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A view of construction crews in the distance along the border on Monument Hill in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

Tohono O’odham chair decries ongoing controlled blasts for border wall project

Feb 28, 2020 Chairman Ned Norris, Jr. testified during a U.S. House subcommittee hearing.
Tohono O’odham Chairman Ned Norris Jr. told a House subcommittee Wednesday, Feb. 26 the construction of a border wall on sacred sites was akin to building a wall in Arlington National Cemetery.

Hearing looks at border wall construction's impact on Native American sites

Feb 27, 2020 The chairman of the Tohono O'odham Nation compared it to building a wall at Arlington National Cemetery.
After decades of dependency on coal for jobs, the Navajo Nation is turning to renewables.

Navajo Nation wants to provide power To LA

Feb 19, 2020 The deal is the latest attempt to make up for the lack of coal revenue and develop renewable energy projects.
A construction worker works on installing 30-foot bollard fencing along Arizona's border with Mexico in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, February 2020.

Controlled blasts for border wall project draw criticism

Feb 14, 2020 Critics say they threaten cultural sites that belong to the Tohono O'odham Nation.
A view of the White House at night.

Federal budget proposes cuts to scholarships for Indigenous students

Feb 14, 2020 Trump administration has again proposed cutting scholarship funds within the Bureau of Indian Education.
Image from a Feb. 13 tweet by Tucson Sector Chief Patrol Agent Roy Villareal, described in the tweet as showing border wall construction near Organ Pipe National Monument.

Border officials: No cultural sites where border explosions are taking place

Feb 14, 2020 A Tucson Sector official said on Twitter the detonations are happening in areas disturbed by the last border fence project.
The Arizona Capitol Building. January 2017

Arizona House bill aims to protect Native American regalia at graduation

Feb 14, 2020 While the language of the bill currently applies to a the broader category of "cultural regalia," lawmakers plan to highlight federally recognized tribes.
Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis, center, said his tribe is working to solve funding problems, but the federal government has to do its share. He is with Muckleshoot Tribe Council Member Louie Ungaro, left, and Martina Hinds, president of the National Indian Education Association.

Tribal officials press for more, and more predictable, federal funding

Feb 13, 2020 Most who spoke to the appropriations subcommittee were thankful for federal help, but also forceful about federal shortcomings.
The National Congress of American Indians President said in the 18th annual State of Indian Nations address that Indian Country is strong, but still faces many challenges from the government.

NCAI president: Tribal sovereignty still threatened from ‘every corner’

Feb 11, 2020 Fawn Sharp said while the state of Indian nations is strong, policymakers and others threaten Indigenous self-governance.

Tohono O'odham Nation denounces border wall construction and blasting of cultural sites

Feb 11, 2020 The blasting project reportedly went through Monument Hill, an Indigenous burial site on ancestral Tohono O'odham land.
The New Beginnings Clinic on the Pascua Yaqui Tribe's reservation is the only medication-assisted treatment facility on tribal lands in Arizona as of February 2020.

Pascua Yaqui clinic working to treat opioid addiction, overcome stigma

Feb 6, 2020 The clinic is the state's only medication-assisted treatment facility on tribal land.
Arizona Public Media.

Window opens for tribes to seek licenses for internet access

Feb 4, 2020 Tribes had pushed to be first in line for the licenses that once were reserved for education institutions.
A bullrider at the Tohono O'odham Rodeo and Fair, Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018.

Visitors come from all over for Tohono O'odham Rodeo and Fair

Feb 3, 2020 In just a couple hours fair goers can sample music, food, traditional sports and classic rodeo events.
Navajo Code Talker Joe Vandever.

Navajo Code Talker dies at 96; less than a handful remain

Jan 31, 2020 Joe Vandever Sr. was one of the few remaining Navajo Code Talkers.
Arizona Public Media.

Presidential task force on missing Native Americans charts path

Jan 30, 2020 The group is tasked with finding ways to respond to what has been an epidemic in Indian Country.
For Hopi veteran Clifford Balenquah, the issue comes down to a lack of communication between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Native American veterans it serves. “Nobody consults us minorities, or people living in remote areas,” he says.

Native American veterans still struggling to get the health care they were promised

Jan 21, 2020 Some Native American vets seeking treatment face geographical barriers, confusing bureaucracy and lack of cultural understanding.

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