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.
