Tribal leaders, advocates question reopening at Grand Canyon, other parks

PHOENIX - Arizona tribal leaders told House lawmakers Tuesday that moves to reopen national parks are being made without needed health safety measures to protect tribal members or park visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Navajo COVID curve flattens, but leaders fear post-holiday spike in cases

PHOENIX – Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez says the curve of positive cases on the reservation has begun to flatten, and officials announce another weekend curfew.


Tribe aims to improve dental health by bringing smiles to the dental visit

SAN CARLOS - Fear of the dentist was just one of the problems facing the San Carlos Apache tribe, where tooth decay among kindergarteners exceeded both state and national levels, but tribal health officials are working to improve the situation a number of ways, including demystifying a dental visit.


Report: Treasury formula for COVID-19 funding shortchanges some tribes

Arizona tribes were among those who could get too much - or too little - COVID-19 relief funding under a Treasury Department funding formula that is based on "probably not the best numbers," according to the author of a new report.


Powwows move online to keep Indigenous communities together

PHOENIX – In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Native Americans have come together online in virtual powwows.


Pageant winner steps up to help her tribe and winds up shipping masks across North America

PHOENIX – When Stormie Perdash was asked to help make face masks for those living on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, she had no idea how big a project it would become. Perdash, who serves as Miss Shoshone-Bannock, is shipping masks across the U.S.


Court upholds death penalty for only Native American on U.S. death row

WASHINGTON - An appeals court Thursday upheld the death sentence for Lezmond Mitchell, the only Native American on federal death row, and one of five inmates targeted last year for execution under a revived federal death penalty policy.


COVID-19 in Arizona: Trump to visit Phoenix mask maker during Ducey stay-home order

ACLU protest for prisoner rights, ASU to resume in-person classes in fall and other headlines from the Grand Canyon State.


COVID-19 in Arizona: State stay-at-home order extended to May 15

Navajo Nation distributes aid as state death toll tops 300, Arizona corrections officers threaten to walk out, city officials warn it could take Phoenix six years to recover jobs lost in the past six weeks, and other news from the Grand Canyon State.


Despite funds, lawmakers say tribes still shortchanged in COVID-19 aid

TEMPE - Native American tribes have been severely hit by the coronavirus but have received only a fraction of the help they need from the federal government, said lawmakers, who called the impact on businesses and health on reservations "particularly worrisome."


COVID-19 in Arizona: Mayors will await governor’s lead on reopening state

PHOENIX – Congress announces small business funding through CARES Act Training, the first prison death from COVID-19, and other updates from the Grand Canyon State.


COVID-19 in Arizona: Elective surgeries to resume, despite projected peak in mid-May

A state senator has confirmed that he has tested positive for COVID-19, the Navajo Nation is joining a lawsuit against the federal government for withholding funds, and other updates from the Grand Canyon State.