BC Parade Honors 2020 Graduates Rock Venues by KEVIN JOHNSON Welcome Back Senior Editor
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Girls school learns USF course includes Seminole athletes about Seminole life Egmont Key history sign with colleges v COMMUNITY v 6A EDUCATION 2B v 5B www.seminoletribune.org Free Volume XLIV • Number 6 June 30, 2020 More Seminole Gaming/Hard BC parade honors 2020 graduates Rock venues BY KEVIN JOHNSON welcome back Senior Editor customers, BIG CYPRESS — It’s not often that a lengthy line of vehicles occupies a stretch employees of Josie Billie Highway on the Big Cypress Reservation, but the “heavy traffic” in BY KEVIN JOHNSON the early evening of June 9 featured some Senior Editor honorable passengers. Big Cypress Reservation and Immokalee Reservation graduates from the HOLLYWOOD — The reopening of class of 2020’s preschools, kindergarten, Seminole Gaming venues is nearly complete. high school and other academic levels were On June 16, Seminole Casino Brighton honored by the Big Cypress Council Office. welcomed back customers and employees The students rode in a police-escorted parade on the Brighton Reservation. Four days that started from near the Frank Billie Field earlier, the Seminole Tribe’s three casinos Office and headed north to the open field in Broward County reopened. They joined in front of the old bingo facility. Several Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa, vehicles were decorated with balloons and which reopened May 21. congratulatory themes and messages as “We’re real excited about being able to the graduates – whose last few months of generate some business again for the Tribe school were significantly altered by the and Tribal members,” Jim Allen, CEO of Covid-19 pandemic – waved to bystanders, Seminole Gaming and Chairman of Hard including Seminole Fire Rescue personnel Rock International, said as he met media who gathered outside the station to honor the members on the casino floor at Seminole students. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on Due to the pandemic, everything was June 12, a couple hours before the official held outside. Vehicles parked in the bingo reopening at 12 p.m. “We’re very proud field. One-by-one, Mariann Billie called of the fact that we were able to live up to graduates to drive up. While staying in their all of our financial commitments in the vehicle, students received gifts in a drive- Kevin Johnson three months that we were closed. It really thru fashion. A boisterous chorus of applause 2020 preschool graduate Ellis Gopher, 4, waves during a graduation celebration parade in Big Cypress on June 9. shows the strength of the Tribal Council, our and honking from the vehicles greeted each Chairman for having the right reserves in student. families. there [were] times when you didn’t want to “When you do those things – priorities, order to navigate through something none of Afterward, President Mitchell Cypress, President Cypress congratulated all get up and go to school back in grade school, boundaries and finding joy every day – that’s us have ever seen in our lifetime.” Jarrid Smith, who recently earned a master’s the students and addressed the high school but today it pays off.” the kind of things that will get you to where degree from Nova Southeastern University, graduates specifically. Smith emphasized three areas that the you want to be in life,” he told the graduates. F See CASINOS on page 4A and Ahfachkee School valedictorian Priscilla “Whatever you want to do, the Seminole high school graduates should focus on as Alvarado spoke to the students and their Tribe will back you up,” he said. “I know they move forward. F See PARADE on page 2B Four new homes open in Big Cypress up on the reservation but has been renting BY KEVIN JOHNSON an apartment in Broward County. He said Senior Editor he was eager to return because he wanted to be closer to his parents, who live on the reservation. BIG CYPRESS — The Housing “I’m pretty excited to move back. I’ve opportunities are increasing in Big Cypress. been waiting for a while to get land for Construction of homes in the Mabel T. myself, but this rental will be pretty good,” Frank residential project near the airport is he said. “It looks good.” well underway. Lennar is in the early stages “Those who don’t have a home or have of building close to 50 new homes, which moved off the reservation to go rent on the will feature a mixture of rental homes and outside, they’ll be coming back, which is Tribal member homes. good,” Councilman Cypress said. On June 11, the spotlight shined further Reviews were positive from all the new south as the Big Cypress/Immokalee renters. Housing Department opened four new single “I like it. This is nice,” one said. family rental homes on Horseshoe Road. Big “These are super nice,” said another. Cypress Councilman David Cypress handed The kitchens, which have generous the keys to the occupants, who toured their countertop space and plenty of cabinet area, new residences for the first time. received numerous favorable comments. “It’s a good addition to the community. The units have laundry rooms with washers Good people are getting it. It beautifies the and dryers. community,” Councilman Cypress said. A youngster entered one unit and Two units are 3-bedroom and the other looked through the glass sliding doors to the two are 4-bedroom. They were built by backyard and immediatley his mind turned Clyde Johnson Contracting. to basketball and he asked about putting up Kevin Johnson One of the new renters said he grew a hoop. Big Cypress Councilman David Cypress hands over the keys for a new rental unit on June 11 in Big Cypress. Looking on are James Mitchell, left, regional manager for Big Cypress/Immokalee Housing Department; Katherine Billie, housing rental coordinator, and Skip Edmondson, project manager. Kevin Johnson Kevin Johnson New single family rental units have opened in Big Cypress. Each of the new units in Big Cypress has spacious kitchens and plenty of room in the cabinets. Visit the Tribune’s website for news throughout INSIDE: Editorial......................2A Health.............................9A Sports............... ............5B Community..................3A Education....................1B the month at seminoletribune.org 2A • The Seminole Tribune • June 30, 2020 Editorial Code-talkers helped U.S. stay unbreakable became “code-talkers” - communications • Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle specialists who transmitted sensitive Editorial Staff strategic information to one another in their native languages. The languages were so obscure that virtually no one outside the United States could translate them - which f the six World War II Marines who made them ideal for code. Oiconically erected the American The first 29 Navajo code-talkers came flag at Iwo Jima, we’d bet you didn’t know up with codes within the language. Names that one of them was a Native American. for animals would correspond to letters of Cpl. Ira Hayes belonged to the Pima the alphabet that would form messages. tribe in Arizona. Johnny Cash even wrote a Code-talkers also had to come up heart-rending ballad about him. with special words to accurately fit the Knowing the significant contribution of information. For example, since there Native Americans in helping win World War obviously are no Navajo words for “transport II, it felt particularly appropriate [June 5] - plane,” talkers instead would use the word the eve of the 76th anniversary of the D-Day “atsa,” meaning eagle. “Jeshoo,” or buzzard, invasion - that The Augusta Chronicle would mean a bomber. reported a local veterans organization’s Maj. Howard Connor, signal officer for progress in a program to help Native the 5th Marine Division, used six Navajo American veterans. code talkers during the first two days of the America’s Warrior Partnership actually Battle of Iwo Jima, sending and receiving launched the Dine Naazbaa Partnership in more than 800 messages without a single May. But CEO Jim Lorraine announced the error. “Were it not for the Navajos,” Connor first positive results - 114 veterans, family said, “the Marines would never have taken members and caregivers in the Navajo Iwo Jima.” Nation have been connected with resources To this day, the Navajo code is the only they need to elevate their quality of life. spoken U.S. military code never to have “Our model is set up around proactive been deciphered. outreach and engagement with veterans That’s an enormous part of the Native in the community, so what we do in the American impact on World War II. Navajo Nation and what we do in the other As you remember D-Day today, think communities where we work is that we do particularly of the brave men who radioed the active outreach,” he said. “We go out and exact landing locations of each Allied group meet the veterans, build a relationship with on the beaches of Normandy - broadcasting them, understand where they’ve been in National Archives in pure Comanche. their life, where they are today and where Navajo Indian Code Talkers Henry Bake and George Kirk they want to go in the future.” This editorial appeared in the Augusta We couldn’t be prouder that a locally- (Ga.) Chronicle on the D-Day anniversary, based organization would help such a special The D-Day anniversary is one of those the brave military who help comprise what’s World War II without including Native June 6. group of veterans. occasions when Americans should reflect on become known as the Greatest Generation. Americans. the sacrifices and determination displayed by And you can’t truly tell the story of Military men belonging to several tribes Strengthen law enforcement work to help Native American women A research effort several years ago by Attorney’s Office charged her boyfriend with cited national studies concluding that and hotels.