The Daily Spark

Mary Beth Garrison, senior adviser of communities and communications for Rio Tinto U.S. Borax, discussed the company’s cultural heritage management efforts during a May 6 meeting of the Greater Tehachapi Economic Development Council, according to the Tehachapi News. Garrison said the company expanded its cultural heritage policies after the 2020 destruction of ancient Aboriginal rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in Australia during a mine expansion project. 

According to the Tehachapi News, Garrison said Rio Tinto later implemented cultural heritage management plans at its mining operations, including in Boron, California. She said surveys conducted in 2017 and 2022 documented evidence of Indigenous travel through the area, including a grinding stone later given to the Native American Heritage League in Sacramento. Garrison also highlighted restoration work on the company’s historic Twenty Mule Team display and said visitor numbers increased after the project was completed.

The Department of the Interior approved its first tribal energy resource agreement, expanding the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s authority to manage energy development on its lands, according to an Interior Department announcement. The agreement allows the tribe to enter into and manage energy-related leases, rights-of-way and business agreements without obtaining federal approval for each individual action, reducing processing delays and federal oversight.

According to the Interior Department, tribal energy resource agreements are intended to support tribal self-determination and economic development through increased tribal management of energy resources. The department said the opportunity for tribes to enter into the agreements has existed since 2008, but this marks the first approval issued by the federal government. Interior officials also said the department plans to continue outreach and listening sessions with tribes to streamline future applications for similar agreements.

Students at Mescalero Apache School in New Mexico are developing wildfire and flood warning sensors aimed at helping protect their community from climate-related disasters, according to an article in New Mexico In Depth. 

The student-led project began after severe flooding damaged the Mescalero Apache Tribe’s fish hatchery in July 2025, killing about 500,000 trout, according to the article. Students said they wanted to create faster and more affordable detection systems than existing satellite technology, which tribal officials said can issue false alarms and delayed alerts. The wildfire sensor is designed to detect chemical compounds associated with smoke and fire and send warnings to emergency services. Students also are developing a flood sensor that would alert communities when water levels rise to dangerous levels.

Candace Stock, a chef from the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota, said in an interview with MPR News that she had to relearn how to cook after a car crash left her with dysosmia, a condition that distorts the sense of smell.

Stock said she suffered cracked vertebrae, broken ribs and a concussion after falling asleep at the wheel while working long hours at a country club in Deer Lodge, Montana. She later learned the crash affected the way she experienced food, making some fruits taste like chemicals and fresh meat smell spoiled. Despite the condition, Stock said she relied on years of culinary training, memory and feedback from coworkers to continue cooking professionally. 

Now the incoming executive chef for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, Stock said support from coworkers, donors and family helped her regain confidence in the kitchen. She also said memories tied to Native foods and traditions continue to inspire her cooking.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and S&K Gaming celebrated the grand opening of the new 400 Horses Casino in Polson, Montana, on May 5 alongside the Indian Gaming Association, according to Yogonet. Tribal officials described the project as a major investment in economic development, job creation and tribal sovereignty through tribal gaming.

Located near Highway 83 and the Polson Airport, the 35,000-square-foot facility includes nearly 300 gaming machines, outdoor patio areas overlooking Flathead Lake and the Mission Mountains, and the “371” restaurant, named after the deepest point of Flathead Lake. Yogonet reported that casino and gaming operations support more than 200 jobs in the community, with additional seasonal positions created each summer. Tribal officials also said the casino includes cultural and educational exhibits highlighting the history and traditions of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

The only person charged in the 2021 disappearance of Navajo elder Ella Mae Begay was sentenced Friday to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to robbery, according to The Associated Press.

U.S. District Judge Douglas Rayes accepted a plea agreement in Phoenix in which Preston Henry Tolth pleaded guilty to robbing Begay. Under the agreement, Tolth received credit for three years already served and prosecutors dropped an assault charge and agreed not to prosecute him in the future if developments arise in Begay’s disappearance case. Begay, a Navajo grandmother and weaver from Sweetwater, Arizona, disappeared from her home in June 2021.

According to AP reporting, family members urged the judge to reject the agreement and asked Tolth to provide information about Begay’s whereabouts. Navajo Nation public safety director Michael Henderson said tribal law enforcement still considers finding Begay a priority. Federal prosecutors said the plea agreement was the government’s best option after courts suppressed Tolth’s confession during the investigation.

Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation announced May 4 that the San Manuel Investment Authority, through affiliated entities, has entered into an agreement to purchase the historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in Riverside, California, from longtime owner Kelly Roberts. According to the announcement, the transaction is expected to close as early as the end of May. 

“The Mission Inn holds a special place in our hearts,” Chairwoman Lynn Valbuena said in the announcement. The property, originally established in 1876, spans an entire city block and is known for its Mission Revival architecture, dining venues and historical collections. According to the announcement, Kelly and the late Duane Roberts spent decades restoring and expanding the hotel, including growing its Festival of Lights into a major Southern California tourism event. The tribe said the acquisition would expand its non-gaming hospitality portfolio.

The St. Louis County Historical Society will return sacred pipes to the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa during the Honor Our Elders Powwow on Saturday, according to MPR News. One pipe belonged to Joseph Maymaushkowaush, the band’s last hereditary chief, who led during the 1880s and inherited the title from his grandfather, a signer of the 1854 Treaty of La Pointe. The pipe was donated to the historical society in 1939 and remained in its collection for nearly 90 years. 

According to MPR News, the repatriation followed years of work under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Grand Portage Band member Michele Hakala-Beeksma identified the pipe during a museum inventory review after recognizing the chief’s name in historical records. Officials with the St. Louis County Historical Society said the return reflects a broader effort to shift museum practices from ownership toward stewardship and collaboration with tribal communities.

The Spirit Lake Tribe continued search efforts over the weekend for missing tribal member Jemini Posey, who has been missing since 2024, according to an official statement from the tribe. Community-led searches organized by Jemini Posey’s family took place in the Woodlake District near Tokio and areas around Fort Totten. Approximately 36 volunteers participated Saturday, with another 20 volunteers assisting Sunday during the Mother’s Day weekend.

According to the statement, the search effort included assistance from the Minnesota Office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives, along with Spirit Lake Tribe MMIP coordinators and communications staff. During the search, volunteers identified items and areas of interest that were reported for further evaluation. Chairwoman Lonna J. Street said the tribe will continue using available resources to support the search. Jade Posey thanked volunteers and community members who participated in the effort and said the family will continue searching for answers.

A 33-year-old Rapid City, South Dakota, man has been arrested in connection with the death of his infant son after police located the child’s remains in Rapid City, according to a news release from the Rapid City Police Department.

Police said officers responded to Tyler Slow Bear’s residence around 9:05 a.m. May 7 for a welfare check after someone raised concerns about the safety of the infant, Melinko Bagola. According to police, the child had last been seen April 19. Officers were unable to locate the infant at the residence, and police said Slow Bear initially told investigators the child was with a family member elsewhere in the state. Authorities later determined the family member never had the child.

According to police, investigators later determined Slow Bear assaulted the infant while the child was in his care and that the infant died sometime after the assault. Police said Slow Bear then concealed the child’s remains at an undeveloped outdoor location in Rapid City, where officers later recovered the body. Slow Bear was arrested on charges of second-degree murder and improper disposal of a body and booked into the Pennington County Jail. An autopsy has been scheduled.

More than two cords of firewood from the Tillamook State Forest were donated to the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, Oregon, for Native American cultural programming, according to Tillamook County Pioneer. The firewood will be used during activities coordinated through the Oregon Youth Authority, including smudging ceremonies, powwows, sweat lodge gatherings, drum circles and arts programs.

About 50 incarcerated youth in Oregon Youth Authority facilities identify as Native American. Griselda Solano-Salinas, director of the Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations, said the programs are intended to help youth reconnect with their traditions and communities. The firewood was prepared by adults in custody working through the South Fork Forest Camp, a joint operation between the Oregon Department of Corrections and the Oregon Department of Forestry.

A Bureau of Land Management proposal could end grazing authorizations tied to American Prairie’s bison herd in north-central Montana, according to WVTM 13. American Prairie said the proposal would revoke permits connected to public grazing lands used as part of its effort to establish a 3.2 million-acre prairie ecosystem supporting bison habitat.

American Prairie said it would be forced to relocate about 900 bison if the proposal moves forward. The nonprofit filed a protest against the proposal in February with support from Earthjustice and Helena-based Cochenour Law. American Prairie also said tribal organizations, including the Coalition of Large Tribes, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, warned the proposal could affect treaty rights, food sovereignty and tribal bison restoration efforts nationwide.

White Earth Nation leaders outlined priorities focused on land management, tribal health services and economic development during the tribe’s annual State of the Nation address in Mahnomen, according to MPR News. Chairman Michael Fairbanks highlighted the tribe’s collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge and a co-management agreement with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources involving White Earth State Forest lands within reservation boundaries.

Secretary Treasurer Michael LaRoque also discussed the tribe’s move to assume control of its health care clinical services from the Indian Health Service. LaRoque said the transition would allow White Earth Nation to manage hiring, budgeting and health care planning locally. Tribal leaders also announced continued expansion of Waabigwan Mashkiki, the tribe’s cannabis company, including a planned dispensary in Bemidji and a new location expected to open in Chanhassen in July.

Montana state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy has resumed his campaign for Montana’s Eastern Congressional District U.S. House seat after suspending it in April amid allegations of sexual abuse and harassment, according to Montana Free Press. Windy Boy announced Wednesday that his campaign was “unsuspended” and described the allegations against him as “a political ambush” and “an old smear campaign.” He said the allegations had previously been investigated and referred to law enforcement. 

Montana Free Press reported that Windy Boy suspended his campaign after allegations surfaced from a Pennsylvania woman who claimed he sent sexually explicit photos and messages to underage girls in 2002. No charges have been filed or investigations launched regarding those claims. Earlier this week, legislative leaders from both parties removed Windy Boy from interim committee and commission assignments. Windy Boy is running in the Democratic primary against Brian Miller and Sam Lux for the seat currently held by Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Downing.

Minnesota has terminated Guadalupe Lopez as director of the state’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office less than a year after her appointment, according to MPR News. Lopez said Thursday she was “shocked” by the decision, which came one day after she participated in a National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Day ceremony in Minneapolis. State officials confirmed Lopez’s departure but did not provide a reason for the termination.

Lopez, an enrolled member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, told MPR News she was informed she had made “some poor leadership decisions.” She said she believed her leadership style and advocacy did not align well within state government systems. The office was established in 2021 to address violence and missing-person cases affecting Indigenous communities in Minnesota. Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said Office of Justice Programs Executive Director Kim Babine will serve as interim director with support from Tribal Relations Director Juliet Rudie.

Pete Lien & Sons has withdrawn its permit for exploratory graphite drilling near Pe’ Sla, a sacred site in the Black Hills of South Dakota, according to reporting by ICT. NDN Collective and the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance told ICT the company submitted a letter Friday to the U.S. Forest Service requesting withdrawal of a permit approved in February for 18 drilling sites within a two-mile buffer zone surrounding Pe’ Sla.

The decision followed a weeklong occupation at the drilling site by Indigenous treaty defenders and a temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler that halted  drilling operations pending further court proceedings. According to ICT, NDN Collective said drilling had already been completed at seven of the 18 approved sites before the restraining order was granted.

A federal judge indicated Friday he will vacate a nearly $28 million judgment against the federal government tied to costs North Dakota incurred during protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, allowing the state and federal government to finalize a settlement agreement. According to the North Dakota Monitor, attorneys for both parties said during a Friday hearing that North Dakota is still expected to receive a payment from the federal government, though the amount has not been disclosed.

The lawsuit, filed in 2019, argued the federal government allowed protesters to camp on federal land during demonstrations near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in 2016 and 2017, leading North Dakota to spend millions on law enforcement and cleanup efforts. North Dakota U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor ruled in favor of the state in April 2025, ordering the federal government to pay $28 million. According to court testimony reported by the North Dakota Monitor, the Department of Justice wants Traynor’s rulings vacated as part of the settlement to avoid the legal findings influencing future cases.

It took 30 years for a conviction in the 1992 killing of 23-month-old Kamisha Nyvold, a Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota child whose death occurred on the Lake Traverse Reservation in South Dakota, according to ICT. Her family later learned that federal law imposes a five-year statute of limitations on second-degree murder and manslaughter cases on federal lands, including tribal lands. 

Nyvold’s parents, Christine and Roger Irwin, are advocating for “Kamisha’s Law,” a congressional bill that would eliminate the statute of limitations for second-degree murder cases, according to ICT. Retired FBI agent Daniel Orr, who investigated the case, said prosecutors were forced to pursue a first-degree murder charge because too much time had passed for second-degree murder charges. Jay Adams Jr. later waived the statute of limitations and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for a 10-year federal prison sentence, according to ICT. South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds introduced the legislation in 2025, and Rep. Dusty Johnson reintroduced a matching House bill in February 2026.

A Dakota-led nonprofit plans to begin construction this month on a five-acre restoration project at Owámniyomni, also known as St. Anthony Falls, along the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis, according to reporting by MPR News. Owámniyomni Okhódayapi announced the start of construction during a site tour Monday after more than a decade of planning, fundraising and tribal engagement.

According to MPR News, the first phase will replace a parking lot, an unused restroom building and part of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers control station with native prairie, oak savanna and traditional Dakota medicines. Shelley Buck, a member of the Prairie Island Indian Community, said the project is focused on restoring Dakota presence along the river. Construction is expected to begin in mid-May and take about 13 months, according to Loeffler Construction project manager John Barrick. A second phase planned for 2028 would restore shoreline flow and create a 25-foot waterfall.