The South Dakota Housing Development Authority Board has heard public comments regarding rules for a loan and grant program that would provide funding for housing infrastructure projects across the state. However, it looks like the program will be unable to help tribal communities secure funding for much-needed housing infrastructure. That’s because during the board’s regularly scheduled meeting, it was disclosed by the interim executive director of the State Board, a semi-independent agency that oversees affordable housing in the state, that the public infrastructure will be owned, maintained or provided by a political subdivision of this state. Tribal entities are not considered political subdivisions, due to their sovereign status. In written testimony, the Cheyenne River Housing Authority, wrote that while it appreciated tribes were included in the eligibility for the program it was concerned about the political subdivision requirement.
An appeals court ruling has revived an anti-discrimination lawsuit accusing an Albuquerque teacher of cutting off one Native American girl’s hair and asking another if she was dressed as a “bloody Indian” during class on Halloween. Outrage over the girls’ treatment propelled legislation in New Mexico and beyond that prohibits discrimination based upon hairstyle and religious head garments. The American Civil Liberties Union’s lawsuit accused Albuquerque Public Schools and a teacher of discrimination and fostering a hostile learning environment. ACLU of New Mexico Deputy Director Leon Howard said the ruling affirms that public schools are subject to antidiscrimination protections in the New Mexico Human Rights Act.
Those are your headlines at this hour. I’m Colette Keith in the KIPI News center.
