indian exhibit the museum now calls racist. He’s also a stand-up comedian who says his love of comedy bubbled up from the deep currents of humor that flow through Indian Country. ICT’s Stewart Huntington caught up with him.

Citizens of the Leech Lake of Ojibwe in Minnesota face predatory lenders and mortgage denial rates five times higher than the national average. The Credit Builder program is the brainchild of Leech Lake citizen Rob Aitken. It’s a different way for Native people to invest in themselves.

  • Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. has been reelected to a four-year term to lead the Cherokee Nation’s 450,000 citizens in Oklahoma. The 48-year-old attorney won with 63 percent of the vote. Hoskin’s deputy chief Bryan Warner also cleared the path to victory.
  • In Salish and Kootenai territory a mother somehow finds strength in the anguish following the roadside death of her daughter. ICT’s Stewart Huntington reports.
  • In New Mexico, a lawsuit is being revived against a teacher who is accused of cutting a Native student’s hair. An appeals court ruling has renewed an anti-discrimination lawsuit accusing an Albuquerque teacher of mistreating Native American students. The lawsuit alleges that in 2018 English teacher Mary Jane Eastin cut off about three inches of a Native girl’s hair with scissors, even sprinkling the hair on her.
  • The Las Vegas Knights have extended their lead over the Florida Panthers in the NHL Stanley Cup final. The series now stands at 3 games to 1. It’s been an exciting match up knowing one of these two Indigenous players will be a 2023 NHL champion. The Knights and Mohawk citizen Brandon Montour take on the Panthers and Sioux Valley Dakota Nation citizen Zach Whitecloud Tuesday night in Las Vegas for Game 5.

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.

R. Vincent Moniz, Jr., NuÉta, is the senior producer of the ICT Newscast. Have a great story? Pitch it to vincent@ictnews.org.

McKenzie Allen-Charmley, Dena’ina Athabaskan, is a producer of the ICT Newscast. Instagram: @mallencharmley.

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

Drea Yazzie, Diné, is a producer and editor for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @quindreayazzie. Yazzie is based in Phoenix.

Virginia Rigney, Chickasaw, is a video editor for the ICT Newscast.

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

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

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