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.

Sharon Selestewa and Patsy King Bond Over Language in Latest O’odham Class Series

Editor’s Note: This story contains sensitive subject matter, including memories of childhood punishment that some readers may find triggering. When Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community member Patricia “Patsy” King was approached to instruct a language class series at the Salt River Tribal Library along with fellow Community member Sharon Selestewa,...

October 2, 2024

Masked Memories: Seniors Enjoy a Night of Entertainment at the Senior Masquerade Homecoming Dance

Where elegance meets enigma, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Senior Services staff hosted a night filled with laughter, music and dancing for seniors on September 6 in the Talking Stick Ballroom at Talking Stick Resort and Casino. The Senior Masquerade Homecoming Dance allowed guests to dress their best, with...

October 1, 2024

Salt River Pipes and Drums Members Perform with Arizona Fire Service Pipe Band

As the first-known pipe band established on a Native American community, the Salt River Fire Department (SRFD) Pipes and Drums band uniquely honors and blends the traditions of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community with Irish and Scottish cultures. From the design of the band’s trailer and drums to the...

October 1, 2024

Nalani Lopez Performs Dances at Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival

On August 17, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community member Nalani Lopez (Onk Akimel O’odham/San Carlos Apache) shared two San Carlos Apache dances at the Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival, presented by Poeh Cultural Center, at the Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Lopez was joined by her...

October 1, 2024

Red Cross Displays Co-Branded Mission Response Disaster Relief Van at Council Meeting

Before the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Council meeting on August 28, American Red Cross community volunteer leader Craig Rhodes pulled up to the roundabout outside the Council Chambers in a co-branded Red Cross/ SRPMIC mission response disaster relief van. The message “Proud supporter of the American Red Cross —...

October 1, 2024

Congressman David Schweikert Visits SRPMIC for Council Meeting

Arizona Congressman David Schweikert (R—Dist. 1) visited the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community on September 4 to reintroduce himself to Community members at the SRPMIC Council meeting. Schweikert is running for reelection and will be on the ballot for the general election on November 5. The SRPMIC Office of Congressional...

October 1, 2024

U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego Speaks at SRPMIC Council Meeting

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community invited U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) to speak with Council and address Community members about issues important to them at the Community Council meeting on August 28. Gallego is running for the U.S. Senate in Arizona and received the SRPMIC’s official endorsement in January....

September 10, 2024

Great Bend of the Gila National Monument Establishment Act Introduced

On August 2, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) introduced the Great Bend of the Gila National Monument Establishment Act. The goal of the Act is to protect a region to which at least 13 federally recognized tribes, including the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, claim cultural...

September 4, 2024

CARP Removes Abandoned and Unsafe Structures From Homesites

The Community Action and Revitalization Program (CARP) is a tribally funded program available free of charge to Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community members who are looking to remove abandoned and unsafe structures from their homesites. As a part of the cleanup operations, CARP can remove large objects like houses and...

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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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