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There was a hung jury in Rapid City, S.D. Wednesday in a case against Nick Tilsen, the founder and CEO of the Native-led organization NDN Collective.
After three days of hearings, a mistrial was declared.
Tilsen is accused of assaulting a police officer in 2022. He is facing charges for aggravated and simple assault on a law enforcement officer and obstruction of a law enforcement officer – which could lead to a sentence of up to 26 years in prison.
In a statement, Tilsen said he’s grateful for everyone who stood with him, adding the fight’s not over.
The state has 45 days to notify the judge of intentions to retry the case.
Parts of an opioid overdose reversal kit including Naloxone. The state distributed 45,000 naloxone kits in 2024, with fentanyl test strips, in an effort to reduce opioid overdose deaths. (Photo: Matt Faubion / Alaska Public Media)
The rate of Alaskans dying from drug overdoses declined by 5% in 2024 compared to the year before, including a decline for Indigenous Alaskans, according to a recent state report.
That’s a welcome reduction after the state saw its highest number of overdose deaths on record in 2023.
Alaska Public Media’s Rachel Cassandra reports.
The U.S. has seen significant declines in overdose death rates over the past two years – and now Alaska could be seeing the start of a similar reduction, according to experts.
Theresa Welton is a manager for Alaska’s Office of substance misuse and addiction prevention. She says the decline is good news for the state, even though the state’s reduction is much smaller than the national one.
“I think we’re on the right track.”
And she says the decline is likely partly due to state efforts.
The report notes the state distributed 45,000 naloxone kits in 2024, with fentanyl test strips.
The state has mobile crisis teams in Anchorage, Mat-Su, Fairbanks, Ketchikan, and Juneau. And Alaska has expanded access to medication assisted treatment, recovery housing, and therapeutic courts.
But Welton says there’s more work to do and it will require a collaborative effort among the state, tribal organizations, and local communities.
“Even nationally, everybody is trying to look for that magic fix to start decreasing these deaths, and I think it’s just a combination of supporting communities to address these issues at a community level and emphasizing prevention.”
She says it is expensive to build treatment facilities, so increasing access to buprenorphine and other medications for substance use disorders could help prevent overdose deaths. She says Alaska struggles with having enough resources to provide treatment for substance use disorders, partly because of geography which means rural residents must travel for treatment.
According to the report, fentanyl is Alaska’s deadliest drug. It contributed to more than 70% of overdose deaths in 2024. But Welton says it’s crucial to note that many of the overdoses with fentanyl also included one or more other substances.
The U.S. Mint released its 2026 Native American $1 Coin featuring Polly Cooper.
The Oneida Indian Nation says she is an Oneida heroine, recognized for bringing food and supplies to her homelands in Upstate New York to Army troops at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-78.
The tribe says recognizing Cooper and the tribe as allies is timely as the U.S. prepares to observe the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The coin depicts Polly Copper with General George Washington as she holds a basket of corn.
Cooper stayed at the camp through the winter, and taught soldiers how to prepare corn, and cooked for them in harsh conditions to help ensure their survival.
Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter says the Oneida people became “America’s First Allies” on some of the bloodiest battlefields of the Revolutionary War.
According to the tribe, Nation Members continue the legacy of military service, serving in every major American conflict since then.
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