The August meeting of the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority (CIHA) Governing Board highlighted progress in addressing workforce shortages at both CIHA and at Tsali Care Center while brainstorming interventions to improve ongoing challenges.

Over 45 percent of the registered voters of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians cast a ballot in the General Election held Thursday, Sept. 4.  According to information from the EBCI Board of Elections, 3,031 of the 6,702 registered voters cast a ballot for a voter participation of 45.23 percent.

This Week in Native News

During its regular session on Thursday, Sept. 4, Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) approved an increase to the tribal levy and privilege tax and approved the FY2026 budget for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). 

During its regular session on Thursday, Sept. 4, Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) approved several budget amendments and requests from programs of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) to apply for grant funding. Items No. 15-20, all submitted by Brandi Claxton, interim secretary of treasury, were approved unanimously as part of the consent agenda.

Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) tabled several ordinances during the Orders of the Day portion of its regular session on Thursday, Sept. 4 including one designed to solve an upcoming vacancy on the Cherokee School Board.  Several of these were tabled for more discussion before being brought to the floor for a vote.

The Cherokee Post Office has been expanded and gotten a facelift in a few other parts.  Those renovations have been ongoing for the past few months and were celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the rainy morning of Wednesday, Sept. 3. 

The three ponds on Big Cove Road that sit adjacent to KOA campground, which are owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and managed by EBCI Fisheries & Wildlife Management, were drained mid-summer to prepare for dredging due to low water levels and high water temperatures.