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Lumbee tribe may finally receive long-sought federal recognition

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carolinapublicpress.org – Lucas Thomae – 2025-03-10 08:00:00

For Lumbee tribe, ‘the time has come’ to finally be federally recognized

Who gets to claim the title of American Indian? That is the question at the center of a fight over potential federal recognition for the indigenous Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.

For more than a century, the Lumbee — with a claimed membership of 60,000 people concentrated in the southeastern part of the state — have fought for federal recognition and the benefits that come with it.

Those perks include health care funding, housing programs and, of course, the opportunity to establish casinos.

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers have supported bills to grant federal recognition the past few congressional cycles, but up to this point none have made it all the way to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

That may soon change.

‘An issue of fairness’

During his first week in office, President Donald Trump made good on his campaign promise to support the Lumbee cause with a memo to the Department of the Interior directing them to draft a plan to grant full federal recognition.

Once completed, the directive will reverse a 1956 law that acknowledged the tribe as the “Lumbee Indians of North Carolina,” but denied them federal benefits that typically come with that recognition.

A note: Both the state and federal government, and many tribes themselves, use the term “American Indian” to refer to the indigenous people living in the United States.

Lumbee Chairman John Lowery spent a week in Washington, D.C. last month as consultations for the carrying out of the president’s memorandum began. Lowery told Carolina Public Press he left the U.S. capital feeling “cautiously optimistic” about finally achieving full federal recognition.

“We have very strong support from both sides of the aisle,” Lowery said. “At the end of the day, whether Democrat or Republican, individuals understand that this is an issue of fairness.”

It’s also an issue that is somewhat complicated. 

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the only federally-recognized tribe in the state, vehemently oppose granting the Lumbee the same status through congressional action rather than the typical application process carried out by the Department of the Interior. In fact, Cherokee opposition to Lumbee recognition dates back to at least 1910.

Principal Chief Michell Hicks, the leader of the Eastern Band, told CPP that such a move would be a “slippery slope” that encourages illegitimate tribal groups to falsely claim federal benefits.

“It is a dangerous decision that will open up the floodgates to others wanting to do the same thing,” he said.

Lumbee lineage holds the key

The Cherokee are an indigenous people who once populated parts of what is now North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. They had long been a sovereign nation with their own government prior to European colonization of the region.

Today, the Eastern Band is one of three federally-recognized Cherokee tribes and the only one not located in Oklahoma. They are descendants of a small group of Cherokee people who remained in North Carolina after the U.S. government forcibly relocated them to reservations in the 1830s.

By the mid-1900s, the Eastern Band had organized into its own tribal nation fully acknowledged by the federal government. More than 16,000 Cherokee people live and work on their reservation lands which stretch across Swain, Jackson, Cherokee and Graham counties near the western tip of the state.

The Lumbee, on the other hand, have a history that is less cohesive. Their story is one of mixed cultures and ambiguous identity.

Even the name “Lumbee” is a modern construction, thought to have originated in the 1950s from the Lumber River that flows through the tribe’s claimed territory.

Since the 1880s, the group has petitioned Congress for federal recognition under names such as “Cherokee Indians of Robeson County” and “Croatan Indians” — a reference to a once-popular theory that they were descended from European settlers of “The Lost Colony” and nearby indigenous people.

Later research on the origin of the Lumbee suggests they are descended from a mix of people with indigenous, European and African heritage.

That lineage matters because the federal acknowledgement process requires petitioners to prove they are descended from a “historical Indian tribe” or a combination of historical tribes that function as one political entity.

The “historical tribe” requirement has proven to be an obstacle for the Lumbee since the U.S. government confirmed their eligibility to apply for federal acknowledgement in 2016.

Still, Lowery said his tribe’s indeterminate origins shouldn’t be disqualifying. They’ve long inhabited the sandhills and enjoyed a good relationship with the state. “The time has come” for the Lumbee to be recognized by a government that has consistently overlooked them.

“The fact that we are still here centuries after colonial expansion, centuries after war and disease,” he said, “should be celebrated.”

Membership has its privileges

Hicks said he supports the Lumbee’s right to go through the federal acknowledgement process, but opposes any congressional action that would allow them to circumvent that procedure. It’s a matter of protecting their own cultural identity, Hicks explained, pointing to “hundreds of groups” claiming to be Cherokee tribes.

“There is this merits-based process that was established because of the need to really dive into the claims of any group,” he said.

Some proponents of Lumbee recognition dismiss that argument. They say that the Cherokee simply want to protect their stake in the gaming industry, which legally can only take place on native lands.

A few years ago the tribe fought and lost a legal battle with the Catawba Indian Nation — a federally-recognized tribe in South Carolina — who planned to build a competing casino outside of Charlotte.

If the Lumbee were to become federally recognized, they might be another competitor in the high-stakes casino business. 

However, both Lowery and Hicks downplayed the potential of a Lumbee-run casino as a reason for their political feud.

“The Lumbee opening a casino in a different region is unlikely to impact (our) gaming operations and is not the basis of our opposition,” Hicks said in a statement. “However, the fact that the Lumbee could establish an Indian gaming facility without even being able to specify which tribe they descend from illustrates the
broader stakes for communities across America. If federal recognition is granted without requiring verifiable historical evidence, any group claiming
to be a tribe could gain recognition — and with it, the ability to open a casino in any town in America.”

Meanwhile, Lumbee leaders in state government have lambasted Hicks and the Eastern Band for their “superiority complex” since discussion about recognition once again started to heat up.

A December letter penned by N.C. Commission of Indian Affairs chairman Ricky Burnett, a member of the Lumbee Tribe, censured Hicks for “statements made by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians that question the legitimacy of other tribal nations.”

“These actions reflect a troubling pattern of behavior in which the (Eastern Band) has positioned itself as an oppressor toward fellow tribes in North Carolina and neighboring states,” according to the letter.

In February, Lumbee Chairman John Lowery spent a week in Washington, D.C. as work began to finally grant the tribe full federal recognition. Lowery said he left feeling “cautiously optimistic. At the end of the day, whether Democrat or Republican, individuals understand that this is an issue of fairness.” Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina / Provided

Hicks said he was “offended” by the accusations.

“I don’t think it’s the position of any commission to basically take a political stance against the only federally-recognized tribe and the largest tribe east of the Mississippi,” he said.

Soon after, state Rep. Jarrod Lowery, the brother of the Lumbee chairman and the only Native American legislator in the General Assembly, criticized Gov. Josh Stein for appointing Hicks to his administration’s transition team.

The Republican legislator from Robeson County also introduced a bill last month that would redistribute money from an education fund composed primarily from the Eastern Band’s gaming revenues to the seven other state-recognized tribes.

This article first appeared on Carolina Public Press and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

The post Lumbee tribe may finally receive long-sought federal recognition appeared first on carolinapublicpress.org

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PETA sues American Kennel Club over standards for French bulldogs, other breeds

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www.youtube.com – ABC11 – 2025-07-10 12:44:35


SUMMARY: PETA is suing the American Kennel Club (AKC) over breeding standards for popular dog breeds like French bulldogs, pugs, and dachshunds. PETA argues these standards promote unhealthy traits causing lifelong suffering, such as bulldogs’ large skulls and shortened faces that impede breathing. The lawsuit cites UK research showing French bulldogs have poorer health, and notes the Netherlands banned breeding short-nosed dogs. Dachshunds’ long backs and short legs also lead to painful conditions. The AKC rejects PETA’s claims, stating it is committed to dogs’ health and well-being. This lawsuit continues a long-standing conflict between PETA and the AKC.

The animal rights group PETA sued Tuesday to try to force the American Kennel Club to abandon the standards it backs for hyper-popular French bulldogs and some other breeds, contending that the influential club is promoting unhealthy physical features.

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Cellphone use in schools to be regulated under new NC law

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carolinapublicpress.org – Kate Denning – 2025-07-10 07:02:00


North Carolina Governor Josh Stein signed House Bill 959, requiring public schools to develop policies limiting students’ use of cellphones and wireless devices during instructional time. The law mandates yearly compliance reports and includes social media education at various grade levels, focusing on mental health, misinformation, cyberbullying, and internet safety. Schools set enforcement measures, such as confiscation, with exceptions for educational or health needs. The bill aims to reduce classroom distractions and enhance learning environments, supported by educators and emphasizing bipartisanship. It also addresses parental concerns by encouraging communication and ensuring emergency communication access. The measure aligns with a student safety advisory council’s recommendations.

Public school regulation of cellphone use is now law in North Carolina after Gov. Josh Stein signed House Bill 959 last week. 

The new law prompts public schools to develop a wireless device policy that will limit students’ access to their cellphones and other wireless electronic devices throughout the school day. It will require the Department of Public Instruction to submit a yearly compliance report to legislators.

This completes the legislature’s mission to effectively ban cellphones in schools. This particular legislation was once a social media literacy bill aiming to “protect students in a digital age,” but previous failed attempts at cellphone regulation this session forced lawmakers to adapt.

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The signed bill calls on schools to require the regulation of students’ use of wireless communication devices during instructional time, as well as education on the dangers of social media, as was intended in the original legislation sponsored by state Rep. Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke. 

Wireless communication devices are defined in the bill as “any portable wireless device that has the capability to provide voice, messaging, or other data communication between two or more parties,” and includes cellphones, tablets, laptops, gaming devices, two-way radios and pagers. 

While the bill does not establish a policy itself, it requires public schools to develop their own and specifies that it shall “prohibit students from using, displaying, or having a wireless communication device turned on during instructional time.” 

It allows the schools to determine the consequences for violating the cellphone policy, including confiscation and further disciplinary measures as permitted by the school’s code of conduct. 

President of the North Carolina Association of Educators Tamika Walker Kelly told Carolina Public Press educators are overwhelmingly concerned about the impact of cellphones and social media on the learning environment. Students are technology consumers, and that doesn’t just stop because they are at school, she said.

“It does cause disruptions that are unrelated to the learning of our students, but more so peer-to-peer relationships in the classroom that spill over because of something that happened on social media,” Kelly said. 

“Educators do welcome the level of protecting the learning environment, not only for them as the facilitators of teaching in that space, but also especially for the students, so that they have a chance to engage with one another more authentically through person-to-person relationships, but also that they are able to have that focus on the academics.”

While each school will determine its own policy, the legislation will help maintain consistency in enforcement and potential consequences, Kelly said. It also removes a burden from teachers, who have tended to be responsible for setting and enforcing device policies on a classroom-by-classroom basis.

“This actually takes one more task out of the realm of the educator, gives it to the school district to not only train and equip their school leaders, principals, assistant principals across the board, but also school district staff on how to encourage that enforcement because it allows the educator in the room to teach and not have to worry about policing cellphones in the classroom,” Kelly said.

The bill leaves room for exceptions to the cellphone law, including if a device is needed in accordance with a student’s individualized education plan or to manage a student’s health care and for educational purposes or in the event of an emergency if authorized by the teacher.

Some lawmakers raised concerns about the bill’s restrictions. Prior to the Senate’s vote, state Sen. Terence Everitt, D-Wake, said while he was generally on board with the bill, requiring students turn their phones off gave him pause.

“We’ve spent a lot of time in the last 15 years making sure that we promote the proliferation of handguns and firearms,” Everitt said. 

“Now we’re waiting on a veto override so we can get guns in the hands of 18 year olds with concealed carry without a permit. We’re making this state more and more dangerous, and more and more dangerous for our kids at school, and what I don’t want is for some child — we’ve all heard the 911 calls, those last moments when they’re calling for help or wanting a kind word from their parents or some sort of comfort — I don’t want their last moments to be spent waiting for their phone to turn on.”

For that reason, it will be important for districts to engage families when crafting its cellphone policy and create it with these safety concerns in mind, Kelly said. 

“Parents and caregivers do really have concerns, and one of the reasons why they give their children cellphones is because they have great concerns around school safety,” she said. 

“It’s really important to establish guidelines and be overly communicative with parents around their safety concerns so that they understand why we want to have cellphone free learning environments. But it doesn’t mean that students won’t have access to ways to communicate in case there is a school safety emergency on campus.”

Kelly noted that many schools and classrooms have systems like cellphone cubbies or lockers that allow students’ phones to be nearby, but not physically on their persons during instruction time, which could alleviate some parents’ concerns. 

State Rep. Neal Jackson, R-Moore, said this very system at Union Pine High School is what gave him inspiration for House Bill 87, one of the first attempts at cellphone regulation earlier this year.

Social media instruction and cellphones

In addition to cellphone regulation, the bill maintained its initial goal of providing social media education.

All districts will be required to include instruction on social media and effects on health at least once during elementary school, once during middle school and twice during high school beginning at the start of the 2026-2027 school year.

Legislators view the instruction as related to cellphone use, as these are a key means by which students access social media.

According to the new law, the instruction must include education on the negative effects of social media on:

  • mental health such as addiction
  • the distribution of misinformation on social media, methods of manipulating behavior using social media
  • the permanency of information shared online, how to maintain personal security
  • how to identify cyberbullying
  • predatory behavior and human trafficking on the internet
  • how to report suspicious behavior encountered on the internet
  • personal and interpersonal skills or character education that enhances individual level protective factors and mitigates or reduces risk-taking or harmful behavior 

Bipartisanship

The cellphone and social media bill passed unanimously in the House and with just one negative vote in the Senate. Both chambers have strong Republican majorities.

The governor, a Democrat, praised the bill, highlighting its bipartisanship and alignment with a report issued by the Advisory Council on Student Safety and Well-being, a council Stein organized earlier this year with the intention of focusing on student safety and cellphones in classrooms.

“When teachers don’t have to compete with cellphones for student attention, real learning happens,” Stein said in a press release. 

“This bipartisan bill gives students a distraction-free learning environment so they can focus on their education, and it provides a seven-hour mental break from the unrelenting pressures of phones and social media.

“Earlier this month, my Advisory Council on Student Safety and Well-being released its first report recommending this step and outlining best practices for creating cellphone-free classrooms.

“It will serve as a resource for our school systems as they implement these common-sense policies. I appreciate the General Assembly’s work here. Let’s keep working together to set up North Carolina students for success.” 

This article first appeared on Carolina Public Press and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Cellphone use in schools to be regulated under new NC law appeared first on carolinapublicpress.org



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

The article presents the cellphone regulation law in North Carolina in a mostly factual and balanced tone, highlighting bipartisan support and quoting lawmakers from both parties. However, the inclusion of concerns raised by a Democratic senator linking cellphone restrictions with broader gun policy issues, as well as the positive framing of social media education and student mental health, reflects a subtle emphasis on progressive social concerns like student wellbeing and safety. The article’s respectful portrayal of educator and parental perspectives alongside bipartisan cooperation suggests a center-left leaning, supportive of regulatory measures aimed at improving educational environments without strong ideological rhetoric.

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North Carolina is hit by yet another climate wake-up call

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ncnewsline.com – Rob Schofield – 2025-07-10 04:01:00

SUMMARY: Chantal, a tropical depression, unleashed up to 10 inches of rain in North Carolina on July 8, 2025, causing severe flooding and significant damage to roads like Camp Easter Rd. and N.C. 2 in Southern Pines. Scientists warn that climate change intensifies such storms by increasing air moisture, leading to more frequent and severe downpours. Aging infrastructure and inadequate warning systems worsen the impact. Despite this, Republican leaders in Washington and Raleigh oppose renewable energy initiatives, promoting fossil fuel use instead. Urgent public demand is needed to reverse these harmful policies and address the climate crisis.

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The post North Carolina is hit by yet another climate wake-up call appeared first on ncnewsline.com

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