Crosswinds Special Edition Newsletter
Over the past year, Crosswinds News has spent time listening to Native communities across northeast Oklahoma, including multiple stops in Tulsa County, to better understand how people access information and what’s missing from the local news landscape. This month, we are releasing our Native-Focused Tulsa County Information Ecosystem Assessment,
Turtle Island Affairs
Turtle Island Affairs reports on Indigenous Nations and issues across Turtle Island, beyond colonial borders. Written By Troy Littledeer (MI'KMA'KI) When Nova Scotia’s Attorney General announced on Dec. 4 that the province would intensify enforcement against “illegal cannabis” regardless of location, Mi’kmaq advocates heard
(CHICKASAW RESERVATION) The Chickasaw Nation is one of 30 tribes across the United States that allows members to resolve certain disputes outside of a regular courtroom and instead in a Peacemaking Court. Rather than facing a judge at opposing counsel tables with attorneys present, the disputing parties gather in a
Crosswinds Special Edition Newsletter
Happy Holidays, Crosswinds Community! As we close out the year, December brought us back to the heart of our work: listening to community, honoring lived experience, and examining the systems that continue to shape Native life today. This month, Crosswinds News centered community voices across northeast Oklahoma while also continuing
By GRAHAM LEE BREWER Associated Press The president of Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota on Tuesday called for the immediate release of tribal members who were detained at a homeless encampment by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota last week. Three of the four Oglala Sioux Tribe members
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's efforts to remake Head Start, ordering it to stop purging words it associates with diversity, equity and inclusion from grant applications and barring it from laying off any more federal employees in the Office of Head Start.
Carrying stories from the heart of Indian Country
(OKLAHOMA) Five stops, three different reservations, and more than 100 attendees gave Crosswinds News valuable insights into what Oklahoma’s Native communities are looking for in news coverage. The main takeaway? People want news that helps them stay involved in the community in a timely way, not just local recaps
(ANADARKO, Okla.) December is considered by many to be “the most wonderful time of the year”. But for families of missing and murdered loved ones, the holiday season can also increase feelings of sadness and loss. This week, MMIW Indian Capital is recognizing an important milestone while giving back to
Photo Courtesy: Library of Congress Written By: Noel Lyn Smith (LOS ANGELES, Calif.) Buried in what is now known as Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Muscogee oil millionaire Jackson Barnett died in California in 1934 at the age of 93 following a 14-year marriage to his alleged kidnapper Anna Laura "Mary&
(LOWER SIOUX INDIAN COMMUNITY) The Lower Sioux Cultural Department has launched a new cultural tourism initiative designed to strengthen community connection, share Dakota history, and support long-term economic sustainability. As part of this effort, the Cultural Department has partnered with Talking Circle Solutions, a Native-owned cultural strategy and development firm
(TVLSE, Okla.) A popular walking and biking trail in Tulsa is one step closer to being renamed after a highly regarded Muscogee (Creek) leader who owned the land more than a century ago. On December 9, the Tulsa Parks Board voted 3-0 to recommend the renaming of the Midland Valley
(MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.) What began in 2021 as a small pilot program to promote diversity in the NFL has evolved into one of the most meaningful athletic showcases in America. The Native American Athletic Foundation (NAAF), in partnership with the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL, will host the annual Native All-American
(TULSA, Okla.) April Wilkens is continuing to fight for her freedom after spending almost three decades behind bars for killing her abuser, Terry Carlton. In September, Wilkens was denied release during her resentencing hearing under the Oklahoma Survivors’ Act (OSA) despite providing more than 400 pages of evidence of abuse.
This story contains descriptions of alcohol misuse, domestic abuse, exploitation, racial violence, and historical trauma related to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit and Transgender People (MMIWG2T). Some readers may find this material distressing. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use,
Written By Sarah Liese (Twilla) | KOSU Radio Mainstream media outlets have often overlooked stories of missing and murdered Indigenous people for more than a century. The story of Akey Ulteeskee, a Cherokee woman who suffered sexual and financial abuse at the hands of her alcoholic guardian in the early 1900s,
Photo Courtesy: Library of Congress Written By Noel Lyn Smith (OKLAHOMA) Ronald Barnett recalled a time in 2022, when he stood on a patch of eastern Oklahoma land that once belonged to his great-great-great-uncle. “It was just like a one room hut, and the fireplace was right in the center
(OKLAHOMA) Around 16% of Oklahomans identify as Indigenous, a percentage of the population that is higher than all other states except for Alaska. In addition, Oklahoma is home to 39 tribes, and only Alaska and California have more. Two regional Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) offices serve the state'
Hello Crosswinds Community! We are pleased to bring you the first edition of Crosswinds Monthly. The Crosswinds News team has been working nonstop since we announced our rebrand from Verified News Network (VNN) Oklahoma to Crosswinds News last month. In case you missed it, the big announcement happened during our