Team effort makes calf shipping run smoothly Community Top News Top Story by Beverly Bidney - August 3, 2021August 3, 2021 Makayla Torres herds calves into the pen leading to the cattle hauling truck during Big Cypress calf shipping July 14, 2021.(Photo Beverly Bidney) BIG CYPRESS — Hurricane Elsa and other scattered thunderstorms didn’t stop calf shipping in Brighton and Big Cypress from July 5th to July 15th. Every year, rain or
Erica Deitz painting chosen to represent NICWA at Orlando conference Community Top News by Beverly Bidney - August 3, 2021August 3, 2021 Seminole artist Erica Deitz’s “Homecoming” painting. (Courtesy NICWA) A watercolor painting by Seminole artist Erica Deitz was chosen to be the visual centerpiece at the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) conference April 3-8, 2022, in Orlando. Deitz’s “Homecoming” painting depicts a Seminole camp scene complete with chickees, women cooking over the
Robert O’Donnell graduates police academy, joins SPD Community Top News Top Story by Beverly Bidney - July 2, 2021July 2, 2021 From left, SPD Lieutenant and tribal member Allen Colon, Assistant Chief Kevin Tyrie, Cadet and tribal member Robert Hunter O’Donnell, Sergeant Emily Malave and Police Chief John G. Auer at O’Donnell’s graduation in Fort Myers. (Courtesy photo) Ever since he was a child, Robert Hunter O’Donnell always wanted to go
Big Cypress gathers for Memorial Day program Community by Beverly Bidney - June 25, 2021June 25, 2021 President Mitchell Cypress, left, attends the Memorial Day program at the Seminole Veterans Memorial Fitness Trail in Big Cypress on May 31, 2021. (SMP photo) Memorial Day in Big Cypress had an air of normality to it, if only because people attended in person rather than on computer screens. A few dozen
PECS’s final day honors award winners and pays tribute to those who helped shape the school Education Top News by Beverly Bidney - June 10, 2021June 10, 2021 A group of fourth grade teachers bids farewell to their students at the Pemayetv Emahakv Charter School last day of school drive-thru celebration May 27, 2021, in Brighton. (Photo Beverly Bidney) On the last day of this most unusual school year, Pemayetv Emahakv Charter School Principal Tracy Downing let her students
Native American Languages Act, 30 years and counting Education Top News by Beverly Bidney - June 3, 2021June 3, 2021 Teacher Rita Gopher, far left, in the PECS immersion classroom on a typical day since returning to campus. (Courtesy photo) Congress passed the Native American Languages Act in 1990 to support and protect the rights of Native Americans to use their languages. The passage of the bill allowed tribes throughout the
FSU homecoming pep rally no longer called ‘Pow Wow’ Education by Beverly Bidney - June 3, 2021June 3, 2021 Florida State University officially changed the name of its annual homecoming pep rally from “Pow Wow” to “Homecoming Live.” Usually a fall event, homecoming was held this year April 5-10 due to the pandemic.Activities included a reverse-style parade in which floats, parade entries and performers remained stationary while spectators drove through
Haskell president removed amid free speech controversy Education by Beverly Bidney - June 3, 2021June 3, 2021 Jared Nally is editor of the Indian Leader, Haskell Indian Nations University student newspaper. ( Photo Gary Rohman/FIRE) Jared Nally became a student journalist to be more involved in campus life instead of taking a job at a fast food restaurant. “I thought if I worked at the paper I’d be at
CBH mental health event emphasizes: ‘You are not alone’ Health by Beverly Bidney - June 3, 2021June 3, 2021 A message drawn onto a car window with a chalk marker emphasizes self-worth regardless of mental health challenges. (Photo Beverly Bidney) BIG CYPRESS — Since 1949, May has been observed as Mental Health Awareness Month. The 2021 theme for the month was “You are not alone.” The Center for Behavioral Health’s Native
Daniel Tommie presents Seminole culture to Audubon Society Community Top News by Beverly Bidney - June 2, 2021June 2, 2021 Daniel Tommie gives a presentation May 10 to the Hendry-Glades chapter of the Audubon Society. (Courtesy image) “If you live within the laws of nature, you will have all you need,” Daniel Tommie told the Hendry-Glades chapter of the National Audubon Society. Nature and Tommie’s passion for Seminole culture were the underlying