FBI investigates rehab scams targeting Indigenous community
PHOENIX - The FBI is investigating scams where fake rehab groups target the Indigenous community. Officials said organizers of these "pop-up facilities'' falsely offer addiction recovery, then file documents to rake in government money before disappearing.
Justices grapple over Navajo water rights, government’s duty to tribe
WASHINGTON - Supreme Court justices pressed government attorneys Monday on their argument that the treaties that put the Navajo on reservation lands implied an intent - but not a duty - for the government to provide water to the tribe.
Supreme Court hears Navajo water rights case with potentially big impact
WASHINGTON - When the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Monday in Arizona v. Navajo Nation, it will be considering fairly technical legal questions, but the answers could have a large impact on water allocation in the Colorado River basin.
Tohono O’odham leader says lack of infrastructure, capital hinders development
WASHINGTON - Economic development on the remote Tohono O'odham Nation is hobbled by everything from a lack of basic infrastructure to poor access to capital, a tribal leader told lawmakers at a House hearing Wednesday on development challenges in Indian Country,
Super Bowl brings more opportunity for Phoenix artists
PHOENIX — Super Bowl LVII has come and gone, but its impact on the local arts community remains in the form of a larger national profile it has given several Arizona artists.
Conservation groups, highway advocates square off on proposed Interstate 11
TUCSON — Four conservation groups have sued the Federal Highway Administration over a proposed corridor for Interstate 11, saying there hasn’t been enough consideration of how it would affect the pristine Sonoran Desert and animals in the area.
Native hoop dance coaches preserve history, tradition with new generation
PHOENIX – Indigenous intertribal hoop dance combines tradition and history with individuality and creativity. We tell the story of three dancers who are sharing their passion for the dance with the next generation.
Tribe seeks burial for mountain lion P-22 in LA park
LOS ANGELES - Indigenous communities view wildlife as relatives and honor their memory by welcoming them back to nature. Even a deceased mountain lion.
‘We were always sovereign’: Hia-Ced O’odham seek federal recognition as a tribe
PHOENIX – In Arizona, 22 federally recognized tribes inhabit nearly every region of the state, but the Hia-Ced O’odham community isn’t one of them. Some members are working to change that, and others believe it may be too difficult to achieve.
Statewide hotline to support mental health during and after pregnancy
TUCSON – A hotline expected to launch next spring seeks to help improve access to information and treatment options for perinatal mental health.
Arizona taking steps to combat maternal mortality, one doula at a time
TEMPE – A new doula advisory committee in Arizona is developing certification procedures for the nonmedical labor professionals. It will bring the state one step closer to increasing access to doulas – who, research shows, can help prevent pregnancy-associated deaths.
Tribal leaders welcome return of White House summit, administration pledges
WASHINGTON - For the first time in six years, leaders of federally recognized tribes from across the country gathered in Washington this week to meet with Biden administration officials in a gathering one Oklahoma leader called "extremely powerful."
