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Anchor: Antonia Gonzales
A large datacenter could be built near Polson, MT in the coming years. As Aaron Bolton reports, the proposal was pitched during a technology summit last week.
Entrepreneur Brian O’Leary, also known as Mr. Wonderful on the TV show “Shark Tank,” announced at the summit held in Bozeman his investment firm is working with the bitcoin mining company Bit Zero and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) to potentially build the datacenter.
“The demand for these centers is insatiable all around the world and the states that have figured this out have wind, have hydro, have solar. This is the future.”
O’Leary said the center could provide services to bitcoin miners and data storage for other web-based services. Most of the power to the facility would come from the Salish Kootenai Dam south of Polson on the Flathead Reservation.
CSKT tribal council secretary Martin Charlo says the tribes are interested in the jobs the center could provide for locals.
“Our tribes have always been a people of vision and I believe that Kevin and Mr. Daines, Governor Gianforte, and Akbar are bringing this great vision to us.”
While the tribes say they haven’t committed to the project, they’ll continue looking into the datacenter to see if it’s a viable business opportunity.
A candlelight vigil is planned Monday night in front of the White Mountain Apache Police Department in Arizona for fallen officer Adrian Lopez who was killed last week on the Fort Apache reservation.
According to police, Lopez was conducting a traffic stop Thursday night when an altercation occurred between the officer and the person operating the vehicle. Lopez was fatally shot during the altercation.
The suspect then took his police vehicle and fled the scene. The suspect was pursued by police and was involved in a gun battle where the suspect was killed.
Another officer was shot and transported to a Phoenix hospital for treatment.
A memorial has been set up for Lopez in front of the White Mountain Apache Police Department.
Lopez started with the department in January. His family flew to Arizona from California over the weekend and told ABC 15 they’re grateful to the community for their support and plan to take Lopez home to the LA area.
Meanwhile, the Navajo Nation is providing law enforcement assistance to the tribe. Ten Navajo Police Officers took the oath of office from a White Mountain Apache judge last week, which allows them to patrol and perform public safety duties on the Fort Apache reservation while the tribe mourns the loss of Officer Lopez.
The tribe is also receiving city, county, state, and federal support.
The Cherokee Nation and the U.S. Mint are hosting a public event Monday to celebrate the release of the Wilma Mankiller quarter.
The quarter is one of five designs for the first coins in the American Women Quarters Program.
The four-year program features coins with reverse designs to highlight the accomplishments and contributions of trailblazing American women, including in areas of civil rights, government, humanities, science, space, and the arts.
Mankiller was the first woman elected principal chief of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma and a well-known advocate for Native American and women’s rights.
The coin’s design depicts Mankiller with a resolute gaze, wrapped in a shawl and the seven-pointed star of the Cherokee Nation.
The coin’s inscriptions in English are “United States of America,” “Wilma Mankiller,” “Principal Chief.”
The coin also includes the inscription “Cherokee Nation,” which is written in the Cherokee syllabary.
The release of the Mankiller quarter is the third coin in the program. The celebration is taking place in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
The U.S. Mint and the National Women’s History Museum will hold a film screening and panel discussion on Mankiller in Washington, D.C. on Friday.
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