Red Lake

New hereditary chief sworn in at tribal council

Darwin Sumner took his place as one of the Red Lake Nation's seven hereditary chiefs Tuesday.

Sumner was sworn in at the March 8 meeting of the Red Lake Tribal Council as his family and fellow tribal chiefs looked on, accompanied by a hand-drum honor song. He succeeds his father, John Sumner, who died in December.

Hereditary chiefs serve for life and advise the tribe's 11-member elected tribal council, particularly on cultural issues. Sumner, an avid fisherman, works as a youth fishing coordinator.

"Fishing is a part of our culture and a way of life in Red Lake," Sumner said in a statement. Several Red Lake youth have gone on to compete in state and national fishing tournaments. "We feel that exposure and experience in fishing will have a positive effect on our youth and we are proud of them."

Jennifer Brooks

Crookston

Students have out-of-this-world astronaut chat

Second-grade science students from Highland School made the longest long-distance call of their lives Thursday when they chatted live with an astronaut on the International Space Station.

The students spent months preparing for the big day: studying, building and launching stomp rockets, and visiting with scientists from the University of North Dakota who are working on projects for NASA. Their teacher, Kari Heppner, said the program is designed to show children that science, technology, engineering and math can be fun, and can open up careers far beyond their rural homes.

The program, sponsored by the UND Amateur Radio Association and the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium, brought hundreds of students to campus to talk with astronaut Cmdr. Tim Kopra, participate in experiments and learn more about the solar system.

Jennifer Brooks

Duluth

New grants offer help in closing opportunity gap

The Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation announced it is awarding grants to nonprofits to help narrow the "opportunity gap" for low-income children and families.

The grants are part of a $1.5 million, three-year program to address differences in opportunities between low-income and well-off children and families in the area.

Listening sessions with parents, teens and service providers found "solutions as simple but as powerful as the need for more children to have another caring adult in their lives," foundation president Holly Sampson said, according to a news release.

The group is particularly interested in opportunities in early childhood intervention.

Interested nonprofits in the area are asked to submit a letter of intent by 5 p.m. April 4 at dsacommunityfoundation.com. Based on the letters, organizations may be encouraged to submit a full grant proposal by early May.

Pam Louwagie