Podcasts about kjzz

An Alaska Native corporation’s proposed mining project near Lake Clark National Park is drawing opposition over potential impacts to fish, wildlife, and nearby ecosystems, as Mark Moran reports. Conservation activists are pushing back on a proposed gold mine in Alaska’s interior that threatens wildlife habitat, sensitive ecosystems, and a crucial sector of the state’s economy in the Lake Clark National Park. Contango Silver and Gold, Inc. says the company will create jobs while remaining sensitive to the environment while creating jobs. Contango is working with Alaska Native-owned Cook Inlet Region Incorporated to establish the mine at the headwaters of the Johnson River, a prime spot for commercial and sport fishing, bear watching, salmon runs, and eco-tourism. Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship President David Jenkins contends that the environmental risk is not worth the economic reward, especially when the bulk of the profit from the mine flows to out-of-state investors, including asset management companies like Blackrock and Vanguard. “Why would you risk a 100% Alaskan economic engine that’s sustainable and just keeps providing benefits year after year for something that’s temporary, and most of the economic benefit is likely to go elsewhere outside of the state of Alaska?” (Courtesy Contago) Contango counters that the mine will create 175 jobs for the first three years of the project, but that number will dwindle after peak mine production. Jenkins argues that relatively small job creation is shortsighted, given the thousands of jobs and billions of dollars created by eco-tourism in the area – what Jenkins calls a “stark economic contrast.” Cook Inlet Region Incorporated was granted rights to the 21,000-acre Johnson Tract within the Lake Clark National Park in the 1970s as part of a land agreement. Some members of the Indigenous community contend they would benefit from the project, but Jenkins says short-term profit cannot outweigh the unbalanced economic factors or the scar that Contango would inflict on the Alaska Interior’s ecosystem. “These places are pristine. They’re rare things. You just don’t find that in the Lower 48. You don’t even find it in a lot of places around the world. The biological diversity and abundance is just stunning.” Environmental groups and the Chickaloon Tribal council have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over alleged Clean Water Act violations by granting a permit for the Johnson Tract project, which is still in the permitting process, but scheduled for completion in the spring of 2028. Disclosure: CIRI provides support to Koahnic Broadcast Corporation, the parent company of National Native News. Preserving Diné language and customs is essential, especially for urban Navajos living off-reservation in places like Phoenix, Arizona. And a local Navajo blogger is launching her latest project – a colorful, hand-drawn children's cookbook. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. “Shimá likes to write down Shimásání's recipes so they can be passed on to our young family members.” Alana Yazzie recites a few lines from her new book, “Blue Corn Kitchen”. “When you're writing a children's cookbook like this, there's not as much text, and so I think that was the hardest part, like condensing it so much into a short story, but still having my main points come across.” Like the magic of cooking with family, a timeless message Yazzie tried to convey through words and pictures, even by sketching the characters to resemble her own mother and daughter. “There's these little like corn wafts of sparkly, glittery cornmeal going throughout the book. And it's just so beautiful – like you want to eat it, you want to make it.” 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, September 22, 2026 — PBS documentary ‘Knowledge Keepers' explores Native scientific innovations

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

Photo: A steel beam recovered from the rubble of the World Trade Center visited the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in June. (Courtesy missindianarizona / Instagram) A piece of the World Trade Center made a historic stop on Tribal land in Arizona. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation's “Steel Across America” tour visited the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community near Scottsdale, Arizona this summer. A nearly 17,000-pound steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center's South Tower was displayed at the USS Arizona Memorial Gardens at Salt River. Organizers say it was the tour's first and only stop on sovereign Tribal land as the beam traveled more than 10,000 miles across the country ahead of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The foundation says the stop recognized the longstanding tradition of military service among Native people. The memorial gardens are home to a piece of the USS Arizona, which was destroyed during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. For the first time, steel connected to the 9/11 attacks was displayed there alongside steel from the USS Arizona. Jani Ingram’s students investigate a water source on the Navajo Nation. (Courtesy Jani Ingram) A professor at Northern Arizona University has added new data to a map of safe drinking water on the Navajo Nation. KNAU's Chris Clements reports the map is intended to help tribal communities still struggling with the effects of past uranium mining. Professor Jani Ingram, Navajo Nation, had been driving across the reservation for a while with her student. Their goal? Find and test a remote well that one family was using. “It’s something that needed to be tested because it it really wasn’t great. It had pretty high uranium.” It can be hard for Navajo families to know if the wells near their homes have been contaminated by high uranium levels, which have been linked to health issues like kidney disease and lung cancer. Blue and red dots show water points installed using federal funds from the Indian Health Service CARES Act following the COVID-19 pandemic. (Courtesy Navajo Safe Water) Ingram mapped safe wells using water quality data she and her students collected from years in the field. The map can be found online at the website Navajo Safe Water. And her work is not over: there are tons of tribal wells that have not been tested, something she says she is willing to do at no cost. Indigenous students enrolled within the Chandler Unified School District are featured in a land acknowledgement video from 2025. (Courtesy CUSD) Last year, Indigenous students filmed a brief land acknowledgment for the Chandler Unified School District in Arizona. Following a fierce public debate Wednesday, the governing board voted to play this video at the beginning of all its meetings and future graduation ceremonies. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. “We recognize the past, present, and future inhabitants on this land.” “We will cherish, respect and protect this land for generations to come.” This message is only a minute and 43 seconds long, but it means a lot to Indigenous Parent Committee co-president Monique John. “We went into creating this video with positive intentions for our students and communities – all students Native and non-Native.” Chandler governing board member Kurt Rohrs disagrees. “It has no real purpose in addressing our primary mission of improving academic performance for our students. This statement is an empty performance gesture of wokeness, which really doesn't accomplish anything.” Basha High senior Syndel Preston, who is president of the school's Indigenous student club, suggests otherwise. “I want my Indigenous peers to know that they are seen, that the lands CUSD stands on is theirs as well. I don't believe it is divisive to want that for my community and those like me.” The measure passed in a 3-2 vote. 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 Friday, September 11, 2026 — How 9/11 reverberates a quarter century later

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

Photo: Alaska Native Medical Center in May 2026. (Courtesy Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium) The Indian Health Service officially handed ownership of the state’s biggest tribal hospital, the Alaska Native Medical Center, to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, as Alaska Public Media’s Rachel Cassandra reports. The transfer happened on August 24, according to the consortium. ANTHC CEO Natasha Singh, a Stevens Village tribal citizen from Fairbanks, says the transfer is the result of decades of advocacy. “This marks a historic achievement. It advances tribal self-determination in healthcare, and it’s achieved through the direct advocacy by Alaska tribal leaders.” Singh says, beyond practical implications, the symbolism of ownership is powerful. She says it is rare that tribes truly have self-governance over something so critical to their lives. “You don’t see it in management of our traditional territories or our fish resources. You don’t see it in education and public safety, but you see it in healthcare. Having this ability to control our future is allowing us to address the historical impacts of colonialism.” Singh says the hospital endured decades of underinvestment from the federal government and the transfer will allow the hospital to pursue funding only available to tribally owned facilities. Wilson Justin is a shareholder of the Ahtna Regional Corporation and has advocated for the rights of Indigenous people in the health care system since the 1990s. He says the ownership transfer is momentous. “It’s been a long wait, and I really appreciate the fact that it’s finally occurring. We’ve been waiting for it for half a generation, basically.” He says he hopes that the transfer allows the hospital to strengthen healthcare for Indigenous Alaskans across the state, especially for smaller tribes. The Little Colorado River, a tributary of the Colorado River, flows during the springtime through the Navajo Nation near Cameron, Arizona. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio) The Navajo Nation Council has taken a major step toward protecting one of its most precious water resources. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has more on the recent measure that formally recognizes the Confluence – where the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers meet – as a sacred site under tribal law. Doing so formally documents what Navajos already know – the spiritual and natural significance of where these two life-giving rivers converge. This information may be used to potentially deter future commercial development by industries like hydropower or dams. Erik Stansfield testified on behalf of the tribe's Historic Preservation Office. “When that comes forward, we can show what impairment of those resources look like.” He likens the Confluence to its council chambers, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. “Like the murals in this room, changing that would be an impairment to the sort of historical and cultural importance of this place. It’s very much the same with the plants and animals, water quality and offerings that have been made at that place. We detail that out, and that helps us kind of defend this area.” Ratified Indian Treaty 70. And on this day in 1815, leaders from eight Native Nations signed the Treaty of Spring Wells with the United States near Detroit. The agreement formally restored peace following the War of 1812 and returned certain rights and possessions Native Nations held before the war. The treaty involved the Wyandot, Delaware, Seneca, Shawnee, Miami, Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi Nations. 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, September 8, 2026 — Life after a wrongful murder conviction for Santiago Ventura Morales

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

A row of coal next to skid steer inside the Navajo Transitional Energy Co. coal yard in New Mexico. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio) The Trump administration has just approved a plan that could let the Navajo Nation dig up more than 500 million tons of coal by extending the life of a New Mexico mine over the next century – until the year 2136. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has details. The U.S. Interior Department says denying this permit would be at odds with President Donald Trump's “Unleashing American Energy” agenda. It could also destabilize the Navajo Nation economy. The tribally owned Navajo Transitional Energy Co. fuels the aging Four Corners Power Plant. That lease is set to expire in 2041, but the U.S. government notes the next coal buyer is unknown. The United States argues those financial factors outweigh a slew of environmental and other harms posed by the expansion – including the relocation of nearby families. Jason Smith and Kremena Doust with some of their horses on the Warm Springs reservation in central Oregon, July 30, 2026. (Courtesy James Smith Ranch) While the Bench Fire in Oregon has been largely contained, its effects are still being felt. A ranching couple on the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon needs help caring for their cattle and wild horses after the fire destroyed their grazing land. Brian Bull of Underscore Native News and KLCC reports. Jason Smith and Kremena Doust say they were preparing to do a live auction and photo shoot with their horses on July 25, but they canceled once they realized the Bench Fire was burning fast through their area. Smith: “It run like 14 miles in one day, y'know. It made it from our westerly range where we run our cattle and horses, clear to our front door.” Doust: “It was intense, it was orange. It was like pretty high in the sky.” Smith: “There were a bunch of fires, just south of the reservation there. And they looked like they were comin' our way big time, y;know.” The flames almost came up to their doorstep, but a highway created a natural break that spared their home. They say at least 80% of their grazing district was consumed by fire, leaving between 400 to 500 wild horses and their cattle without food. So now Smith and Doust are trying to raise funds to help buy emergency feed for their animals and offer the horses for adoption by good homes. Doust: “So if we can take care of that through community support and grants, that would be a game changer.” Smith: “The biggest thing is feed right now, though.” Doust: “Right now, immediately feed. Absolutely.” Mares, yearlings, and studs are all available on the ranch’s website for adoption. Doust said she is also trying to set up a nonprofit. Photo: Spirit Lake Nation. (Courtesy Spirit Lake Nation-Mni Wakan Oyate / Facebook) Two North Dakota Tribes are renewing their legal fight over a state legislative map they say weakens the voting power of Native people. The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Spirit Lake Tribe, and individual Native voters moved Friday to file an amended complaint challenging North Dakota’s 2021 legislative districts. The Tribes originally won their case in 2023, when a federal judge ruled the map violated the Voting Rights Act by denying Native voters an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice, but in May, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated an appeals court ruling in the case and sent it back for further consideration following another voting rights decision. The Tribes now argue the map also violates the U.S. Constitution because it was drawn with discriminatory intent and improperly divided Native voters. Spirit Lake Chairwoman Lonna Jackson-Street says the Tribes have fought the map for five years and are prepared to prove their case again. 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, September 3, 2026 — Osage school closure delivers blow to tribe’s language revitalization

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning news podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

Top federal prosecutors from the Four Corner states are descending upon the Phoenix metro this week as part of an annual conference meant to tackle crime and justice in Indian Country. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has details. A hotel room full of victim advocates, attorneys, and tribal law enforcement personnel congregate in Glendale. Arizona's top prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine, reminds them why they are all meeting. “It may sound like priorities are elsewhere in this administration, but all of the U.S. attorneys up here and every member of leadership in the Department of Justice will tell you: Indian Country is always a priority.” From Phoenix and Albuquerque to Denver and Salt Lake City, Courchaine stresses they are all on the same team. “If you work with a rural tribe, whether it's in Utah, Colorado, New Mexico or Arizona, it might feel like you are at the ends of the earth.” Three cubs belonging to Osso in the Anan Wildlife Observatory at Tongass National Forest. (Courtesy U.S. Forest Service / Facebook) A major logging project planned for Alaska's Tongass National Forest is raising concerns about potential impacts to subsistence resources. The U.S. Forest Service acknowledges the project could affect deer harvests relied on by communities in Southeast Alaska, where the Tongass has long supported Alaska Native cultural and subsistence practices. Conservationists are now pushing back against plans to log thousands of acres of old-growth forest, as Mark Moran reports. Conservationists are pushing back on a massive old growth logging plan by the Forest Service that would carve new roads through thousands of acres of Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. The agency says it will revitalize the logging industry and improve habitat and ecosystems for native species. The Revilla Integrated Research Project aims to log 4,000 acres of old growth trees in the Tongass near Ketchikan, harvest 83 million board feet of timber, and build more than 40 miles of roadway. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council’s Nathan Newcomber says the development plan threatens the habitat of a number of animals. He says even the Forest Service has acknowledged the risk. “Deer, bears, wolves, birds like the Queen Charlie Goshawk. They also state that they acknowledge the significant likelihood of impact to subsistence, including on deer harvest.” There were at least 120 objections to the plan during a public comment period, but the Forest Service says it intends to begin the work and address legal challenges later. Southeast Alaska has been transitioning away from clear cutting old tree stands in favor of what’s known as young growth logging, which Newcomber and other environmental advocates support, even though the practice now comprises only about one percent of the region’s economy. “To go back to this bygone era from the 1970s where you just clear-cut landscapes, it makes absolutely no sense. Nobody supports it apart from extractive industry and politicians. But local communities in Southeast Alaska, they wanna protect what we have. It’s our cultural way of life. It’s the way that people live up here.” Southeast Alaska is also highly dependent on tourism to support local economies. Driven largely by cruise ship traffic, the region sees as many as two million visitors a year, according to Alaska’s Southeast Conference. Confederate Brig. Gen. William L.. Cabell, left, and Union Col. William F. Cloud led troops during the skirmish. And on this day in 1863, fighting broke out near Camp Pike in the Choctaw Nation, in what is now Oklahoma. The skirmish came during the Civil War, when Indian Territory became a battleground involving Union and Confederate forces. Camp Pike had been used by Confederate troops following the Battle of Honey Springs, one of the war's largest battles in Indian Territory. 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 Friday, August 28, 2026 — Two states make progress in Native-focused education

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ news.

Photo: Notah Begay III, who is Diné and from the pueblos of San Felipe and Isleta, is the 2026 recipient of the Payne Stewart Award. (Courtesy PGA) The PGA Tour has bestowed one of its highest honors, the Payne Stewart Award, to a four-time PGA Tour winner who is also a citizen of the Navajo Nation. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has details. Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Notah Begay III excelled at swinging a club. His success on the fairway afforded him the chance to play college golf beside Tiger Woods at Stanford University – winning a national team championship in 1994. Begay is widely considered the first Indigenous golfer to compete on the PGA Tour. When accepting the award on Tuesday, Begay noted how Native Americans have the lowest graduation rates and life expectancies in the U.S. among all ethnicities. “So for me to be standing up here as a Stanford graduate with a degree in economics, four-time PGA Tour winner and a television broadcaster accepting this prestigious award is a miracle.” Entrance to White Mesa Mill in southeastern Utah. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ) A uranium mining company missed a Monday deadline to turn over communications between its executives and the feds. KNAU's Chris Clements reports that is according to House Democrats, who have launched an investigation into Energy Fuels for potential insider trading. Two House Democrats allege the Trump administration may have tipped Energy Fuels off about the cut to Bears Ears National Monument before it happened, leading company executives to invest in their own firm. One of the Democrats is U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-California. “The timing and the volume of these stock purchases are conspicuous and speak for themselves.” Huffman asked the company to send a year's worth of communications with the feds, as well as its lobbying contracts, by August 24, but Energy Fuels did not provide the materials by that deadline, according to a spokesperson for Huffman. In a statement, the company said it strongly rejects the idea that anything improper took place, but did not deny that it missed the deadline. Energy Fuels stands to benefit from less protections to the uranium-rich monument, the lawmakers argue, because the company owns the White Mesa Mill, the only conventional uranium processing mill in the United States. Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minnesota, has signed an executive order blocking new state mineral leases and halting permitting work for proposed nonferrous mining projects in the Rainy River Headwaters Watershed near the Boundary Waters. The National Congress of American Indians praised the move, saying it protects treaty rights, Tribal resources, and culturally significant lands from potential mining-related pollution. NCAI also recognized the Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, and Grand Portage Bands of Lake Superior Chippewa. The three 1854 Treaty Tribes have pushed for protections in the region and earlier this year joined the Red Lake Nation and an Anishinaabe First Nation in Canada in a cross-border effort to protect the watershed. NCAI Executive Director Larry Wright Jr. says the order provides immediate relief, but permanent protections are still needed. The organization is calling for federal legislation permanently withdrawing the Boundary Waters and Rainy River Headwaters from mineral leasing and development. Jeffery Amherst painting by Joshua Reynolds. And on this day in 1763, British commander Jeffery Amherst wrote a letter calling for the destruction of Native people resisting British expansion. The letter came during Pontiac's War, when a confederation of Native nations fought British forces around the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. Amherst also supported efforts to spread smallpox among Native people, one of the most infamous examples of biological warfare discussed during the colonial era. 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, August 27, 2026 — Native Bookshelf: ‘Treat Them as Buffalo’ by Blair Palmer Yoxall

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

FBI Director Kash Patel met with tribal law enforcement partners in Albuquerque, New Mexico last week. The visit comes on the heels of the agency launching a new tool to raise public awareness over missing and murdered Indigenous cases. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has details. It is called Voices Not Forgotten, a webpage featuring select, unsolved crimes across Indian Country where the FBI is seeking the public's help by offering $25,000 minimum rewards. That includes the high-profile homicides in Arizona of Maleeka “Mollie” Boone and Emily Pike. But as Deiandra Reid with the Albuquerque nonprofit Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women notes, this tool is not exhaustive. “You know, I looked at this website that they have, and I didn't see my sister on there.” Twenty-two years ago, Navajo teenager Tiffany Reid went missing while walking to high school in Shiprock, New Mexico. Decades prior, a 9-year-old Navajo girl disappeared from nearby Gallup, New Mexico. “Anthonette Cayedito is on there, and she's [been] missing for about 40 years, so I don't see what the difference is between her case and my sister's case. And a lot of times, our relatives fall through the cracks. The visibility is very important, but it's not the finish line.” The Pinyon Plain Mine, as seen from the air in November 2019, is owned and operated by Energy Fuels Inc., which has extensive Canadian roots: (Photo: Ryan Heinsius / KNAU) There has been a surge of mining companies looking to dig for minerals in the Southwest, including near tribal communities. KNAU's Chris Clements explains why so many of these companies are Canadian. It boils down to this: Canada has a unique tax system that allows mining companies that are exploring projects to pass their costs along to investors. John Steen, a professor at the University of British Columbia, says Canada is home to hundreds of those companies. “They’re hearing that the regulatory regime is, you know, maybe as not as tight as it was, and they’re seeing the U.S. as an attractive place for investment and exploration.” Steen says Canadian firms are responding to President Donald Trump's push to end reliance on China for critical minerals. Take Chakana Copper, which is using a subsidiary to explore mining copper on the Navajo Nation. Or Laramide Resources, which wants to mine uranium near the site of the largest release of radioactive mining material in U-S history. James Hopkins, an associate professor at the University of Arizona, says the reason for that is due in part to the rollback of mining regulations. And that's had consequences. “The growth in uranium mining in the United States is unprecedented. With the increased deregulation, you’re seeing these conflicts arising more and more with respect to tribal lands and tribal resources.” Hopkins says the flurry of mining projects, including some proposed by Canadian companies, is causing pushback from tribes who have long borne the environmental consequences of mining. Opponents of a proposed project to drill for uranium in the southern Black Hills listen to a meeting of the Board of Minerals and Environment at the Joe Foss Building in Pierre, South Dakota, Aug. 20, 2026. (Photo: Meghan O'Brien / South Dakota Searchlight) The South Dakota Board of Minerals and Environment took actions affecting two proposed uranium projects in the Black Hills. South Dakota Searchlight's Meghan O'Brien has more. The Dewey-Burdock Project has been on hold for more than a decade. Project leaders want to mine for uranium near Edgemont in the southern Black Hills. Uranium is a metallic, radioactive element used as fuel in nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants. Interest in uranium exploration and mining has risen recently. That is in response to nuclear energy's potential to supply electricity for data centers. The project needs federal, state, and local permitting. After being held up by legal challenges, it secured the remaining federal permits it needs and will start seeking state permits. The Board of Minerals and Environment approved a socioeconomic study, which will help the board understand the economic, environmental, and community impacts of the project. The board also continued discussions on a separate request to drill holes in search of uranium near Craven Canyon, in the same general area of the southern Black Hills. A new state law requires the board to have language interpretation services available at hearings for those who need it, such as Lakota speakers. Some of the project opponents are members of Lakota tribes. A lawsuit by a project opponent against the board alleges it violated due process because an interpreter was not available on the first day of a May permit hearing. The lawsuit is ongoing in federal court and the hearing is on hold. Opponents to the drilling project say it could endanger the canyon walls which are lined with ancient Native American petroglyphs. Others say Native American spiritual practices at the site could be disrupted and the drilling could endanger local water sources. 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, August 24, 2026 — Native in the Spotlight: Dr. Lori Arviso Alvord

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

Photo: Bill Hill (Athabascan), Independent candidate for Alaska’s at-large congressional district. (Courtesy Bill Hill campaign) Tuesday is primary day in Wyoming, Florida, and Alaska, which uses ranked-choice voting (RCV). The top four vote getters in each race, regardless of party, move on to the general election in November. That makes voters turnout a key issue, especially in remote parts of the state, where Alaska Natives have seen numbers fade over the past 20 years. As Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA reports, there are hopes Tuesday's election will show signs of a turnaround. One encouraging sign for Alaska Native voter turnout is the number of Native candidates running for office this year. “It's notable that we have a high-profile Native candidate in each big race.” Michelle Sparck is the Alaska director for Get Out the Native Vote. She says this marks the first time in years that there is an all-Native ticket for Alaska governor – with Meda DeWitt, a Tlingit and her running mate, Chris Steere, an Iñupiat. And there is national attention focused on former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola (Yup'ik/D-AK), the first Alaska Native member of Congress. Peltola’s bid for the U.S. Senate is one the state's most closely watched races – a battle that could determine control of the country’s most powerful legislative body. Polls show a tight race between Peltola and incumbent U.S. Sen. Dan S. Sullivan (R-AK). The primary election could offer the clearest picture yet of where this race really stands. There is also Bill Hill (Athabascan), a longtime school superintendent and Bristol Bay fisherman. He is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK), who in 2024 unseated Peltola. Hill is an Independent and a relative political unknown, but his grassroots campaign has gained traction and polls show he is closing the gap with his opponent. Sparck says Get Out the Native Vote remains strictly nonpartisan and does not back candidates, but she is hoping the wealth of Native candidates will energize Native voters. Sparck says the real work in getting out the Native vote might be compared to cultivating a garden that has long been neglected. The mission for Sparck and her volunteers has been to travel from village to village, to revive the voting culture of the 1980's, when voter turnout ran as high as 70-80%, the era of the super voter. “They are today's elders.” Spark says turnout has fallen below 20%, but she hopes sharing the story of those earlier generations will inspire a new wave of super voters. A marker along the Southern border near the Tohono O'odham Nation between the U.S. and Mexico in June 2026. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio) A federal judge is denying calls for a preliminary injunction by the Tohono O'odham Nation to halt border wall construction along a 60-foot stretch of land bordering the tribal reservation. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has details. Judge Richard Leon in D.C. ruled last week that an injunction is “unwarranted”, writing he expects the U.S. to follow through on consulting with the Tohono O'odham Nation. Historically, that has not been the case, according to Tohono O'odham Chairman Verlon Jose. He points to the destruction of the 1,000-year-old Las Playas Intaglio, as the latest example. “We were assured that the border wall construction would not impact it, but despite that warning and assurances, federal contractors just bladed right through it, causing permanent damage to this O'odham and American treasure. You can't rebuild it.” Still, the judge noted that the feds' interests in ensuring public safety and enforcing immigration laws “outweigh any surviving irreparable harms.” 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, August 18, 2026 — Are Native voters in line with the Democratic Party's shift to the left?

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the stories you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

Photo: A house floated by floodwaters during ex-Typhoon Halong rests on top of a snowmachine in Tuntutuliak on October 22, 2025. (Gabby Salgado / KYUK) The State of Alaska is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other agencies to collect what are known as Right of Entry forms from households impacted by ex-Typhoon Halong, as KYUK's Evan Erickson reports. The form is required for getting certain types of assistance with winterization and debris removal. It allows authorized recovery agencies to enter properties to inspect, document, and complete recovery work. Completing the form does not guarantee that work will be performed. The form is for households both that may need or have already received assistance in the forms of emergency winterization of storm-damaged homes; temporary weatherproofing or securing openings; moisture control or minor temporary repairs; limited heat or fuel-related stabilization; and/or certain types of private property debris removal. Gallup Indian Medical Center. (Courtesy Gallup Indian Medical Center / Facebook) The Navajo Area Indian Health Services and the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) have signed a memorandum of agreement to support rural health initiatives through data sharing. KUNM's Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) has more. Dr. Laura Parajón, director of the Center for Health Protection at NMDOH, says the coordination between the state and the Navajo Nation is crucial. “It’s important that Navajo Nation has the same access to high-quality data that we do, that they get similar data that allows Navajo Nation themselves to conduct their own analysis, and that they can design their own culturally meaningful public health interventions for themselves.” The agreement is a first step in partnership between state and tribal public health departments to make sharing information easier and filling gaps in data. It will help better identify unmet needs, coordinate care, and monitor outcomes. NMDOH Tribal liaison Janet Johnson (Santa Clara Pueblo) says tribal leaders need to be able to access data instantly, such as a system used to track sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. “And that will help Navajo Area Indian Health Service support their public health surveillance, and give them again that real-time access to see where these outbreaks are occurring, what they need to do and again with our support to be able to better address any issues and concerns that are affecting their populations.” The current agreement does not include any state appropriations. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, left, Gov. Katie Hobbs, and Hopi Chairman Lamar Keevama sign a memorandum of understanding for coal-impacted communities at the Desert Botanical Garden on August 11, 2026. (Photo: Connor Greenwall) Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) announced an economic agreement Tuesday with northern Arizona tribal leaders. It is meant to bolster the Four Corners region – at a time when the coal industry is in decline. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. The Memorandum of Understanding is between the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and the state – all of which are vulnerable to coal mines and power plants shutting down. That includes the Four Corners plant, which could close by 2031. The Navajo-owned company that fuels the aging facility recently announced plans to extend the life of a massive coal mine by more than a century, but with coal giving way to cleaner, more efficient fuels, state, and tribal leaders are coming together to ink a five-year commitment to track closures and promote the wellbeing of coal miners. Map of the several villages in Kaskaskia, Ill. with part of the Mississippi River from 1851 by Thomas Hutchins. On this day in 1803, the Kaskaskia Tribe signed a treaty with the United States at Vincennes in the Indiana Territory. Under the agreement, the Kaskaskia ceded most of their lands in what is now Illinois to the U.S. The treaty provided the tribe with reserved lands, annual payments, and other assistance. The agreement was negotiated for the United States by territorial governor William Henry Harrison, who later became president. 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 August 13, 2026 — Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival grows its presence and influence

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ news.

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

Photo: Kaiser Canyon fire in Washington, July 2026. (Courtesy Inciweb / USFS via National Interagency Fire Center / Facebook) Wildfires continue to burn across the U.S, including many areas of Indian Country. In Washington state, the largest fire is the Kaiser Canyon Fire which is burning through the Colville Indian Reservation. As of late Tuesday, the fire surpassed 126,000 acres and was 16% contained. In an update Tuesday morning, Keith Kelley, operations section chief for Northern Rockies Unit 2, shared the day's plan of attack against the Kaiser Canyon Fire. More than 1,000 personnel are committed to the effort. “And we do have resources looking at some additional containment lines, trying to find places to what we call pinch in the fire, to keep it from spreading. So we’re kind of like checking it up. So we’ll put some dozer lines in, and the fire will slow its progression, and then eventually it will it will kind of continue to move. But it gives us an opportunity to put some dozer lines and put in some containment lines so we can stop that progression as it moves to the north. So certainly have resources in there. We’ll continue to do that.” The Kaiser Canyon Fire started July 16 when a lightning strike hit the Nespelem area on the Colville reservation. Meanwhile, more than a million acres have burned in Oregon. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs has closed its tribal government due to Level Three evacuations caused by the Bench Fire, which at last check had burned more than 45,000 acres. The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation have set up a Wildfire Recovery Fund for volunteers and supplies to help those affected by the fires. Chris Deschene, left, and Emily Ellison are the two vice-presidential candidates in the upcoming 2026 Navajo Nation election. (Courtesy U.S. Department of Energy / Emily Ellison for Navajo President 2026 / Facebook) Following the Navajo Nation presidential primary last week, the top vote-getters have named their vice presidential picks. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has details. Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley was first to announce her ticket in Window Rock, Ariz. “Excited to share this moment with you. I know people online were very anxious.” She picked former Arizona Democratic state lawmaker Chris Deschene. “Throughout my career, I know what it's like to be an underdog.” In 2014, the Marine Corps vet vied for the very seat Curley is now seeking, but after placing second in that primary, Deschene was disqualified, in part, because of Curley's November opponent – Farmington attorney Justin Jones. “This is where I grew up.” As for Jones, he returned to Rock Point, Ariz. to name his running mate. Emily Ellison is in charge of the Gallup nonprofit Battered Families Services. “I want to thank the committee for this opportunity to serve our Navajo people.” Billy Kirkland, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, visits Choctow Central High School, one of several Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-funded schools with a graduation rate above 90%. (Courtesy BIE / Facebook) The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) says 21 of the high schools they fund achieved graduation rates of 90% or greater in 2025, in what the agency calls an “unprecedented milestone”, reflecting their commitment to student achievement, college and career readiness, and workforce development. The 21 schools include Kickapoo Nation School, Santa Fe Indian School, Shoshone-Bannock School, Navajo Preparatory School, and Choctaw Central High School. The BIE's overall graduation rate reached 79%, the highest in its history. The BIE is aiming for a rate of 91% by May 2030. The Associated Press reports that, beginning in 2018, the BIE began standardizing data collection methods, which has helped improve data accuracy. While Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Billy Kirkland (Navajo) said that these gains reflect the Trump administration's commitment to Native American students, there are concerns that the administration's changes to the BIE — including the planned dissolving of the U.S. Department of Education and further fallout from DOGE cuts — could undermine progress and prevent struggling schools from improving students' performance. 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, July 29, 2026 – Southeast Alaska tribes closer to land designation more than a half century after being locked out

KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.

Photo: “Navajo” Bob Sandoval announces the results of the 2025 Navajo Nation presidential primary (Courtesy Crystalyne Curley for Navajo Nation President / Facebook) Tuesday was primary Election Day not only in Arizona, but across the Navajo Nation, which includes Utah and New Mexico. And as KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, incumbent President Buu Nygren will not be moving on to the general. Before midnight, the tribal radio station KTNN – known in these parts as the “Voice of the Navajo Nation” – called the 16-candidate race. Here is host “Navajo Bob” Sandoval reading the unofficial score from the 110 polling places. “Here we go, Justin Jones – 15,039. Crystalyne Curley – 8,424. Buu Nygren – 7,410.” Farmington attorney Justin Jones came in third behind Buu Nygren during the 2022 primary. Justin Jones speaks during his 2026 primary watch party in Window Rock, Ariz. (Courtesy Justin Jones for Navajo Nation President / Facebook) This time, Jones and sitting Navajo Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley beat out incumbent President Nygren, who has faced ethics violations and allegations of corruption. Now, Jones and Curley will pick their VP running mates before November. If elected, Curley would be the first Diné female president. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) makes remarks regarding her bill that passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on July 17 2026. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced last week that her bill allowing five Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska to receive land entitlements passed out of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The legislation, called The Alaska Native Landless Equity Act, would allow Petersburg, Wrangell, Haines, Ketchikan, and Tenakee to form Alaska Native corporations and each receive about 23,000 acres of federal land, as KFSK's Baiz Hoen reports. Those communities were excluded from the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) when it became law over 50 years ago. ANCSA transferred 44 million acres of land to more than 200 regional, village, and urban corporations to resolve land claims throughout Alaska. The Landless movement is not without controversy. ANCSA mandated the newly recognized Native corporations to make a profit. Because of this, some who oppose Sen. Murkowski's bill argue that it would privatize 115,000 acres of land in the Tongass National Forest. Murkowski spoke directly to the opposition in her committee remarks last week. She addressed concerns about environmental conservation, but said “this should not be the controversial measure it has historically been viewed as.” “There are no better stewards of our Alaska lands than the people who have lived on them for thousands of years.” The Alaska delegation has been introducing landless legislation since the early 1990s without success. In 2023, a landless bill introduced by Murkowski cleared committee for the first time. Murkowski also noted during remarks that a companion measure by U.S. Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK) passed in the House of Representatives last month — with no recorded opposition. Rep. Begich's bill is the first Landless bill to clear the House. “ And I think there’s good reason for that because it comes back to the inequity that we have seen, uh, and in an effort to do right by the Alaska Native peoples who were excluded so many decades ago.” Murkowski's legislation now heads to the Senate floor for consideration. Fort Harney in Oregon in 1872. On this day in 1880, President Rutherford B. Hayes signed an executive order canceling Oregon’s Fort Harney Military Reservation and placing those lands under the existing Malheur Indian Reservation. The order expanded the reservation established in 1872 for the Northern Paiute and Snake peoples as federal policies continued reshaping Native homelands. 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, July 23, 2026 – First Nations in Canada wary of new bill addressing longstanding water issues

Tuesday is Primary Day in Arizona. We discuss the Republicans hoping to unseat Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in November and the competitive primaries for an open Phoenix-area House seat.This episode: senior political correspondent Tamara Keith, political correspondent Ashley Lopez, and KJZZ correspondent Wayne Schutsky.This podcast was produced by Bria Suggs and edited by Rachel Baye.Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.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