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.

Interior Department Announces Consultations on Changes to NAGPRA

On July 15, the Department of the Interior announced that it will conduct consultations with tribal and Native Hawaiian community leaders as part of an ongoing review to update Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) regulations after repeated requests for substantive updates to NAGPRA regulations since 2010. The deadline for leaders to submit […]

October 28, 2021

I’itoi Sivol Continues to Grow in O’odham Communities

One food plant traditionally grown by the O’odham since the 17th century is most commonly known as the I’itoi sivol, a type of multiplier onion, which means that the plant produces small, clustered bulbs. These onions most likely came from Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, the Jesuit missionary who traveled through this area in the late […]

October 28, 2021

SRPD Receives Donations for Children Through Literacy for All Program

On September 15, Salt River Schools’ Literacy for All Project Manager Trinidad Yazzie and Community Literacy Advocate Wendy Jefferson donated various art supplies and books to the Salt River Police Department (SRPD). The donated items included two children’s games, card games, 20 books for young children, 10 coloring books with crayons, and four small bags […]

October 28, 2021

Families Clean Up Lower Salt River

Erikka Luitjens, Jennifer Nerat and their kids have been cleaning up trash and other items together along the Lower Salt River, the Phon D Sutton Recreation Site and other local recreation areas since 2019. Luitjens said the clean-ups started with just her and her sister-in-law taking their three kids out to the river to explore […]

October 5, 2021

SRFD Receives Two New Fire Trucks During “Wetdown” Ceremony

Two new fire trucks debuted at Salt River Fire Station 294 on September 21 during a “wetdown” ceremony. According to a tradition that goes back to the 1800s, new fire trucks are started up and anointed with water sprayed back onto the trucks using a connected fire hose. Ceremony guests and first responders grabbed towels […]

October 5, 2021

9/11 Stair Climb Honors Fallen First Responders

On September 11, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Fire Department (SRFD) hosted the fifth annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick to honor the first responders who lost their lives 20 years ago on September 11, 2001. Approximately 1,000 first responders and other participants filled the outfield to climb […]

October 5, 2021

Update on the River People Health Center

Construction of the new River People Health Center (RPHC) at the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community not only brings employment opportunities to the Community, but the facility also will provide important medical services to SRPMIC members and all Native Americans enrolled in a tribal community. The RPHC is part of the Phoenix Indian Medical Center’s […]

October 5, 2021

O’odham Water Protectors Join Fight Against Line 3

The fight against the Line 3 oil pipeline has brought people from around the country to Minnesota to stand up for the rights and way of life of the Anishinaabe peoples. Line 3 is a pipeline owned by Enbridge, headquartered in Alberta, Canada, that is being built from Canada’s tar sands area in Hardisty, Alberta, […]

October 5, 2021

Suicide Awareness Conference Focused on Causes and Prevention

On September 22, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community DHHS Prevention & Intervention Services held an online Suicide Awareness Conference, which focused on the causes and prevention of suicide. After an opening prayer invocation, Monica Tsethlikai, PhD (A:shiwi [Zuni] Nation), associate professor at the T. Denny Stanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona […]

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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 […]

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 […]

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