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.

Community Business Q&A: Salt River Hospitality, The Main Ingredient and Nature’s Defense

Owner: Joseph “JB” Cortez Year established: 2001 (2011 for Nature’s Defense) Services: The Main Ingredient: commercial-quality household/domestic retail culinary items including cookware, bakeware, bar supplies, cutlery and more. Salt River Hospitality: Industrial, commercial and janitorial hospitality services. Nature’s Defense: All-natural, organic food-grade products for defense against insects and pests. Q: What made you want to […]

November 4, 2020

Holiday Lights to Brighten Salt River Fields at Talking Stick

A new holiday tradition makes its debut at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick from November 23 to December 31 this year. Holiday Lights will be a drive-through experience, with nearly 5 million lights displayed along a 1.2-mile route that encircles the entire baseball facility. Favorite holiday songs will be simulcast via FM radio signal […]

November 4, 2020

Accelerated Learning Academy Teacher Honored for World Teachers’ Day

For World Teachers’ Day on Monday, October 5, Salt River Schools Accelerated Learning Academy social studies teacher John Paul “JP” Jones was honored for his exemplary work by Salt River Schools partner and fast-food restaurant Whataburger. Accelerated Learning Academy principal Jama Nacke said that the team was asked by the Human Resources department to think […]

October 14, 2020

Caring for Protected Wild Horses Takes Dedication

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community has about 20,000 acres of open range land that many animals call home, from bald eagles to coyotes to javelinas and bobcats. Brian Gewecke from the Range Management Program and Environmental Protection and Natural Resources (EPNR), which is part of the Community Development Department (CDD), has the important role […]

October 14, 2020

Three Decades of Harvesting for Rogers Brothers at SRPMIC

Rogers Brothers owner Kevin Rogers started working on the family-run farm at Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community with his dad Richard over 30 years ago. After turning 60, Kevin Rogers reflected on his time spent here at the family farm in the Community, which he still runs with his dad, brothers and sister. “I had […]

October 14, 2020

Community Business Q&A: LG Landscaping

Owner: Lisa Miguel Year established: 2020 Services: Tree trimming, pruning, shrubs, yard cleanup, lawn feeding, sprinkler systems, irrigation repair and various other yard services Q: What made you want to start your own business, and why did you choose this type of business? A: My husband (and business partner) has been a landscaper and does […]

October 12, 2020

O’odham Action at Border Met by Tear Gas

On the morning of Monday, October 12, two O’odham groups, Defend O’odham Jewed and O’odham Anti Border Collective, held an Indigenous Peoples’ Day blockade action at a border patrol checkpoint on Highway 85 on unceded Hia-Ced O’odham land just north of Lukeville, AZ. The action, in which the groups said in a joint statement was […]

September 30, 2020

Western U.S. Wildfires Contribute to Local Air Quality Concerns

By now, anyone with social media has seen what the skies have looked like in recent weeks, with wildfires ravaging the land and polluting the air in the western United States. Thanks to the fires, the sky has had a hazy orange tint, the sunsets have been various extraordinary shades of red, and the air […]

September 30, 2020

Associated Farms Continues Long Relationship with Community

Associated Farms is one of three farming companies that grow crops on leased land on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. It has been here since 1976, longer than any other current farming operation. Adam Hatley, partner at Associated Farms, says that his father Sonny was the first in the family to be here, and […]

63 of 65

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