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Owamni to relocate to Guthrie Theater in spring 2026

5 October 2025 Tribal Business News Staff
Owamni, the James Beard Award-winning restaurant operated by the nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS), will move to the Guthrie Theater’s main floor restaurant space in spring 2026.

Winnebago Tribe’s WarHorse Gaming secures $300M refinancing for Nebraska casino growth

03 Oct
WarHorse Gaming, LLC, Nebraska’s largest casino operator, has refinanced $300 million in startup loans with a new five-year deal that will fund ongoing expansions and the construction of a third...

Supreme Court declines gaming challenge, preserving Washington tribal compacts

October 08
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear RunItOneTime LLC v. United States, ending a challenge to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and preserving the state of Washington’s tribal gaming...

Cherokee Nation takes over Claremont Hospital, authorizes $255M for upgrades, replacement facility

October 05
Cherokee Nation leaders and community members gathered Wednesday as the tribe officially assumed operations of the former Claremore Indian Hospital, the last federally run Indian Health Service...

Alaska Native commission leverages federal lease program to gain property ownership

October 05
The Chugach Regional Resources Commission closed a landback loan from NDN Fund on Sept. 25 to acquire the Seward, Alaska property that houses its operations — an innovative deal that turns a federal...

Seminole Tribe sues builder over alleged defects in 550+ tribal homes

The Seminole Tribe of Florida has filed an amended complaint in a Florida circuit court against Lennar Homes, alleging that the Miami-based builder delivered hundreds of defective homes across six...
 

People on the move in Indian Country

Economic Development
It’s been a busy time for leadership moves across Indian Country. From new CEOs and senior directors to appointments in legal, gaming, and tech, Native professionals are stepping into influential roles that shape their communities and industries.

New equity fund targets financing gap for Native entrepreneurs

Indigenous Entrepreneurs
One Navajo entrepreneur with helicopters wants to build fuel stations across the reservation. Another, a metal fabricator in Phoenix, struggles to secure even basic credit. These contrasting examples illustrate what Heather Fleming calls a persistent challenge: Native businesses that have outgrown microloans but remain too small for traditional bank financing.

Tribal land lender reshapes leadership as it plans lending expansion

Finance
A Native community development financial institution that has helped tribes reacquire 70,000 acres of ancestral land is preparing for its next growth phase under new leadership.

Interior reversal casts doubt on Alaska tribal gaming projects

Gaming
A federal reversal on tribal jurisdiction over Alaska Native allotments has cast uncertainty over two high-profile tribal gaming projects, including a planned gambling hall on Douglas Island and an operating facility near Anchorage.

Sun’aq Tribe gets $2.3M to scale Alaska kelp processing hub

Food | Agriculture
A $2.3 million federal investment is poised to reshape Kodiak’s mariculture landscape, with the Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak leading efforts to expand kelp processing capacity and diversify product development at its tribally owned seafood facility.

Q+A: Dr. Richard Luarkie on moving Native nations from sovereignty to significance

Sovereignty
At a recent First Nations conference he attended in Canada, Dr. Richard Luarkie noticed something was missing—almost no one mentioned sovereignty.

Native conservancy completes first phase of restoration at returned CA site

Real Estate
The Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy announced Sept. 25 the completion of the first phase of restoration at Huhuunga, a one-acre site overlooking Eaton Canyon in Altadena, California, that was returned to the Tongva people in March 2022.

Native federal contracting training expands across Midwest through APEX program

Native Contracting
The Nebraska Indian Community College APEX Accelerator has received approval to expand its service territory from Nebraska to cover five and a half states across the Midwest, filling a coverage gap that left many Native American businesses without procurement assistance.

Cherokee Nation enacts AI policy to balance innovation with cultural protection

Arts and Culture
The Cherokee Nation has become one of the first tribes to establish comprehensive artificial intelligence guidelines, signing a policy that allows AI use while protecting Cherokee language and culture.

Muscogee Nation college partners with UNLV on tribal gaming, hospitality degrees

Higher Education
The College of the Muscogee Nation and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas signed an agreement that will allow tribal college students to transfer into UNLV's hospitality program with a focus on tribal gaming and hospitality management.

Alaska Native Corporation partners with Indigenous water company to cut plastic waste

Tourism
Huna Totem Corporation expects to eliminate 15,000 pounds of plastic waste this year through a partnership with an Alaska Native-owned water company that packages glacial water in reusable aluminum bottles.

Coalition sues EPA over $7B Solar for All program cancellation

Energy | Environment
A coalition of labor unions, nonprofits, solar companies, and homeowners filed suit Monday against the Environmental Protection Agency. The group alleges the agency unlawfully terminated $7 billion in federal grants intended to expand solar access in marginalized and low-income communities, including tribal nations.

Nonprofit launches $15M fund for  youth mental health programs 

Health Care
The Decolonizing Wealth Project will distribute at least $15 million over three years to expand mental health services for young people, particularly those from marginalized communities.

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Ernest L.

Ernest L. "Ernie" Stevens Jr., tribal gaming leader and youth advocate, dies at 66

HUD announces $220M for tribal housing programs targeted in budget cuts

HUD announces $220M for tribal housing programs targeted in budget cuts

Lawmakers examine why longstanding federal tribal energy loan program has delivered only one deal

Lawmakers examine why longstanding federal tribal energy loan program has delivered only one deal

Native CDFIs partner in $9M financing for flour mill on Umatilla Reservation

Native CDFIs partner in $9M financing for flour mill on Umatilla Reservation

Maine tribe regains 1,700 acres in forest transfer from conservation group

Maine tribe regains 1,700 acres in forest transfer from conservation group