Chris Picciuolo

News reporter

(480) 274-7252 - Chris.Picciuolo@SRPMIC-nsn.gov
Chris Picciuolo is from Aurora, Illinois. Previously, he worked as a photojournalist for the Ak-Chin O'odham Runner Newspaper in Ak-Chin, Arizona, and as news editor and production specialist at NCTV17 in Naperville, Illinois.

Native American Designation on State-Issued ID’s Now Available for Tribal Members in Arizona

Enrolled members of Arizona tribal nations can now add a Native American designation to their driver’s licenses, instruction permits and ID cards through the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division, effective Jan. 1. If applicants choose the designation, their identification will include the words “Native American” printed on the...

February 5, 2026

Just Passing Through: Geese Drop In on the Community During Migration

If you grew up in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, particularly during the winter and spring months, you probably have heard the familiar “honk” calls of migrating Canada geese flying overhead in a V formation. You might even catch them taking a pit stop in your own backyard. The...

February 2, 2026

OAN Podcast Episode 54: Shannon Reina

In this episode, news reporter Chris Picciuolo sits down with Salt River Schools Food Service Program Manager, Shannon Reina, for a wonderful discussion on everyone’s favorite topic, food! Do you have story or podcasting ideas? Don’t hesitate to email us at ⁠⁠⁠oodhamactionnews@srpmic-nsn.gov⁠⁠⁠ You can also reach out to us on...

January 22, 2026

Lacrosse a Hit With Youth at Ske:g Himdag Ki:

From the end of October to mid-December, students had the opportunity to learn and play lacrosse with the Arizona Lacrosse Academy at Ske:g Himdag Ki:. The games played at the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community are made possible because of a partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater...

January 15, 2026

Shannon Reina Demonstrates Traditional Foods with ASU Students

“Let’s do the frybread clap!” exclaimed Salt River Schools Food Service Program Manager Shannon Reina as she demonstrated preparing a traditional meal with Arizona State University students, faculty and cultural anthropologist chef Amber Sampson at the Accelerated Learning Academy kitchen on Dec. 6. The class clapped along gleefully with Reina,...

January 13, 2026

SRPMIC Rings in the New Year with Family Celebration

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community took the final hours of 2025 to new heights with the annual New Year’s Eve Family Celebration, which was held on the Community Building grounds. Festivities started at 10 a.m. with a New Year’s Eve Pie drive-thru giveaway event across the street at the...

January 12, 2026

Community Garden Awarded Recycling Grant, and Other Updates

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) awarded the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community a $62,000 grant for fiscal year 2026. The funding is part of the ADEQ Recycling Grant program, which supports public education to encourage participation in recycling and source reduction and to learn about proper solid waste...

January 9, 2026

Amaya Anton and Hamilton High School Flag Football Win State Championship

The Hamilton High School varsity girls flag football team in Chandler won the 6A Arizona Interscholastic Association Flag Football State Championship game for the second year in a row on Nov. 24, in a close 7-0 decision vs. Red Mountain High School. Hamilton absolutely dominated the league all season, going...

January 9, 2026

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day at USS Arizona Memorial Gardens at Salt River

Visitors lined up along the edge of the parking lot at the USS Arizona Memorial Gardens at Salt River on Dec. 7 for the annual National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Commemoration hosted by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. “Today, we gather to reflect on the events of Dec. 7,...

1 of 68

Jacob Butler Becomes Chair of Native Seeds/SEARCH

After serving on the board of Native Seeds/SEARCH since 2017, Community Garden Coordinator Jacob Butler will now serve as chair of the board for the nonprofit seed-conservation organization based in Tucson. Butler has a big presence in the Community, having served as Community garden coordinator for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community for 16 years. […]

Taté Walker Talks ‘The Trickster Riots’ and Collaborating With Family

Salt River Schools Communications and Public Affairs Director Taté Walker (Lakota citizen of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota) has released a new poetry collection called “The Trickster Riots” with illustrations by their 14-year-old child, painter and graphic artist Ohíya Walker (Lakota citizen of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe/Red Lake Ojibwe/Mvskoke Creek). For […]

Indigenous Chef Pyet DeSpain Wins ‘Next Level Chef’

Indigenous chef Pyet DeSpain (Prairie Band of Potawatomi/Mexican) recently made her mark on the culinary world by winning Fox’s latest cooking show competition, “Next Level Chef.” In the show, 15 contestants from around the country went all in with their cooking skills on three levels of kitchens, each level with its own degree of difficulty, […]

River People Health Center Opens to Community Members

The River People Health Center (RPHC) is now fully open to Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community members, all other tribal enrollees and their family members under the age of 18. All services are now open, including primary care (family practice, pediatrics and internal medicine) as well as dental, optometry, podiatry and physical therapy. “The only […]

Latest Issue