A small medical transport plane crashed and caught fire on the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona, killing four people.

A new report identifies ways to create resilient water and wastewater systems in communities hardest hit by climate change.

A quick-strike crew of Native American firefighters and journeymen utility workers from the Navajo Nation are helping Los Angeles residents cut through landslides, mangled trees and charred debris of the Eaton Fire that rampaged though the Los Angeles area.

Commercial air tours will soon be prohibited over Canyon de Chelly National Monument in northeastern Arizona under a plan approved this week by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Park Service.

A series of bomb threats across multiple battleground states and baseless claims of wrongdoing by former President Donald Trump disrupted an otherwise smooth Election Day in a tumultuous presidential election.

The Navajo Nation has approved emergency legislation meant to strengthen a tribal law that regulates transportation of radioactive material across the largest Native American reservation in the U.S. The move is in response to the revival of a uranium mining operation just south of the Grand Canyon that has drawn much criticism from environmentalists and Native American tribes in the region.

Arizona's governor says a uranium producer has agreed to temporarily pause transport of the mineral through the Navajo Nation after the tribe raised concerns related to a safety plan.

Navajo officials are celebrating the signing of legislation outlining a proposed water rights settlement that will ensure supply from the Colorado River and other sources for three Native American tribes and more security for drought-stricken Arizona.

The Navajo Nation Council has unanimously approved a proposed water rights settlement that carries a price tag larger than any such agreement enacted by Congress.

For residents of the Navajo Nation, the beginning of daylight saving time means the beginning of an annual headache.

A Native American tribe with one of the largest outstanding claims to water in the Colorado River basin is closing in on a settlement.

The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has rejected several proposed hydropower projects on the largest Native American reservation in the U.S. The commission has also created a policy that essentially gives tribes early veto power over such projects.

The boyfriend of a Navajo woman whose case was emblematic of a movement launched to draw attention to an epidemic of missing and slain Indigenous women was convicted of first-degree murder in her fatal shooting.

A group of Chinese immigrant workers is suing over forced labor and human trafficking claims that stem from an illegal marijuana growing operation in northwestern New Mexico.

Some Republican members of Congress are voicing opposition to the Biden administration's recent move to withdraw hundreds of square miles of federal land in New Mexico from oil and gas development.

A Supreme Court ruling this week will make it harder for the Navajo Nation to get water from the Colorado River.

The Supreme Court has ruled against the Navajo Nation in a dispute involving water from the drought-stricken Colorado River.

A widespread Arizona Medicaid scam that has left an unknown number of Native Americans homeless on the streets of metro Phoenix is being declared a public health state of emergency by the Navajo Nation as fraudulent sober living homes lose their funding and turn former residents onto the streets.

The Biden administration is withdrawing hundreds of square miles in New Mexico from oil and gas production for the next 20 years on the outskirts of Chaco Culture National Historical Park that tribal communities consider sacred.

The U.S. Department of Energy hopes to use nearly $15 million in federal grants to boost clean energy development at tribal colleges and universities around the country.

The Supreme Court appears to be split in a dispute between the federal government and the Navajo Nation over water from the drought-stricken Colorado River.

Former Navajo Nation President Peterson Zah is being remembered as an inspirational, humble leader with a passion for education and commitment to his people.

The Biden administration on Thursday said 15 Native American tribes will get a total of $580 million this year to fund settlements that ensure access to water that's legally theirs.

The Navajo Nation has rescinded a mask mandate that's been in effect since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

Buu Nygren has been sworn in as the next president of the vast Navajo Nation.

The Supreme Court will hear a water dispute involving the U.S. government and the Navajo Nation.

Navajo voters are narrowing the list of candidates for tribal president Tuesday in the primary election.

In a pandemic that has seen sharp divides between urban and rural vaccination rates nationwide, Arizona is the only state where rural vaccine rates outpaced more populated counties according to a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

President Joe Biden has nominated veteran health administrator Roselyn Tso to direct the federal Indian Health Service.

Native American tribes are awaiting a one-time windfall that could help deliver reliable, clean water to their residents.

The massive infrastructure bill that President Joe Biden signed this week includes billions of dollars to address long-standing issues with water and sanitation on tribal land.

A man has confessed to killing three people whose dismembered bodies were found in a burning dumpster in Texas, as well as his roommate and girlfriend, saying he felt compelled to sacrifice them, authorities said Tuesday.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is renewing a push to expand a U.S. compensation program for people who were exposed to radiation following uranium mining and nuclear testing carried out during the Cold War.

The Navajo Nation has by far the largest land mass of any Native American tribe.

Native American tribes say two new Arizona election laws won't make it any easier for their voters.

Family members, advocates and government officials gathered across the U.S. on Wednesday to commemorate a day of awareness for the crises of violence against Indigenous women and children.

Students on the largest Native American reservation spoke with first lady Jill Biden on Friday about challenges they've faced during the coronavirus pandemic, including poor internet access and feelings of isolation.

Jill Biden spent her first day of a trip to the Navajo Nation listening to female leaders who she referred to as her “sister warriors” on the needs and priorities of the country's largest Native American reservation.

The pueblos of Jemez and Laguna are the latest to raise concerns over inadequate protections for local water sources in the desert Southwest. Jemez Pueblo covers mountainous and desert regions in northern New Mexico. The rule change, which took effect in June, narrowed the types of waterways that qualify for federal protection under the half-century-old Clean Water Act. New Mexico was among the states that went to court last May seeking to prevent the rule from taking effect. Jemez Pueblo depends on federal authority under the act to protect waters outside its jurisdiction.

— Wyoming’s governor is rejecting a call by President Joe Biden for states to reimpose mask orders in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Coronavirus cases nationwide are on the rise, but infections in Wyoming have fallen off sharply since December. Tribal health officials said that the United Kingdom strain was confirmed in a sample obtained in the western part of the reservation. State health officials on Monday announced more than 1 million people in the state, about 17% of Wisconsin’s population, have completed their vaccination cycles. AdThe COVID-related hospitalizations dropped to 549 on Monday, far below the pandemic record of 5,082 on Jan. 11, according to the state’s pandemic dashboard.

FILE - This July 16, 1945, file photo, shows the mushroom cloud of the first atomic explosion at Trinity Test Site near Alamagordo, N.M. A congressional subcommittee was taking testimony Wednesday, March 24, 2021, about who should be eligible under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. The advocacy group has been trying for years to bring awareness to the lingering effects of nuclear fallout surrounding the Trinity Site. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez testified about the environmental and health effects of decades of uranium mining on tribal land. If Congress doesn't doesn't renew the program, no more claims can be filed after July 2022.

Researchers say that without participation from Native Americans, tribes won’t know which vaccine might best be suited for their citizens. — A 95-year-old Ohio woman who became a prolific mask maker during the coronavirus pandemic took a short break this fall while she recovered from COVID-19 herself. BY THE NUMBERS:The death toll has climbed to 348,411 and the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 20,205,931. ON THE HORIZON: Health experts are debating what to tell study volunteers who got a dummy shot instead of a COVID-19 vaccine. ___Find AP’s full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

(Nina Mayer Ritchie/Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health via AP)FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The news came during a hopeful time on the largest Native American reservation. About 460 Native Americans participated in the trials for the vaccine by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, including Navajos. Vaccine trials nationwide have been moving quickly, which doesn’t always align with tribal guidelines on considering research proposals. In South Dakota, the Cheyenne River Sioux tribal health committee initially pushed back on Dr. Jeffrey Henderson's proposal for trials of the Novavax vaccine. That case came to mind when Annette Brown, a Navajo woman, heard about her tribe's willingness to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trials.

Native Americans were among the difference-makers who swung the race to Biden in Arizona. That show of force is now translating into leverage for Native Americans seeking more representation in top levels of the federal government. Native voters say they were motivated by many of the same things as other voters. She also was part of a group helping to boost voting among Native Americans. “People need to start paying attention to not only Navajo votes but across the board nationally, Native votes,” Davis said.

(AP Photo/Lewis Joly)MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne, has loosened lockdown restrictions as new and active COVID-19 continue to decline. Victoria state reported only two new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday and no deaths. The total number of cases on the reservation is now 10,913. Nine new deaths were reported, bringing the total number of deaths associated with the virus to 8,466. There are 106,503 total cases reported since the pandemic began in March and 1,168 deaths due to COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

Health Minister Park Neung-hoo during a virus briefing Monday urged people who experience fever or other symptoms after traveling during the period get tested immediately. ___Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak___HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:ROME — The Italian government is weighing whether to require masks outdoors nationwide amid a steady, nine-week increase in coronavirus infections. The 10,499 new cases reported on Sunday bring the country’s total to over 1.2 million. —-BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Slovakia’s record surge of new confirmed coronavirus cases has not slowed down despite tough restrictive measures, surpassing 800 new daily cases for the first time. Victoria reported only 12 new coronavirus cases and one death Sunday, well down on the peaks of winter.

DALLAS The Navajo Nation has joined calls for an accounting of the deaths at Fort Hood after one of its members became the latest soldier from the U.S. Army post to die this year. He was the 28th soldier from Fort Hood to die this year, according to data obtained by The Associated Press. The Navajo Nation Council praised Chee in a statement Friday and urged the Army to thoroughly investigate his and the other soldiers deaths. Army officials have said Chees death is being investigated and that an autopsy would be performed by the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas. They said he died at hospital near Fort Hood in the company of his family.

The state Department of Health has reported more than 7,800 confirmed coronavirus cases and 59 deaths, including 265 newly confirmed cases and four deaths, as of Friday. The state Department of Health Services reported 629 confirmed coronavirus cases and 29 more deaths on Saturday to total 5,007. ___ROME Every Italian region reported new coronavirus cases after a record 99,000 tests turned up another 1,444 cases. There were 1,547 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the total cases to 128,396 in this region. China reported nine new coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing its official total to 85,022.

The Navajo Nation had asked President Donald Trump to reduce Mitchell's punishment to life in prison. The Navajo Nation said the situation highlights a need to restore tribes' ability to determine criminal justice matters on tribal land, especially when it concerns Native victims and Native perpetrators. The Navajo Nation didn't want Mitchell executed, but it didn't have an avenue to object under the carjacking charge. Historically, the Navajo Nation and other tribes have used capital punishment but on their own terms. We believe that our system, our beliefs in how justice is administered is better for us, said former Navajo Nation Supreme Court Justice Herb Yazzie.

The reservation, home to the White Mountain Apache Tribe, will be under lockdown this weekend to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. The White Mountain Apache Tribe is taking some of the most drastic actions in Arizona to protect its 13,500 residents, more than one-eighth of whom have already tested positive for COVID-19. COVID has just turned our world upside down, White Mountain Apache Chairwoman Gwendena Lee-Gatewood said. Lee-Gatewood said the White Mountain Apache Tribe took that into consideration, along with the typical summer crowds, when deciding how to target the pandemic on its land. In Arizona, the White Mountain Apache Tribe said people can travel on a highway through its land, but they can't stop along the way.

Native American voting rights advocates are cautioning against states moving to mail-in ballots without opportunities for tribal members to vote safely in person. The Native American Rights Fund released a wide-ranging report on voting rights Thursday, June 4, 2020. The Native American Rights Fund plans to use the findings to develop policy, suggest legislative or regulatory action and promote voting rights in Indian Country. Still, Native American voting rights advocates say theres more work to be done. De Leon said barriers to voting can make Native Americans feel like they are not part of the system.