The Yurok Tribe and the US Marshals Service Partner on a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons initiative. The Yurok Tribe in northern California has been selected as the first pilot location for the U.S. Marshals Service Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Initiative, as part of the agency’s plans to develop tribally-led collaborative partnerships to proactively examine public safety issues – particularly those involving missing endangered children. Utilizing virtual and in-person meetings beginning in January 2023, the initiative brings together personnel from Yurok Tribe and USMS to share information, identify goals, and develop strategies for improving public safety for Yurok Tribe, its members, and the broader community.
February was National Children’s Dental Health Month. Dr. Jessica A. Rickert, is the first Native American female dentist. Dr. Rickert says there is a great need for early oral health care for Native American children on and off reservations. “The most common chronic childhood disease in our country is dental disease,” Dr. Rickert said. “And that includes dental caries, which is cavities and gingivitis and periodontitis which is gum disease.” Rickert is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. She says tribal children have some of the highest rates of dental disease.
Those are your headlines at this hour. I’m Colette Keith in the KIPI News center.
