Building Homes, Building Wealth: A Federal Pathway to Indigenous Homeownership - Underscore Native News Historically, lenders have refused to lend money on Native trust lands for housing, making the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit’s ownership option a rare path to housing equity and intergenerational secu...

For many Native nations, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program was meant to open the door to homeownership—not just rental housing. But years after eligibility, hundreds of homes remain untransferred.

www.underscore.news/justice/buil...

A Washington Housing Investor Reform Bill Died in Committee This Legislative Session - Underscore Native News After legislators learned that more than 300 Native homes eligible for ownership through the state-managed federal housing program had not been transferred to ownership, a bipartisan supported housing...

300+ Native homes eligible for ownership weren't transferred under state-run federal housing program, legislators say. A bipartisan fix was introduced, but didn't advance after confusion and “misleading” information from the Washington Housing Finance Commission. www.underscore.news/justice/a-wa...

Rally For Missing Siletz Tribal Citizen to Be Held - Underscore Native News Family and community members to hold a rally in Eugene on March 27 for Manuel Bayya, a Siletz tribal member who has been missing for four years.

In honor of Manuel Bayya, a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians who went missing four years ago, family and community members are holding a rally and March in Eugene, Oregon on March 27.
www.underscore.news/justice/mmir...

MEDIA INDIGENA : Weekly Indigenous current affairs program: Beyond Fires & Floods: Pt 0 (ep 365) ON THIS EPISODE: Part 0 of "Beyond Fires and Floods: Indigenous Narratives in an Era of Extremes." Otherwise known as "BFF," it's the name of a three-day gathering we co-convened last October on Mu...

It begins! Long awaited first episode of @mediaindigena.bsky.social introducing Beyond Fires & Floods: Indigenous Narratives in an Era of Extremes, a series of amazing panels @rickharp.bsky.social and I organized at UBC podfollow.com/mediaindigen...

State Senate Honors Chinook Indian Nation with Resolution - Underscore Native News The Washington State Senate passed a resolution this session recognizing the Chinook Indian Nation’s history and contributions to the Pacific Northwest.

On March 9, the Washington State Senate passed a bipartisan resolution formally recognizing the Chinook Indian Nation’s contributions along the Lower Columbia River.

www.underscore.news/justice/legi...

Washington School District Holds Celebration in Honor of Billy Frank Jr. - Underscore Native News The annual celebration brings together the Nisqually tribe and community members for a night of dancing, food and education.

The legacy of Billy Frank Jr. is strong in tribal communities throughout the Pacific Northwest and Indian country as a whole. An integral part in the historic Boldt case, Frank Jr. is a local hero, and each year the community comes together to celebrate.
www.underscore.news/justice/educ...

Idaho Council on Indian Affairs Votes to Draft Letter Urging State Lawmakers to Protect Medicaid  - Underscore Native News Policy analyst for Shoshone-Bannock Tribes notes federal government reimburses 100% of Medicaid service costs for tribal members.

The Idaho Council on Indian Affairs voted Wednesday to draft a letter urging state budget writers to protect Medicaid, including Medicaid expansion and more. Tribal leaders noted the federal government covers 100% of Medicaid costs for tribal members.

www.underscore.news/justice/heal...

Feds Greenlight $2 Billion Renewable Project on Yakama Nation Sacred Site Along Columbia - Underscore Native News Opponents still have a chance to stop the project before it breaks ground next year.

Regulators approved the $2B Goldendale Energy Storage Project, a pumped-storage facility above the Columbia River. The Yakama Nation says the project would damage a site used for ceremonies, fishing and root gathering since time immemorial.
www.underscore.news/justice/feds...

Former National Park Service Director Reflects on Layoffs, Deep Cuts - Underscore Native News The first Native American director of the park service spoke on OPB’s “Think Out Loud” about the impacts of the Trump administration on the country’s national parks.

In January 2025, former National Park Service Director Chuck Sams stepped down and returned home to Oregon. He left as the agency’s first Native American director, and as 1,000 NPS employees were losing their jobs.

www.underscore.news/land/former-...

Prince Andrew's Arrest Across the pond in Britain, justice and accountability is a serious matter

Never in a million years did I ever fathom when I resurrected the Epstein story in 2018 that it would lead to first arrest of a British Royal in four centuries. Not since King Charles I was arrested in 1647.
open.substack.com/pub/jkbjourn...

Tribal IDs for Descendants in the Age of Trump’s ICE - Underscore Native News Legal experts weigh in on how Native nations can support their citizens and descendants in the face of increasingly violent encounters with immigration agents.

In the face of escalating immigration enforcement interactions, some Native people have asked what this means for Native descendants, and some tribal ID pop-ups are also offering descendancy letters.

www.underscore.news/justice/trib...

Redwolf Pope Survivors Reclaim Power in Courtroom - Underscore Native News Survivors described years of sexual violence, manipulation, and surveillance carried out by a man who posed as an Indigenous activist to gain access to Native communities. While his sentence brings re...

Survivors described years of sexual violence, manipulation, and surveillance carried out by a man who posed as an Indigenous activist to gain access to Native communities. While his sentence brings relief, many say justice came far too late.
www.underscore.news/justice/redw...

NCAI President Mark Macarro: Tribes “Will Never Back Down” - Underscore Native News 2026 State of Indian Nations address sets priorities for National Congress of American Indians, including full funding for healthcare, infrastructure and more.

As American politics grows more unpredictable, NCAI President Mark Macarro says tribes must remember their power. “We are sovereign tribal nations, and we will never back down,” he said during the 2026 State of Indian Nations address.

www.underscore.news/justice/ncai...

City of Portland Announces Gerald Skelton Jr. as the New Tribal Government Relations Manager - Underscore Native News The main priority for the position will be to focus on government-to-government relationships with the nine federally recognized Native nations in Oregon.

BREAKING NEWS: On February 3, 2026, the City of Portland announced that Gerald D. Skelton Jr., a citizen of the Klamath Tribes, has stepped in as the new tribal government relations manager.

www.underscore.news/justice/city...

Trump Administration Targets Office on Violence Against Women With ‘Consolidation’ - Underscore Native News Tribal leaders say the federal cutbacks will impact grants for programs on domestic violence, trafficking, tribal courts and more.

The Trump administration slashes the federal Office on Violence Against Women, consolidating the once-independent office and proposing budget cuts.

✍️: Mary Annette Pember, ICT
📷: Jarrette Werk, UNN

www.underscore.news/justice/trum...

“Geology with a Soul:” New OMSI Exhibit Highlights Indigenous Storytelling and Geology - Underscore Native News Ethnogeologists use Indigenous legends to analyze ancient geological events.

The Heads & Hearts: Seeing the Landscape through Nez Perce Eyes exhibit at The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry uses Indigenous oral histories to provide insights into what it was like to live during ancient geological events in the Pacific Northwest.

www.underscore.news/culture/geol...

Bridging Worlds Through Film and Community - Underscore Native News Balancing motherhood, art and activism, Tracy Rector has empowered Indigenous artists to view storytelling as an act of community care. Her path shows how nurturing family and community can transform ...

From food banks to film festivals, Tracy Rector has turned community care, motherhood, and activism into a filmmaking legacy that’s changing who gets to tell their own stories. Her work has uplifted hundreds of Indigenous films, and she’s just getting started.
www.underscore.news/culture/brid...

Bateman Island Causeway Removal to Restore Fish Passage - Underscore Native News With the deconstruction of the Bateman Island causeway, federal, local and state agencies, including the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Yakama Nation, hope to see an overall increase i...

After more than 80 years, the Bateman Island causeway is coming down. Deconstruction began Jan. 5 as part of a major effort to restore the Yakima River Delta. Here’s what the project means for salmon, water flow and the future of the river. www.underscore.news/land/bateman...

What To Do If ICE Approaches You - Underscore Native News The Native American Rights Fund released a fact sheet for those who are approached and detained by ICE, depending on the situation

What happens if ICE comes to your home, workplace, or community space?

Tribal leaders and Native legal advocates are sharing critical information on rights, identification, and detention, especially for Indigenous people.

www.underscore.news/justice/what...

#ICE #ICT #IndianCountryToday

@lunabreyna.bsky.social latest piece continues ICT’s ongoing series on the complicated issues of Indigenous identity.

#TwoSpirit #LGBTQIA2S #2SLGBTQ #Indigiqueer #identity

Donate $10 or more to Underscore Native News on the Give!Guide website, today only, and be entered to win 3 great prize packages!

giveguide.org/nonprofits/u...

#GivingTuesday

Thank You for Supporting Underscore Native News! YouTube video by Underscore Native News

All of us here at Underscore want to thank you for supporting Indigenous-centered journalism! This Giving Tuesday, we hope you consider donating to us, and thanks to Newsmatch, every donation right now will be matched dollar for dollar! Thank you for being a part of our community. ❤️

‘Native Grown and Gathered Food Expo’ Launches Inaugural, and Potentially Last, Gathering - Underscore Native News Native food producers and procurers came together for the first Indigenous foods expo in Seattle this October to connect and help build Indigenous food ways economically, but a one-year run may be all...

“We wanted people to feel held and celebrated,” said Valerie Segrest, Muckleshoot, CEO for Tahoma Peak Solutions. According to Segrest this food expo had been multiple years in the making.

🔗: www.underscore.news/land/food-so...
 ✍️: Lyric Aquino, Underscore Native News + Report for America

Indigenous Chef’s Night Brings First Foods Fine Dining - Underscore Native News Native chefs came together for one night only in Seattle for a traditional gastronomic showcase, featuring dishes by Sean Sherman, Pyet Despain, Rob Kinneen, and Luke Black Elk.

In the Seattle Culinary Academy’s kitchen on October 2, Native cuisine made up the entire menu, for Native Grown and Gathered: Ancestral Table and Slow Food Feast.

🔗 : www.underscore.news/culture/indi...
✍️ : Lyric Aquino, Underscore Native News + Report for America

Makah Tribe’s Treaty-Protected Whaling Rights Remain Blocked More Than 25 Years Later - Underscore Native News Federal officials have not responded to the October deadline for the tribe’s permit for a traditional summer/fall subsistence hunt of eastern North Pacific Gray Whales, covered by the Makahs’ 10-year ...

NOAA Fisheries spokesman Michael Milstein, who is based in Portland and has been supporting this permitting process for years, said after he was only able to provide a short emailed statement from the agency.

✍️ : Luna Reyna, Underscore Native News + ICT and Bellamy Pailthorp, KNKX

NCAI Leadership Elected for Two-Year Term - Underscore Native News Members of the largest and oldest tribal organization have selected its executive committee leaders.

The newly elected National Congress of American Indians executive committee was sworn in during the annual conference held in Seattle, Washington from November 16-21, 2025.

The executive committee will serve a two-year term from 2025-2027.

✍️: @lunabreyna.bsky.social, UNN + ICT

#NCAI2025

Two Decades Later, a Federal Native Homeownership Program in Washington Has Yet to Convert a Single Home to Ownership  - Underscore Native News The number of homes eligible for ownership through a state-managed federal housing program has grown to more than 300, a year after an audit miscounted the number of eligible homes while identifying f...

The updated policies, released in July, are intended to improve a program that has left hundreds of eligible homes from completing the transfer process to Native ownership.

🔗 : www.underscore.news/justice/two-...

✍️ : Luna Reyna, Underscore Native News + ICT
🎨 : Kyra Antone, Underscore Native News

Underscore Native News is excited to announce our partnership with Willamette Week’s Give!Guide. If you donate $10 or more to us on the Give!Guide website during a Big Give Day, you can be entered to win one of these amazing gifts!

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AI will have all types of effects on skilled work, some bad some perhaps good, but everyone who cares about climate disruption needs to explicitly confront that ramping data centers *in the current economic model* (with the current people in charge) will only accelerate greenhouse gas emissions.

Journalists Are Starving in Gaza “I used to chase the truth. Now I chase calories.”

Palestinians in Gaza, including journalists, are being deliberately starved by Israel. “It’s a crisis of global accountability," CPJ's MENA Regional Director Sara Qudah told the @columjournreview.bsky.social.