Last week, the National Park Service announced that 400 national parks reported a total of 325.5 million visits in 2023, an increase of 13 million or 4 percent over 2022.

Ruby Sky Montelongo, a 16-year-old member of the EBCI, was found beaten to death in April 2023. Her uncle, Gerald “Lij” Britton, discovered her body in a field in Mendocino County, Calif.

The Jackson County Board of Elections has announced the appointment of Amanda Allen as the new director of elections effective Monday, Feb. 26. The decision to appoint Allen was a unanimous decision of the Board.

The Cherokee Central Schools School Board met on Tuesday, Feb. 20, in the Central Office Board Room of Cherokee Central Schools.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) expresses its full support and endorsement of the U.S. Truth & Healing Commission Bill introduced in Congress. This groundbreaking legislation marks a significant step towards acknowledging historical injustices and fostering reconciliation among Native American tribes and the broader American society.

The Cherokee language has been spoken for many millennia in the mountains of western North Carolina and throughout the southeast, and it will endure for many more due to the efforts of Cherokee speakers today. 

Lavita Hill and Mary Crowe, both members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), submitted a proposal to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) on Tuesday, Feb. 6 on behalf of EBCI Principal Chief Michell Hicks and Tribal Council to officially request the name change of Clingman’s Dome, located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and restore it to the original name Kuwohi.

A facility to house historical collections of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is moving forward.  Currently in the early planning stages, the Off-Site Collections Facility (a working name only) will be built at the Kituwah site.