NEWS

After a forensic investigation of the bone fragments recovered in May from a residence off Mulberry Road in Macon County, the victim has been identified as 42-year-old Tina Walkingstick Frizsell, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Frizsell was residing in Mountain City, Ga., when her brother, Gregory Justus, contacted local law enforcement reporting her missing in late May. 

The Cherokee Police Commission discussed several issues during their regular monthly meeting on Thursday, Aug. 11 including drug activity on the Qualla Boundary as well as self-governance for law enforcement of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI).

The planning of this year’s Cherokee Indian Fair, the largest annual event for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), scheduled for Oct. 4-8, was delayed at first but is now moving forward. 

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) has partnered with Caesar’s Entertainment on a new $650 million casino that is being called Caesar’s Virginia.

District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said a Franklin man will serve life in prison after admitting on Wednesday, Aug. 10 in Macon County Superior Court to killing his infant son.

On the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (Aug. 9), Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the members of the Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names, a federal advisory group to help identify and recommend changes to derogatory terms still in use for places throughout the country.

The Cherokee Speakers Council met on Thursday, July 28 to address several issues on the Qualla Boundary and the Cherokee language.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) has issued a land use permit allowing the Museum of the Cherokee Indian to operate an offsite facility housing Museum collections, archives, and Tribal artifacts. The permit follows a February resolution that designated a piece of land in Swain County, near Bryson City, for the future building.