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Data Is the New Oil — Why Cherokee Citizens Deserve a Digital Resource Dividend

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Data Is the New Oil — Why Cherokee Citizens Deserve a Digital Resource Dividend Across the world, a new kind of resource boom is underway. The 20th century was powered by oil, minerals, and timber. The 21st century is being powered by data . Massive artificial intelligence infrastructure and hyperscale data centers are spreading across the United States as companies race to build the computational backbone of the digital age. These facilities consume enormous amounts of electricity, land, water, and fiber infrastructure. They generate billions of dollars in revenue each year while storing, processing, and training the algorithms that power the modern economy. In many ways, these data centers are the oil wells of our time. If this new digital resource boom comes to the lands of the Cherokee people, then it is reasonable to ask a simple question: Should Cherokee citizens share in the prosperity created from infrastructure built on our land? The answe...
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Data Is the New Oil — Tribal Nations Must Be Paid Accordingly

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Data Is the New Oil — Tribal Nations Must Be Paid Accordingly Across the world, a new kind of resource boom is underway. In the past it was oil, coal, timber, and minerals. Today, the most valuable resource on earth is data . Technology giants such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta have built trillion-dollar empires by collecting, storing, and processing massive amounts of information. The infrastructure that powers this modern economy is the data center — enormous facilities that require vast amounts of electricity, water, and land. As these facilities expand across the United States, companies are increasingly seeking locations with affordable land, reliable power, and room to grow. Rural regions and tribal lands are often attractive because of available space and access to energy infrastructure. For the citizens and leadership of the Five Tribes — the Cherokee Nation, Choctaw Nation, Chickasaw Nation, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and Seminole Nation ...
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Breaking: Markwayne Mullin Selected as DHS Secretary

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Breaking: Markwayne Mullin Selected as DHS Secretary MIAMI, Okla. — Miami News-Digest President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin will serve as the next secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security , replacing Kristi Noem . Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation , was selected to lead the federal agency responsible for border security, immigration enforcement, disaster response, and domestic counterterrorism. The nomination comes as Trump reshapes leadership within the department. Mullin must be confirmed by the United States Senate before formally assuming the role. Mullin has served in the Senate since 2023 after winning election to succeed retiring Sen. Jim Inhofe . Prior to that, he represented Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives for a decade. Before entering politics, Mullin ran his family busi...
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Building Strong Families, Together: Inside the Eastern Shawnee Tribe’s Quietly Powerful Community Program

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Building Strong Families, Together: Inside the Eastern Shawnee Tribe’s Quietly Powerful Community Program By Sean K. Gray WYANDOTTE, Okla. — On a serene stretch off Bluejacket Road, families gather every few months for something both beautiful and increasingly rare: time, space, and support to learn how to grow stronger together as a family. The quarterly events, hosted by the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma through its 477 Child Care Program, are part of an initiative now formally titled “Building Strong Families Together.” The program is designed to equip parents and caregivers with practical tools for navigating the everyday challenges of raising children and setting them on a positive path in life. “Every family can become stronger with the right tools and the right support,” said Dian Randall, Director of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe 477 Child Care Program. “That belief is at the heart of everything we do.” The events prioritize Native American families while remai...
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Cherokee Nation Task Force Releases Registration Code Reform Report

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Cherokee Nation Task Force Releases Registration Code Reform Report By Miami News-Digest The Cherokee Nation Registration Code and Process Reform Task Force has released its long-anticipated report on proposed updates to tribal enrollment rules, sparking discussion across the Cherokee community and beyond. The report, now publicly available on the Nation's official website, outlines potential changes to enrollment verification, revocation procedures, and expiration periods for registration. The task force was convened in response to growing concerns about clarity, fairness, and administrative efficiency in the Nation's registration system. The review focused on the legal framework governing enrollment, historical precedents, and the experiences of Cherokee citizens navigating current policies. According to the report, the Task Force examined a wide range of revocation criteria, including eligibility verification, procedural safeguards, and “s...
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Major Utility Upgrades Underway in Miami, Oklahoma

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Major Utility Upgrades Underway in Miami, Oklahoma, With AMI Meters and Water Plant Improvements By Miami News-Digest™ MIAMI, Okla. — The Miami Special Utility Authority (MSUA) has launched a series of major infrastructure improvement projects designed to modernize utility services, improve reliability, and strengthen long-term capacity for residents and businesses. Trustees unanimously approved more than $5 million in contracts with Landis+Gyr and Core & Main to begin installation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) , along with associated operational costs. The companies were selected from 11 bidders. The new system will replace approximately 7,500 electric meters and 7,200 water meters . “This project is one of four major, important capital improvement projects vital to Miami’s infrastructure. These are long-term investments that will improve service, reliability and quality of life for our community.” — City Manager Tyl...
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Pizza Hut Heartland Closures: From Gene Bicknell to 2026

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From Heartland Roots to Modern Retrenchment: Pizza Hut in the Four-State Region February 10, 2026 — Columbus, KS / Wichita, KS — A wave of closures hitting approximately 250 Pizza Hut locations nationwide has sparked nostalgia and concern across the Four-State Heartland, where the brand has been a staple for decades. The closures, part of a strategic restructuring by Yum! Brands , highlight both changing consumer habits and the dramatic evolution of the chain’s ownership over nearly seven decades. A Heartland Legacy: Gene Bicknell and NPC International Pizza Hut, founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1958 , became a national icon in part thanks to O. Gene Bicknell , a visionary franchisee who founded NPC International in the early 1960s. NPC rapidly grew to become the largest Pizza Hut franchise operator in the world , ultimately controlling more than 1,200 locations across the Midwest, Plains, and beyond. Bicknell’s operations extended through Kan...
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