The Department of Justice announced on Tuesday, Nov. 23 a commitment of $800,000 to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs, specifically to increase the program’s capacity to provide outreach, investigative support and forensic services to cases involving American Indians and Alaska Natives.

The EBCI Public Health & Human Services’ (EBCI PHHS) Heart to Heart Child Advocacy Program now has a full-time detective solely dedicated to investigations of crimes against children. Alicia Case, detective with the Cherokee Indian Police Department (CIPD), was sworn in by Judge Barbara  “Sunshine” Parker on Tuesday, Nov. 16.

Most of Thursday’s (Nov. 18) meeting of the EBCI Police Commission was spent with Cherokee Indian Police Department (CIPD) Chief Josh Taylor.

At approximately 3 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 18, Officer Dewitt Chekelelee, of the Cherokee Indian Police Dept., responded to Harrah’s Valley River Casino in reference to possible drug activity in the parking lot.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland formally established a process to review and replace derogatory names of the nation’s geographic features as announced on Friday, Nov. 19. She also declared “squaw” to be a derogatory term and ordered the Board on Geographic Names – the federal body tasked with naming geographic places – to implement procedures to remove the term from federal usage.

Most of the meeting was held in closed session to discuss an ‘employee appeal’. The Board moved into closed session around 6 p.m. and the meeting was not complete until approximately 10 p.m., according to School Board assistant Terri Bradley.

Single-vehicle crash on the Spur results in passenger fatality 

Following are the winners in the Vax for Cash lottery held on Tuesday, Nov. 9 and hosted by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. This list is provided to the One Feather by the EBCI Public Health and Human Service Division.