Town leaders and residents of Rancho Sahuarita, Ariz., are writing letters to Congress and signing petitions in opposition of a proposed prison on Tohono O'odham lands, according to a story published today in the Arizona Republic. Plans for a boycott and protest this weekend at the tribe’s casino are also underway.
The prison, called the San Xavier Regional Detention Center, would be developed and operated by private companies. It would be built on 48-acre parcel located between the Santa Cruz River and Old Nogales Highway, at the eastern edge of the Tohono O'odham’s 2.7 million-acre reservation. The $50 million facility would house 750 federal, state and local inmates.
As reported by the Republic, Texas-based Innovative Government Strategies is leading the project, and Municipal Capital Markets Group, Inc., is financing it. Community Education Centers, a New Jersey company, would operate the prison under a 30-year lease.
While tribal leaders see the prison as a source of jobs and revenue, people living in Rancho Sahuarita, the nearest community to the site, do not want criminals in their backyard and want the site changed.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs must decide on any tribal lease deal, the Republic reported, and plans must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act. The BIA has extended a public comment period on the environmental assessment until June 1.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Native Americans to Welcome Global Christian Conference in 2010
Native Americans will take front stage at the inaugural meeting of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, which will be held at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., June 18-28, 2010.
Planners for the meeting are inviting local and regional Native Americans to participate in a special pow wow planned for Tuesday, June 22, at Ah-Nab-Awen Park on the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids.
Native Americans will also provide exhibits at Calvin College, conduct a talking circle and participate in some of the workshops scheduled for conference delegates. And a prominent Native American will be invited to present a keynote address at one of the plenary sessions.
"This world conference will allow us to accurately showcase who we — as American Indians — are in contemporary times to delegates from around the globe," Levi Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi), who is coordinating Native American participation in the event, said in a press release.
Gathering under the theme "Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace," the World Communion of Reformed Churches’ meeting will bring together 1,000 representatives from 250 churches and more than 100 countries. Among the international delegates will be many from indigenous peoples in their own countries.
Planners for the meeting are inviting local and regional Native Americans to participate in a special pow wow planned for Tuesday, June 22, at Ah-Nab-Awen Park on the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids.
Native Americans will also provide exhibits at Calvin College, conduct a talking circle and participate in some of the workshops scheduled for conference delegates. And a prominent Native American will be invited to present a keynote address at one of the plenary sessions.
"This world conference will allow us to accurately showcase who we — as American Indians — are in contemporary times to delegates from around the globe," Levi Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi), who is coordinating Native American participation in the event, said in a press release.
Gathering under the theme "Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace," the World Communion of Reformed Churches’ meeting will bring together 1,000 representatives from 250 churches and more than 100 countries. Among the international delegates will be many from indigenous peoples in their own countries.
Scholars Program Prepares Cherokee Students for College
The Cherokee Nation has teamed up with the Oklahoma Scholars Program to help Cherokee students prepare for their future, the tribe announced in a press release.
The Oklahoma Scholars Program is a high-impact, low-cost program that starts with placing business leaders into eighth grade classrooms to share with students the benefits of completing the Scholars Program, such as college preparedness, special recognition for academic achievements and being a stronger candidates for financial aid and scholarships.
Students achieve the Oklahoma Scholar designation by completing the Scholars Course of Study, a specific sequence of academic courses in math, science, language arts and social studies.
The program is offered to all students but is especially aimed at students who might take the path of least resistance if not encouraged to do more. The Cherokee Scholars Program was designed to increase the percentage of Cherokee high school graduates prepared to enter college by encouraging them to take more demanding classes during high school, the release said.
To qualify, students must be a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, must have completed the Scholars Course of Study and have passed each course with a minimum of a 2.5 GPA.
The Oklahoma Scholars Program is a high-impact, low-cost program that starts with placing business leaders into eighth grade classrooms to share with students the benefits of completing the Scholars Program, such as college preparedness, special recognition for academic achievements and being a stronger candidates for financial aid and scholarships.
Students achieve the Oklahoma Scholar designation by completing the Scholars Course of Study, a specific sequence of academic courses in math, science, language arts and social studies.
The program is offered to all students but is especially aimed at students who might take the path of least resistance if not encouraged to do more. The Cherokee Scholars Program was designed to increase the percentage of Cherokee high school graduates prepared to enter college by encouraging them to take more demanding classes during high school, the release said.
To qualify, students must be a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, must have completed the Scholars Course of Study and have passed each course with a minimum of a 2.5 GPA.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Alaska Native Corps Get Letter from Senator Asking for Internal Records
U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill has launched an investigation into the millions of contracting dollars that Alaska Native Corporations have received from the federal government since 2000, The Anchorage Daily News reported on May 18.
McCaskill sent a letter to 20 of Alaska's largest Native Corporations last week. In it, she requested their internal records, including executive and board of directors pay and how many Natives they employed, covering the last eight years.
At issue are the contracting advantages that Alaska Native Corporations have with the Small Business Administration Section 8(a) program. Section 8(a) helps small, disadvantaged companies access the federal procurement market. It is typically for small contracts (those under $5.5 million for goods or $3.5 million for services). Federal law, though, provides the Corporations with an exemption, allowing them to enter into sole-source contracts of any value. They are also allowed to subcontract work to companies that don’t qualify for the Section 8(a) program and to enter into joint ventures and partnerships with non-Native companies for sole-source contracts.
The Corporations that received a letter were asked to provide the information no later than May 29, 2009. A hearing with the Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight has been scheduled for July 16, 2009.
McCaskill sent a letter to 20 of Alaska's largest Native Corporations last week. In it, she requested their internal records, including executive and board of directors pay and how many Natives they employed, covering the last eight years.
At issue are the contracting advantages that Alaska Native Corporations have with the Small Business Administration Section 8(a) program. Section 8(a) helps small, disadvantaged companies access the federal procurement market. It is typically for small contracts (those under $5.5 million for goods or $3.5 million for services). Federal law, though, provides the Corporations with an exemption, allowing them to enter into sole-source contracts of any value. They are also allowed to subcontract work to companies that don’t qualify for the Section 8(a) program and to enter into joint ventures and partnerships with non-Native companies for sole-source contracts.
The Corporations that received a letter were asked to provide the information no later than May 29, 2009. A hearing with the Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight has been scheduled for July 16, 2009.
UA Awards Certificates in Public Health to Nine Navajo CHRs
The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and Diné College, a Navajo tribal college, have awarded the first Certificates in Public Health to nine Native American students, according to a press release issued by UA.
The students, who received the certificates at a commencement ceremony at Diné College on May 7, are all Community Health Representatives (CHRs) for the Navajo Nation.
Navajo Tribal CHRs live and work in Navajo communities, providing the tribe’s citizens with hands-on care and information on current medical topics and staying healthy. They are full-time, paid employees of the Navajo Nation government.
The Navajo Nation has 110 chapters, and each chapter has at least one CHR. The entire Navajo CHR/Outreach program currently has about 160 employees. Navajo CHRs are required, in accordance with the tribe’s federal contract, to complete the certification.
The joint certification program launched in 2006, but this is the first year that the certificates were jointly awarded by UA Zuckerman College of Public Health and Diné College. The 12-credit program is tailored to the Navajo Nation’s public health needs and concerns.
The students, who received the certificates at a commencement ceremony at Diné College on May 7, are all Community Health Representatives (CHRs) for the Navajo Nation.
Navajo Tribal CHRs live and work in Navajo communities, providing the tribe’s citizens with hands-on care and information on current medical topics and staying healthy. They are full-time, paid employees of the Navajo Nation government.
The Navajo Nation has 110 chapters, and each chapter has at least one CHR. The entire Navajo CHR/Outreach program currently has about 160 employees. Navajo CHRs are required, in accordance with the tribe’s federal contract, to complete the certification.
The joint certification program launched in 2006, but this is the first year that the certificates were jointly awarded by UA Zuckerman College of Public Health and Diné College. The 12-credit program is tailored to the Navajo Nation’s public health needs and concerns.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Proposed IHS and BIA Budgets Include Contract Support Increases
The recently released proposed Indian Health Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs budgets show increases for contract support. IHS will have a 13 percent increase. The BIA’s increase is not yet known because it has not been finalized.
Tribes that will for the first time be negotiating 2 and 3 rate agreements should be aware of these increases as it will impact the approach that they decide to take when establishing these new rates. Careful planning and strategizing is imperative in order to maximize recoveries.
For additional information, contact Richard Phelps at 1-800 992 4489, ext. 101.
Tribes that will for the first time be negotiating 2 and 3 rate agreements should be aware of these increases as it will impact the approach that they decide to take when establishing these new rates. Careful planning and strategizing is imperative in order to maximize recoveries.
For additional information, contact Richard Phelps at 1-800 992 4489, ext. 101.
Recovery Act Funds Released for IHS Projects
On May 16, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced in a press release that the Indian Health Service will release $500 million allocated for improvements in Indian health under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.
ARRA funds are to be expended by the IHS as follows: $227 million for health facilities construction, $100 million for maintenance and improvements, $85 million for health information technology, $68 million for sanitation facilities construction and $20 million for health equipment that will help improve health care in Indian Country.
“These Recovery Act funds will provide critical assistance to American Indian and Alaska Native communities,” IHS Director Yvette Roubideaux stated in the release. “These funds will help improve health care, create jobs and make our native communities stronger.”
To see a state-by-state list of all ARRA-funded IHS projects, click here.
ARRA funds are to be expended by the IHS as follows: $227 million for health facilities construction, $100 million for maintenance and improvements, $85 million for health information technology, $68 million for sanitation facilities construction and $20 million for health equipment that will help improve health care in Indian Country.
“These Recovery Act funds will provide critical assistance to American Indian and Alaska Native communities,” IHS Director Yvette Roubideaux stated in the release. “These funds will help improve health care, create jobs and make our native communities stronger.”
To see a state-by-state list of all ARRA-funded IHS projects, click here.
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