[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:15] Speaker B: Good evening and welcome to the local news. Today is Thursday, February 26th and I'm Nat Cardos reporting for KMUD. In tonight's news, Eureka lowers flags half mast for Tilliwa massacre's 166th anniversary and Caltrans District 1 weekly radio PSA for the week of February 27th to March 5th. So stay tuned. Those stories and more coming up.
[00:00:43] Speaker C: Redwood Community Radio acknowledges that its transmitter sites are located on the unceded territory of the Sinkyon, Wailaki, Wiat, Wilkut and Kato people. We honor ancestors past, present and emerging and acknowledge the ongoing cultural, spiritual and physical connection these tribes have to this region.
[00:01:04] Speaker B: Around Eureka today, flags have been lowered to half mast on government buildings in remembrance of the Wiat people who lost their lives on this day 166 years ago.
On February 26, 1860, Wiat people gathered on Tuluit island for the World's Renewal Ceremony, a seven to ten day annual ceremony held on the island to restore balance, harmony and healing in the world. During the ceremony at night, the men would leave to replenish supplies, leaving elders, women and children sleeping. On that night, settlers from Eureka, armed with knives and hatchets rode to the island and brutally murdered nearly all of the Wiat people there while they slept. Estimates range from 80 to up to 250 people killed that night. Despite members of the group of assailants being locally known, no charges were ever filed against those who participated in the massacre.
After that event, the Wiat tribe were unable to return to Tuluat and white settler Robert Gunther gained ownership of the island. That same year, the island was diked and used as a dairy ranch. Due to the diking of the island, the clamshell mound that the Wiat village was previously on top of was eroded and between 1913 and 1985 an estimated 2000 cubic yards of the mound were lost to erosion. The mound, measuring over six acres in size and estimated to be over 1,000 years old, was also the site of uncontrolled digging in the early part of the 20th century. After the land was used as a dairy ranch, it was later used as a shipyard repair facility, which led to toxic chemicals contaminating the island, which is still an ecological issue being cleaned to this day. The Wiat tribe established the Sacred Sites Fund in the late 1990s following a 1996 tribal council decision to pursue the purchase of 1.5 acres of the ancestral village site. In 2000, the tribe was able to purchase that land through grassroots funding and donors. In May of 2004. The Eureka City Council unanimously approved a resolution to return approximately 45 acres of the site, comprising of the northeastern tip of the island, to the Wiat tribe. And in 2019, the City of Eureka returned Tuluat island to the Wiat tribe, marking a significant step towards healing. And in recent years, the tribe has completed the world's renewal ceremony on their ancestral land. During the ceremony in 2019, former Mayor Frank Yeager reiterated the city of Eureka's official apology for the event, which was initially issued in 2014.
[00:03:24] Speaker C: Okay, this is a letter of apology to the Wiaot tribe for what happened
[00:03:28] Speaker A: over on the island.
[00:03:29] Speaker C: Dear members of the Wiaot tribe, as a former mayor of Eureka, and on behalf of the city council and the people of Eureka, we would like to offer a formal apology to the Wiat people for the actions of our people in 1860.
Nothing that we say or do can make up for what occurred on that night.
It will forever be a scar on our history.
We can, however, with the present and future actions of support for the Weap people, work to remove the prejudice and bigotry that still exists in our society today. And that. Signed Frank Yeager, mayor of eureka, and dated 2014.
[00:04:12] Speaker B: Congressman Jared Huffman was represented at the ceremony by John Driscoll, who acknowledged the ways that settler colonialism has hurt the tribe beyond the incident on Tolowet Island.
[00:04:21] Speaker C: So I'm here today and truly honored to be here representing Congressman Jared Huffman.
The Congressman's in Washington, D.C. today.
Deeply regrets that he can't be here, but he sends his regards to the Wiat tribe and the city of Eureka on this memorable day.
The Wiyat tribe suffered greatly during the expansion of settler colonialism in this region, especially here on Tuluat.
The realities of this history are still with us today.
For many decades, the tribe has fought for acknowledgment of its loss on Tuluat. But in the early 2000s, faced with that dark history, the city of Eureka decided to confront this history instead of ignore it. That has brought us here today as the city returns Tulua to the Wea tribe as part of the amends that should be made, this celebration has truly historic implications. It is an amazing moment that shows how communities can heal.
And for me personally, this makes me proud to be a Eureka.
Congressman Huffman has submitted remarks into the Congressional record memorializing this day.
And I'll read just the last bit of it as I present this to the tribe and the city.
Madam speaker, the repatriation of Tuluwat from the city of Eureka, to the Wiat tribe, has profound importance to the Wiat people, whose ancestors suffered greatly during the early white settlement of the region. I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing this historic agreement that continues to try to heal the harms of the past.
Thank you very much.
[00:05:56] Speaker B: This year, flags were lowered to half mast on government buildings throughout Eureka in remembrance of the Wiat people who lost their lives. This is the first time the city has done this. And Cayman News spoke with Eureka Mayor Kim Burgel for more about what drove this decision.
[00:06:10] Speaker A: It came actually to me from the video from the return of Tallow at. I was listening to Frank House. Mayor Frank Yeager read his letter. We were watching it with students, and he had requested at the time he'd like to see this happen every year. And, you know, somehow that got lost. And I believe it's very important to remember the people that were murdered because we certainly don't want to repeat that behavior. So thank you, past Mayor Frank Yeager, for advocating for that, you know, whatever. It's been six years now.
[00:06:44] Speaker B: Through the Tolowet project, which was started in 2000 with the initial 1.5 acre purchase of land on the island, the Wea tribe has been working towards restoring the site and ecological resources surrounding the site, like the salt marsh, much of which was contaminated when the land was being used for ship repairs.
[00:07:00] Speaker A: So the tribe is doing the restorative work. The city is partnering with the tribe, and we still try, I mean, I personally try to stay connected with people from the tribe who are my friends, because I think, you know, here healing is a process, and I love them, but healing is a process.
And so, you know, the city is working with the tribe currently on two housing projects and will continue to do so. The Wiat tribe has their cultural center down in our old town, which, by the way, they're teaching their native language there, which is really exciting. Yeah. So we've got things that we are working together on and partnering with.
[00:07:37] Speaker B: The overarching project working towards restoration of the island is called the Indian Island Cultural and Environmental Restoration Project Project.
The project is spearheaded by the Wiat tribe's natural resources department and works to take on the multifaceted conditions that the island faces, such as historic injustice, insensitive ecosystem and manipulation, archaeological and cultural significance, environmental contamination, and physical isolation. Mayor Burgel emphasizes the importance of learning from the past and to never repeat it.
[00:08:09] Speaker A: Yeah, I think it's really important that we look at our past and we learn from it.
You know, what happened was atrocious babies elders, women murdered, and we just can't repeat that again. And so, you know, healing happens when we have communication, when we remember and we move forward in ways that are healthy, kind and loving and tell the stories that are so important.
So that's my hope is that we can continue to tell the story and continue to move forward in the healing and community.
[00:08:48] Speaker B: In a segment that will be aired next week, K Mode will be covering more of the work that the Tolowa Project has been doing on the sacred site.
And now for the weekly PSAs from Caltrans District 1 this is the Caltrans
[00:09:01] Speaker D: District 1 Road Information Bulletin for Lake and Mendocino County State Highways for the week beginning Friday, February 27th in Mendocino county on one expect delays south of Elk expect up to 30 minute delays south of Westport at the Blues Beach Trailhead to the Overlook, expect up to 10 minute delays at the Wages Creek Bridge on 20 expect delays in Willits from Bechtel Road to Bald Mountain Road on 101, expect up to 15 minute delays north of Laytonville, expect delays south of Leggett on 162 expect up to 10 minute delays east of US 101 please slow down in work zones and mind signage. This work was verified at the time of this recording and is subject to change for Humboldt county state highways. On 36 expect up to 15 minute delays near Carlotta and west of Grizzly Creek. Redwood State Park Expect delays west of Maple Grove and at the Butte Creek Bridge. On 96 expect delays north of Willow Creek to south of Hoopah and north of Orleans.
On 1:01, expect delays overnight on Broadway in South Eureka, expect delays from Oreck to Lost Man Creek Bridge. On 169, expect delays at Martins Ferry. On 254 expect delays north of Wiatt. On 255, expect up to 10 minute delays. Weeknights on the Samoa Bridge. On 283, expect delays at the Eagle Prairie Bridge. On 299, expect up to 10 minute delays east of Blue Lake and at Chesham Road. Please slow down in work zones and follow signage. This work was verified at the time of this recording and is subject to change for Del Norte county state highways. On 101, expect delays south of Klamath from Klamath Beach Road to the Humboldt county line. Expect up to 10 minute delays at the Dr. Fine Bridge. Please slow down in work zones and mind signage. This work was verified at the time of this recording and is subject to change. For near real time updates, call 1-800-GAS-ROAD or check out the app or website for quick map.
[00:11:00] Speaker B: Several roads around Humboldt are currently flooded or closed, largely in the Ferndale area from the rain that occurred the other day. While river levels are dropping back to normal and the skies are clearing up, these roads around Ferndale are currently flooded or closed according to the Humboldt road conditions. The following are flooded in Ferndale Fernbridge Drive, Meridian Road from mile marker point five to nine, Dillon Road from mile marker point two to point four, Goble Lane from Fulmer Road to Dillon Road and the following roads are closed in Ferndale Coffee Creek Road, Dillon Road from the intersection of Goble Lane to the end of Camp Wiatt Road Dillon Road from Goble Lane to Port Canyon Road, Goble lane from Highway 211 to Sage Road, Goble Lane from Sage Road to Fulmer Road and now turning to the rest of Humboldt, which is seeing less flooding than Ferndale, though the following roads are currently Cannibal Island Road in Lolita, Burda Road in Eureka, Mad River Road in the area of Tye City at mile marker 2.25 and Crandall Road near the intersection of Dow's Prairie Road in McKinleyville and Freshwater Road between Howard Heights and Garfield School in Freshwater is currently closed.
Remember to drive safely and to never drive into water of unknown depth. And remember this turn around. Don't drown in national news, Trump attacks Dems touts Immigration policies in Long and Fury State of The Union Speech KPFA's Christopher Martinez reports President Donald Trump's State
[00:12:34] Speaker E: of the Union address was one big speech, clocking in at nearly 108 minutes. It was the longest in presidential history. But with Trump's popularity down in the polls, the along with his political agenda, Trump's aim was simple Boost himself and his agenda and take down Democrats. And he went at both with gusto.
[00:12:53] Speaker F: This is the golden age of America, he said.
[00:12:56] Speaker E: He inherited a nation in crisis, but under his administration, he says, it's been a turnaround for the ages.
[00:13:03] Speaker F: Today, our border is secure, our spirit is restored, inflation is plummeting, incomes are rising fast, the roaring economy is roaring like never before, and our enemies are scared, our military and police are stacked, and America is respected again. Perhaps like never before, Trump boasted of
[00:13:27] Speaker E: what he sees as his big accomplishments. From sending the National Guard to city streets to purportedly ending eight wars, to restoring US Dominance in the Western Hemisphere to to lowering the price of eggs.
[00:13:39] Speaker F: Our country is winning again. In fact, we're winning so much that we really don't know what to do about it.
People are asking Me. Please, please, please, Mr. President, we're winning too much. We can't take it anymore. We're not used to winning in our country until you came along with just always losing, but now we're winning too much.
[00:14:01] Speaker E: One topic Trump hit on was a favorite issue of his tariffs. Although the Supreme Court just ruled against his global tariffs, Trump says he's forging ahead and he says he will not need Congress to do it. He also made a promise about tariffs.
[00:14:15] Speaker F: And as time goes by, I believe the tariffs paid for by foreign countries will, like in the past, substantially replace the modern day system of income tax, taking a great financial burden off the people that I love.
[00:14:30] Speaker E: That promise would probably not stand scrutiny from economists.
On health care, Trump blasted the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare, proposing instead to have people buy their own cheaper health care.
[00:14:41] Speaker F: I want to stop all payments to big insurance companies and instead give that money directly to the people so they can buy their own health care, which will be better health care at a much lower cost.
[00:14:55] Speaker E: Another red meat issue Trump emphasized was immigration.
[00:14:58] Speaker F: The only thing standing between Americans and a wide open border right now is President Donald J. Trump and our great Republican patriots in Congress.
[00:15:07] Speaker D: Thank you.
[00:15:08] Speaker E: Trump took a special aim at Somali immigrants in Minneapolis, where he made the dramatic claim that they have, in his word, pillaged some $19 billion from taxpayers.
[00:15:19] Speaker F: The Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota remind us that there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception. Importing these cultures through unrestricted immigration and open borders brings those problems right here to the usa.
[00:15:39] Speaker E: He announced a war on fraud to be led By Vice President J.D. vance, who the next day announced a halt to Medicaid payments to Minnesota. As for Democrats, Trump had some choice words.
[00:15:51] Speaker F: Democrats are destroying our country, but we've stopped it just in the nick of time, didn't we?
[00:15:57] Speaker E: At one point, Trump called on lawmakers to stand up if they believe the first duty of government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens. Republicans stood. Democrats did not.
[00:16:10] Speaker F: Isn't that ashamed? You should be ashamed of yourself not standing up. You should be ashamed of yourself.
That is why I'm also asking you to end deadly sanctuary cities that protect the criminals and enact serious penalties for public officials who blocked the removal of criminal aliens, in many cases drug lords, murderers all over our country.
[00:16:35] Speaker E: It was at that point that Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar shouted back, you have killed Americans, referring to Renee Goode and Alex Preddy, who were killed by ICE agents who were not mentioned by Trump.
Trump went on to call for passage of a bill to end sanctuary cities and another to require proof of citizenship to vote and to end most mail in voting things Democrats are not likely to vote for. Democrats made their own response after the speech. Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger gave the official
[00:17:05] Speaker D: Democratic response tonight as we watched our nation's lawmakers gather for a joint session of Congress, we did not hear the truth from our president.
[00:17:15] Speaker E: She said Trump lied, scapegoated and tried to create division in order to benefit himself and his friends.
[00:17:22] Speaker D: Here's the truth. Over the last year, through Doge mass firings and the appointment of deeply unserious people to our nation's most serious positions, our president has endangered the long and storied history of the United States of America being a force for good.
So I'll ask again, is the president working to keep Americans safe both at home abroad?
We all know the answer is no.
[00:17:51] Speaker E: Span Burgers was not the only official Democratic response to the speech. California Senator Alex Padilla gave his response in Spanish. He warned Trump is afraid of losing power in the November congressional elections and is now using tactics used by corrupt dictators. But he ended with an optimistic message.
[00:18:09] Speaker B: But remember, Donald Trump will not be president forever.
Donald Trump no sera presidente para siempre.
[00:18:18] Speaker E: Speaking in Spanish, he says the dream that has inspired generations of Americans and immigrants will remain long after Trump is gone, adding, I know this dream well. It is the American dream.
Reporting for Pacifica Radio News kpfa, I'm Christopher Martinez.
[00:18:37] Speaker B: In National Native News, Antonio Gonzalez reads today's headlines.
[00:18:41] Speaker D: This is National Native News. I'm Antonia Gonzalez. U. S. Attorney General Pam Bondi says she's willing to help a northern Wisconsin town get reimbursed for money it paid to access roads. As Danielle Kading reports, the town of Lac du Flambeau made payments to the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa for access to fork disputed roads.
Three years ago, the Lacto Flambeau tribe barricaded four roads after negotiations failed over expired easements on roads crossing tribal lands. While roads later reopened, the town paid the tribe to maintain access. In a House Judiciary Committee hearing this month, Wisconsin Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany called the payments extortion.
[00:19:26] Speaker B: They ultimately got $600,000 from the town
[00:19:30] Speaker C: of Lac du Flambeau.
[00:19:32] Speaker D: In the hearing, Tiffany asked Bondi if she would seek compensation for the town in the longstanding feud. Bondi had this we would more than
[00:19:40] Speaker B: welcome working with you.
[00:19:42] Speaker D: The tribe said the payments weren't extortion. Lac du Flambeau Tribal President John Johnson Sr. Says Tiffany's statements were false and a direct attack on tribal sovereignty and treaty rights. The tribe says it remains committed to working with local, state and federal officials to resolve road access issues in a way that respects residents safety and laws governing Indian lands. For National Native News, I'm Danielle Kading. The Arctic continues to warm faster than other parts of the world and is experiencing record high temperatures and record low levels of sea ice. That's according to the national oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which released a report card for the region in December. As the Alaska Desk's Iolnaniden reports, those findings directly affect indigenous communities.
The Arctic Report Card has been documenting changes in snow and sea ice cover as well as air and ocean temperatures in the northern part of the globe for the past 20 years. It has shown that in that time the Arctic's annual temperature has increased at more than double the global rate of temperature changes. Hannah Marie Ladd is the director of Indigenous Sentinels Network. These changes cascade directly into people's lives, affecting fisheries, coastal safety and subsistence harvests. We are no longer just documenting warming. We are witnessing an entire marine ecosystem, which is tied to our economies and culture, transform within a single generation. The report highlights an emerging phenomenon called rusting rivers. That's when permafrost thaw causes groundwater to seep deeper and interact with mineral deposits, which likely turns some streams and rivers to a rusty orange color. Abigail Pruitt says that In Alaska, over 200 streams turned orange in recent years. Within Kobuk Valley national park, we observed the complete loss of juvenile Dolly Varden and Slimy Sculpin and a tributary to
[00:21:35] Speaker A: the Achillic river when it turned orange.
[00:21:38] Speaker D: Beyond the effects on fish, rusting rivers may impact drinking water supplies to rural communities as well. The report highlights how indigenous communities have been observing the changes in the environment and wildlife and collaborating with scientists to better understand those changes. Lad with the Indigenous Sentinels Network describes one example of such work. St. Paul residents collect samples of harvest the traditional foods like seabirds, marine mammals and halibut. Those samples are tested in a tribally owned lab and analyzed for contaminants like mercury. Indigenous leadership, local workforce development and community driven observing are not optional. They are essential to understanding the Arctic
[00:22:17] Speaker A: that we have today and preparing for
[00:22:19] Speaker D: the Arctic we are moving into. In response to a question about how federal cuts to climate science might affect the future of the Arctic Report Card, NOAA officials said that they will continue their efforts to observe the change in environment.
In Anchorage, I'm Alena Nyden. And I'm Antonia Gonzalez.
[00:22:52] Speaker E: National Native News is produced by Kawanic Broadcast Corporation with funding by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
[00:23:02] Speaker D: Hear that Tribal college faculty do so much. One can't say it all here. Nothing but respect.
Visit mostthoroughjobdescription.com the American Indian College Fund supports this program.
[00:23:17] Speaker C: Support for law and justice related programming provided by Hobbs, Strauss Dean Walker LLP, a national law firm dedicated to promoting and defending tribal rights for over 40 years.
More information
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Native voice one, the native american radio network.
[00:23:48] Speaker B: That's all for tonight's broadcast. Thanks for listening. Thanks to our engineer, Dennis Marr, and thanks to our reporters Christopher Martinez and Antonio Gonzalez. KMUD News is online and you can find us on kmud.org and now streaming on most podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, where you can download our stories and newscasts for offline listening during your rural commutes. You can also follow us on social media. If you have questions or suggestions, you can give us a call at 707-923-2605 or send an email to newsmud.org Redwood Community Radio, Inc. Is funded by Press Forward, the national movement to strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news. Learn more at PressForward News.
[00:24:30] Speaker A: Reporting for KMUD, I'm Matt Cardiff.
