Native American farmer or rancher, you may be eligible to file a claim

If you are a Native American farmer or rancher, you may be eligible to file a claim for up to $50,000 in the $760 million Keepseagle Settlement reached with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Settlement is a result of the Keepseagle v. Vilsack class action lawsuit which claimed that the USDA discriminated against Native Americans by denying them equal access to credit in the USDA Farm Loan Program.

Read more about the Keepseagle Settlement at the link below:
www.iltf.org/news/announcements/deadline-file-claim-keepseagle-approaching-fast

Native American farmer or rancher, you may be eligible to file a claim

If you are a Native American farmer or rancher, you may be eligible to file a claim for up to $50,000 in the $760 million Keepseagle Settlement reached with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Settlement is a result of the Keepseagle v. Vilsack class action lawsuit which claimed that the USDA discriminated against Native Americans by denying them equal access to credit in the USDA Farm Loan Program.

Read more about the Keepseagle Settlement at the link below:

Vice chair Brandie Taylor honored during Native American Heritage Month 2011.

Brandie Taylor is the vice chairwoman of the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel, an Indian tribe in Northern San Diego County. Ms. Taylor has dedicated her life to advocating for tribal rights, preservation of tribal culture, improvement of health and safety of native peoples, and she is an avid supporter of higher education for youth. Ms. Taylor’s many accomplishments include securing funding for Iipay Nation’s Tribal Social Services, which handles child dependency cases and culturally focused assistance for family preservation.

She is also a member of many tribal, local, state and national groups that promote tribal self-determination, education, and health issues, among them the Kumeyaay Diegueno Land Conservancy, Intertribal Court of Southern California, and the Cal State San Marcos Native Advisory Council. Ms. Taylor has been recognized with the 2010 Community Leader of the Year Award and the 2004 Tribal Leader Award for Indian Child Welfare.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2011/nov/01/brandie-taylor/

KAPLAN COLLEGE & TANF

This past week Kaplan College San Diego met with TANF members for Native American Heritage Month's Open House. Congrats to all the potential students that toured the school. Many of the TANF people expressed interest in becoming nurses or working in the criminal justice system.

project needing Native Women from a California tribe 55+

From: Sarah

Hi There,

Pardon this random out-reach! I work with Nancy Hayes Casting in San
Francisco. We are currently working on a project needing Native
American Females from a California tribe 55+ for a print job, and
we're wondering if you may know anyone who is interested.

She should have a nice smile and a warm presence.

Please pass this information along if you or anyone you know might be
available and interested!
We would need a photo sent via email to submit to the client.
We are looking to cast this by the end of this week at the latest.

Thanks so much!

If you have questions please call 415-558-1675 or email a photo to
nancy @ hayescasting.com (take out spaces)

Here are the casting specifications

*Casting Specs: CTAP PRINT*

*California Phones of the California Telephone Access Program, Public
Utilities Commission*

*Shoots: November 21st or 22nd – ONE DAY ONLY*

*Hours on set: 4-5 hours*

*Rate: $700*

*Usage: **A public service campaign . Web, Out Of Home, Print, Press,
Collateral/Meeting materials. Includes transportation and billboards.*

Letter to Santa

Howka everyone... have some great sites to share for the children.. if a child wants to send an electronic letter to Santa .. they can go to .. http://www.northpole.com/mailroom/mailform.asp
the child will get an electronic reply

Also around christmas eve children can track santas trip and where he is at the moment at http://www.noradsanta.org The National American Aerospace Defense Command is charged with the serious business of keeping the U.S. and Canada safe from dangers originating from the sky.
But, on Christmas Eve, they track a different kind of sky-borne invader: A jolly man in red.
The agency offers its official Santa tracker starting at midnight on Christmas Eve. Follow along on the journey as Santa makes his way around the world right into our San Ramon Valley. Where will he start? When will he get here?
You can also visit Santa's village or countdown to when St. Nick will finally make his way to San Ramon.

Mesa Grande soldier's body returned home after 60 years

A Soldier’s Return After 60 Years

Eugene (Mackie) Morelli participated in sports as a teenager in 1946. Photo Courtesy of Rosemary Johnson
By Johnny McDonald - Ramona Home Journal• Tue, Nov 01, 2011


In a long-awaited tribute to a fallen soldier from the Korean War, ceremonies will be conducted for Corporal Eugene (Mackie) Morelli Nov. 5 at Bloomdale/Mesa Chiquita Cemetery.

Remaining family members, the American Indian Veterans Association and the Mesa Grande Band of Diegueno Mission Indians have asked the Patriot Guard Riders to assemble and welcome him home.


Jeff Ahumada, representing the American Indian Veteran Affairs, is organizing the ceremony on behalf of the family.


“We assist families who are not familiar with military burials,” he said. “We will put together a color guard and organize a highway patrol. We also have contacted all veterans organizations.

Steve McRoberts, president of the Patriot Guard, said, “After more than 60 years of being missing in action, to honor him for his faithful and loyal service to his country and for paying the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom is very important.”

McRoberts spent several days compiling information about Morelli’s war record.

Morelli was a member of Company B, 15th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division Indianheads of the U.S. Army. He was taken as a prisoner of war while fighting the enemy near Hoengsong, South Korea, Feb. 13, 1951, and died at the age of 21 of dysentery. His body was buried in a mass grave on April 30, 1951.


His remains were repatriated from North Korea in 1991 to military control, but remained unidentified at a location in Hawaii until this year when his family was contacted.

Morelli was a member of the Mesa Grande Band of Diegueño Mission Indians in Santa Ysabel.

McRoberts found that the 15th Field Artillery Battalion established two records unequaled by any other artillery unit during the war. For its actions during its three continuous years in some of the bloodiest fighting, the 15th Battalion was awarded 10 campaign streamers, including the Presidential Unit Citation.


The Indianheads of the Fighting 15th had more than paid their dues. On the day of Morelli’s capture, the U.S. Army suffered 426 casualties.


Plans call for the Patriot Guard to meet the plane transporting the body at Lindbergh Field Nov. 4 and escort it to Bonham Brothers & Stewart Mortuary.

On Saturday, Nov. 5, at 8:30 a.m., the community is invited to welcome this young veteran home by standing for the procession as it goes up Ramona’s Main Street, which will be lined with United States flags placed by the Ramona Rotary Club. Burial will follow in the historic Indian burial grounds, located 22 miles though some of San Diego’s most beautiful back country roads.

After the ceremonies, those who attend are welcome to stay for lunch at the Mesa Grande Tribal Hall, 2600 Mesa Grande Rd. For information, call 760-782-3818.

May We Never Forget

“Keeping the Promise,” “Fulfill their Trust,” and “No one left behind” are several of many mottos that refer to the efforts of the Department of Defense to recover those who became missing while serving our nation.

When American personnel remain captive, missing or otherwise unaccounted-for at the conclusion of hostilities, the Department of Defense accounting community becomes the responsible agent for determining their fate, and where possible, recovering them alive or recovering and identifying the remains of the dead.


For those killed-in-action, the community is charged with locating, recovering and identifying their remains. More than 88,000 Americans remain missing from World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War.


The Korean War accounting effort remains a high priority for the U.S. government. Defense Prisoner of War Missing Personnel Office, DPMO, aggressively pursues opportunities to gain access to actual loss sites within North Korea and South Korea.

the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The nationwide test will occur on Wednesday, November 9 at 11am

Howka tribal members, I wanted to make everyone aware of an upcoming emergency alert test ..so as not to worry everyone.
FEMA, FCC Announce Nationwide Test Of The Emergency Alert System
Similar to local Emergency Alert System Tests, this Test is Scheduled to Take Place on November 9, 2011

Release Date: June 9, 2011
Release Number: HQ-11-099

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will conduct the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The nationwide test will occur on Wednesday, November 9 at 2 p.m. eastern standard time and may last up to three and a half minutes.

The EAS is a national alert and warning system established to enable the President of the United States to address the American public during emergencies. NOAA's National Weather Service, governors and state and local emergency authorities also use parts of the system to issue more localized emergency alerts.

Similar to local EAS tests that are already conducted frequently, the nationwide test will involve broadcast radio and television stations, cable television, satellite radio and television services and wireline video service providers across all states and the territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa.

On November 9, the public will hear a message indicating that "This is a test." The audio message will be the same for both radio and television. Under the FCC's rules, radio and television broadcasters, cable operators, satellite digital audio radio service providers, direct broadcast satellite service providers and wireline video service providers are required to receive and transmit presidential EAS messages to the public. A national test will help the federal partners and EAS participants determine the reliability of the system and its effectiveness in notifying the public of emergencies and potential dangers nationally and regionally.

"A national test of our Emergency Alert System, with the vital communications support and involvement of participants, is a step towards ensuring that the alert and warning community is prepared to deliver critical information that can help save lives and protect property," said Damon Penn, FEMA's Assistant Administrator of National Continuity Programs. "Because there has never been an activation of the Emergency Alert System on a national level, FEMA views this test as an excellent opportunity to assess the readiness and effectiveness of the current system. It is important to remember that this is not a pass or fail test, but a chance to establish a baseline for making incremental improvements to the Emergency Alert System with ongoing and future testing. It is also important to remember that the Emergency Alert System is one of many tools in our communications toolbox, and we will continue to work on additional channels that can be a lifeline of information for people during an emergency."

"The upcoming national test is critical to ensuring that the EAS works as designed," said Jamie Barnett, Chief of the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. "As recent disasters here at home and in Japan have reminded us, a reliable and effective emergency alert and warning system is key to ensuring the public's safety during times of emergency. We look forward to working with FEMA in preparation for this important test."

Over the past two years and as part of ongoing national preparedness planning efforts, FEMA, the FCC and other federal partners, state, local, tribal and territorial governments, Emergency Alert System participants and other stakeholders have been working toward making this test a reality.

As the federal, state, tribal, territorial and local governments prepare for and test their capabilities, this event serves as a reminder that everyone should establish an emergency preparedness kit and emergency plan for themselves, their families, communities, and businesses. Anyone can visit www.Ready.gov for more information about how to prepare for and stay informed about what to do in the event of an actual emergency.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.