The Daily Spark

Chicago nonprofits have broken ground on a Native-focused affordable housing project in the city’s Irving Park neighborhood, according to The DePaulia.

The seven-story building, called Jigzibik, will include 45 fully affordable housing units and space for community services. The name means “at the river’s edge” and reflects the building’s location along the Chicago River. The project is co-developed by Visionary Ventures, a Native-led nonprofit, and Full Circle Communities. Funding includes support from the Chicago Department of Housing, permanent supportive housing funds and low-income housing tax credits, according to The DePaulia.

“We knew we needed housing for our community. We’ve been promised housing for over 50 years,” Shelly Tucciarelli, executive director of Visionary Ventures and a tribal member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, was quoted as saying.

Construction began July 11, 2025, and is expected to be completed in fall 2026.

Montana has launched a sponsored license plate to support efforts addressing missing Indigenous persons, according to NonStop Local.

The Montana Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Advisory Council introduced the plate as a new initiative aimed at raising awareness and generating funding for its work. According to a Montana Department of Justice Facebook post, proceeds from license plate sales will go directly toward supporting the council’s mission to reduce the number of missing Indigenous individuals in the state.

The initiative is intended to provide both financial support and increased public visibility for efforts focused on missing Indigenous persons in Montana. Information about how to obtain the sponsored license plate is available online, according to the department.

Two Native American-owned corporations have cancelled contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following objections from tribal citizens and leaders, according to CBC News Indigenous.

A subsidiary of Oneida ESC Group, owned by the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, cancelled a $3.8 million contract with ICE for engineering and inspection services after the Oneida government became aware of the agreement. The Oneida government also replaced the subsidiary’s board of managers. Oneida Nation Chairman Tahassi Hill said in an email to CBC Indigenous that nations must act when issues conflict with their laws, policies and core values.

Last month, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in Kansas cancelled a $29.9 million contract its corporation held with ICE for planning and design work and dismissed senior leadership, according to statements cited by CBC News Indigenous. Prairie Band Potawatomi Chairman Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick said reservations were the government’s “first attempts at detention centres” and said participating in such contracts mirrored historic harm done to Native people.

The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians announced that its tribal phone system is experiencing an outage expected to last three days, according to KXNET. The outage includes phone lines at the Turtle Mountain Motor Vehicle Department on the Turtle Mountain Reservation.

Phones at the department are expected to be unavailable until Thursday, Jan. 15, according to KXNET. Officials said the enrollment card machine and vehicle registration services are also temporarily down, with no timeline announced for restoration. The office remains open, and staff are available to assist people in person.

Office hours remain unchanged, and officials said they appreciate the public’s patience during the outage.

The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation are working with Open Access Technology International Inc. to build microgrids at several sites on the reservation to improve power reliability and move toward energy sovereignty, according to Underscore Native News and ICT. Chairman Jarred-Michael Erickson said the project is intended to reduce the impacts of frequent power outages, which average about six days per year and can be higher during winter storms and summer heat waves.

The microgrids will be built at the government center in Nespelem, the Paschal Sherman Indian School near Omak and in the Inchelium District. Grant Timentwa, general manager of the Colville Tribal Utility Corporation, said the infrastructure could support resilience and future economic development. The government center microgrid will include rooftop solar panels, battery energy storage, electric vehicle charging and control systems. Funding for the project includes state and federal sources, including Washington State Department of Commerce Tribal Clean Energy grants, according to Underscore Native News and ICT.

Native leaders shared legal resources with community members during a Jan. 9 press conference in Minneapolis amid increased activity by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to MPR News. Nikki Love, executive director of the Tiwahe Foundation, displayed a phone number provided by an attorney with the Native American Rights Fund that Native people could call if stopped or detained by federal immigration authorities. Love shared the information with a small crowd gathered near 14th Avenue and Franklin Avenue.

Jacqueline De León, a senior staff attorney with NARF, said racial profiling of Native Americans is a consequence of recent Supreme Court decisions related to immigration enforcement, according to MPR News. De León cited a concurring opinion by Justice Brett Kavanaugh in Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo stating that ethnicity could be considered during immigration stops. De León said Native Americans, who are U.S. citizens, are being questioned based on race. According to MPR News, NARF later posted legal resources advising Native Americans of their rights, and multiple tribal nations in Minnesota urged members and descendants to carry identification.

Fourth-grade students at Riverside Elementary School in Wisconsin learned about ancient Native American dugout canoes during a visit from two researchers involved in the discoveries, according to the Wausau Daily Herald. Tamera Thomsen, a maritime archaeologist with the Wisconsin Historical Society, and Sissel Schroeder, the Bradshaw Knight Professor of Environmental Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, spoke with students about Wisconsin’s First Nations and the recovery of 16 dugout canoes from Lake Mendota since 2021.

Radiocarbon dating shows the oldest canoe dates back about 5,200 years, according to the Wausau Daily Herald.

In Lodge Grass, Montana, members of the Crow Tribe are working to rebuild their community after years of widespread meth addiction left homes abandoned and families fractured, according to KFF Health News. Brothers Lonny and Teyon Fritzler, who both struggled with meth addiction for years, returned to their hometown after leaving to recover. Their family property has sat empty and in disrepair, a condition common in the town of about 500 people on the Crow Indian Reservation, the outlet reported.

An estimated 60% of Lodge Grass residents age 14 and older struggle with drug or alcohol addiction, according to a local survey contracted by the Mountain Shadow Association, a Native-led nonprofit. The organization has led efforts to remove abandoned buildings and construct new spaces, including a child care center and a planned addiction recovery campus known as Kaala’s Village. Community members say the new construction represents early signs of renewal after decades of harm caused by meth, according to KFF Health News.

More than 100 people gathered at the North Dakota State Capitol in Bismarck on Jan. 11 to protest the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman who was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis, according to KXNET. Demonstrations also took place in Fargo and Grand Forks, the outlet reported.

Protesters held signs and waved American flags as speakers criticized the shooting and broader federal leadership. Rod Reetz told KXNET he was “shocked” by the killing, adding, “We are shooting our own citizens.” Scott Gefrow voiced opposition to President Donald Trump, saying he did not view the president as a role model. The gathering included counter-protesters, including former Bismarck Mayor Marlan Haakenson, who spoke in support of ICE enforcement and said public demonstrations are a freedom to be cherished, according to the outlet.

While tensions rose at times, the protest remained peaceful. Organizers said a designated person handled de-escalation, and a local minister led a prayer during the event.

Leaders from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the Spirit Lake Tribe have issued public statements addressing community concerns related to recent activity by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In a Jan. 9 statement, Sitting Bear said his office has received reports of First Nations people being racially targeted, assaulted or detained by ICE and urged tribal members to carry tribal identification or proof of citizenship. He stated that Standing Rock is a sovereign nation and that any ICE presence or activity on tribal lands “is not authorized, not welcome, and will be addressed.”

The Spirit Lake Tribal Council released separate community guidance for members and families, particularly those traveling or living off the reservation. The guidance advises members to carry tribal identification, remain calm during encounters with federal officers and rely on official tribal communications for updates. According to the council, the guidance is informational and does not constitute legal advice.

President Donald Trump vetoed legislation that would have transferred 30 acres of land in the Florida Everglades to the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, halting a bipartisan effort approved by Congress in December. According to Mother Jones, House Republicans failed to override the veto, one of only two issued by Trump since taking office. The bill, known as the Miccosukee Reserved Area Act, would have clarified land status and returned acreage long used by the tribe. In his veto message, Trump cited the tribe’s opposition to federal immigration policy, including a lawsuit challenging construction of an immigration detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” Tribal leaders said the measure followed years of bipartisan work to support Miccosukee residents and protect the land.

The Tohono O’odham Kiki Housing Authority has received $622,637 in federal funding to expand housing support for Native American veterans on the Tohono O’odham Nation, according to a statement from Rep. Adelita Grijalva. The funding will be used to provide rental assistance to about 20 Native American veterans.

Grijalva said the grant is intended to address ongoing housing challenges faced by Native American veterans and to support housing stability on the reservation. She said she plans to continue advocating for federal resources to support tribal communities and Native veterans.

A national helpline for Native survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault has begun work to launch an Alaska-specific service, according to information published by the Alaska Beacon. Strong Hearts Native Helpline is a Native-led nonprofit that offers 24-hour, seven-day-a-week, anonymous and confidential support for people who have experienced domestic violence or sexual assault. The helpline is currently staffed by American Indian advocates, but none are Alaska Native, said Rachel Carr-Shunk, the organization’s deputy executive officer.

Carr-Shunk told Alaska Beacon the organization expects to launch the Alaska-specific service within the next calendar year after building partnerships and resources in the state. Strong Hearts has hired Anchorage-based Minnie Sneddy of Hooper Bay to help identify regional needs and develop a database of Alaska resources. Sneddy said many survivors face limited local support and fear consequences for seeking help. Although there are not yet Alaska Native advocates staffing the helpline, Alaskans can still call the helpline, 1-844-762-8483, to speak with an American Indian advocate.

A man who presented himself as a Native American activist was sentenced Wednesday to 46 years in prison for drugging and raping women, a case that has prompted calls for changes to Washington state law, according to the Associated Press.

Redwolf Pope, 49, was convicted in Washington state of multiple counts related to assaults that occurred in 2016 and 2017, the AP reported. Prosecutors said Pope recorded videos of women who appeared unconscious while he raped them and used a hidden camera in his bathroom to film women showering, according to court documents cited by the AP.

Pope represented himself during his September trial and cross-examined one of his accusers, prompting survivors to urge lawmakers to revise the Crime Victim Bill of Rights, according to the AP. The jury found him guilty on Sept. 3, 2025.

In Lodge Grass, a town of about 500 people on the Crow Indian Reservation, new buildings and businesses are emerging amid long-standing impacts of meth addiction, according to Montana Free Press. An estimated 60% of residents 14 and older struggle with drug or alcohol addiction, the report says, citing a local survey contracted by the Mountain Shadow Association, a Native-led nonprofit.

The town has torn down more than two dozen abandoned buildings in recent years, the report says. A day care center opened in October 2024, replacing an abandoned home that had tested positive for traces of meth, the nonprofit’s director said in the story. The Mountain Shadow Association is developing Kaala’s Village, a planned campus that would include a therapeutic foster home and housing for families working toward sobriety, the report says.

Local leaders told Montana Free Press the projects are visible steps in community recovery efforts.

January marks one year since Emily Pike, a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, was reported missing. Her body was discovered on Feb. 14. According to an event announcement shared on Facebook, community members are organizing two public gatherings to honor her memory and support her family.

A candlelight vigil is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 25, at 5 p.m. Organizers said the vigil will be a time for reflection and prayer. Attendees are encouraged to bring candles, signs, prayers and their voices, according to the post.

A Community Walk for Emily is planned for Saturday, Feb. 14, at 3 p.m., starting at Mesa Drive and McKellips Road in Mesa, Arizona. Organizers said the walk is intended to show that Pike is not forgotten and that her name continues to be spoken. The event is open to the public. Participants are encouraged to bring their voices, drums and footsteps, according to the announcement.

Amy Bowers Cordalis, an attorney in Ashland, Oregon, and a member of the Yurok Tribe, will discuss her memoir “The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life” at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Ashland Public Library, according to Ashland.news. Cordalis served as general counsel for the Yurok Tribe and played a central legal role in the removal of all four Klamath River dams in 2024.

According to Ashland.news, Cordalis’s book chronicles her family’s decades-long legal fight to restore the Klamath River and protect Yurok fishing and water rights. She said the event is intended to bring community members together to recognize the river restoration effort. The talk is free and open to the public and will be followed by a book signing, according to the publication.

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka awarded a record $33.9 million in Affordable Housing Program grants for 2025 to support 31 housing projects across Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma, according to StreetInsider. The funding is expected to support 1,764 very low, low, and moderate income households through rental and owner-occupied housing projects.

According to StreetInsider, Kansas received $16.4 million to support 809 housing units, Colorado received $7.3 million for 416 units, Nebraska received $5.9 million for 331 units and Oklahoma received $4.3 million for 208 units. The grants are awarded through partnerships with FHLBank Topeka member financial institutions and represent 10% of the bank’s prior-year earnings.

StreetInsider reported that FHLBank Topeka also committed additional housing and community development funding in 2025, including $5 million through its Native American Housing Initiatives Grants Program and $22.6 million through its TurnKey Program.

A memorial honoring 14-year-old Emily Pike was removed from an intersection in Mesa, Arizona, where it had stood for months following the discovery of her remains, according to CrimeOnline. The memorial was located near Mesa Drive and McKellips Road, close to where Pike was last seen alive. City of Mesa officials said they were not involved in removing the memorial, according to the report.

CrimeOnline reported that the property owner removed the memorial because it was placed without permission and stored the items for retrieval. Supporters returned to the site Jan. 2 and replaced some items, saying the memorial helps keep attention on the unsolved case. Pike’s remains were found in February, though some have never been recovered. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $75,000 for information leading to an arrest, with additional rewards announced by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and the San Carlos Apache Tribe, according to CrimeOnline.