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RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA –– Travis Afraid of Bear, the Circulation and Distribution Manager for the Native Sun News weekly newspaper, announced today that he has made arrangements with the Dakota News Group to distribute Native Sun News in Central and Eastern South Dakota.

Distribution will also extend to the Omaha and Winnebago Nations in Nebraska, as well as to the city of Omaha. The Meskwaki Nation in Iowa is included in the expansion. The communities of Aberdeen, Sioux Falls, Wagner, Chamberlain, Huron, Mitchell, Yankton, Watertown and Sisseton will also be included in the expansion. The newspaper already serves all of the major communities and reservations in Western South Dakota.

Afraid of Bear said, “We’ve been taking our time growing and now that all of the pieces are in place, we feel that it is important that Native people across the tri-state area begin receiving our newspaper.”

Afraid of Bear said that there are many Native owned construction companies located on the new areas the paper will now be serving and it will give these Indian businesses an opportunity to place bids on the construction jobs offered by the different Indian tribes in the new service area.

He said, “I’m a firm believer that Indian tribes should offer Indian owned businesses the first opportunity to provide them their services. The Buy Indian Act is still the law of the land and many small Indian owned businesses have not had a chance to enjoy the opportunities offered by the Indian tribes.” He said this expansion just opens the door for many Indian owned small businesses and construction companies to share in the opportunities.

Native Sun News publisher Tim Giago said, “This initial state-wide expansion is just the beginning. Over the next few months we will be expanding into the college towns of Brookings and Vermillion with direct deliveries. As of this week we will be in all nine Wal-Mart Store in the state. We are already very strong in Pierre and when the new legislative session begins in the state’s capitol; our newspaper will be placed directly in the boxes of all of the state representatives.”

Giago added that Native Sun News is already sent to the governors of the tri-state area, to all of the nationally elected leaders in this region and to many government leaders in Washington, DC. “If tribal leaders, and that includes program directors and school superintendents, have a message they want to send to the state capitol or to Washington, our paper is the place to do it,” he said.

Afraid of Bear said he was amazed at the continuous growth of the newspaper.

“I guess it is because our newspaper is providing a badly needed service to the Indian community. Our paper is not afraid to take on the tough issues or to challenge authority,” he said.