Native American tribes gain new authority to stop unwanted hydropower projects
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 has been convicted of fatally shooting her in emblematic case
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.
Navajo Nation declares widespread Medicaid scam in Arizona a public health state of emergency
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.
Tribes credited with elevating vaccinations in rural Arizona
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.
Relative: Girlfriend of Texas man accused of killing 3 people found in burning dumpster has been missing since 2017
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.
New Mexico tribes sue US over federal clean water rule
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.
The Latest: Wyoming governor sticks with ending mask mandate
โ Wyomingโs 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 Wisconsinโs 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 stateโs pandemic dashboard.
People downwind of atomic blasts renew push for US payout
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.
VIRUS TODAY: Few Native Americans sign up for virus trials
Researchers say that without participation from Native Americans, tribes wonโt know which vaccine might best be suited for their citizens. โ 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 APโs full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
Fast rollout of virus vaccine trials reveals tribal distrust
(Nina Mayer Ritchie/Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health via AP)FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. โ 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 doesnโt 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 American votes helped secure Biden's win in Arizona
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. โPeople need to start paying attention to not only Navajo votes but across the board nationally, Native votes,โ Davis said.
The Latest: Melbourne eases restrictions after cases drop
(AP Photo/Lewis Joly)MELBOURNE, Australia โ Australiaโs 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.
The Latest: S. Korea reports virus numbers trending lower
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 APโs pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak___HEREโS WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:ROME โ 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 countryโs total to over 1.2 million. โ-BRATISLAVA, Slovakia โ Slovakiaโs 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.
Navajo Nation calls for investigation into Fort Hood deaths
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 Latest: S. Korea sees 299 new cases as virus spikes
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.
Navajo Nation wants more say over criminal justice matters
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.
Hard-hit tribe takes strict steps as virus surges in Arizona
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.
Report highlights voting inequities in tribal communities
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.