Thursday, September 4, 2025

Photo: Attorneys for the Bad River tribe present their case as part of a challenge to key permits for Enbridge’s Line 5 relocation project at a hearing in Ashland, Wisc. on August 12, 2025. (Danielle Kaeding / WPR) A case is ongoing in Wisconsin over a legal challenge to key permits for a project to reroute an oil and gas pipeline around a Lake Superior tribe’s reservation. As Danielle Kaeding reports, Canadian energy firm Enbridge wants to build a new stretch of its Line 5 pipeline. Enbridge proposed the reroute after the Bad River tribe sued to shut down the pipeline on tribal lands. Now, the tribe and environmental groups are challenging the state’s decision to issue a wetland and waterway permit among other approvals for the project. They say the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources lacked baseline data about the project’s effects on wetlands. At the first hearing last month, Bad River Tribal Chair Robert Blanchard says a potential spill could spell disaster for the tribe’s homeland. “It’s going to affect our way of life, and that’s why we are fighting this so hard.” Enbridge spokesperson Jennifer Smith said they designed the route to minimize harm. “We believe that Wisconsin DNRs permits are accurate. They’re correct. We can build this pipeline with minimal environmental impact.” The reroute would cross nearly 200 waterways and disturb around 100 acres of wetlands. Supporters say it would create 700 jobs, but opponents question the company’s environmental track record. A DNR attorney says it properly permitted the project under the law. (Courtesy Santa Ana Historic Preservation Department) Efforts in New Mexico have been relaunched to find about 150 artifacts stolen in 1984. Jenny Kinsey at KANW has more. Earlier this year, a bowl stolen from the Santa Ana Pueblo’s ceremonial village was returned. Monica Murrell, director of the Santa Ana Historic Preservation Department, says that led investigators to look for more leads on other items. “We have around a dozen objects that we have very close connections.” Items that are at least a century old are considered antiquities and protected under the Archeological Resources Protection Act. And, in 2022, Congress passed legislation prohibiting the export of items held sacred by tribes. Graham Greene in one of his final roles as Maximus on “Reservation Dogs”. (Courtesy Hulu) Tributes are pouring in for Canadian Indigenous actor Graham Greene (Oneida). He died on Monday of natural causes. He was 73. As Dan Karpenchuk reports, for many critics Greene had a ground breaking career. Greene was from the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario. Among those who paid tribute to his work was actor Kevin Costner, who described him as a master at work and a wonderful human being. It was with Costner that Greene was nominated for an Academy award for the film “Dances with Wolves”. Costner posted one of his favorite scenes from the movie when Greene played the part of Kicking Bird, a Sioux medicine man. “Dances with Wolves” was his big break, and Greene wasn’t going to look back.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Kevin Costner (@kevincostner) And that followed with several roles in movies and television. The Stratford Festival in Ontario also paid tribute to Greene, who played Shylock in the 2007 production of Merchant of Venice and Lennie in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Greene was also honored with the Governor Generals’ Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. Governor General May Simon said he brought dignity to every character he portrayed. She said he broke barriers for indigenous actors and opened doors for future generations and we honor his extraordinary contributions to Canadian culture and celebrate a legacy that will resonate across Canada and beyond. SPECIAL REPORT by Antonia Gonzales Alaska Native designers featured at 2025 Far North Fashion Show   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.