Navajo Nation

An informational meeting was held on Friday in Upper Fruitland, New Mexico, on the federal benefits available to retired Navajo miners who have black lung disease. Some of the miners suspect they have black lung from their time working at coal mines like the Navajo Mine in San Juan County. Alex Osif, who is Navajo, Hopi, Pima, and a former miner and black lung benefits counselor, says that miners have been mistreated by coal companies for decades. And several bills dealing with substance use are on the agenda at the state Capitol this week.

Canyonlands Healthcare in Page, Arizona says that they’re finding more and more patients who have health issues related to working in coal mines throughout the Navajo Nation and surrounding areas. Michelle Carter, a nurse who leads the black lung clinic program at Canyonlands, says that based on miners they’ve screened in the last year, around 12% have the potential to have black lung disease. And state lawmakers are moving forward with a bipartisan bill that would boost funding for special education.

Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters has been arrested. And the Navajo Nation Council accepted funding for the first large-scale fiber-optic communications network for the tribe.

Thousands of Coloradans are getting ready to flock to the mountains for the long Memorial Day Weekend, and meteorologists say travelers should be vigilant about increased fire danger. And leaders from the Navajo Nation, the federal government and the state of Utah signed a water rights agreement on Friday.

A 2018 murder shocked a small Navajo community just south of Bluff, Utah. Federal agents arrested a suspect later that year. But since then the victim’s family has lived without closure. And in fear.

A proposed bill in the Navajo Nation Legislature would repeal a portion of a law that prohibits same sex marriage. And Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and First Lady Nez met with officials at the White House last week.

Four Corners K-9 Search and Rescue is the latest organization helping Native families find missing loved ones. They operate mostly in the Navajo Nation where resources for rescue are spare. KZMU’s Justin Higginbottom spoke with the founder of the group about what she and her two dogs find in the deserts of this region.

The Navajo Nation has around 250 police officers for some 27,000 square miles. That’s an area just larger than West Virginia. Throw jurisdictional constraints for county police in the mix and it means many on the reservation can’t depend on a speedy response to crime.

Communities across the Navajo Nation and the surrounding region are without power after a storm bringing powerful winds moved through the Southwest.

An independent redistricting commission has approved a new map for Colorado’s state senate districts; The 24th Navajo Nation Council will host the annual “Break the Silence” domestic violence awareness march on Monday.