Tribal members, government officials, associates, friends and family gathered Friday, April 26, to celebrate Chief Gary Batton's 10 years of service as Chief of the Choctaw Nation. Batton was sworn into office on April 28, 2014, as the 47th Chief of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Under Chief Batton's leadership, food distribution centers, summer education programs and healthcare facilities have expanded, tribal housing has increased, and employment has more than doubled.
The weekend of April 27-28 saw intense severe weather storms that left at least four dead and dozens injured in the state of Oklahoma. Closer to home on the Mvskoke reservation, the Morris and Holdenville areas were hit by tornadoes as well. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt declared a state of emergency for 12 counties, and described the aftermath as the worst damage he has seen during his tenure as governor.
Republican South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who has been banished from four Indian reservations in her home state, made national news this past weekend when it was disclosed Noem killed a dog she deemed as untrainable for hunting. A contender to be GOP presumptive nominee Donald Trump’s running mate in the upcoming November election, Noem wrote about the incident in her forthcoming memoir, . In the book, Noem describes killing “Cricket,” a 14-month wirehaired pointer that Noem writes had an aggressive personality.