Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities
17 Unique Stations from Border to Border
17 Unique Stations from Border to Border
Special Editions | documentaries and special reports
Native Lights | stories of people within Minnesota’s Native communities
Nearly 100 people gathered in Minneapolis recently to discuss responses to the opioid drug crisis in the urban Indian community there. Tribes and tribal organizations are mobilizing as a record number of American Indians are struggling and dying from opioid and heroin addiction. At this meeting, there was conversation about those struggling and the family members trying to help. Reporter Melissa Townsend was at the meeting, and she has this report.
The well- respected published author Jim Northrup died on August first from complications of cancer. He was 73 years old.
Born in Fond Du Lac, Jim spent much of his boyhood in Indian boarding schools and then served in Viet Nam as a Marine. As an adult he found joy in his family and his work.
In 2015 he and his wife Pat talked with Shirly Nordrum and Nicole Buckanaga , the hosts of a radio program on K-K-W-E, Niijii Radio on White Earth.
This week on Minnesota Native News: the national Environmental Protection Agency has its say in the state’s environmental review of two proposed oil pipelines, state officials float a new policy to protect wild rice, and the Minnesota-based movie “Rez Comedy” is in its final stages.
The White Earth Band of Ojibwe has secured roughly 2 million dollars from the state of Minnesota to buy and conserve land near the reservation. The grant comes after two long years of wrangling with state legislators amidst cries of unequal treatment and racism. Reporter Melissa Townsend looks back at the process and gives us the details of the final deal.
The national opioid drug abuse crisis is hitting Minnesota American Indian communities especially hard. In 2015, Minnesota had more American Indians dying from overdoses than any – other -state. That same year, 70-percent of pregnant Native women gave birth to babies dependent on opioids. And many Natives are conflicted over how to find the red road in the current crisis. Melissa Townsend reports.
To hear a full hour on this topic, including stories of healing and recovery, visit Minnesota Native News on Facebook.
