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.

Council Approves New Comprehensive Drug-Related Laws, Including Recreational Marijuana Use

On January 25, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Tribal Council voted to open a 30-day public comment period on proposed ordinances regarding drug and drug-related crimes, including provisions for the legalization of recreational marijuana use in the Community. At the time, Council wanted to have something tangible that the Community membership could look at […]

April 5, 2023

Tortilla Festival Back at the Huhugam Ki: Museum

On Saturday, March 18, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Cultural Resources Department held the 2023 Tortilla Festival at the Huhugam Ki: Museum. (The word “tortilla” is cemait in O’odham and modiily in Piipaash.) The first tortilla festival in the Community was held in 2019, but the event then was put on hold for the […]

April 5, 2023

Scottsdale Memorial for the Fallen Honors Area Veterans

On March 18 at the Scottsdale Civic Center Memorial Lawn, a new permanent memorial wall called the Scottsdale Memorial for the Fallen was unveiled to remember Scottsdale-area residents, including Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation veterans, who gave their lives in military service to the nation. The memorial is a project […]

April 5, 2023

Governor Hobbs Establishes Task Force on Missing and Murdered Indigenous People

On March 7, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed an executive order to establish an Arizona Task Force on Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). “It is time to turn the recommendations of the bipartisan study committee on MMIP into action,” Hobbs said. “By establishing this task force on MMIP, we are taking the first of […]

April 3, 2023

SRPMIC Council Members Participate in Mul-Chu-Tha Parade

On the morning of March 18, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Council members participated in the Gila River Indian Community’s 59th Annual Mul-Chu-Tha Fair & Rodeo Parade on Blue Bird Road. SRPMIC President Martin Harvier and Council members Jacob Butler, Michael Dallas and David Antone all rode horses in the parade, and Council members Cheryl […]

April 3, 2023

SRPD Officers Participate in the 19th Annual AZ Fallen Officer Memorial 5k Run/Walk

On March 5, members of the Salt River Police Department participated in the 19th Annual AZ Fallen Officer Memorial 5K Run/Walk, a community-centered fundraising event hosted by Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) Arizona. The Mission of C.O.P.S. is to help family members and co-workers affected by the death of police officers, either in the line […]

April 3, 2023

Salt River Ba’ag Off to a Winning Start

The Salt River Ba’ag basketball team is off to a hot start so far this year with big tournament wins across the state. On the weekend of March 10, at the Ak-Chin Indian Community’s St. Patrick’s Day High School Basketball Tournament, Salt River Ba’ag came up with a big team win to become varsity champions, […]

March 21, 2023

The Repatriation Project Sheds Light on Remains Returned to Tribes

The nonprofit investigative journalism outlet ProPublica recently released The Repatriation Project, a series dedicated to keeping track of the delayed return of Native American remains from America’s institutions back to tribal nations. According to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), repatriation means the return of possession or control of Native American cultural […]

March 10, 2023

Nike N7 Baseball Experience Focuses on Physical Activity for Community Youth

Nike wrapped up its N7 Sports Experience camps at the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community on February 18 with a baseball and softball clinic for youth from the SRPMIC, the Gila River Indian Community and the Ak-Chin Indian Community. The clinics offered a chance for youth aged 7 to 17, of all genders and abilities, […]

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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 […]

Winners Crowned at 2023-24 Jr. Miss Salt River and Miss Salt River Pageant

On June 17, the 31st Annual Jr. Miss Salt River Pageant and 35th Annual Miss Salt River Pageant, presented by the Miss Salt River Committee, took place at the Salt River Pi-Copa Gym in front of an audience filled with Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community members, families and royalty from around Indian Country. The annual […]

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, […]

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