On the morning of Wednesday, March 6, the Beloved Women Committee went before Tribal Council in a report to council session.

Human trafficking, housing for members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), and mental health were just a few of the topics discussed at the Cherokee Town Hall meeting held at the Chief Joyce Dugan Cultural Arts Center on the evening of Monday, March 4. 

The Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response on Tuesday, March 5 to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations on how to combat the missing or murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) and human trafficking crisis.

The local Planning Committee Quarterly Meeting was held at the Shawn Blanton EOC Building on Tuesday, Feb. 27. The meeting was conducted by Mollie Grant, from EBCI (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) Emergency Services, and Yona Wade, EBCI interim director of training and development.

The first cannabis dispensary in the State of North Carolina will open next month in Cherokee, N.C. The Great Smoky Cannabis Company, operated by Qualla Enterprises, LLC, an entity of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, will open on Saturday, April 20 (4/20). 

During the past week, I had the privilege to journey to Raleigh, N.C. alongside my staff, Tribal Council Chairman, and Tribal Council members. Our goal was to engage with North Carolina legislators, sharing insights and priorities of our new administration and outlining the future stance of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) on critical issues.

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.