Latest from Sarah Oven
Fight over Oak Flat mine draws support of diverse religious groups
WASHINGTON - The Oak Flat copper mine battle has gone from an environmental to a religious fight, with groups ranging from the Sikh Coalition to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints backing a White Mountain Apache claim that the mine will destroy sacred lands.
Tribal officials outline infrastructure gap ‘big as the Grand Canyon’
WASHINGTON - Tribes face a digital divide "as big as the Grand Canyon" and a "not even quantifiable" lack of utility access, just two of the problems outlined at a House hearing Wednesday on infrastructure needs in Indian Country.
State school officials rebuff Ducey’s decision to lift mask mandate
WASHINGTON - Education officials rebuffed Gov. Doug Ducey's decision this week to lift the mask mandate for state schools, with many districts planning to ignore what they called an "irresponsible" decision in a state where COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
Superior mayor, tribal officials spar over bill to stop Oak Flat mine
WASHINGTON - Superior's mayor testified that the Pinal County town would suffer a "devastating" blow to its economy if Congress canceled a massive copper mine at Oak Flat - a move opponents say must be done to protect the environment and sacred sites there.
Tucson police chief, critic of Trump border policy, tapped to run CBP
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden nominated Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus to be head of Customs and Border Protection, an agency facing surging numbers of migrants.
Court backs asylum, says woman’s feminism would endanger her in Mexico
WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court Monday backed the asylum claim of an undocumented immigrant in Phoenix who said her feminist political beliefs would put her in danger if she was returned to Mexico.
Death, taxes and April 15? Maybe not. Tax filing dates shift in 2021
WASHINGTON - The IRS extended the tax-filing deadline to May 17 because of COVID-19, but the due date remained April 15 in Arizona - until Monday. Lawmakers approved an extension last week, the governor signed it Monday, just 10 days before the usual tax day.
Advocates call on Biden to ‘tear down this wall,’ repair border damage
WASHINGTON - Advocates called on President Joe Biden to "tear down this wall" Tuesday and fulfill his campaign promise of stopping the border wall construction that he put on hold in January.
Tribal leaders ask for more funding, less meddling for water projects
WASHINGTON - Arizona tribal officials told a Senate committee Wednesday that the federal government can help address a crisis with water infrastructure on their lands through more funding, and less meddling.
State to offer COVID-19 vaccine to those 16 and up starting this week
WASHINGTON - Arizona will begin offering COVID-19 vaccinations to state residents as young as 16, throwing open a process that for months has prioritized older and ailing residents and frontline workers.
Senate makes history with vote confirming Haaland as Interior secretary
WASHINGTON - The Senate Monday confirmed New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as the next Interior secretary, a historic vote that makes her the first Native American to head a Cabinet agency.
Sinema faces blowback for minimum wage vote; long-term damage unclear
WASHINGTON - Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said she still believes the Senate should take up a higher minimum wage, but that didn't keep critics from lighting into her after her Friday vote to keep the higher wage out of the latest pandemic relief package.
Supreme Court hears Arizona voting law case with national implications
WASHINGTON - Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich argued that voting laws overturned for reflecting the state's "long and unhappy history of official discrimination" are no more the "common-sense and commonplace" voting protections and should be restored.
Feds rescind OK for copper mine at Oak Flat, seek ‘thorough review’
WASHINGTON - The government Monday rescinded its approval for a proposed massive copper mine at Oak Flat, just days before it was to transfer thousands of acres of federal land for the project.
Critics grill Haaland; backers point to historic nature of nomination
WASHINGTON - Republican senators tried to pin down Rep. Deb Haaland at a hearing on her nomination for Interior secretary, pushing her on fossil fuels and job losses they said would come from President Joe Biden's proposed energy policies.
State of tribal nations ‘strong’ despite crises, but feds need to help
WASHINGTON - The state of Indian nations is strong, but the federal government still needs to "come to terms with the right of tribal Nations to chart their own course and their rightful place," a tribal leader said Monday.
Experts: New enrollment for Obamacare could be ‘really good’ for state
WASHINGTON - Health advocates welcomed Monday's reopening of enrollment for Affordable Care Act coverage for the next 90 days, saying the opportunity could be "really good for Arizona."
1 in 4 Arizonans still insist Trump won, as second impeachment begins
WASHINGTON - As the Senate began debate on a historic second impeachment of former President Donald Trump, a recent poll shows that over half of Arizona Republicans believe Trump was the rightful winner of the November election.
Biden holds up Arizona’s mass vaccination sites as a model for nation
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden called Arizona's around-the-clock COVID-19 vaccination site at State Farm Stadium a "model for the nation" Monday.
Apache make emotional appeal to court to halt proposed copper mine
WASHINGTON - Members of Apache Stronghold told a federal district judge, in sometimes tearful testimony Wednesday, that a proposed copper mine at Oak Flat would destroy a "holy place" for Native Americans and needs to be stopped.
Hobbs calls for expanded voting rights, blasts GOP election proposals
WASHINGTON - Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said the 2020 elections "challenged our democracy in ways we've never seen before" but that officials still delivered a safe, secure election with record-breaking turnout.
Advocates, lawmakers hail Biden pledge to respect tribal sovereignty
WASHINGTON - Native American policy experts and Arizona lawmakers welcomed President Joe Biden’s order calling for stronger relations with tribal governments.
Pascua Yaqui win water funds, first of $150 million for Arizona projects
WASHINGTON - Pascua Yaqui Council members called it "a blessing" - the $900,000 in federal funds for a project to deliver irrigation water to the tribe's lands. It's the first project under a $150 million fund that state lawmakers won.
Trump pardons former Rep. Rick Renzi for fraud, extortion convictions
WASHINGTON - In one of his last acts as president, Donald Trump pardoned two Arizonans, including former Rep. Rick Renzi, who was convicted of extortion, racketeering and other charges, and a one-time bank robber who supporters say turned his life around.
Distant but devoted, Biden supporters gear up for virtual inauguration
WASHINGTON - COVID-19 and heightened security have made the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden a largely virtual affair. But after a year of virtual conventions, virtual schooling. even virtual legislating, Arizonans are taking the distance inauguration in stride.
House votes on removing, possibly impeaching Trump after mob attacks
WASHINGTON - Arizona lawmakers split on party lines late Tuesday as the House took up a resolution urging Vice President Mike Pence to remove President Trump from office - or face the threat of a second impeachment.
