Court says states can try some tribal crimes; critics call it a ‘disaster’
WASHINGTON - A divided Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that states can prosecute non-Natives for crimes against Native people on tribal lands, a ruling that critics called a "disaster" for tribal sovereignty and an "act of conquest."
Heard Museum celebrates Pride Month with all-Native drag show
PHOENIX – The Heard Museum in Phoenix hosted a Native Drag Show featuring Indigenous drag queens and LGBTQ+ poets for First Friday in June, starring host Pyraddiction.
Bill advances for ‘truth and healing’ panel for Indian boarding schools
WASHINGTON – A House committee gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a bill that would create a commission to investigate Indian boarding schools, despite Republican concerns over the scope and power of the commission.
‘Helpless but not hopeless’: Arizona officials join surgeon general to address burnout in health workers
PHOENIX – Health care workers have reached crisis levels of burnout, prompting the U.S. surgeon general to issue an advisory spotlighting the problem. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy visited Phoenix recently to meet with health workers and find solutions.
Subpoena authority could jeopardize boarding school truth and healing commission
Granting of subpoena authority could jeopardize the establishment of the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding Schools. The top Republican on key House subcommittee said the bill could lose bipartisan support.
Access to clean water, rights to Colorado River are high priorities for tribes
Access to clean water is a chronic issue for tribal communities in the Colorado River Basin, who also have been denied their rights to water from the river for a century. Two recent moves intend to address those inequities.
Tribal police agencies struggle to attract, maintain officers, panel told
WASHINGTON - A Navajo Nation official told a Senate panel this week that the tribe’s police department lacks the resources to attract and retain officers, a problem that experts say is faced by tribal police departments across the country.
‘We are still here’: Tribes reclaiming out-of-state ancestral homelands
Tribes that were forcibly resettled to Oklahoma are increasingly buying back or being gifted back property in their ancestral homelands - from Alabama to Michigan to Kansas - either to build economic sustainability or manage cultural preservation sites.
Oklahoma, tribal tempers flare as Supreme Court hears sovereignty case
WASHINGTON – An attorney for the state of Oklahoma told Supreme Court justices Wednesday that "thousands of crimes" have gone unprosecuted in the two years since the court removed state jurisdiction over many crimes in a large part of eastern Oklahoma.
Oklahoma tribes strike back at critics ahead of Supreme Court arguments
WASHINGTON - Oklahoma’s Five Tribes are pushing back against critics of tribal sovereignty, as the Supreme Court prepares to hear a case Wednesday that could solidify the impact of its 2020 ruling that recognized reservations over nearly half of Oklahoma.
Two Arizona tribal leaders make case for critically needed water projects
WASHINGTON – Leaders of two Arizona tribes asked lawmakers Wednesday to support funding for development of critical water infrastructure and to OK a bill that would let tribal water be sold to others in the drought-stricken state.
Arizona ranks high on states with offensive place names eyed for change
WASHINGTON - Arizona could be a primary target when federal officials meet with tribes next week to talk about possible new names for places that currently contain a slur against Native American women.
