COVID-19 in Arizona: Gila River hotels, casinos close for two weeks after worker death
PHOENIX – Mask requirements are in development by city and county leaders, and other headlines from around the Grand Canyon State.
Census field workers back on Navajo Nation, with work cut out for them
Experts can cite any number of historical and logistical reasons why Native Americans have relatively low response rates to the Census, but they point to a very new, and very specific challenge this year - COVID-19, which has hit tribes hard while keeping enumerators out of the field..
COVID-19 in Arizona: Case numbers break daily record set four days earlier
PHOENIX – As Arizona faces thousands of new cases over the past week, experts blame an increase in public outings and raise fears of more hospitalizations.
COVID-19 in Arizona: Some restaurants close again, masks in public remain optional despite rise in cases
PHOENIX – Despite a steady rise in cases and several business closures due to the pandemic, Gov. Doug Ducey has not required Arizonans to wear masks in public.
Curfew curtailing casinos? Don’t bet on it, owners say
After being closed for months by COVID-19, casinos around Arizona had just started to reopen when a statewide dusk-to-dawn curfew took effect Sunday. But casinos around the state said their hours are unchanged, curfew or no curfew.
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.