The Oklahoma Business Ethics Consortium’s 2016 OK Ethics Statewide Awards recognizes businesses, nonprofits and government entities whose efforts promote Oklahoma values and positively impact its communities. In the category of community impact, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Tribal Police Department was honored for its influence in the communities it serves in Pottawatomie County. In a letter recommending the department’s nomination for the awards, Pottawatomie County Sheriff Mike Booth wrote that Read More »

Firefighters across Oklahoma would likely tell you that conditions in the state are the perfect kindling for wildfires. The eastern red cedar, which is native to Oklahoma, and the dry and windy conditions present throughout the year mean that emergency responders must be prepared at all times. Already this year crews battled a wildfire in Oklahoma and Kansas which burned more than 400,000 acres, the largest wildfire Read More »

In the aftermath of the Great Recession, loans of all kinds became increasingly difficult to secure. Access to credit, especially for first time business owners and entrepreneurs, narrowed because of the owner’s credit worthiness rather than their potential for success. According to a report released by Intuit, 83 percent of businesses with less than 11 employees relied on the owner’s credit history to apply for a Read More »

Residents living in and around the City of McLoud will make a shorter trip the next time they want to buy groceries. As of April 25, those long hauls will be a thing of the past as FireLake Express Grocery officially opens its doors for business. The store is an enterprise of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, whose tribal jurisdiction includes much of Pottawatomie County. “Northwest Read More »

Each June, campers comprised of Potawatomi tribal members and children of tribal employees gather at FireLake Ball Fields to take part in the now annual tradition of the Day of Champions Football and Sports Skills Camp. Campers spend two days going through drills, playing games and learning leadership from coaches with a vast array of professional, collegiate and high school experience. In 2015, the camp expanded Read More »

In addition to the annual Family Reunion Festival in June, CPN will also be hosting the 2016 Potawatomi Gathering of Nations in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on July 28-30. Regular attendees, first time participants and tribal members from different Potawatomi bands should start preparing for the two events. CPN employees who have attended and worked both events throughout the years offer their advice on preparing for these events. Who Read More »

To speed the course’s full overhaul, FireLake Golf Course is set to close in May 2016. “Initially we wanted to stay open through spring 2016 to give our high school and junior high golfers a place to practice during their season,” said FireLake Golf Course Director Chris Chesser. “Tecumseh and Bethel high schools both play and practice here, and Shawnee Jr. High also practices here. Read More »

Potawatomi around the world have a distinct advantage of ordering naturally molted eagle feathers from the CPN Eagle Aviary. Only Native Americans in the U.S. have the opportunity to utilize such a service, which along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Eagle Repository, sends naturally molted feathers to enrolled members of federally recognized tribes. Once the feather arrives, proper care must be taken to protect Read More »

Come 2016, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Health Services are teaming up in an effort to better address drug abuse in Indian Country. Along with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the two agencies announced a memorandum of understanding on Dec. 16, 2015 at the Indian Health Resources Center that will allow for the training of BIA officers on Read More »

Those traveling from out of state to the Family Reunion Festival routinely see the ever changing landscape that is the FireLake complex. Through the years CPN has grown considerably, both as a tribal government and in terms of its enterprises.  In 2015, several new enterprises opened for business, including BDC Gun Room, FireLake Fry Bread Taco, FireLake Pizza and Read More »