Latest news with #SaultTribe
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sault Tribe chairman warns of potential impacts from closing Department of Education
SAULT STE. MARIE — The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians is warning that the potential dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education could have far-reaching impacts for Native American communities. Austin Lowes, chairman for the Sault Tribe, released a statement detailing his concerns about President Donald Trump's executive order from March 20 directing the Secretary of Education to "take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education." The executive order aligns with the Trump Administration's plans to return education authority back to the state level and increase governmental efficiency. The dismantling of the Department of Education would still require the approval of Congress. 'The United States government is treaty-bound to provide basic social services, including health and education, that were guaranteed to our people in exchange for giving up our lands,' said Lowes in the statement. 'Seeking to make government more efficient is one thing, but the rapid pace of change at the federal level has been happening without regard to how the U.S. government will honor its treaty obligations or how tribal citizens will be impacted.' According to Lowes, the potential closure of the Department of Education along with other recently announced cuts to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Health Services could have a major negative impact on the Sault Tribe and other tribes throughout the country. Many tribes rely on federal funding for their regular services, including schools. The Department of Education is responsible for providing $541 million for schools in low income areas in Michigan, helping around 644,000 students. Lowes said the closure of the department would also affect $12 million in funding specifically for children living on military bases or Native American reservations. Subscribe: Get unlimited access to our content Lowes called for Trump to work alongside tribal leaders to improve education in Native American communities instead of cutting funding. 'President Trump has a unique opportunity to improve and protect education and other services across Indian Country by issuing an executive order that recognizes and respects education and health care as a distinct federal right guaranteed to Native Americans through numerous treaties,' said Lowes. — Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@ This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Sault Tribe chair sees risks in possible U.S. Department of Education closure
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hackers slam Michigan tribe for not negotiating after cyberattack forced casinos to close
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The showdown between a group of hackers and a Michigan tribe is far from over, even as the tribe prepares to reopen its chain of casinos following an 18-day shutdown. Michigan casino chain forced to shut down after ransomware attack A group called has claimed responsibility for the cyberattack and submitted a letter to the on Feb. 16 to provide its 'side of the events.' The hacker group said it has made 'multiple attempts' to contact the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and said reports that they are demanding $5 million in ransom are false. 'They have received detailed instructions via phone voicemails, corporate and personal emails and internal network messages,' RansomHub . 'Despite these numerous efforts, no representative from the Sault Tribe has initiatives any communication with us. Therefore, the reported $5 million ransom figure is purely speculative, as no negotiations have taken place.' The attack was first discovered on Feb. 9, forcing the tribe to promptly . The Sault Ste. Marie location is set to open Wednesday. The St. Ignace casino will open at noon Friday. The other three locations, in Manistique, Christmas and Hessel, will open at noon March 3. Kewadin announces plans to reopen casinos weeks after ransomware attack RansomHub claims it has possession of more than 100 gigabytes of confidential data. Tribal Chairman Austin Lowes said the tribe is still working to determine the extent of what private data was stolen, but did confirm that his personal information and the private data of his family members was exposed. 'The financial situation of the tribe is sufficient to cover the expenses associated with this cyberattack,' the RansomHub letter read. 'The tribe's failure to act raises serious questions about its leaderships priorities and intentions regarding this matter.' Lowes has not made any mention of demands from the hackers or whether the two sides have negotiated a possible deal. Sign up for the News 8 daily newsletter The ransomware focused on the tribe's computer networks and internal phone systems. In addition to shutting down the tribe's five casinos, it severely limited all sorts of tribal services, including its health centers. is a type of malicious hardware that locks users out of computer files, systems or networks and 'demands a ransom' to get it back. The FBI says there are several ways to unknowingly download ransomware onto a computer — anything from opening an email attachment, a pop-up ad or even visiting a website that has embedded malware. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
