Supreme Court agrees to hear San Carlos Apache appeal on health care funding
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider a claim by the San Carlos Apache tribe that the federal government is shortchanging it on funds it needs to operate tribal health services.
Arizona teens share passions with others at White House Tribal Youth Forum
WASHINGTON - Gabriella Nakai has tackled challenges facing Indigenous communities on her own, but said being surrounded by others who share her passion helps lighten the load. Nakai was one of two Arizona youths at the third annual White House Tribal Youth Forum.
Hopi leader tells panel that red tape, financial hurdles put aid out of reach
WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Hopi tribe told a Senate panel Wednesday that promises of federal funding remain just that - promises - for smaller tribes for whom the money is inaccessible because of bureaucratic and financial hurdles.
Tohono O’odham official says immigration is a problem – but so is the wall
WASHINGTON - Tohono O'odham Chairman Verlon Jose told a House panel Wednesday that while migrants crossing his reservation are causing problems, those are overshadowed by problems from the construction of the border wall meant to stop migration.
Senators urged to step up after Supreme Court ruling on Navajo water rights
WASHINGTON - Witnesses told a Senate hearing the federal government has both a a legal and an ethical obligation to ensure water access for tribes. The Supreme Court this summer rejected a Navajo claim that the government needed to take steps to protect its water rights.
Tribal water infrastructure needs more than a one-time fix, senators told
The infusion of federal money for infrastructure projects is a welcome first step toward fixing deep problems with water systems on tribal lands, but it's only a first step, an Arizona official testified Wednesday.
MMIP task forces are given years to solve a problem centuries in the making
WASHINGTON - At least 10 states, including Arizona, and federal agencies have efforts to address the problem of missing and murdered Indigenous people, but those efforts have to grapple with historical neglect, modern bureaucracy and myriad legal and police disparities.
Group mentor program in Tucson teaches male youth about healthy relationships
TUCSON – A mentoring program is using talking circles, adventure outings and overnight camping trips to help young men develop positive and healthy relationships. The goal is to give every boy in middle and high school access to safe and trusted men.
Thousands helped, thousands more may still be in need after Medicaid scams
WASHINGTON - A state hotline has helped thousands of victims in the two months since state officials uncovered a string of fraudulent Medicaid-funded addiction care facilities in Arizona, but the exact scale of the problem is still unknown.
Navajo witnesses clash over government’s Chaco Canyon mining ban
WASHNGTON - A moratorium on mining within 10 miles of Chaco Canyon tramples on tribal sovereignty and denies Navajo badly needed royalty payments; or it is needed to ensure oil and gas operations no longer poison the people, competing witnesses told a House panel.
Navajo president presses Congress for more time, money, for water project
WASHINGTON - Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren asked senators Wednesday for more funding, and time, for a pipeline project that would create a reliable water supply for 250,000 people across Arizona and New Mexico.
Weaving a culture: Navajo artists at Folklife Festival mix art, history
WASHINGTON - For some, a rug is something to step on and art is something to hang on the wall. For Diné weaver Kevin Aspaas, his creations are part of the culture. Aspaas was one of two Navajo artists sharing that culture at the Smithsonian Institution's annual Folklife Festival.
