Podcasts about Ariz

The U.S. is celebrating 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, but some Native Americans in the Mount Rushmore state are turning their focus to a different anniversary, as South Dakota Searchlight's Meghan O'Brien reports. Ben Jones is South Dakota's state historian. He also chairs the state's America 250 commission. He wants it to be an inclusive celebration. “There was just a strong desire personally, and I think among all the members of the commission, that we include everybody and everybody who lives in South Dakota to be a part of this.” But as July 4 nears, Trina Lone Hill (Oglala Sioux) is not planning to celebrate. “For me personally, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is like a slap in the face.” Lone Hill is a former historic preservation officer for the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Now, she serves on its tribal council. The founding of the country meant lost land, language, and culture for Indigenous people. So Lone Hill's focus is on the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the week before Independence Day. The conflict on June 25, 1876, was a major victory for the Northern Cheyenne, Arapaho, Lakota, and Dakota people. It happened during the United States' encroachment on their land, after the discovery of gold in the Black Hills. Lakota people know the conflict as the Battle of the Greasy Grass. Representatives of several tribes are working with the National Park Service to commemorate the anniversary at the battlefield in Montana. Lone Hill will be one of more than a dozen speakers at the three-day event. U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) holds a press conference on Monday, June 1, 2026, in Tucson., Ariz. The Indian Health Service (IHS) is preparing to close one of its three locations in Arizona. The agency says this is part of a plan to modernize operations and improve health outcomes. As KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, state Democrats are raising alarm. More than 28,000 patients depend on the Tucson, Ariz. area office, especially members from the Tohono O'odham Nation and Pascua Yaqui Tribe. It mostly handles administrative work, but is expected to merge with the IHS Phoenix office. That location is already responsible for 180,000 patients in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. “Consolidating one to another, you're going to have a disruption of service. Any cut is going to cause a delay.” State Rep. Brian Garcia (Pascua Yaqui/D-AZ) is concerned. So too is State Sen. Sally Ann Gonzales (Pascua Yaqui/D-AZ), who also chairs the Indigenous Peoples Caucus. “I've never been to that clinic, but I know that some of our members do, and I used to represent Tohono O'odham and it's in their San Javier District, so it's disheartening to learn of its closure.” Arizona state Democrats sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy earlier this month, urging him to halt the looming closure. The agency did not comment on the letter. Mark Cruz testified Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee. The nominee to lead the IHS appeared before a U.S. Senate committee Wednesday. Mark Cruz (Klamath Tribes) answered questions from lawmakers on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee during his confirmation hearing to become the next IHS director. Cruz currently serves as senior advisor for Native Affairs at HHS. He told senators he would focus on strengthening tribal consultation, improving health care access, and addressing workforce shortages across Indian Country if confirmed. His nomination now moves forward in the Senate confirmation process. IHS provides care to about 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Thursday, June 25, 2026 — First Nations challenge Alberta's separation drive

Auto retailers are gaining momentum on the heels of increased sales and finance volume even as the industry navigates continued affordability headwinds.  Carvana last week opened its first test-drive center in Dallas after acquiring seven Stellantis dealerships to expand into new-car sales.  The Tempe, Ariz.-based retailer sells new and used vehicles online and reported a 40% year-over-year increase in retail sales in the first quarter to 187,393 units.  Retailer CarMax also reported a 3.3% YoY uptick in combined retail and wholesale used-vehicle sales in Q1, while CarMax Auto Finance's originations rose 5.5% YoY to $2.4 billion.  From an affordability perspective, interest rates on new- and used-vehicle loans declined by mid-June. The national average interest rate on a 60-month loan for a new car decreased 97 basis points YoY to 6.74% as of June 15, according to Curinos.  With lower rates and longer-term loans, consumers are opting to refinance their auto loans for lower monthly payments.  Lenders also are adding more longer-term loans into asset-backed securitization deals as 72-plus-month terms gain traction. At the same time, auto financiers are keeping a close eye on funding costs and loan performance.  Meanwhile, powersports companies have been active with capital funding ventures this month. Octane sold a $340 million portfolio of powersports and outdoor power equipment loans to Bayview Asset Management, while California-based electric RV startup Evotrex raised $30 million in series A financing.  In this episode of “Weekly Wrap,” Auto Finance News Editor Amanda Harris, Senior Associate Editor Aidan Bush and Associate Editor C.J. Moore discuss top trends across sales, affordability, funding and powersports.  

Photo: The international boundary between Mexico and the Tohono O'odham Nation in June 2026. (Gabriel Pietrorazio) An Arizona tribe along the Southern border has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has details. The Tohono O'odham Nation has submitted an injunction to halt the Trump administration from looking to build a wall along its 62-mile boundary with Mexico. According to the complaint, the administration plans to solicit contracts for construction on sovereign lands – without the tribe's consent. Tohono O'odham Chairman Verlon Jose in a social media message. “We would prefer not to file this lawsuit, and instead use these resources for our people. And it is our hope DHS will reconsider their plans once they see the strength of our arguments, however, at this point we have been left with no other choice.” Carla Johnson is Tohono O'odham Vice Chairwoman. “The wall is a wasteful political gimmick. It will separate our families, desecrate our sacred sites and waters and harm our natural environment, while doing nothing to actually make us safer.” In response to the legal filings, DHS cites Mullin's Cherokee citizenship and commitment to tribal sovereignty, telling KJZZ the agency “values its relationship with the Tohono O'odham Nation and remains focused on open communication and minimizing impacts.” Sheep graze in the Coppermine Community near Page, Ariz. (Courtesy Loren Thomas) A Navajo Nation community near Page voted Sunday to oppose a controversial copper mine proposal, as KNAU's Chris Clements reports. The Coppermine Chapter voted 45-12 to adopt a resolution opposing Essential Minerals' exploration of a possible copper mine. The resolution also rescinded a policy put forward by the chapter back in 2005 that supported exploration of a separate copper mine. The resolution adopted on Sunday says back in 2005, the company looking into mining failed to fulfill its commitments. It adds that no mining company – like Essential Minerals – can use the 2005 policy to justify exploring a copper mine now. Tribal members say they are worried a copper mine would cause health and environmental issues in the community. Representatives of Essential Minerals previously told KNAU they want to build trust about the project, which they say is just being explored right now. Community members enjoy a meal at the 2026 Return of the Salmon Celebration at Riverview Park in Bethel on June 13, 2026. (Photo: MaryCait Dolan / KYUK) The day after the season's first drift gillnet fishing opener, salmon remained top of mind for fishers of the Kuskokwim River, as KYUK's Samantha Watson reports. At Riverview Park in Bethel, Alaska, community members gathered and filled plates of dried whitefish and grilled, fresh-caught fillets of king salmon. The second annual Return of the Salmon event was put on by Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition, a grassroots organization opposing the proposed Donlin gold mine. Supporters of the mine point to the job prospects it would bring to locals in the region. Calista Corporation, the regional Native corporation who owns the subsurface rights to the proposed mine site, says that responsible development and subsistence can coexist. Others, like Mother Kuskokwim, say it is too risky. They argue that potential contamination from the mine could pose dire environmental impacts, namely for the region's salmon populations. The celebration is, at its core, an anti-Donlin demonstration, but it feels like a fish camp cookout. Organizer Gloria Simeon says on the Kuskokwim, salmon is a mechanism for something bigger. “Fish camp is not an activity. Fish camp is the time, the single most important time of families coming together with one purpose, and that’s to get prepared for the winter, catch our salmon, take care of it, to have it for the winter, and it’s not just only about that, it’s about sharing your genealogy, your oral traditions, our cultural values, who we are as a people, our history.” She talks about how it is sustained her family, and people like her granddaughter, Ashlynn Simeon, who is the Deputy Director of Mother Kuskokwim organization. She says the moments on display in a community event like this — children playing, babies having their first bites of fresh salmon of the season — that is what the Mother Kuskokwim advocates are trying to protect. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Thursday, June 18, 2026 — Native Bookshelf: ‘The Home of the Drowned’ by Elin Anna Labba

Carvana has lowered its interest rates as its profitability, sales and finance volume improve. The Tempe, Ariz.-based retailer in the past year has focused on expanding inventory to meet consumers' needs as car prices rise, improving customer experience and using AI to streamline transactions, Matt Dundas, vice president of finance, tells Auto Finance News during a special episode of “The Roadmap” podcast.  The efforts, he says, are in line with the retailer's goal to sell 3 million units per year in the next five to 10 years at a 13.5% adjusted EBITDA margin.  “On that profitability piece, we're relatively close to that midterm goal that we've set for that four-to nine-year horizon,” he says. “That's allowed us, as we continue to make fundamental gains across both finance and the rest of the business, to return some of that back to consumers to drive more value in the Carvana platform.” The retailer reduced interest rates by about 100 basis points in the fourth quarter, Chief Executive Ernie Garcia said on the company's earnings call in February. Rate cuts have contributed to improved financing penetration, Dundas said. “About four out of five customers historically have financed with Carvana,” he said. “We've seen that ratio start to improve over the last year as we get more competitive with our rates.” As of the first quarter, Carvana's originations totaled $4.3 billion, up 59.3% YoY . Sales climbed 40% YoY to 187,393 units in Q1. Carvana's portfolio also rose 38.5% YoY to $22.4 billion at yearend 2025, according to the latest Big Wheels ranking data. “As Carvana grows, we grow as the lending business,” Dundas says on the podcast. In this episode of “The Roadmap,” Auto Finance News Editor Amanda Harris and Dundas dive into the retailer's growth and innovation strategy in 2025 and the rest of 2026. 

One of the top pound for pound fighters in the sport is back and we're ready to discuss his title challenge and go over a bunch of fight news, as well on the newest "Big Fight Weekend Preview Podcast!"Host T.J. Rives and insider Dan Rafael of his Fight Freaks Unite Substack and newsletter are back with all of their insight and takes.First, a preview of the Saturday night's Matchroom DAZN main event at Glendale, Ariz.Antonio Vargas vs. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, 12 rounds, for Vargas' WBA bantamweight title. Bam is looking for another world title in a 3rd division with sights set on Naoya "the Monster" Inoue. But, can he get back the talented champ Vargas, who is admittedly never been in with a fighter like Bam? The boys debate it all. Then, some newsInternational Boxing Hall of Fame inductions are on Sunday in Verona, NY, 12 person class in five categories led by modern men: Gennadiy Golovkin, Nigel Benn and Antonio Tarver. Dan has much more on the HOF and the weekend and those being honored. Next, Golden Boy Promottions and Oscar De La Hoya sent Zuffa Boxing and parent company TKO a "cease and desist letter" related to the making of the proposed Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn massive bout, because they have not been included in the talks for the Sept. 12 fight, And, they claim Garcia is contractually bound to DAZN and cant fight on Paramount+ or Netflix, where they may do the fight. Not a surprising mess, once again, for Zuffa.And, then, MVP Promotions announces that WBC/WBA women's junior middleweight titleholder Mikaela Mayer and WBO titlist Chantelle Cameron, two of the best and most well-known female boxers, will meet to unify their titles on Aug. 29 (ESPN+ in U.S., Sky Sports in U.K.) at bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham, England. A tremendous matchup on paper.Then, British promoter Boxxer has secured a deal with DAZN beginning August 8 at First Direct Bank Arena in Leeds, England with British and Commonwealth super middleweight champion Troy Williamson defending in a rematch with Callum Simpson.  Almost comically, iVB Boxing has canceled a July 11 event at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, where they bragged they would challenge the all-time attendance record 135,132 for Tony Zale-Billy Pryor, a free card in Milwaukee in 1941. NO SHOCK!!!! Dan has more.And, Floyd Mayweather, at 49, who is mired in deep financial problems, will go through with a boxing exhibition he announced in early March against retired Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis on June 27 at Telekom Center in Athens, Greece. The six-round exhibition will headline the “Battle of Legends” event on DAZN PPV, it was announced on Wednesday.Hear it all on the "Big Fight Weekend Preview Podcast" and make sure to follow/subscribe on Apple/Spreaker/Spotify, etc.!

One of the top pound for pound fighters in the sport is back and we're ready to discuss his title challenge and go over a bunch of fight news, as well on the newest "Big Fight Weekend Preview Podcast!"Host T.J. Rives and insider Dan Rafael of his Fight Freaks Unite Substack and newsletter are back with all of their insight and takes.First, a preview of the Saturday night's Matchroom DAZN main event at Glendale, Ariz.Antonio Vargas vs. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, 12 rounds, for Vargas' WBA bantamweight title. Bam is looking for another world title in a 3rd division with sights set on Naoya "the Monster" Inoue. But, can he get back the talented champ Vargas, who is admittedly never been in with a fighter like Bam? The boys debate it all. Then, some newsInternational Boxing Hall of Fame inductions are on Sunday in Verona, NY, 12 person class in five categories led by modern men: Gennadiy Golovkin, Nigel Benn and Antonio Tarver. Dan has much more on the HOF and the weekend and those being honored. Next, Golden Boy Promottions and Oscar De La Hoya sent Zuffa Boxing and parent company TKO a "cease and desist letter" related to the making of the proposed Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn massive bout, because they have not been included in the talks for the Sept. 12 fight, And, they claim Garcia is contractually bound to DAZN and cant fight on Paramount+ or Netflix, where they may do the fight. Not a surprising mess, once again, for Zuffa.And, then, MVP Promotions announces that WBC/WBA women's junior middleweight titleholder Mikaela Mayer and WBO titlist Chantelle Cameron, two of the best and most well-known female boxers, will meet to unify their titles on Aug. 29 (ESPN+ in U.S., Sky Sports in U.K.) at bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham, England. A tremendous matchup on paper.Then, British promoter Boxxer has secured a deal with DAZN beginning August 8 at First Direct Bank Arena in Leeds, England with British and Commonwealth super middleweight champion Troy Williamson defending in a rematch with Callum Simpson.  Almost comically, iVB Boxing has canceled a July 11 event at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, where they bragged they would challenge the all-time attendance record 135,132 for Tony Zale-Billy Pryor, a free card in Milwaukee in 1941. NO SHOCK!!!! Dan has more.And, Floyd Mayweather, at 49, who is mired in deep financial problems, will go through with a boxing exhibition he announced in early March against retired Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis on June 27 at Telekom Center in Athens, Greece. The six-round exhibition will headline the “Battle of Legends” event on DAZN PPV, it was announced on Wednesday.Hear it all on the "Big Fight Weekend Preview Podcast" and make sure to follow/subscribe on Apple/Spreaker/Spotify, etc.!

The University of Washington’s WWAMI medical school program just received a new $25 million endowment for scholarships and rural education support, as Alaska Public Media's Rachel Cassandra reports. The program gets its name from the five states it serves – Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho – and educates emerging physicians in those rural states. Dr. Nick Phelps, WWAMI's assistant dean at the University of Alaska Anchorage, says the gift will go to scholarships for 30 eligible students across the five-state class. “For the students who are accepted to receive this scholarship, it covers half of their tuition.” Phelps says those eligible to apply for the scholarships are students in two specific programs: one, a rural track, and the other, a tribal and traditional medicine track. Medical school tuition – and the debt students take on to pay it – can run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Phelps says the scholarships change the financial equation. “Primary care practices and primary care physicians… are the bedrock of medicine, for lack of a better term. They’re also some of the lowest paid specialties for students to go into, so for somebody who really is strongly interested in family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, some of those other primary care specialties, they have to do a bit of an internal calculus.” Many medical students choose specialties that pay better, which has helped create a shortage of primary care practitioners, both in Alaska and across the U.S. Phelps notes that the U.S. Department of Education will soon start limiting student loan amounts that Americans can take out for higher education, including medical school. Philanthropists William and Carolyn Franke and their family gave the WWAMI program the $25 million endowment to create the Franke Medical Student Scholars Program. Phelps says he hopes that the resulting scholarships encourage more Alaska students to focus on medicine that serves rural, remote and Indigenous Alaskans. The cliffs of Black Mesa on the Navajo Nation on September 1, 2023. (Photo: Chris Clements / KNAU) An energy company is asking for preliminary approval from the feds to look into building a hydropower project on the Navajo Nation. KNAU's Chris Clements has more. The company Nature and People First is asking for a preliminary permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to investigate building a pumped storage project near Chilchinbeto, Ariz. It would include two reservoirs holding a total of 20,000 acre-feet of water. Pumped storage projects generate energy by letting water flow downhill and then pumping it back up. Nature and People First tried to get federal approval for three pumped storage projects in 2021, but the Navajo Nation and the feds later said no. Critics cited concerns about overuse of aquifers and damage to the environment of nearby Black Mesa, which is considered sacred by the Navajo and Hopi tribes. If it is granted, the permit would not allow the company to disturb any land or give them permission to enter private property. Grand Exit at Celebration 2026. (Courtesy Sealaska Heritage Institute) Thousands of Alaska Natives and visitors gathered in Juneau, Alaska last week for Celebration 2026, one of the largest Indigenous cultural events in the state. The four-day gathering, organized by Sealaska Heritage Institute, brought together Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian dancers, artists, and culture bearers from across Southeast Alaska, Canada, and beyond. The event featured traditional song and dance performances, Native art, language activities, and cultural workshops. This year’s theme was “Enduring Strength”. Celebration began more than 40 years ago as a way to preserve Native cultures and pass traditional knowledge to younger generations. Organizers say the event continues to showcase the survival and persistence of Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian traditions while strengthening connections among Indigenous communities throughout the region. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Monday, June 8, 2026 — Confronting division with Pride

First up,  Joveo, the programmatic recruitment marketing platform, launched AI Talent Campaigns, an AI-powered talent sourcing and engagement solution designed to simplify how recruiters create and manage candidate outreach. With Joveo's AI Talent Campaigns, recruiters simply describe the ideal candidates for a role and the specific goals of the recruitment campaign, and Joveo's AI agents automatically generate the messaging, outreach plan, targeting, and follow-up sequences.  https://hrtechfeed.com/joveo-introduces-ai-talent-campaigns/ CHANDLER, Ariz. — Vensure Employer Solutions, a leading provider of HR/HCM technology, managed services, and global business process outsourcing, announced the launch of Communication Hub, a unified, AI-powered workforce communication platform that enables businesses to deliver informed, connected, and engaged employee communications across every channel from a single system. https://hrtechfeed.com/vensure-employer-solutions-launches-ai-powered-employee-communication-platform/  Workday DevCon — Workday, Inc. (NASDAQ: WDAY), the enterprise AI platform for HR, finance, and IT, today unveiled new agentic capabilities in Workday Build, its platform for developers to build custom AI apps and agents that run on Workday. The new capabilities include Developer Agent, which lets developers build AI apps and agents in plain language from the agentic tools they already use; Agent-Ready Tools, which provide controlled guardrails for agents to access HR and finance data over Model Context Protocol (MCP); and Agent Passport, which gives agents digital stamps from trusted security and compliance vendors to verify they are safe to deploy.  https://hrtechfeed.com/workday-launches-new-tools-for-developers-to-build-connect-and-verify-ai-agents/ ZipRecruiter® (NYSE: ZIP), a leading online employment marketplace, today added automated candidate outreach to its Resume Database. The new feature, called Smart Outreach, uses AI to turn a job description into a personalized message series sent to candidates. With a click, hiring teams can start conversations with candidates without manual follow-up or time wasted. https://hrtechfeed.com/ziprecruiter-launches-new-recruiter-outreach-automation/ Bullhorn, the global leader in software for the staffing and recruitment industry, announced a major expansion of Bullhorn Amplify at Engage Boston 2026, the company's flagship annual conference: Amplify Digital Workers, four new digital worker skills—Prospect, Verify, Audit and Transcribe—and Amplify Chat, a new conversational interface that lets users interact with their Bullhorn data using everyday language.  https://hrtechfeed.com/bullhorn-unveils-amplify-digital-workers-at-engage-2026/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Titan International, we pay a visit to Strip-Till Innovator Robert Boyle's farm in Coolidge, Ariz., for an up-close look at how he's transforming his soils with cover crops and diverse rotations. Plus, we poll no-tillers from around the U.S. to see how they're using different methods and equipment to seed cover crops.

Photo: Kim Etsitty aboard the 223-footlong research vessel, Nautilus, in 2024. (Ocean Exploration Trust) This summer, a Navajo high school teacher will sail the high seas on back-to-back research expeditions around the globe. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has details. Born in Chinle, Ariz., Kim Etsitty spends much of her year teaching science at Navajo Pine High School in New Mexico. That is, until summer recess, but Etsitty won't be taking a break this year. “I'll just be tired.” Because, starting in June, Etsitty will hop aboard the research vessel, Nautilus, with the nonprofit Ocean Exploration Trust. She will livestream her journey mapping the seafloor from Hawaii to Guam. Then in July, Etsitty is heading toward the Arctic with National Geographic where she will explore polar caps. Despite being at sea only a handful of times, Etsitty shares why the Diné have ties to it. “A lot of times we wear these jewelry, coral or abalone shell, and we don't really talk about where it came from, so I was able to like tie in a lot of stories about why Navajo people wear coral and this ancient ocean that once was here, but now it's dry land.” And she'll set foot on Navajoland again – before the new school year begins. Iḷisaġvik College's current campus on the northern side of Utqiaġvik, Alaska. (Photo: Ravenna Koenig / Alaska's Energy Desk) A tribal college on the North Slope bought a piece of land last month to build a new campus. College officials announced the purchase last week. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. Iḷisaġvik College has been planning a new campus for nearly ten years. This month, the officials announced a land purchase to build it on. Justina Wilhelm is the college's president. She says the campus will sit on a 15-acre site in Utqiaġvik, Alaska near the hospital. “So this has been a long standing vision for the college, and … I'm very very excited that we have this prime location that will be a central gathering place for our people.” Illisagvik is Alaska's only tribal college. It offers hands-on educational programs in such areas as Iñupiaq studies, allied health, construction and education. And it serves about a thousand students, in person in Utqiagvik, and remotely on the North Slope and across the state. Right now, those programs are housed in buildings that were never meant to be a college. Wilhelm says the main building is a 70-year-old naval base two and a half miles out of town. Overall, the programs are spread out between 13 different facilities. “So we’re very excited to have this new campus to be under one roof, to all be together.” Last month, the college bought a piece of land for the new campus from Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation, the Alaska Native Village Corporation for Utqiaġvik. Wilhelm says the next step is completing environmental assessments and updating the design approved in 2018. The construction will start with administrative offices, family housing and workforce development garages. Down the road, the plan is to have more housing and a big wellness gym, she says. Wilhelm says the new campus is designed to include open spaces that inspire conversations and collaboration. One vision is a glass wall between the main entrance and cafeteria, overlooking the construction trades and community outreach classrooms. Wilhelm said the idea is that students at lunch can also observe some of the cultural and workforce programs available at the college. “As a tribal college with our language values and traditions, it’s so vital that we’re here to provide the spaces and provide the classes to allow for our traditions to carry on. … I’m very excited that when people come there, they’re going to want to be a part of there. I hope they don’t want to leave.” College officials did not share the exact timeline for the construction. They said work is ongoing to secure funding for the next steps. The college also recently opened a new campus in St. Paul, Alaska. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Wednesday, May 27, 2026 — Oil drilling vs cultural preservation at Chaco Canyon

Photo courtesy Heard Museum / Facebook The Heard Museum in Phoenix, Ariz. remembered Indigenous servicemembers, who made the ultimate sacrifice, during a Memorial Day observance. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. On this hot Monday morning, Kiowa-Comanche singer Kenneth Cozad Sr. chants a series of honor songs. Each melody is meant to pay tribute to the fallen as the Oklahoma native beats upon a drum made from rawhide. One of his patriotic tunes is called “Star and Stripes”. It is inspired by World War II Kiowa Code Talker Leonard “Red Wolf” Cozad Sr. “My grandpa, he had a thought came to him about this flag here that our folks fought for this red, white, and blue, he said.” For Cozad, he's thankful to share his music. “Because we don't just be singing songs, just to be singing them, there's always has to be a purpose.” Visitors of the exhibition, “Arctic Marine Science: Sikuliaq to Shore”, can learn about various science instruments used by Sikuliaq research crews to study the environment. (Photo: James Daggett / Alaska Public Media) A new exhibit at an Alaska museum takes visitors inside an Arctic research vessel. Since opening last week, it has given guests a chance to glimpse at what it is like to study the Arctic marine ecosystem – and how Indigenous communities shape that research. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. Rachel Boesenberg is associate curator at the Anchorage Museum. She is walking under a tall crane, with deep blue all around her. “So you enter here through the stern of the vessel.” Boesenberg is giving a tour of the new exhibition called Arctic Marine Science: Sikuliaq to Shore, which brings the audience aboard a replica of the research vessel Sikuliaq. Visitors make their way onto the bridge. Here, the captain’s chair faces a ceiling-high projector screen with a vast ocean that changes from stormy swells to chunks of pancake ice. “We’re looking off the bow of Sikuliaq, which visitors at this point have walked through.” Sikuliaq is operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and owned by the National Science Foundation. Each year, dozens of scientists board the vessel to study the Arctic. Brendan Smith is the communications director at the North Pacific Research Board. He dreamed up the idea for the exhibition. “I said to myself, what if we bring the Sikuliaq … into the museum? How do we give people an experience that makes them feel like they’re out at sea?” The result is an immersive experience, focused on how the ship is used to study the environment, and the people who bring that knowledge to life. And there is a station with Arctic soundscapes. “That’s a bowhead whale.” Boesenberg says these are the sounds that scientists gather using hydrophones they deploy from the real vessel. Harmony Jade Sugaq Wayner is an Indigenous scholar from Naknek in Southwest Alaska. She consulted on the exhibition and suggested curators include what Arctic research means for Alaska Native people. “We see a lot of big graphs about climate change and the extent of sea ice and those big global processes, but we don’t see the joy of living our culture in coastal Alaska and river Alaska.” The exhibition runs through April 2027. Whitewater rafting on the Gallatin River in Montana in 2023. (Photo: Watts / Flickr) People working in Montana's outdoor industry are reporting emotional impacts tied to climate change. According to reporting from Glacier Raft Company and environmental advocates, river guides are increasingly experiencing ecological grief as changing waterways affect their work and livelihoods. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Tuesday, May 26, 2026 – Border wall construction causes sacred site destruction

Send us a text and chime in!This week, Catholic Charities' North Star Youth Partnership held an awards ceremony to honor 15 area students who received a total of more than ,000 in Grant McKee and Robert Caldwell Service & Leadership Scholarships. In addition, a local community member was honored with the annual Youth Advocate of the Year Award. Prescott, Ariz. (May 8, 2026): Catholic Charities' North Star Youth Partnership has awarded 15 Prescott-area students with Grant McKee and Robert Caldwell Service & Leadership Scholarships. One student from Bagdad High School, three students from Prescott High School, and 11 students from Tri-City College Prep have been granted...   For the written story, read here >> https://www.signalsaz.com/articles/scholarships-awarded-to-prescott-area-students/ Check out the CAST11.com Website at: https://CAST11.com Follow the CAST11 Podcast Network on Facebook at: https://Facebook.com/CAST11AZFollow Cast11 Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/cast11_podcast_network

Send us a text and chime in!The 2026 Triple Crown season is in full swing with the Preakness Stakes (May 16th) and the Belmont Stakes (June 6th) coming next. But here's a different kind of horse story, one that's not about the finish line, but about the healing journey. While Derby contenders race for a crown, 23 horses and 3 mini horses at The Meadows help patients run a different kind of race, the race for mental wellness, resilience, and self-discovery. At The Meadows, a nationally recognized treatment center in Wickenburg, Ariz., horses there are more than majestic animals. They're co-therapists. Through equine-assisted therapy, people struggling...   For the written story, read here >> https://www.signalsaz.com/articles/horses-help-patients-heal-at-the-meadows/ Check out the CAST11.com Website at: https://CAST11.com Follow the CAST11 Podcast Network on Facebook at: https://Facebook.com/CAST11AZFollow Cast11 Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/cast11_podcast_network

Bill Jones and Cody Winstead reveal their list of compelling additions in the NFC West. From a rookie QB to a first-time OC, the JFF guys discuss the most impactful new pieces on the Seahawks, Rams, 49ers and Cardinals.

By Warren Cole Smith Megachurches are not going away, of course. But data in recent years suggest their growth and numbers are leveling out, and possibly even declining. In 1970, the United States had less than 20 protestant megachurches, churches with more than 2,000 in weekly attendance. Today, that number is close to 2,000, a 100-fold increase. However, this number has been mostly unchanged for the past 10 years. In other words, after a period of explosive growth from 1970 to about 2010, the growth in the number of megachurches, and the number of people who attend them, seems to have stagnated. Outreach Magazine publishes an annual list of the fastest growing churches in America, and the largest churches in America. I recently compared the most recent list to the list from 2006 — 20 years ago. My analysis was not comprehensive, but it was fascinating. For example, the largest church on the 2006 list was Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, pastored by Joel Osteen. In 2006 and 2026, the attendance listed was 45,000. No growth whatsoever over a 20-year period. The No. 2 church on the 2006 list was Florida's Without Walls International Church, led by Randy White, the former husband of Prosperity Gospel preacher and Trump advisor Paula White. Without Walls had 23,900 attendees in 2006. Today, that church is not on the list. It sold its facility in 2011 following the divorce of Randy and Paula White, not to mention other public scandals. Today, the church still exists, but attendance figures are hard to come by. Attendance is likely in the hundreds or — at most —low thousands. Not the tens of thousands of its heyday. The No. 3 church on the 2006 church is the Second Baptist Church of Houston, which listed attendance of 22,266 in 2006 and still has attendance of 19,564 today. That is a slight decline over the past two decades, but Second Baptist is still a substantial church and a force in the Houston area. Rounding out the Top Five on the 2006 list are New Birth Missionary Baptist Church (22,000) and Willow Creek Church (21,500). Both churches have been wracked by scandal and are now much smaller today than then. In short, not one of the Top Five churches of 2006 grew in the intervening decades, and three of the five had very public scandals that precipitated dramatic declines.  I do not want to overstate my case. As William Bennett famously said, “The plural of anecdote is not data.” I am sharing anecdotes, not data — or at least, not all the data. I will be the first to admit that. And I can think of a couple of good counterarguments to my thesis that the Age of the Megachurch is over. First, while these churches have declined, others have emerged, and some of them are very large indeed. For example, Life.Church of Edmond, Okla., led by Craig Groeschel, now claims 85,000 attendees. That makes it the largest church in the nation. Church of the Highlands of Birmingham, Ala., is led by Chris Hodges. That church claims 60,000 attendees. And Christ's Church of the Valley in Peoria, Ariz., is both the No. 3 church on this year's list and it remains one of the fastest growing churches in the country, with 54,142 in weekly attendance. However, it is worth noting that all three of these churches are multi-site churches. Life.Church has more than 45 physical locations. Church of the Highlands has at least 27 locations. Christ's Church of the Valley has more than 18 physical locations. The multisite phenomenon was rare in 2006 and nonexistent in 1970. It is obvious that if these multisite churches were not aggregating numbers from dozens of sites, their numbers would be much less eye-popping. The growth in multi-site churches, and the anemic growth in the number of megachurches also make obvious that American infatuation with megachurches seems to be in decline. Ryan Burge, my “go to guy” when it comes to church data, notes that the median size of a church in America is about 70 people. Put plainly, the nation's megachurches attract about five to seven million people each week. But non-megachurches attract 10 times that many — 50 to 70 million people. In other words, the megachurch is not now, nor has it ever been, representative of the church experience in the United States. Megachurches feel dominant because they receive media attention, and they can invest in radio, television, and other mass media. But that is an illusion.  Will these trends continue? The answer to that question is, likely, “yes.” First, lots of church leaders, even those in the church growth movement, are growing tired of the megachurch and multisite model. Here at MinistryWatch, we have written about Watermark Church, which abandoned its multisite model in 2021. Most of those sites became independent churches, and they are now thriving. Some of these independent churches have themselves planted churches. Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., is someone who has never embraced either the megachurch or the multisite model. His church has intentionally stayed relatively small, less than 1,000 in weekly attendance, and it has been equally intentional about planting churches in the D.C. area. So far, CHBC has helped plant or revitalize more than a dozen churches in the surrounding area. Secondly, it is important to note that the megachurch is at least as much a cultural phenomenon as it is a spiritual phenomenon. Megachurches are the brainchild of Baby Boomers and the post-World War II industrialization of America and the world. That is why I often refer to the “Evangelical Industrial Complex” to describe what has happened to religious life since the 1970s. The industrial model, with its features of scale and mass production, has proven damaging to the mission of the church, and it has lost its appeal to subsequent generations, who value community and relationships. We can now see that evangelicalism's industrial model is good at empire building, but not as good at kingdom building. So, to return to the question that started this conversation: Is the Age of the Megachurch over? The answer to that question may be that it really never was. The sturm und drang of the megachurch movement has turned out to be just what Goethe's famous expression suggests: overwrought, full of passion, but fleeting. Megachurches will not disappear, but after a half-century of observation, we can say that the legacy of the megachurch is mixed, and includes scandal, spiritual deconstruction, and cynicism. In short, becoming a megachurch is no longer the goal to which even church growth advocates aspire. Many faithful Christians are discovering the wisdom found along the Old Paths, and they can say with conviction E.F Schumacher might admire: “small is beautiful.” The producer for today's program is Jeff McIntosh. I'm your host Warren Smith. Until next time, may God bless you.

Evolutionists have been selling you a lie — and they rewrote the rules of science to pull it off. Today Dr. Gabriela Haynes exposes exactly how secular scientists invented the "feathered dinosaur" narrative, quietly changed the definitions of "feather," "dinosauria," and "theropod", and even glued bones together to prop up their views. Papers and Research: A New Theropod Dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Montana Osteology of Deinonychus antirrhopus A New Speciman of the Lower Cretaceous Theropod Dinosaur Deinonychus Antirrhopus Image of Tombstone epitaph (Tombstone, Ariz.) Submit your question to our scientists:

Questions are being raised about how the Anchorage Police Department responded to a missing Alaska Native college student from the Bering Sea community of Shaktoolik. After almost four months, the remains of Kelly Hunt were found in a wooded area in the city, as KNBA's Rhonda McBride reports. Although the search for Kelly Hunt ended in a ravine where she was found last week, the quest for answers goes on. The 19 year old's remains were discovered not far from the home she had been staying in, where she stopped to visit on her way to attend college in Soldotna. She was last seen on the morning of January 7. Her family reported her missing four days later. Advocates for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) have questioned the police's response. “When a young Alaska Native woman is reporting missing, it is too late, and now we are looking at human remains.” Michael Livingston (Unangax̂), a retired Anchorage police officer and MMIP advocate, says Hunt's case reflects a pattern he has seen too often. He says several red flags in Hunt's disappearance should have prompted a more aggressive investigation. He says she had left her purse behind, with money inside, as well as clothing, signs she did not plan to be gone for very long. “Was there anymore, that anybody could have done, to try to have located her, early on in the game, to see whether or not any video surveillance cameras or people in the neighborhood might have seen anything suspicious?” Livingston says he would like to see an investigation into the police's response. Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case says he would be happy to discuss the department's handling of the case with advocates, but for now, the ability of police to talk about the investigation is very limited. “The problem is that can really cause challenges if it does become a criminal investigation later on.” Case says one of difficulties police faced was the four-day gap between the time that Hunt went missing and when her disappearance was reported. Case says he doesn't blame anyone for the delay. The difficulties were understandable under the circumstances. “But as soon as we found out that she was missing, we took the report, and detectives took over that case and treated that case as a critical or a high-risk case, that there was definitely concern over.” Case says investigators continue to process evidence in the case as they wait for the Chief Medical Examiner to determine the exact cause of Kelly Hunt's death. So far, no arrests have been made. A tribute to slain teen Emily Pike adorns a fence in Mesa, Ariz. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ) Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) signed a bipartisan bill into law this month, mandating that the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) make attempts to enter cooperative agreements with each of the state's 22 federally recognized tribes. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has more on the measure meant to improve child welfare. The statute requires DCS to identify a liaison for each tribe, who is then responsible for providing technical assistance and coordinating communication. The agency will also share best practices, policies, training materials, and operational standards. Murdered San Carlos Apache teen Emily Pike was in the care of DCS when she went missing from a Mesa group home for the last time in early 2025. Her tribe has yet to enter an agreement with DCS, but is in talks. To date, only four tribes have established such Memoranda of Understanding. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Tuesday, April 28, 2026 – Oklahoma tribes work to keep Medicaid access intact as federal cuts loom

Anchorage, Alaska police have identified the person found deceased last week in the Spenard area of the city as 19-year-old Kelly Hunt from the Alaska Native community of Shaktoolik. Police say Hunt was discovered outdoors on April 20 near the 3500 block of Lois Drive. Next of kin have been notified. According to investigators, Hunt had arrived in Anchorage on January 6 and was staying at a residence on Oregon Drive. She left that home the following morning, January 7. Four days later, on January 11, Hunt was reported missing to Anchorage Police. Detectives were assigned to investigate her disappearance. More than three months later, officers responded to a call just before 9 a.m. on April 20, where Hunt's body was found outside. Members of the crowd at the 2026 ASAA 1A/2A Basketball State Championships in March hold signs with a photo of Kelly Hunt printed on them. (Photo: Waatsasdiyei Apayakuk Yates) The Anchorage Police Department says the death remains under investigation. The State Medical Examiner will determine the official cause of death. No arrests have been made at this time. In a statement, Police Chief Sean Case acknowledged the impact of the loss. Police are asking anyone with information related to the case to come forward as the investigation continues. 2026 U.S. Indigenous Data Sovereignty & Governance Summit. (Courtesy Indigenous Data Alliance / Instagram) With the rise of AI, Indigenous people around the world are growing more concerned about data sovereignty. The Mountain West News Bureau's Hanna Merzbach has more on a recent conference on the topic in Tucson, Ariz. One attendee was Burt Dillabaugh, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe, who works for an organization focused on Indigenous data sovereignty. He says at the last conference in 2024, people were still trying to understand the concept. Now, as AI scrapes data from the internet including traditional knowledge, they are ready to take action. “Since AI is here to stay, now is the time to be planning for it before it’s too late.” The mission is to protect Indigenous data – everything from genetics to language – from being exploited. “It's some outside entity,  whether it be the federal government or a university or some corporation, wanting … to get data from tribes.” He says tribes can protect their data with policies that govern access. Or by creating systems to store it within Indigenous nations. The Indigenous data sovereignty movement is gaining steam with the growth of AI. Indigenous members from across the world recently gathered in Tucson, Arizona to discuss how to keep control of their data. That includes Burt Dillabaugh, who is with an organization trying to do just that. He says attendees at the recent event were more familiar with the movement. “It was less like introducing this new concept to people and more like, We know what’s going on. Here’s some ideas, let’s get down to work, do something.” Ideas include having tribal nations create policies to govern data access and prevent exploitation. Dillabaugh says this often happens when the federal government or universities want to collect genetic data about tribes. He wants tribes to have more of a say about how that data is used. Two community members in Galena, Alaska stand on the shore of the Yukon River, which no longer feeds their families. (Courtesy Arctic Yukon Kuskokwim Tribal Consortium) Three tribal organizations from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta have launched a new resource page for their ongoing salmon advocacy partnership. The Association of Village Council Presidents, the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, and the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish commission launched a partnership called the Arctic Yukon Kuskokwim Tribal Consortium (AYKTC) in 2002. A press release from the organization says the goal is to protect the ways of life associated with salmon, by focusing on policy and advocacy rooted in science and Indigenous knowledge. The tribal organizations have shown public support for a state Board of Fisheries proposal that would reduce salmon fishing time in Area M, and have advocated for bycatch caps and migratory corridor closures in the Bering Sea pollock trawl fishery. Its new website salmonpeople.org serves as a center for testimonials and resources for salmon advocacy. It features a collection of news stories and accounts documenting the impact of Western Alaska salmon crashes on the lives of the people who live in the region. It also aims to be a landing page where people can learn about current fisheries policies and engage in advocacy. This story was provided by KYUK's Samantha Watson Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Monday, April 27, 2026 – Wide disparities persist when encountering ancestors' remains

The rise of violence against Jews around the world has made armed security guards a common sight at synagogues. Rabbi Andy Green of Congregation Or Tzion in Scottsdale, Ariz., reflects.And, a recent analysis has found a sharp spike in anti-Muslim content online after the United States and Israel started a war with Iran. Bigotry and misinformation about Muslims has been promoted by senior Trump administration officials and members of Congress. Imam Omar Suleiman, Islamic scholar and president of Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research in Texas, talks about fighting back against Islamophobia.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Book: Ready to Listen?: A spiritual self-help memoir Website(s): http://www.llsanders.com Twitter: https://facebook.com/lls4sanders Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lls_sanders/ TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@lls4sanders What if the voice you've been taughtto silence is the one telling you the truth? In Ready to Listen?: A Spiritual Self-Help Memoir, author and advocate for intuitive living Leslie Lee Sanders shares her journeyfrom feeling invisible and dismissed to embracing the guidance from theUniverse — a path shaped by signs, synchronicity and a deep inner knowing shecould no longer ignore. Please refer to the press release below for additional information, and let me know if you would like a copy of Ready to Listen? for interview and/or review purposes. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ready to Listen?: A Spiritual Self-Help Memoir Explores the Power of Symbols,Synchronicity and Self-Trust MESA, Ariz., April 10, 2026 — As a child, Leslie Lee Sanders learned the rulesearly: Stay quiet. Don't interrupt. Don't talk back. And as an adult Blackwoman in America,she felt equally silenced, underestimated and dismissed. But beneath thosefeelings of powerlessness, a quiet presence — a knowing — was always speaking. It was a voice she could no longer explainaway. After years of struggle and self-doubt, Sanders learned to recognize thespiritual guidance all around her — the signs, symbols, synchronicities,visionary dreams and angelic visitations — and found her way from poverty andtrauma to success as a prolific author. Eventually,she felt called by spirit to write her latest book, Ready to Listen?: ASpiritual Self-Help Memoir. “The Universe is always speaking, always nudging, always offering signs,”Sanders writes. “When you learn to recognize them, interpret them, and alignyour efforts with their direction, you can manifest anything your heartdesires.” In Ready to Listen?, Sanders shares her deeply personal journey of learning totrust her inner guidance while shedding the masks shaped by societal pressureto reclaim her authentic self. “This is not glossy manifestation,” Sanders said. “It's not spiritual cliché. It's the hard, honest work of waking up after years of shrinking.” Blending memoir, psychology and spiritual insight, Sanders explores: • How burnout can be a message, not a failure • Why silencing yourself is often mistaken for maturity • The difference between fear's noise and intuition's quiet persistence • What it means to reclaim your voice in a world that rewards your silence Through her story, Sanders invites readers, especially women who've spent yearsperforming strength, to stop overriding their own inner truth, dust off theirdreams and reconnect with their power. “I hope readers feel less alone in questioning their power to create change andmore confident in themselves, their abilities and their intuition,” she added.“If someone finishes the book feeling empowered, braver, inspired and excitedabout their future, then it has done its work.” Ready to Listen?: A Spiritual Self-Help Memoir ISBN-13: 979-8993513201 Available from: https://www.amazon.com/Ready-Listen-spiritual-self-help-memoir/dp/B0G5TJP2GK and other online retailers TIP SHEET The press release above may be published in part or entirety by any print,broadcast or internet/digital media outlet, or used by any means of socialmedia sharing. Reviews, photos, links to previous interviews and Q&As are available uponrequest. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Leslie Lee Sanders resides in Arizonawith her husband, three daughters and a wild beast she calls her imagination. She launched her writingcareer in 2005, publishing more than 30 books across multiple genres. Writingas L.L. Sanders, she crafts psychological thrillers and horror, while her worksunder Leslie Lee Sanders explore diverse romance and dystopian fiction, oftenblending genres in unexpected ways.

Photo: An aerial view of the Santa Rita Mountains near Tucson, Ariz. during an EcoFlight trip in April 2026. (Gabriel Pietrorazio) Today is Earth Day and earlier this month, the Colorado nonprofit EcoFlight came to Arizona as part of its annual aerial educational program — Flight Across America. A cohort of college students soared through the skies for an environmental tour of endangered landscapes across the West. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio took flight with them and has this report. On the Tucson International Airport tarmac, a fleet of three Cessna 210s taxi for takeoff. Manufacturers ceased production of this 6-seater model four decades ago, but these very planes have lately been the college students' main mode of transportation. Their four-day adventure across the Grand Canyon State kicked-off in Flagstaff. “And I am in awe of just what the world looks like from a bird's eye view.” Back on the ground, 23-year-old Kimmale Anderson reflects on her ride. She is from the Hopi village of Kykotsmovi and a senior majoring in environmental science at Fort Lewis College in Colorado. Anderson and seven more students met tribes along the way. While here in Tucson, Tohono O'odham Vice Chairwoman Carla Johnson joined her and the rest. “These leaders coming and being with us in these planes and giving their perspective is very powerful. And I think that they don't really speak for all of their people. And I appreciate the fact that they always express that.” An aerial view of solar panels near Tucson during an EcoFlight tour in April 2026. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ) Arizona State University data science junior Sophia Honahni is Diné-Hopi and from Tuba City. “They had a lot to share – coming from both a western science and a traditional ecological knowledge perspective.” Eager high schoolers were the first to learn about the land from above through Flight Across America – until the nonprofit EcoFlight shifted its attention to career-bound college students who could make the most meaningful change in areas of conservation. This opportunity can, in part, be credited to one of the nation's most popular folk singers — John Denver. This passion for piloting and astronomy only grew when he moved to spend much of his life in this snowy Colorado city. Aspen is also where Bruce Gordon founded EcoFlight. “My good friend John Denver, you're old enough to know who he is? (laughter)” Gordon was one of the pilots that ferried students around Arizona. “But I laughed like that, because, even a number of the students we just had – maybe a third of them raised their hands.” Flight Across America was their brainchild for Earth Day 2000. “This idea sort of came to a huge fizzle when he passed away.” In 1997, the eight-time platinum album recording artist crashed an experimental plane into California's Monterey Bay. Gordon dedicated the maiden Flight Across America voyage in 2004 to Denver's memory. About 180 students have taken to the skies of the West since then. It is something Gordon thinks would have inspired Denver, too. “Yeah, he would have really been excited about this – getting up in the air, getting the people involved – because that was one of his main loves for sure.” Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Wednesday, April 22, 2026 — Earth Day read: “Mother Earth is Our Elder” by Katłı̨̀ą Catherine Lafferty

Episode 415: For generations, people across North America have reported seeing enormous birds, describing wingspans that seem impossible and encounters they struggle to explain. Long before those reports were written, the Thunderbird was already known in many Indigenous cultures, where it is understood as a powerful and sacred being associated with thunder, lightning, and the forces that shape the natural world. For some, it is symbolic. For others, it is real. These are living traditions that deserve care and respect. Sources: The Thunderbird Indigenous SymbolThunderbird (mythology) | WikipediaJun 13, 1927, page 24 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com™Aug 06, 1933, page 45 - The Sunday Oregonian at Newspapers.com™Aug 20, 1933, page 3 - The Ogden Standard-Examiner at Newspapers.com™Tombstone epitaph (Tombstone, Ariz.), April 26, 1890 | Library of CongressLegend or Lie? The Tombstone Thunderbird | kgun9.comr/Cryptozoology | What about Thunderbird?r/Cryptozoology | Thunderbird sighting?Thunderbird — A Canadian Legend | Mysteries of CanadaThunderbird Stories from the Canadian Shield | Mysteries of CanadaLarge-bodied birds are over-represented in unstructured citizen science data - Scientific ReportsThunderbird | CryptidWikiWhy Giant Bird Sightings Still Appear TodayPROOF of the Tombstone Thunderbird - Forgotten History Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Photo: A voter fills in a ballot during Bethel’s municipal election on October 1, 2024. (MaryCait Dolan / KYUK) The Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) is speaking out against a proposed federal voting bill it says could create new barriers for Alaska Native voters. In a press release issued April 6, AFN urged Congress to reject the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which is currently being debated in the U.S. Senate. AFN represents more than 190 tribes, along with Native corporations and nonprofits across Alaska. Leaders say the bill would require voters to present documentary proof of citizenship — such as a passport or birth certificate — in person at a designated election office in order to register for federal elections. For many Alaska Native communities, especially in rural areas, that could mean traveling long distances, often by plane, at significant cost. In the statement, AFN says, “The SAVE Act… would disenfranchise eligible voters and recreate the very barriers our communities have fought for decades to dismantle.” The organization also raised concerns about how the bill would treat Tribal identification, noting that many IDs do not include citizenship status and could require voters to obtain additional documentation. AFN says that process could take weeks and may be difficult or impossible for some community members. The group argues the legislation is unnecessary, calling it “a solution in search of a problem” and pointing out that noncitizen voting is already illegal and rare. AFN says the bill could also restrict systems widely used in Alaska, including mail-in and online voter registration. As the debate continues in Washington, tribal leaders are calling on Congress to focus instead on improving access to voting, particularly in rural communities. A federal judge has rejected a plea agreement in the case of missing Navajo elder Ella Mae Begay. Begay, a 62-year-old member of the Navajo Nation, was last seen in 2021 at her home in Sweetwater, Ariz. and has not been found. According to the Associated Press, the judge denied a proposed deal for Preston Henry Tolth, who is accused of assaulting Begay before she disappeared. Prosecutors say the agreement would have allowed Tolth to avoid additional prison time. Begay's family opposed the deal in court. Her niece, Seraphine Warren, told the judge, “Accountability is not time served… we still don't have the truth.” Advocates say the case highlights ongoing challenges in addressing missing and murdered Indigenous people across the country. Arizona drivers have lots of specialty license plates to choose from – 114 to be exact. As KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, the largest tribe in the Phoenix metro area is among the latest to be featured. Back in 2023, State Rep. Teresa Martinez (R-AZ) pitched letting the Gila River Indian Community design its own plate. “Lots of people will think, ‘Oh, this is just another license plate bill.' … It is a very big deal.” Because for each plate sold, $17 will be donated to the tribe's transportation committee for traffic and road improvements. Commuters regularly travel through their reservation just south of Phoenix. “Especially when the I-10 is down.” Martinez's proposal passed as part of a larger bill that included the neighboring Ak-Chin Indian Community and Pascua Yaqui Tribe. Gila River, in March, became the fifth of Arizona's 22 federally recognized tribes to print one. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Tuesday, April 14, 2026 — Native in the Spotlight: cartographer Margaret Wickens Pearce

Photo: U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks to Native American leaders gathered at Gila River Indian Community's Wild Horse Pass Casino on April 8, 2026. (Caitlin Sievers / Arizona Mirror) Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a stop in the Phoenix, Ariz. metro area to visit the Gila River Indian Community last week. As KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, Sec. Kennedy touted tribal health accomplishments a year into President Donald Trump's second term. Kennedy briefly took the stage at Wild Horse Pass during the annual Tribal Self-Governance Conference. “ We're going to make Indian Country healthy again. Thank you all very, very much.” In his speech, Kennedy talked about making progress on key issues like food sovereignty, chronic disease, and federal dietary guidelines. He, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) literally flipped the food pyramid upside down. Tackling staffing shortages and aging infrastructure throughout the entire Indian Health Service (IHS) was another topic. Yet, the now defunct Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) terminated a dozen leases for IHS facilities. This decision was seen as a costs-saving measure to shore up funds tied up in federal office space. And according to data from Stanford’s Big Local News, the U.S. cancelled 121 IHS contracts totaling over $8 million last year. The federal government is encouraging tribes to partner with data centers. That could mean leasing land or, as the Mountain West News Bureau's Hanna Merzbach reports, selling power. At a U.S. Department of Energy webinar, Ken Ahmann with Colusa Indian Energy said that is where the big bucks come in. “ Potentially billions of dollars into the coffers of tribes.” His company provides energy infrastructure to data centers on tribal land. He says these partnerships can be good for tribes that have land and resources to power big projects like the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. Paul Bemore is the chair of the tribe's utility board. “Tribes that are casino-dependent really need to look at other ways to build their economies, and I think data centers is one of those opportunities.” Though Bemore says people may be wary about how this will impact the environment. Other tribes have expressed concerns about data centers draining precious water supplies. The Native Youth Olympic (NYO) games begin this week in Anchorage. The games kick off Thursday at the Alaska Airlines Center, bringing together hundreds of student athletes from across the state. Now in its 54th year, NYO celebrates traditional Alaska Native games rooted in survival skills, strength, and endurance. Events include the one-foot high kick, seal hop, and wrist carry — all designed to test both physical ability and mental toughness. Ann Lawrence is from Point Hope, Alaska and a cultural advisor for Cook Inlet Tribal Council. She says watching the children reunite every year brings her joy. “I love watching the kids participate. You see the friendship has grown over the years. Some of them that have started out as freshman, are graduating from high school, and they're very involved, and it just warms my heart that these kids know that what they're doing here is something that they can share with their future relatives. Maybe as they become parents, grandparents, I think is so important.” The games run through Saturday and are free and open to the public. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Monday, April 13, 2026 — Tribes confront growing data center development pressure

Photo: A cross and mural honor slain teen Emily Pike along U.S. 70 Route near Peridot on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. (Gabriel Pietrorazio) The FBI announced earlier this month that it is, once again, putting extra agents in the field to address a backlog of cold cases on tribal lands. As KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, this effort is part of a years-long joint initiative with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Under Operation Not Forgotten, more law enforcement personnel will be filtering through nearly a dozen FBI field offices with close ties to Indian Country. Agents are being sent to cities like Phoenix, Ariz., Billings, Mont., Albuquerque, N.M., and Denver, Colo. Kevin Smith is with the FBI Phoenix Field Office. “A lot of our state is tribal territory. Right now, we're set for 14 agents.” The FBI is handling 4,100 active Indigenous criminal cases nationwide. Smith says Arizona's share is in the hundreds – including two high-profile ones for San Carlos Apache teen Emily Pike and 8-year-old Navajo Maleeka “Mollie” Boone. “Every case is unique, and every case takes the time that it takes.” The Alaska Supreme Court heard arguments last month on whether prisoners can be forcibly medicated with psychiatric drugs — without a court hearing and the right to a lawyer. In the state corrections system, Alaska Native people are incarcerated at about twice the rate of white Alaskans. Alaska Public Media's Rachel Cassandra has more. Prisoner Mark Andrews is housed at Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward, Alaska. (Photo: Anne Hillman / Alaska Public Media) The Alaska Supreme Court heard arguments this month on whether prisoners can be forcibly medicated with psychiatric drugs — without a court hearing and the right to a lawyer. In the state corrections system, Alaska Native people are incarcerated at about twice the rate of white Alaskans. Alaska Public Media's Rachel Cassandra has more. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) brought the case against the Department of Corrections (DOC) on behalf of a prisoner, Mark Andrews. He says he has been unjustly drugged with powerful psychotropic medication for most of the last seven years, without due process or access to legal counsel. The Department policy currently allows prisoners to be drugged against their will if they are gravely disabled or are in imminent risk for harming themselves or others. Doron Levine is a lawyer for the ACLU. He argued at the hearing that the policy infringes on rights protected by the state constitution. “Few things are more personal than someone’s body, and arguably, nothing is more personal than a person’s mind. It’s the locus of a person’s identity, and it’s a last refuge of freedom for people who are incarcerated.” Under department policy, prisoners have the right to hearings every six months with department staff. And they have the right to appeal the decision to a department committee. The ACLU argues that Andrews did not have sufficient access to hearings or an appeal. Justice Jennifer Henderson questioned Kimber Rogers, the attorney representing DOC. Justice Henderson says the facts seem to suggest that the prisoner was denied the rights promised in the department's policy. Justice Henderson: “How do you respond to that?” Kimber Rogers: “Your Honor, I agree that there were definitely some problems, and Mr. Andrews’ hearings, but I don’t think that that’s important.” Henderson: “There were more than some problems. There were long periods of time where there were no hearings, for example.” Rogers: “Well, Your Honor, I would dispute that actually.” The ACLU lawyer argued that there should be a hearing in a courtroom because DOC staff may be biased to protect the institution over the person, but Rogers says a hearing inside prison is the best approach. When the Supreme Court issues a ruling, the decision could apply to the approximately 22 Alaska prisoners who are being forcibly drugged. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Thursday, April 9, 2026 — Roller derby skaters don't let anyone push them around

The historic heat dome moving across the country smashed hundreds of high temperature records. Several places in Arizona and California reached 112 degrees — an unheard-of high in March. The Tohono O’odham Nation in southern Arizona issued an extreme heat warning after an official high temperature hit 108 degrees. The temporary weather phenomenon is slowly moving on, but not before drying out watersheds and melting snowpack that are critical sources of summer for people and agriculture. And climate experts say the abnormally hot start to the year is only the beginning. We’ll speak with researchers and others who are keeping track of climate trends for the year on what people can expect in the months ahead. GUESTS Roberta “Birdie” Wilcox-Cano (Diné), mayor of Winslow, Ariz. Mary “Cathy” Cathleen Wilson (Tohono O’odham), climate journalist and advocate Dr. Eugene Livar, Chief Heat Officer for Arizona Department of Health Services Alexander “Sasha” Gershunov, research meteorologist for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California San Diego Rob Fairbanks (Leech Lake Ojibwe), comedian aka The Rez Reporter Break 1 Music: To Keep the World We Know (song) Bruce Cockburn (artist) O Sun O Moon (album) Break 2 Music: Save the World (song) Tribz (artist) Trimmed (album)

The Chandler Museum in Arizona has a new exhibit called “Being Eddie Basha.” It is a retrospective of the hometown-turned-statewide grocer who died in 2013. And as KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, this 3,800 sq ft installation is all about unpacking the man behind the grocery king persona. Chandler Museum's storytelling coordinator, Sarah Biggerstaff, literally leaned on Basha's own words for one interactive display. “This is our telephone. There's about 20 clips, and they range from, like, 20 seconds to a minute. You can pick it up, give it a couple seconds, but then you hear him actually speaking. And at our opening, it was really moving.” “I would want my epithets to have to say, ‘Eddie Basha, he was a good man, but a bad boy.’ And that's how I want to be remembered.” An interactive telephone display inside the “Being Eddie Basha” exhibit at Chandler Museum. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ) Another one of his principles was putting people over profits. The great-grandson of Lebanese immigrants brought his family brand to tribal lands beginning in 1981 with the Diné Supermarket in Chinle. Basha even committed 25 cents of every dollar to the Navajo Nation. “And of course, the relationship with the Navajo became extremely powerful and fruitful and still exists today.” From Tuba City to Window Rock, stores kept popping up. More locations would follow on Apache land in Peridot and Whiteriver. The one-time gubernatorial candidate was also an avid collector of Western and American Indian art. Basha owned one of the world's largest private collections, most of which has since been donated to the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Ariz. Parker Kenick of Nome competing in the One Hand Reach at the Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. (Photo courtesy Carter Photography) Athletes, coaches, and spectators crowded Main Street in downtown Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada Saturday for the closing ceremonies of the Arctic Winter Games, also known as the Olympics of the North. And Team Alaska had a lot to celebrate. Among the six Arctic nations, it led the count for ulus, the medals shaped like the curved knife emblematic of Arctic life. Alaska had 227 ulus, followed by Team Yukon with 174 and Alberta North with 127. As KNBA's Rhonda McBride tells us, Parker Kenick of Nome took home three gold ulus and many lessons about life. Although Parker Kenick started learning traditional Alaska Native games when he was eight, he did not take part in the Arctic Winter Games until later in life. This year he competed in the adult category and won gold ulus in the Two Foot High Kick, the Alaskan High Kick, and the One Hand Reach. Kenick says he is grateful for the community support that made it possible for him to travel to the games. “Our spirits get lifted here because there's so many people here that want to see us do our best, to our absolute limit.” Kenick competed in his first Arctic Winter Games in 2023 and says he was lucky to be mentored by some of the best Indigenous athletes in the world. Now he's returning the favor. One of his coaches, Candace Parker, says when Kenick first started out, he was very quiet and kept to himself. Today, he readily volunteers to coach the younger athletes. “I would say full circle moment for him to be out on the floor passing on the knowledge. May not have been technical but doing more encouraging.” Parker Kenick of Nome, center, enjoys mentoring younger students at the Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse. (Photo courtesy Carter Photography) Parker says young people can be self-absorbed, but the games teach them to think beyond themselves. She says it is an important exercise in humility, one that athletes like Kenick have embraced. Parker has been coaching since 1996, but this year she reached an important milestone – having three generations of her family compete in this year's Arctic Winter Games. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Monday, March 16, 2026 – What's in a (tribe's) name?

This week on Better Buildings for Humans, host Joe Menchefski steps into the world of hidden passageways, vault doors, and high-security safe rooms with Steve Humble, founder of Creative Home Engineering. What begins as a childhood fascination with spy movies evolves into a fascinating deep dive into camouflage, forced-entry protection, and the engineering behind secret doors that truly disappear.Steve shares how his background in mechanical engineering, robotics, and home automation led him to build thousands of custom security solutions for everyone from CEOs to royal clients. The conversation explores panic rooms, bullet-resistant materials, EMP protection, and the surprising vulnerabilities of traditional safes. But beyond the intrigue, this episode reveals a powerful design insight: great security isn't just about strength—it's about thoughtful integration, precision, and architectural harmony that protects what matters most.More About Steve HumbleSteve Humble grew up in cities around the world as the son of a pilot in the US air force. In 2003 he graduated with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Brigham Young University. Steve started his engineering career in aerospace at Honeywell's military turbine engines division and later at the Boeing aircraft company. He went on to design both home automation systems and robotic surgical lasers before starting his own security engineering firm at the age of only 26. He founded Creative Home Engineering in 2003 and has a 10,600 square foot facility based in Ariz. The company specializes in the design and fabrication of motorized hidden passageways and covert high-security vault doors. With more than 20 years of experience and 5,000 unique secret passageways under his belt, Steve's top-secret client list is a veritable who's-who of high-profile business executives, heads-of-state, celebrities, pro-athletes, and ordinary security-minded home owners all around the globe. He also started the Hidden Door Store, a more affordable option for the person that likes to DIY.  To learn more, hiddenpassageway.com or hiddendoorstore.com.Contact:https://www.facebook.com/CreativeHomeEngineeringhttps://www.instagram.com/hidden_passageway/ Where To Find Us:https://bbfhpod.advancedglazings.com/www.advancedglazings.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/better-buildings-for-humans-podcastwww.linkedin.com/in/advanced-glazings-ltd-848b4625https://twitter.com/bbfhpodhttps://twitter.com/Solera_Daylighthttps://www.instagram.com/bbfhpod/https://www.instagram.com/advancedglazingsltdhttps://www.facebook.com/AdvancedGlazingsltd

ON TODAYS PROGRAM… FIRST PROBLEM…THE F1 TV COVERAGE IS STINKO! LOOKS LIKE MERCEDES IS GOING TO GET AWAY WITH IT AGAIN! FERRARI LOOK FAST BUT THE BAD DECISIONS CONTINUE AND ASTON MARTIN LOOK TO BE IN TROUBLE FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON! THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER... WE HAVE A CANADIAN BONANZA! TEDDY YIP JR., DANIEL MORRAD AND ROBERT WICKENS! George Russell... That wasn't a straightforward afternoon, but this win feels very sweet! Congratulations to the whole team; they've done an incredible job and this victory is for them. We had a difficult and chaotic start and from there, were yo-yoing with the overtakes between Charles and me. I could have perhaps used my energy more smartly to defend when I first overtook him and that cost me when he passed me back. It was quite stressful from in the car but hopefully meant we put on a good show for the fans. We stopped quite early on when the Virtual Safety Car was deployed and knew we were going to have to manage our tyres from there. We were not clear on whether the one or the two-stop was going to be quickest or which one was the right decision to help us take victory. The strategy team made a great call though and I am really happy we could take the victory and the 1-2. It's a perfect way to start the season and we will enjoy this moment, but it is still very early days in the championship, and we know our rivals will be trying to close the gap quickly. It wasn't easy for us so let's see how we perform in China next week. Kimi Antonelli What an afternoon and what a weekend! It has not been easy on my side of the garage here in Melbourne, but we've come away from here with a great result. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone at Lauda Drive and Morgan Drive; they've produced a really strong car and a platform for us to build on. This 1-2 is for them and due to all the hard work and effort they've put in over several years. Coming to the grid, I had a lower battery level so the start was very stressful! We obviously made a slow launch but from there our recovery was good and our pace was strong. That enabled us to fight our way back to the Ferraris and ultimately, after we went through the pitstops, to take a 1-2 for the team. There is a lot we've learned about our car and how to operate within these new regulations this weekend. Whilst we were the strongest team in Melbourne, we are going to have to work really hard to stay ahead. I'm now looking forward to China and seeing what we can do in Shanghai. MAX... “The first laps were pretty hectic and we just needed to stay out of trouble. I had some issues at the start with the battery so as soon as the clutch was dropped, I had no power so that is something we need to understand. We then got quite cleanly through the field, did some decent overtakes and learned a bit about what we could do. We settled into our own race but unfortunately had a little too much degradation; the tyre behaviour was surprising as we had a lot of graining on the Hard compound, which of course compromised our stints and meant that we couldn't really fight for more. So, this is something that we need to go back and understand a bit more. We also tried everything at the end to overtake again and gain a position but when we got close my tyres opened up. Overall the Team still did a great job: it was a decent comeback from P20 and we will work as a Team to close the gap further.” ISACK... "Today was frustrating. I was confident that we could challenge for the podium so this result is a shame. I felt really strong off the line but unfortunately the issue we had came up straight away. The reliability we had throughout the weekend was good, but of course, the race is different and I could feel that there was a problem quite early on. The car was making a funny sound and I knew that we weren't going to make it to the end. It's frustrating, but these things can happen and we're so early on in our journey. We quickly go onto China with a short turnaround but I'm confident that we're going to learn from this.”    Newgarden Hunts Down Victory, Takes Series Lead at Phoenix   AVONDALE, Ariz. (Saturday, March 7, 2026) – It took Josef Newgarden 17 races last year to earn his only victory of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. That winning box already is checked this year, two races in. SEE: Race Results Two-time series champion Newgarden earned his first victory of the season and 33rd of his illustrious career by closing down and passing leader Kyle Kirkwood with seven laps remaining to win the Good Ranchers 250 on Saturday at Phoenix Raceway. Newgarden, who started second, drove away to a 1.7937-second victory in the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet over the No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com of Andretti Global driver Kirkwood. “I'm very surprised,” Newgarden said. “In the middle of the race, I don't know that I was fully believing that we had the capability to win. We just kept working through it, and I'm like, ‘Look, if we get another opportunity, we're going to be aggressive, we're going to be on the offense.' “We took tires, and the thing was like a rocket ship when it needed to be, right at the end of the race. Hats off to the whole crew. I'm pumped.” NTT P1 Award winner David Malukas finished third in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet as Roger Penske's legendary team celebrated its 60th anniversary season with two podium positions. Pato O'Ward finished fourth in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, with Marcus Armstrong rounding out the top five in the No. 66 ROOT Insurance Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian. INDYCAR's first race in Phoenix since 2018 – Newgarden and Team Penske also won that event – featured plenty of action throughout the field, as there were 565 on-track passes, an INDYCAR record at the 1-mile desert oval. But a combination of tire strategy and deft maneuvering in traffic delivered the victory to Newgarden, who also won the season-ending race last August at Nashville Superspeedway to avoid a winless 2025. Kirkwood made his last stop on Lap 192 and was running fourth behind teammate Will Power, Christian Rasmussen and O'Ward on Lap 207. Power and Rasmussen were engaged in a ferocious duel for the lead, with the left front wing end plate of Rasmussen's No. 21 ECR Splenda Stevia Chevrolet making contact with the right rear tire of Power's No. 26 TWG AI Honda exiting Turn 2. That impact cut Power's tire, triggering the final caution period of the race and ending his chances of an improbable victory after starting last in the 25-car field. Rasmussen's car also was damaged. During that final caution period, Newgarden and a handful of other drivers near the front entered pit lane for fresh Firestone Firehawk tires, as tire grip was a far bigger strategic factor in this race than fuel management. Rasmussen, Kirkwood, Malukas and Armstrong were among the drivers who decided to stay on track, opting for track position over traction. Rasmussen led at the final restart of the 250-lap race on Lap 218, but his damaged car ended up being no match for Kirkwood, who drove past Rasmussen for the lead on Lap 242. Rasmussen faded in the last eight laps with car damage and worn tires, placing a bitterly disappointed 14th after thrilling the large crowd with many daring passes to get to the front five times for 69 laps. “We were the class of the field today – best car out there,” Rasmussen said. “It's so frustrating because we should have won the race today.” Kirkwood led Newgarden by six-tenths of a second when he took the lead, but Newgarden's tire advantage was obvious within less than a lap. Newgarden gnawed into Kirkwood's lead and drove under Kirkwood in Turn 4 for the lead for good just two laps later, on Lap 244. “We thought about it, but we were talking about it, and the pits opened,” Kirkwood said about the possibility of pitting during the late caution. “(Staying out) was the right thing to do at the time.” As a bonus in this young season, Newgarden became the first driver other than four-time series champion Alex Palou to lead the standings since June 2024. Two-time Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Newgarden leads Kirkwood, 78-73, after two races as he tries to win the series crown for the first time since 2019. “Do we really have the lead?” Newgarden said. “Two races in, so I wouldn't read too much into it. But momentum is a big deal. It's very difficult to understand how things work. Sometimes things go against us, sometimes they go for us. It was just great execution by the team.” Palou placed 24th, completing just 21 laps in No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, after side-by-side contact with the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet of Rinus VeeKay led to a trip into the SAFER Barrier. It was Palou's worst finish since he placed 25th last June in Detroit after contact eliminated him from that street race.

How do planetary systems form? If you wanted to observe them, where would you look and what would you look for? To find out, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu welcome Luke Keller, professor of Astronomy and Physics at Ithaca College, who together with his team has identified 9 of these early solar systems. As always, though, we start off with the day's joyfully cool cosmic thing: a recently published paper that determined that at any given time, it is likely that a couple of extrasolar objects like 3I/ATLAS and Oumuamua would be present in our solar system. The real issue is detecting them. For context, Luke, whose science has focused over the years on finding debris from solar systems, explains how protoplanetary discs can eject matter that ends up orbiting that star. He's especially fond of cosmic dust, “the catalyst for the formation of planets and asteroids and comets…” Then it's time for a question for Luke from the audience, from Elisa: “I heard that the James Webb Space Telescope sees infrared light. How does that work? Does that mean it couldn't see the Sun?” Luke breaks down the various wavelengths of light and our Sun. He also explains how the JWST works and why it never looks at the sun. It turns out that Luke has built a variety of astronomical instruments including imaging and spectroscopic tools with for large observatories. He's also used information from instruments like JWST in his studies of the formation of stars and solar systems. Luke explains how his teams search for preplanetary solar systems, what they're looking for, and where they're currently looking: associations of stars in the direction of the constellations Taurus, Scorpius and Chamaeleon. All told so far Luke and his team have identified 9 of these early solar systems. He then breaks down the current thinking on how planetary systems form from clouds of dust. He explains some of the processes that involves, along with the types of planets that may form. For our next audience question, Joan asks, “What do you think is the most interesting constellation?” Luke picks two: first, Ursa Major, aka “The Big Dipper,” because he grew up in Alaska and saw it all the time – along with “auroras all the time.” The second constellation he picks is Orion, aka “The Hunter,” because it contains some of the closest star forming regions of our galaxy. Luke unpacks the difference between “watching the sky” and “observing the sky” – and why he encourages the latter to both his students and the general public. And before the episode is over, we get to hear about Luke's live show, Spacetime, where he collaborates with poet David Gonzalez and guitarist Álvaro Domene in a stage performance that's equal parts astrophysics, poetry, and music. If you'd like to know more about Luke's show, Spacetime, check it out at https://spacetimeshow.org/. We hope you enjoy this episode of The LIUniverse, and, if you do, please support us on Patreon. Credits for Images Used in this Episode: Image of a young sun-like star encircled by its planet-forming disk of gas and dust. – Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech edited by Invader Xan. Artist's impression of the interstellar interloper 1I/ʻOumuamua making a visit to our solar system. – Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Olmsted and F. Summers (STScI). Spectral distribution of sunlight. – Credit: Creative Commons / Rhwentworth. The Taurus-Auriga association, also known as the Taurus-Auriga molecular clouds, is a stellar association located around 140 parsecs (420 ly) from Earth in the constellation of Taurus. It is the nearest large star formation region to Earth. – Credit: ESA/Herschel/NASA/JPL-Caltech; acknowledgement: R. Hurt (JPL-Caltech) The constellation Taurus as seen by the naked eye. The constellation lines have been added for clarity. – Credit: Creative Commons/ Till Credner - Own work, A Visual Guide to the Constellations. Artist's impression of a young star surrounded by a protoplanetary disk in which planets are forming. – Credit: European Southern Observatory. Illustration comparing the sizes of various exoplanets with Earth, Mercury and the Moon. – Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The constellation Ursa Major as it can be seen by the unaided eye.– Credit: Creative Commons / Till Credner - Own work: AlltheSky.com. Composite image comparing infrared and visible views of the famous Orion nebula and its surrounding cloud, an industrious star-making region located near the hunter constellation's sword. The picture at left was taken with the Infrared Array Camera on board NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and the picture at right is from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, headquartered in Tucson, Ariz. – Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Toledo/NOAO. Image showing Betelgeuse (top left) and the dense nebulae of the Orion molecular cloud complex. – Credit: Creative Commons / Rogelio Bernal Andreo

A select few Native American artists choose to express their cultural and creative passions in miniature. An exhibition starting this month at the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures celebrates those artists who make distinctive pottery, baskets, and carvings on a decidedly downsized scale. The top Indigenous beaders, potters, painters, and weavers are headed to the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Ariz. for that institution's 68th annual Indian Art Fair and Market. The Heard welcomes more than 600 artists from all over the world for what has become one of the must-go events for both artists and collectors. We'll hear from organizers and artists from both of these events. GUESTS Marcus Monenerkit (Comanche descendant), director of community engagement at the Heard Museum Barbara Teller Ornelas (Diné), master Navajo weaver Aydrian Day (Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi, Dakota and Lakota and an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation), artist Sydney Pursel (Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska), curator at the Spencer Museum of Art and an advisory group member for the “Native Arts in Miniature” exhibition Amy McKune, curator and senior manager of collections at the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures Break 1 Music: Crossroad Blues (song) Lakota John (artist) Lakota John and Kin (album) Break 2 Music: Digital Winter (song) Ya Tseen (artist) Stand On My Shoulders (album)

A state task force in Alaska released recommendations last month for making psychedelic therapy available, if treatments are approved at the federal level. Alaska Public Media's Rachel Cassandra has the story. The Alaska state legislature established a task force in 2024 to examine psychedelic therapies, which hold a lot of promise but are still considered experimental. Jennie Armstrong is a former state representative who was on the task force. She says the group tackled questions like how to make therapy accessible and how to offer safe and culturally competent care. “The whole point of the task force was to bring up these types of questions so we’re not scratching our heads when this becomes medicalized and scrambling and being reactive, but we’re actually being proactive.” The task force did not take a stance on whether psychedelic therapies are good or bad, but recommends Alaska incorporate them as they are legalized nationally. None of the task force's recommendations are binding, but Armstrong says they are meant to guide legislators on the types of laws the state would need to offer access. Armstrong says the task force recommends incorporating a training program for therapists and healthcare providers who want to guide therapy. “Everyone needs to go through this type of training, because just being a doctor doesn’t make you qualified to facilitate this type of care.” And she says the aim is to make training accessible so a diversity of people can become certified. She says that would ensure people getting treated are a good fit with the person who guides them. Armstrong says Alaskans could benefit a lot from psychedelic therapies if they are legalized. That is because the state has such high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, and other mental illnesses. Psychedelic therapies are being studied to treat those disorders and Armstrong says some of the research is promising. “There are so many folks who, through these trials, went from being suicidal and having treatment resistant depression, unable to work, unable to function, to being in remission within months.” She says that can change how people and communities can thrive. There is a new career pathway for tribal students looking at wildland firefighting jobs. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has more on the partnership between the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Highschoolers across six BIE-run schools are participating, including Northwest High School in Shiprock, Ariz. on the Navajo Nation. Carmelia Becenti (Diné) is chief academic officer for BIE. She credits President Donald Trump's executive order on “expanding educational freedom”. “This just happened to occur organically.” They are also pitching the curriculum to colleges. Garth Fisher is with the BIA Division of Wildland Fire Management. “We are trying to somewhat steer them towards being stewards of our lands. That doesn't always happen.” Fisher says they are teaching coursework about leadership, fire suppression, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) readiness. Once done, students put their training to the test during a field day. “They get to put the gear on, how it feels. They get to look like a firefighter.” That equipment is expensive, says Becenti, which is why the BIE is buying it now. “And that way, year after year, as we recruit more students at these schools and across the bureau, you know, we have this {#[Personal Protective Equipment] PPE that we can use over and over and over.” Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Monday, March 2, 2026 — Native crews help solve the growing marine trash problem

Canadian energy firm Enbridge will reimburse a northern Wisconsin county for the cost of policing protests expected with construction of the company's Line 5 reroute. As Danielle Kaeding reports, the Ashland County board approved the deal Tuesday. The Wisconsin Counties Association negotiated an agreement where Enbridge will reimburse local governments for public safety costs tied to the Line 5 project in northern Wisconsin. Funds will be deposited into an escrow account managed by the association. Some residents worried the deal would turn local authorities into a private security force. Bad River tribal member Edith Leoso warned against signing the agreement to get reimbursed by Enbridge. “They will feed you what you want to hear, and then they will take everything from this area and leave you to pick up the pieces.” An Enbridge spokesperson said the company volunteered to fund the account. Enbridge also said it received a final US Army Corps permit that the company says will allow construction to move forward, but state approvals for the project are being challenged in court. Enbridge previously paid millions for public safety costs tied to protests of its Line 3 replacement project in Minnesota. ZenniHome founder Bob Worsley shares his excitement about opening up his facility in 2024 atop the former Navajo Generating Station near Page, Ariz. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ) A civil lawsuit filed in Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona alleges a factory on the Navajo Nation was “squandering millions on improper and mysterious expenditures” before suddenly shutting down in July. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. The Albuquerque, N.M.-based firm Indigenous Design Studio + Architecture (IDSA) alleges that Mesa subcontractor ZenniHome breached its $50 million deal to build 160 modular homes. “There's a whole lot of money that got dumped into Zenni and obviously only to produce 18 homes, it's a mystery how that occurred.” Attorney Jay Curtis says IDSA is looking to repair the reputation of its founder, Tamarah Begay, in addition to recouping roughly $22 million from the American Rescue Plan Act for the Navajo Nation. ZenniHome CEO Bob Worsley says there will not be a refund of any amount. “No, the money is gone … It's not sitting in somebody's account somewhere, so the company has been liquidated. There's no more assets. It's just almost theater when we spent every dime they gave us, and about $4 million more than that – out of my pocket – so yeah, that's not going to happen.” Worsley also faces a separate federal class action lawsuit after laying off more than 200 employees last year. Rex Lee Jim, Vice President of the Navajo Nation prepares notes prior to a media call in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Radio Studio in Washington, D. C., Monday, March. 3, 2015. (Photo: Bob Nichols / USDA) Former Navajo Nation Vice President Rex Lee Jim is being remembered for his advocacy for Navajo people, including in education and culture, and as an international diplomat. Jim served as vice president from 2011 to 2015 with Navajo President Ben Shelly. He also served on the Navajo council, was a poet, playwright, author, and traditional medicine man. The Navajo Nation Council said Jim passed away on Tuesday and recognized his dedication to Navajo people, cultural preservation, and global Indigenous advocacy. JoAnn Chase (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara), former executive director of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), is being remembered for strengthening NCAI's national presence and advocating for Native rights. Chase served as executive director from 1994 to 2001. In a statement Tuesday, NCAI said of Chase's passing that her leadership help the organization become stronger and more visible, working with tribal leaders, Congress, and others. She later worked in philanthropy, policy, and arts, including most recently serving as vice chair of the board for the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Wednesday, February 25, 2026 — The Menu: Commod Bods, a standout frybread stand, and Afro-Indigenous mutual aid in Minneapolis

Photo: The entrance to the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site in Ganado, Ariz., on the Navajo Nation. (Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ) The Interior Department is reviewing signs posted at more than a dozen national parks and monuments as part of President Donald Trump's agenda to “restore truth and sanity to American history”. As KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, one figure featured at the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site on the Navajo Nation is now in the crosshairs. To Navajos, Ganado Mucho (Many Cattle) is like a folk hero. He went on the “Long Walk”, marching hundreds of miles to be held at a New Mexico fort until he and other leaders signed an 1868 treaty. “And he wasn't defeated in the easy binary of stories that are winners and losers, but peacemaker doesn't mean you're not a resistor.” University of Oklahoma professor Farina King (Diné) says Mucho's legend may be at odds with how the U.S. wants to remember its past on the heels of the nation's 250th anniversary. “The thorn in the side is a disruption to the celebratory stories of Manifest Destiny, conquering the West, taming it and subjecting, you know, Indigenous peoples as if they're just a part of a wild landscape.” Three Navajo men, Tiene-su-se, left, Ganado Mucho, and Mariano in 1874. (Courtesy National Anthropological Archives / Smithsonian Institution) Once freed, Mucho then met fellow trader John Lorenzo Hubbell and kept making peace in the Southwest, settling disputes – often between Mormon ranchers and Navajos. In 1878, Hubbell set up his iconic trading post – still open to this day – and would rename that area. Hence Ganado, Ariz. Health care officials say a new Level IV EMS trauma facility opened by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska will mean faster and more efficient care for residents who need emergency medical attention. Mark Moran has more. Winnebago Comprehensive Healthcare Services completed a $15 million emergency department in December, which then received a Level IV trauma center designation from the Nebraska Department of Public Health. Marketing Specialist Halle Murray says the new facility is a dramatic upgrade over calling 911. “Maybe the response time for Winnebago is longer if you try to call 911. So, here we actually have our own emergency line. It’s just a quicker response time, whether that’s needing help with something, or a ride to the hospital in an ambulance.” It took six years for Winnebago’s emergency department to earn the trauma center designation, which included rigorous training for the medical professionals and other staff who work there. In additional to advanced training and updated treatment protocols, the site itself was subject to a series of inspections and reviews prior to its Level IV designation. Murray says the trauma center fills a big need. “There’s always people who need help here on the reservation. Again, just getting to them quicker and helping them out the best that we can, and helping them get the care that they deserve, and I would say it’s a huge need in the Winnebago community right now.” Nebraska has one Level I trauma center, located in Omaha. A bill in the New Mexico Legislature that would have allowed state driver's licenses and identifications to include Native American designations failed as the session closed last week, New Mexico In Depth reports. The bill would have allowed applicants to request a mark to appear on their license or ID as Native American. Supports say it is in response to federal immigration actions taking place across the country, as Native Americans have been among those confronted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and having the designation would be another layer of identification. A handful of tribes in the state reportedly supported the bill. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode

Ski area leaders juggle two demanding roles: developing people and delivering projects. This session with the Class of 2025-26 Summit Series cohort dives into how mentors strike that balance — keeping teams motivated while hitting deadlines, shaping culture while driving results, and navigating the constant pull between personalities and priorities.  Mentors: John Melcher, CEO, Crystal Mountain, Mich. Jean Mikulas, President and GM, Red Lodge Mountain, Mont. Lori Phillips, GM, Ski Big Bear, Pa. Hugh Reynolds, Partner and CMO, SNOW Partners, N.J. Ryan Schramm, GM, Powderhorn Mountain Resort, Colo. Mentees:  Chris Adams, VP of Mountain Experience, Boyne Mountain Resort, Mich.  Beck Badger, Lead Marketing Coordinator, Gunstock Mountain Resort, N.H Drew Brewer, Director of Mountain Experience, Alyeska Resort, Alaska Sam Burns, Snowmaking Supervisor, Arizona Snowbowl, Ariz.  Julie Bush, Marketing Specialist, Wisp Resort, Md.  Teagan Knudson, Front Desk & Guest Services and Ski Patrol Manager, Snowriver Mountain Resort, Mich. Ryan Leclerc, Location Manager, Adult & Private Lesson Programs, Beaver Creek, Colo. Rebecca Repp, Director of Food & Beverage, Brundage Mountain Resort, Idaho Shayna Silverman, Communications Manager, Arapahoe Basin, Colo. Gabriel Sudermann, Manager of Mountain Operations, Camp Fortune, Que.  Leadership Coach: Lex Curtis, Founder, Field of Play Consulting Thank you to our sponsor, MountainGuard, for their support of this program. 

Send a textWhat would possess someone to basically spend every waking moment for four weeks running back and forth along the same stretch of pavement only ¼ of a mile long… 5400 times. Is this some sort of Buddhist monk ritual? Or cruel punishment doled out by sadistic POW camp guards during WWII? Someone who should have been locked up a long time ago in a mental institution? Or someone competing for a year's worth of Mexican food and some running shoes? Yep, it's the latter and it's the Burrito League. We chatted earlier with Diarra Cropper running loops around a parking lot with the burrito league in Manitou Springs, Colo., but now we are going to step it up a notch with someone who ran on the original course in Tempe, Ariz. and finished second, my good friend TJ Harms-Synkiew. I met TJ as a 21-year-old at the American Heroes Run a couple of years ago, and he has gone on to stack numerous impressive race finishes, including placing in the top four spots in five races in 2025 ranging from 50K to 200 miles to 24-hour backyard ultras. TJ has dedicated himself so much to ultramarathoning that he has led a nomadic life, living out of his car, spending a winter, yes, a winter in North Dakota doing nothing but earning money, building trails on Mt. Shavano, a Colorado 14er, and volunteering at races for the free entries, all while adding to his personal running community. We'll find out here what motivated him to go down to Tempe and average 300 miles a week on the same short stretch of street, over and over and over again.  He earned six months of burritos and two pairs of shoes – all while wearing out two pairs of shoes and beating up his body like none other. Is there something more here in what seems like insanity? Listen up here to TJ to find out. You might not want to sign up to do what he did, but you'll definitely admire his heart and spirit.TJ Harms-SynkiewInstagram @harmssynkiewBill Stahlsilly_billy@msn.comFacebook Bill StahlInstagram and Threads @stahlor and @we_are_superman_podcastYouTube We Are Superman PodcastSubscribe to the We Are Superman Newsletter!https://mailchi.mp/dab62cfc01f8/newsletter-signupSubscribe to our Substack for my archive of articles of coaching tips developed from my more than three decades of experience, wild and funny stories from my long coaching career, the wit and wisdom of David, and highlights of some of the best WASP episodes from the past that I feel are worthwhile giving another listen.Search either We Are Superman Podcast or @billstahl8Register for the American Heroes Run: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=133138Ride to End ALZ Coloradowww.alz.org/rideco 

As immigration enforcement actions continue across the country, Indigenous people are increasingly concerned they are being targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). And some have been detained. For the Mountain West News Bureau, Daniel Spaulding has more. On the morning of December 5, ShyLynn Allen received a panicked phone call from Jose Joaquin Sanchez Alvarado, the father of her children. Alvarado was driving from his home in Meridian, Idaho to pick up their 10-year-old son to take him to school. Suddenly, he was surrounded by police. “He called me from inside the car and he’s like, ‘I think,’ he’s like, ‘I think they’re taking me.’ And he was just like, ‘I’m pretty sure.’ He’s like, ‘I’m pretty sure they’re detaining me.” Allen is a member of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribe in Idaho and Nevada. Alvarado, who is undocumented and not a tribal member, came to the United States from Mexico when he was just 11-years-old. “He doesn't have a criminal record. I don't even know why they're really targeting him. You know, he's a good person. He's not. He's never been in trouble like he always works like that's all he does is work.” Alvarado is now being held in an ICE detention facility near Las Vegas, Nev. Allen says the emotional toll has fallen heavily on their children. “Now they don't even want to go outside or do anything.” As ICE ramps up operations across the country, that fear is widespread in Native communities. Despite being U.S. citizens and members of sovereign tribal nations, Indigenous people are increasingly being questioned – and in some cases detained – by immigration agents. In January, Peter Yazzie, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was detained by ICE in Phoenix before being released later that day. “We are the first peoples of the country, and our citizenship should never be questioned or challenged by anyone.” That is Crystalyne Curley, the Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council. In January, the council passed legislation calling on ICE to formally recognize Navajo Nation identification documents. Many tribes across the country are urging their citizens to carry tribal IDs at all times. In January, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) hosted a know your rights webinar. Over a thousand people attended. Beth Wright (Laguna Pueblo) is a senior staff attorney at NARF. “Yeah, we’re getting a lot of outreach from folks all over the country. I think there’s a lot of concern about what to do if tribal citizens are stopped by ICE and what their rights are in different encounters with ICE. I think one of the important messages to convey is that tribal citizens are citizens of the U.S.” But many Native parents are worried that tribal IDs won't be enough. Eva Flores is a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Arizona. She lives in Caldwell, Idaho. “You know, I fear for my kids to go out, even just to school or activities, not knowing if, you know, they're coming home or if they're going to be picked up.” In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said its agents are trained to determine a person's immigration status and whether they are subject to removal. As tribal leaders call on federal authorities to respect tribal sovereignty, parents like ShyLynn Allen are focused on protecting their children. “We don't need ICE on our street. They're only terrorizing brown people. And it's not doing any good. They're violating constitutional rights, they're killing people.” Defending adult division world hoop champ Josiah Enriquez wins his third title in a row at the Heard Museum on February 15, 2026. (Courtesy Heard Museum / Gila River Broadcasting Corporation) The annual Indigenous hoop dancing championships was held over the weekend, returning to the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Ariz. As KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, the reigning titleholder made history by defending his crown once more. A two point difference – 214 points – a three-time champion, Josiah Enriquez…” The three-peat adult division champ, who is Navajo and from the pueblos of Isleta and Pojoaque in New Mexico, made history Sunday night. His victory marks a very rare feat no one else has achieved, except the sport's most decorated dancer three decades ago. Arizona's Derrick Suwaima Davis (Hopi and Choctaw) won three of his record-setting seven world titles in a row between 1996 and 1998. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Tuesday, February 17, 2026 – Will limiting commercial trawler bycatch save salmon in Alaska?

Audio available by 12 p.m. EST For decades, Native women and other women of color were subjected to forced sterilization by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service. New Mexico lawmakers introduced a memorial last week to create a truth and reconciliation commission that would conduct a study into the history, and continuing impacts of this abuse. KUNM's Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) has this report. Senate memorial 14 includes research dating to the 1970s which shows between 25%-50% of Indigenous women ere sterilized, with some of the highest incidents occurring in New Mexico. The memorial would develop a plan to create a state truth and reconciliation commission to research and find all cases of sterilization in the state, gather survivor testimony, and review and recommend educational policy. Keely Badger is a human rights advocate who wrote her dissertation on the forced sterilization of Native women. Lawmakers asked her about challenges finding and accessing records. “I do think that the requests have to come from an official state body, official agencies, to get to the heart of this information. It is going to be more than one person’s ability to accumulate this information.” She says this may have been intentional by the states. “At a national level, they have sealed some of these records for a reason, in the same way that a lot of the information about the boarding school system was very challenging; took decades and decades of research to accumulate to get to a point where we could have a national apology. “I believe that this is one of those situations where it is going to require real political will and advocacy from civil society groups to get to the real heart of this from a national perspective.” If the memorial goes into law, New Mexico would be the first state in the nation to formally investigate and acknowledge these violations. The memorial will head to the senate floor for a vote and if passed, will go to the House of Representatives. White Mountain Apache Chairman Kasey Velasquez speaks about the significance of the Apache trout in Mesa, Ariz. on September 4, 2024. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ Thousands of members from the White Mountain Apache Tribe went to the polls last week to vote in a primary election that resulted in the sitting chairman losing his chance at another term. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports. In a three-way race, Chairman Kasey Velasquez earned a little over 400 votes, while his challengers both received nearly four times as much, according to the tribe's election commission. In the end though, longtime Whiteriver school board member Orlando Carroll got the most votes by a margin of more than 50 ballots. He will face off against Councilman Gary Alchesay in the April general election. Also on Wednesday, the tribe announced that a special prosecutor declined to criminally charge Velasquez under tribal law for allegations of sexual harassment against the HR director. A civil investigation by the tribe is still ongoing. And you will be seeing lots of commemorative Seahawks swag now that Seattle's NFL team has won Super Bowl 60. The ‘hawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13. The BBC reports that many Native American and First Nations people appreciate the team's logo. Turns out, it is based on a carved transformation mask from the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation from the late 1800s. The logo was chosen by the Seahawk's manager in the 1970s. Seattle's Burke Museum traced the origins of it to a photo of a ceremonial mask in an old art book. This led them to the Hudson Museum in Maine. The mask was loaned to Seattle for a ceremony with tribal members and team representatives. The BBC reports that, unlike other major league sports teams, the Seahawks logo has not sparked backlash because it respectfully borrows from Indigenous culture and does not resort to racist stereotypes. Some Indigenous people from Canada and the U.S. say it has inspired them to learn more of their own culture. A ceremony and parade for the Seahawks will be held in Seattle Wednesday morning. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out Native America Calling’s special coverage of the 2026 State of Indian Nations address Monday, February 9, 2026 – 2026 State of Indian Nations

Photo: Kipnuk resident Larry Kalistook asks village and state officials questions about possible relocation during the meeting on January 31, 2026. (James Oh / Alaska Public Media) The Alaska Native village of Kipnuk is at a crossroads. A powerful storm last fall destroyed homes, contaminated water, and left residents with a critical decision: rebuild in the same spot or move to higher ground? As the Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA reports, the conversation is just getting started. Kipnuk resident Rayna Paul fights back tears as she talks about how the remnants of Typhoon Halong ravaged her village — and why relocating is so important for the next generation. “We want them to have a livable life too.” She shared her thoughts at a recent meeting in Anchorage, where more than 50 Kipnuk residents discussed the future of their community. Village Council President Daniel Paul says it'll be up to the residents to decide what's next. “I had many calls from our tribal members, half of them wanna stay, half wanna go.” Kipnuk is about four miles inland from the Bering Sea coast and was once home to about 700 people. Nearly everyone evacuated after the October storms. Paul says about 100 residents are back now, working to rebuild, but there's a lot to do. The storm demolished about 150 homes, wiped out vital infrastructure, and left lands and water contaminated. During the meeting, residents spoke predominantly in Yup'ik, asking what relocation could look like. They asked about how to choose a new site and secure land ownership. And they pondered what it would take to set up critical infrastructure at a new place. Village Council Vice President Chris Alexie says that would include a school, airport, and health clinic. “This isn’t going to be an easy process to do, but we have to do that.” Village officials say the relocation process can take years. Kipnuk elder David Carl says he supports relocating. “We’re not thinking about ourselves, who we are now, we just want to fight for our upcoming generations.” But for Daniel Paul, Kipnuk is home and he hopes to live there again one day. “For me, I’m gonna stick with Kipnuk, regardless of how the situation is. I was raised there, and I’ll stay there.” Paul says the meeting was just the first step in the relocation discussion, and residents have a lot of factors to weigh. But Kipnuk leaders also feel a sense of urgency. Paul says the village expects only one substantial influx of federal funding. To make the best use of it, he says they need to decide soon whether they want to stay or move. Navajo County Complex. (Courtesy Navajo County) For decades, public health officials in Navajo County, Ariz. have been helping tribal members and elders who were not born inside a hospital with obtaining birth certificates. As KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, they have seen a spike in applicants following reports of Native people getting caught up in ICE crackdowns nationwide. Last year, 305 residents applied for delayed birth certificates across Navajo County, two thirds of which covers tribal lands belonging to Navajos, Hopis, and White Mountain Apaches. Violet Redbird-Nez (Kiowa and Diné) is a vital records specialist with county public health. She treks to Kayenta quarterly to help residents get documented and for the last three months, Redbird-Nez says there is an uptick. “They're worried that they might get deported.” There were 22 applicants last month alone. Once the paperwork is filled out, it typically takes six weeks. “And it's so endearing to know that they came by to say, ‘Hey, thank you for helping me get my birth registered. I'm legal now,' is what they say. So that's awesome.” Indian Health Service is headquartered in Rockville, Md. (Photo: Antony-22 / Wikimedia) U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NM) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced this week the Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act. The legislation elevates the role of the Indian Health Service (IHS) Director to Assistant Secretary for Indian Health within the Department of Health and Human Services. Senators say elevating the position would give IHS greater authority to address the health care needs of Native communities. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out the latest episode of Native America Calling Thursday, February 5, 2026 – Can caribou slow the drive for oil and mineral development in Alaska?

Jessica Seaman, EdD, has learned many tips and tricks while building a library of recordings and a repository of resources on YouTube to assist learners. She joins the Faculty Factory Podcast this week for an inspiring exploration of that process. As a self-taught YouTube practitioner and editor with no prior experience, Dr. Seaman is proof that anyone can learn this tool and leverage it to reach and help faculty worldwide. Dr. Seaman is an Assistant Professor of Medical Humanities and Assistant Dean of Faculty Development at Creighton University School of Medicine in Phoenix, Ariz. This is her second appearance on the Faculty Factory. If you would like to revisit her first appearance on the program—the episode titled "Best Supporting Practices and Strategies for Stressed-Out Learners and Faculty"—you can see it here: https://facultyfactory.org/jessica-seaman/ You can also visit the Creighton University Health Sciences YouTube channel featuring free faculty development videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoeK9S4P4sSeSp338JTW2ro7vHYfKycRc If you'd like to ask questions to her directly, please email Dr. Seaman at: jessicaseaman@creighton.edu Faculty Development Resource Spotlight Many faculty development departments are doing groundbreaking work, and not just for their own faculty. Many institutions offer publicly accessible, free resources that anyone can explore and use, such as the CU Health Sciences YouTube channel. Furthermore, if you haven't already done so, we urge you to visit the newest addition to our website: the Faculty Development Resource Spotlight webpage: https://facultyfactory.org/resource-spotlight/ -- with other great faculty development and leadership resources! We'd love for it to grow into a centralized repository for faculty. Please reach out to us here to learn more or suggest a resource for us to add!

From an Iñupiaq Wordle game to a new language immersion program, a wave of efforts to revitalize Iñupiaq language has been sweeping across northern Alaska. Last month, one Utqiaġvik artist received a Rasmuson award to create an Iñupiaq language workbook for kids. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. Alaina Bankston has loved making art since she was a child. Now that she has a child of her own, she wants to use her art to help him learn the Iñupiaq language. Bankston is an Utqiaġvik artist who recently received a Rasmuson award to create a workbook that will do just that. She will spend a year designing and illustrating a primer for children that teaches the Iñupiaq alphabet and numbers. Bankston says her four-year-old son Qalayauq was her inspiration for the project. “It all kind of started with creating for him and being able to use those resources.” Bankston says she is still on her own language learning journey. She practices speaking with elders and uses dictionaries and the Rosetta Stone app. But Bankston says children learn differently than adults, and she wanted to create educational materials that catered to the youngest learners. “You start kindergarten, you have the whole workbook, you’re learning the alphabet, the numbers, the colors, and we have all that in English. But I’m like, what if we had that in Iñupiaq?” Bankston says some resources for learning Iñupiaq are available through the North Slope Borough School District, but she says regular parents might not have access to them. “It’s really born out of necessity. I’m sure there are resources out there … but they’re not something you could just go pick up at a store or buy online.” Bankston's project is just one example of the language revitalization efforts in the region. Two years ago, the school district restarted its Iñupiaq immersion program, and a few years before that, Alaska Native linguists created a digital Iñupiaq dictionary. And when the popular puzzle game Wordle took off across the country, local linguists and enthusiasts created an Iñupiaq version. “I think we’ve been making big strides recently … with the history of it, it’s definitely a dying language, but I think it’s important we keep it alive.” Bankston says everyone can do their part to preserve the language, and the workbook is one such step for her. Arizona Poet Laureate Laura Tohe (Diné) reads her poetry at the state Capitol on January 14, 2026. (Courtesy Arizona Capitol TV) A former Navajo Nation poet laureate has been named by Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) as the state's second-ever state poet. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. Laura Tohe has dedicated her life to Indigenous literature, but doesn't want that identity to dominate her tenure. “I don't want people to think that again, you know, I'm just shifting from Navajo Nation to Arizona as a Navajo poet.” And part of her pledge is to help bring poetry to rural communities. While most living on the Navajo Nation have no choice but to haul essentials like water, coal, and wood from far away – for Tohe growing up, it was books. “I did…” Born in Fort Defiance, Ariz., Tohe remembers taking long road trips with her mother to the closest library across state lines in New Mexico. “We did make it to Gallup, and I got a library card. She wanted to make sure I had access.” The U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is holding a hearing Wednesday in Washington, D.C., focusing on Native children. The hearing will examine the draft Native Children's Commission Implementation Act, which focuses on improving justice and safety outcomes for Native children. It includes Tribal-federal coordination on public safety, juvenile justice, and victim services. The hearing will be streamed live on the committee's website. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out the latest episode of Native America Calling Wednesday, January 28, 2026 – Remembering visionary Indigenous journalist Dan David

Photo: A crowd congregates in Mesa, Ariz. where a roadside memorial remembering slain San Carlos Apache teen Emily Pike was taken down nearly a year after she disappeared. (Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ) It was one year ago, on January 27, 2025, that San Carlos Apache teenager Emily Pike went missing from a Mesa, Ariz. group home. Her dismembered remains were discovered a month later in garbage bags more than 100 miles away. No arrests have been made, nor suspects named. Earlier this month, a memorial in Mesa marking where Emily was last seen alive got taken down. As KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, it's the latest rallying cry for justice in the 14-year-old girl's unsolved murder. “Who are we here for?” “Emily Pike.” “Then say her name.” “Emily Pike.” At the corner of Mesa Drive and McKellips Road, dozens of demonstrators met on a recent Saturday as cars drove by honking their horns. “Justice for who?” “Emily Pike.” “Justice for who?” “Emily Pike.” “Who do we love?” “Emily Pike.” “Who do we love?” “Emily Pike.” This is where Emily was last seen alive. Since her disappearance, a chain-link fence hugging the edge of a 28,000-square-foot vacant lot has become home to a roadside memorial for the slain Apache teen. And it just kept on growing as more shared her story. Visitors from near and far have flocked to this bustling intersection, adorned with flowers, stuffed animals, a banner of Emily's face, and lots of red ribbons – each markers of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) movement. That was, until someone suddenly took everything down earlier this month. No matter who did it, Jolene Shorty is still upset. “Look what you guys did. You took down her stuff. There is a respectful way. There is a traditional way to let things go. This is not the way.” For Shorty, she says this is the second tragedy to happen there. “But what I see here my people, what I see here my tribal nations, I see a clean slate, a clean slate to start over. … In a way, they almost helped us. We're going to come back and put up more stuff. We're going to honor them the way we're supposed to.” Delvina Charley (Diné) thinks taking down those mementos adds insult to injury. “This is the respect that we got … we're pushed to the side that our voices meant nothing, that she meant nothing. If this was a different privileged girl, it would have been handled differently.” Since the items were taken down, Emily's family has been in talks with the city of Mesa on planting a tree and placing a bench at Fitch Park – just a few blocks from her last known location. They're also in discussions with the Arizona Department of Transportation about putting up a highway sign honoring Emily at milepost 277 along US 60 near Globe – where her remains were found in the Tonto National Forest. “This girl lost her life thinking nobody cared.” Jared Marquez is San Carlos Apache and treasurer of the Turtle Island Women Warriors. “I've been there, being a 13-year-old kid, never talking to my parents, running around on the reservation, you know, nobody ever truly caring. And it's hard to think what this girl went through – a lot of us could have been through.” As for the investigation into Emily's murder, KJZZ asked the FBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Missing and Murdered Unit, and the lead agency, Gila County Sheriff's Office, for the status but did not receive any updates. The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) are hosting a webinar titled “Know Your Rights,” followed by a Q&A on Wednesday. NARF will provide practical guidance for Tribal citizens on interactions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The organizations say it is in response to growing concerns from across Indian Country. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out the latest episode of Native America Calling Tuesday, January 27, 2026 – The concern over rising American imperialism to Indigenous people abroad and at home

Maleeka “Mollie” Boone, a Navajo girl who'd gone missing in the community of Coalmine near Tuba City, Ariz. marks the second time an alert system has been used in search of a Native American since its implementation last year. As KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, that search is now over. The FBI Phoenix Field Office confirmed that Boone's body was found on Friday following a multiagency search that included law enforcement authorities from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, U.S. Marshals Service, Coconino County Sheriff's Office, and Flagstaff Police Department. “To learn that this search has ended in loss is a pain beyond words.” Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren took to social media to share his condolences – not just for Maleeka, but also 3-year-old Karson Apodaca, who was killed during a Christmas parade. “In just the past few weeks, with the tragedy in Kayenta and now this heartbreaking news from Coalmine, our Nation has endured tremendous pain. These moments remind us just how sacred our children are and how deeply connected every life is within our Navajo community. May we honor Maleeka's spirit by cherishing and protecting every child across the Navajo Nation.” The investigation into Maleeka's death is being handled by the FBI and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jonathan Juárez (@pueblobaddie) On the opening day of the New Mexico legislative session Tuesday, a protest was held at the state capitol in Santa Fe. KUNM's Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) spoke to Indigenous people at the event. Hundreds of New Mexicans rallied and marched up the steps towards the Roundhouse. Oglala Sioux Nation member John Swift Bird led the march with other Native drummers. “The energy always, always gets to the people. People have always resonated to the singing and to the energy of it.” He's been advocating back and forth between New Mexico and South Dakota ever since the 2016 protests in Standing Rock against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Longtime activist Elder Kathy Sanchez (San Ildefonso Pueblo) gave a blessing and told attendees to not give up. “Every thing that is brought forth in a good way will survive, because all of us are not giving up on each other.” Siihasin Hope from the Mescalero Apache and Diné Nations is an advocate for the Southwest Solidarity Network and Revolutionary 2 Spirit Collective. Hope is advocating for land and water protections and says  it's important for Indigenous people to understand and exercise their rights. “It’s the only reason that we have them, is because people before us, our ancestors before us, have fought for us to be here. Have fought for us to have the right to, you know, live.” She wants lawmakers and the governor to continue upholding tribal consultation on Native issues and says she and other advocates will continue to fight for tribal rights. Photograph and MMIP activist Amanda Freeman stands before two portraits on January 14, 2026. (Photo: Brian Bull / KLCC) The founder of a Missing and Murdered Indigenous People organization is sharing the faces of those affected by the crisis. KLCC's Brian Bull (Nez Perce) reports on a new exhibition in Salem, Oreg. Amanda Freeman founded Ampkwa Advocacy and has displayed nearly three dozen photos of Native people who have lost a relative or have suffered domestic violence or addiction. It's titled, “Ampkwa: munk lush nsayka shawash tilixam”, which means “Healing our Indigenous relatives.” Red hand prints and a long red trailing dress adorn the walls and wrap around each portrait. Freeman says she wants visitors to leave with one impression. “I would like them to remember that we're not disposable. And actually leave with the mindset of, “Let me share this information because I had no idea. Because any awareness is good awareness.” A reception and artist's talk will be held January 28. The exhibit runs through February 6 at the Gretchen Schuette Art Gallery at Chemeketa Community College. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out the latest episode of Native America Calling Wednesday, January 21, 2026 – Native activists prepare for ongoing resistance and documentation as federal crackdowns expand

Little v. Hecox | 01/13/26 | Docket #: 24-38 24-38 LITTLE, GOVERNOR OF IDAHO V. HECOX DECISION BELOW: 104 F.4th 1061 ORDER OF OCTOBER 20, 2025: RESPONDENT'S REQUEST THAT THE COURT DISMISS THE CASE AS MOOT IS DEFERRED PENDING ORAL ARGUMENT. SEE ACHESON HOTELS, LLC v. LAUFER , 601 U. S. 1, 4 (2023). CERT. GRANTED 7/3/2025 QUESTION PRESENTED: Women and girls have overcome decades of discrimination to achieve a more equal playing field in many arenas of American life-including sports. Yet in some competitions, female athletes have become bystanders in their own sports as male athletes who identify as female have taken the place of their female competitors-on the field and on the winners' podium. The Idaho Legislature addressed that injustice by enacting the Fairness in Women's Sports Act, which ensures that women and girls do not have to compete against men and boys no matter how those men and boys identify. The Act-one of 25 such state laws around the country-is consistent with longstanding government policies preserving women's and girls' sports due to the "average real differences" between the sexes. Clark ex rel. Clark v. Ariz. Interscholastic Ass'n, 695 F.2d 1126, 1131 (9th Cir. 1982). Breaking with this Court's precedents, its own caselaw, other circuit decisions, and biological reality, the Ninth Circuit panel here upheld an injunction against the Act because it prevents "transgender women and girls"-meaning males who identify as women and girls-from competing in "women's student athletics." App.4a-5a. The question presented is: Whether laws that seek to protect women's and girls' sports by limiting participation to women and girls based on sex violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. LOWER COURT CASE NUMBER: 20-35813, 20-35815

Native community members in Minneapolis, Minn. held a press conference Friday to discuss immediate needs, resources, and plans for community care following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week in the city. Members of Native organizations and grassroots groups have set up two hubs in Minneapolis for people to gather and organize. Members of the Native community are also conducting street patrols. Robert Lilligren is the President and CEO of the Native American Community Development Institute and a member of the Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors. He says the Native community does not feel safe with the federal presence, adding they're receiving reports of ICE interactions with Native people and detainment. “I know we are skilled at protecting our people, protecting our assets, protecting our non-Native people and their assets. And we’ve had to do this over and over again, historically.” Nikki Love is the Executive Director of the Tiwahe Foundation and a member of the Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors. “We’re all here to keep each other safe. And it’s very important that we think about not just as Native Nations, but that’s very important, right, but also as Native individuals to exercise our sovereign rights.” Leaders say they're working with Native organizations, grassroots groups, and tribal leaders to address the ICE presence in their community. Press conference audio courtesy Darren Thompson Tribal leaders across the country are raising concerns about ICE activities and the safety of their tribal citizens, including leaders in South Dakota after the detainment of some of their tribal members in Minneapolis. South Dakota Public Broadcasting's C.J. Keene has more. A statement from the office of President Frank Star Comes out of the Oglala Sioux Tribe says he is aware of reports of the detainment of four Oglala tribal members by ICE in Minneapolis. In the report, an Oglala bystander was able to get their tribal identities, but unable to get their names. In his statement, President Star Comes Out wrote, “All Native people born within the territorial limits of the United States are recognized as US citizens by birth. Because I am both a tribal citizen and a US citizen, ICE has no lawful authority to detain me.” Star Comes Out also wrote that treaties confirm the inherent sovereignty of Native tribes and a nation-to-nation relationship with the U.S. government. He advises tribal members, if detained, not speak to ICE agents without an attorney present. In another statement, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman Steve Sitting Bear wrote, “Our nation is a sovereign government, and our members are not immigrants. We are not subject to immigration enforcement on our own lands.” He goes on to say that ICE activity is not welcome or authorized on the lands of the Standing Rock reservation, and that unauthorized personnel will be escorted from the reservation. He advises tribal members always carry their tribal identification cards, which confirms both the citizenship and political status of the carrier. South Dakota is not immune from the recent wave of immigration crackdowns, as immigration arrests and operations have been reported in communities across the state in rent months. A former White Mountain Apache police officer was arrested last Thursday stemming from a 15-count grand jury indictment alleging serial sexual abuse and kidnapping. As KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, federal law enforcement authorities are now asking for any additional victims to come forward. Karl Eugene Leslie is accused of sexually abusing and kidnapping victims while on-duty between 2020 and 2023. All are White Mountain Apache and one is a minor. FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke thinks there’s others. “We have to be careful, so I won't be able to talk a lot of specifics outside of what's in the actual indictment. What I can say is we believe there are more victims out there.” Leslie's nearly two-decade career ended in 2024. “There's no preclusion of a victim coming forward – no matter how far it may have gone back. We just need to know who they are and the facts behind that.” Leslie has been assigned an attorney out of Flagstaff, Ariz., who declined to comment. If convicted on all counts, he faces up to a life sentence and $250,000 fine. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out the latest episode of Native America Calling Monday, January 12, 2026 – Native Americans caught up in federal crackdown in Minneapolis

Activities at Native organizations and a tribal college in Minneapolis, Minn., were canceled after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot a woman Wednesday morning in the city. The Minneapolis American Indian Center canceled its Wednesday night programs due to community safety concerns and ICE activity in the neighborhood. The Red Lake Nation College, the Red Lake Nation Embassy, and the tribe's wellness center in Minneapolis closed Wednesday, and are expected to be closed for the rest of the week due to due the incident. MIGIZI, which supports Native youth in the Twin Cities, also canceled its programming. Tribes are expressing concerns about the incident and the safety of Native community members living in the Twin Cities. The Red Lake Tribal Council is urging its citizens to be careful, and to avoid ICE and other federal agents. The council released a two-page written message Wednesday, outlining concerns, which includes asking tribal members to report any interactions with ICE to the tribe's council or embassy. The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa also raised concerns in a written message to its community about the safety of tribal members living in the Twin Cities. Robert Pilot is the host of Native Roots Radio based in the Twin Cities. He says the Native community is feeling the impacts of the shooting. “The reaction I’ve seen with the Native community is been just a gasp of what’s happened. 75,000 Native Americans live in Minneapolis (Twin Cities area). In that area of the shooting, there’s a very high percentage of Native Americans that live in that community, and they feel their community is being attacked by the federal government.” Pilot says members of the Native community are standing with their allies and took part in demonstrations against ICE on Wednesday in the area of the shooting. “There was a woman Native singer group that sang and it’s all about the healing. And I think the community, especially that community really knows that the Native community is really involved and really vetted into everything that happens there, happens to them. It was only a very short blocks away from the murder of George Floyd and that community is so scarred, but we have a resilience and our Native community is there and was there and is there and will still be there … we also are a big part of the community. And we want people to be safe, but we also want to be heard and be out there and support our community too, because this is our community too and all of Turtle Island is our community.” The woman killed was identified as 37-year-old Renee Good. The Trump administration is justifying the shooting, while the city's mayor disputes that and is demanding ICE leave Minneapolis. The Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse in Phoenix, Ariz. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ) A three-judge panel in Phoenix, Ariz., heard arguments on Wednesday over continuing a court-ordered injunction blocking a controversial land exchange. As KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, the land swap would result in a copper mining operation that is estimated to create a two-mile-wide crater, devouring an Apache holy site. It's been 140 days since the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals delayed a land swap first approved by Congress more than a decade ago. According to the 2015 law, 2,400 acres of Tonto National Forest must be turned over to Resolution Copper within 60 days of a final environmental impact statement being published, which happened in June. Plaintiffs in three different cases include the Arizona Mining Reform Coalition, San Carlos Apache Tribe, and a group of Apache women and girls. Defendants asked for the injunction to be lifted, which could lead to an immediate public land transfer. The judges did not say when their decision will be made. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out the latest episode of Native America Calling Thursday, January 8, 2026 — New post office rule is among potential hurdles for Native voters

CTSI tribal members Todd Logan, Joshua Rilatos, and Dylan Gorman work with anatomic pathologist Kurt Williams of the OSU necropsy team to remove blubber, bones, and baleen for cultural use and tissue samples for diagnostic testing on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Photo: Jens Odegaard / Oregon State University) Last November, a stranded humpback whale near Yachats, Oreg. had to be euthanized after rescue efforts to put the 10-ton, 28-foot-long mammal back into the ocean failed. As Brian Bull of Buffalo's Fire reports, what followed became a meaningful collaboration between the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and a team from Oregon State University (OSU). In mid-November, volunteers worked around the clock to keep the whale doused in sea water – and to try pulling it back into the sea. Video from The Oregonian captured some of those harried efforts. Finally, on-site stranding experts and veterinarians agreed to put the whale down. A necropsy team from OSU prepared to remove samples to determine how the whale lived before getting tangled in crab pot line. Kurt Williams is the director of the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Lab. “I've never done a necropsy exam on a whale, before. I don't think I'll have another opportunity – I hope I don't have another opportunity, because I don't want this to happen to these animals.” Another group of roughly 20 Siletz tribal members also came. Among them was Lisa Norton, chief administrative officer for the tribe. She said they began by laying down tobacco and praying with Williams' team. “We offer up prayers for the animal and the bounty it's going to give us. People kinda did their own thing, they prayed in whatever way was comfortable for them. But we just spent some time taking in the enormity of the task.” There's been a historic tension between tribes and scholars, often due to academic institutions pillaging remains and artifacts from Native burial mounds and village sites. But these two groups – standing side by side with the whale – worked in tandem, conferring with each other as they worked against the incoming tide and pending sunset, said Norton. “We were able to get them to get more specimens than they would have otherwise, that resulted in them finishing quicker and getting more samples had they just done it on their own. But also allowed us to preserve more parts of the whale for future use.” Williams praised the experience. “I'm not going to kid you, being able to work alongside the members of the Siletz Tribe, it was amazing. And they were gracious and collegial, and to even allow us just a glimpse into their community and culture was, I felt honored to be honest with you.” The Siletz have stored 1,500 pounds of blubber for possible soap or oil, while the whale's skeleton has been buried for possible use later as a museum piece. While the whale's death was a sad event for many, the collaboration between the tribe and university gave a primer for how to handle similar incidents in the future. Angela Sondenaa is the Natural Resources Director for the Siletz. “We would anticipate that if something similar happened, that we would revive those relationships and collaborations that we've built from this experience.” Health and Human Services Secretary. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with Gabriel Lopez, chairman of the Ak-Chin Indian Community, in Scottsdale, Ariz. in November 2025. The Indian Health Service (IHS) recently announced seven projects to build or renovate health care facilities – often in rural areas – throughout Indian Country. As KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, one of those beneficiaries will be Arizona's Ak-Chin Indian Community. Gabriel Lopez, the tribe's chairman, is grateful. “Currently, we have a satellite facility, which is 2,000 square feet and a triple-wide trailer with minimal services.” Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. met with the Ak-Chin Indian Community in November. After that visit, he made a social media post with Lopez. “The elders in the community have to drive 60 to 80 miles to get decent care, and they have to go through Maricopa County with all the traffic, so it's an inconvenience and it can be a lethal inconvenience.” Ak-Chin will construct a 60,000-square-foot facility and lease it at no-cost to IHS for two decades. In exchange, the agency will lobby Congress on behalf of the tribe for federal funding to staff and maintain the building. “In a roundabout way, we're looking at maybe two years to be up and running,” said Lopez. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out the latest episode of Native America Calling Wednesday, January 7, 2026 – Remembering Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Harvey Pratt

Get to know freshman all-around gymnast Molly Brinkman, native of Chandler, Ariz., on the latest episode of The Real Deal podcast previewing the 2026 season and much more. Watch on LSU Plus.

Photo: Youth royalty from the Colorado River Indian Tribes stamp the Ireichō – or Book of Names – in Parker, Ariz. on October 25, 2025. (Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ) The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II is among the chapters of U.S. history that the Trump administration is actively working to erase. It is part of a sweeping campaign to remove so-called “disparaging” signs and markers of the country's past and focus only on “American greatness”. In the final installment of his series on the camps, KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio visits the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) to see how others are making sure victims are highlighted in – not erased from – the history books. Inside a strip mall owned by the tribe, hundreds flock to its museum in Parker, Ariz. Director Valerie Welsh-Tahbo says her space used to be an old swimwear shop. Tucked in one teal-hued corner is an exhibit dedicated to the Poston camp's 18,000 internees.  “This was already up here, this structure in this store and I said, ‘Let's hang onto this … just because of where it was situated, and that design, it just spawned that idea.” To honor Poston's past. another way the museum is paying respect is by welcoming Soto Zen Buddhist priest Duncan Ryūken Williams and his Ireichō. “Chō, chō means like a book or a registry, and so we created a book with everybody's names in it, and said, ‘How do we honor everyone?' And we came up with this idea of stamping or placing this mark under people's names.” The Japanese word Irei essentially means “to console the spirits”, and that's what Wiliams hopes his book does by bringing forth personhood and dignity – one name at a time. “A lot of government camp rosters mangle Japanese names, and so we can't honor people if their names are misspelled.” And their goal? “To make sure all 125,284 people whose names are printed in this book get at least one mark of acknowledgement.” There's still 30,000 names unmarked, but Williams has a plan. “We'll just systematically, from the beginning of the book, invite the general public to come and place a mark under the next name in the sequence of names that doesn't yet have a mark.” “I think this person – Hisayo Kotsubo – does not yet have a stamp. She's born in the year 1897 so if I could ask you to just place this stamp right under the letter H.” Their blue-tipped stamp is no bigger than your thumb. Some even practiced that art of dotting with Susan Kamei. “It's a personal story.” Her parents, grandparents, and one set of great-grandparents were internees. Her dad's side was brought to Poston, while her mom's ended up in Heart Mountain, Wyo. “I try to put myself in their shoes.” 84-year-old Janet Brothers doesn't have to imagine, because she lived it. “I was here at camp as a baby. I was six months old … feeling the heat, looking around, and seeing the desert and the mountains, knowing that's what my parents saw every day, was very emotional for me.” The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is remembering the life of former U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Northern Cheyenne/R-CO), who died Tuesday at age 92. NCAI President Mark Macarro in a statement said Campbell broke barriers and left a path for those who seek to follow as leaders in Indian Country and in America. Sen. Campbell is being remembered for his work on Indian policy and elevating Indian Country issues, serving on the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. The Associated Press reports, his daughter said Campbell died of natural causes surround by family. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Wednesday, December 31, 2025 – Memorable moments in Native film and TV in 2025

During World War II, Japanese Americans were held captive in 10 internment camps throughout the US. Two of them in Arizona, built on reservations without tribal consent. In our last story, we heard how the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) in western Arizona have made a point to preserve the remnants of one such war-time prison. Today, KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio takes us to the state's other site, which sits well-hidden in the shadows of Phoenix – slowly fading away atop of the Gila River Indian Community. He had the privilege to see this restricted site twice this year with the tribe's Wally Jones, who supervised his trip. “I can't give, really the location. I wanted to, but people do search it.” They first met in April at the Chevron gas station in Bapchule, Ariz. about 30 miles south of downtown Phoenix. The tribe did not allow KJZZ to record inside the camp itself, but Jones agreed to let Pietrorazio document their short ride there. No matter who is coming out, Jones stresses they're not tours. “This is not a tourist camp. This is a regulated entry that the department processes for the council's consideration for your visit. It's not just anyone can come out here. These are one of the few sites that the community allows non-members to come in and kind of experience what was here.” What was here in 1942 would've equated to Arizona's fourth-largest city, home to over 13,000 internees stuck in the Sonoran Desert. “The camp is not maintained. The community has decided to let nature recapture its natural state, but there are remnants of various barracks, facilities.” And there are at least 230 ornate garden ponds – now dried up – that prisoners built. “It always amazes me that we find these ponds out here, that it was a signal of their tradition and their hope that they would not let their culture fade away.” Seven months later, Pietrorazio returned – this time not on his own, but as a guest of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) in a caravan of at least 20 vehicles. Bill Staples Jr. is president of the JACL Arizona chapter. “And I was really touched by how emotionally connected the Gila River Indian Community was in welcoming the Japanese Americans…” Pietrorazio caught up with Staples at the tribe's Huhugam Heritage Center after a November ceremony. Also there, making the trip from Seattle, was 85-year-old camp survivor Sylvia Domoto. “They've been so welcoming and continue to respect and to keep the land there, so that we can say, ‘Yes, this really happened. It isn't just a fantasy.'” Suicide prevention sign and phone on the east sidewalk of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Calif. (Photo: Guillaume Paumier / Wikimedia) A new law in California aimed at preventing suicides is taking effect in the new year. The measure requires the transportation and public health departments to identify best practices and countermeasures to avoid suicides on state bridges and overpasses. The bill by Assemblymember James Ramos (Serrano/Cahuilla/D-CA) builds on his previous work, which includes efforts to improve mental health services and the establishment of a suicide prevention office. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out the latest episode of Native America Calling Tuesday, December 30, 2025 — The Menu: A memoir and a documentary film document two tribes' connections to food sovereignty