Good morning, NUNAverse:
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has named former President Barack Obama’s tribal liaison as her top official on Alaska issues. Raina Thiele is Dena’ina Athabascan and Yup’ik and an enrolled member of Pedro Bay village, making her the first Alaska Native woman to serve in the top Alaska role for a federal agency that controls more than half the state’s land. Her job does not require congressional confirmation, and she is expected to begin work later this month.
The mayor of Superior Arizona, a small community in Arizona’s copper corridor, has publicly urged members of Congress to oppose a bill that would rescind a land exchange for what would be one of the largest copper mining operations in the U.S. Resolution Copper, a joint venture of global mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP, was set to receive a parcel of land in the Tonto National Forest in mid-March before the Biden Administration pulled back an environmental review for the project that triggered a 60-day clock for the land exchange so it can consult further with tribes that hold the land sacred.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg told reporters that infrastructure investment in Indian Country is a high priority of the proposed $2.2 trillion American Jobs Plan. In a press call Monday, the new secretary listed critical water infrastructure, internet broadband, housing, transportation, tribal colleges and universities, and roads as focus areas in the American Jobs Plan for Native communities.
The Arizona Legislature approved a key part of a plan that will provide new opportunities for gambling at casinos owned by tribes and for the first time allow sports betting both on and off reservations. The bill allows betting on professional and college sports at sites owned by pro sports teams and at tribal casinos. It also allows gambling on fantasy sports and new Keno games at horse race tracks and fraternal organizations. Passage of the legislation is tied to the updated gaming compact that Governor Ducey has struck with tribes but has not released to the public.
COVID-19:
US Recommends ‘Pause’ For J&J Shots In Blow To Vaccine Drive
AP News, Zeke Miller, April 13
The U.S. on Tuesday recommended a “pause” in use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of rare but potentially dangerous blood clots, setting off a chain reaction worldwide and dealing a setback to the global vaccination campaign.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration announced that they were looking into unusual clots in six women between the ages of 18 and 48. One person died.
IHS, Tribes ‘Pause’ J&J Vaccine
Indian Country Today, April 13
The Indian Health Service and some tribes have paused the administering of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine following reports that it could lead to rare but potentially dangerous blood clots. There have been no cases of the “rare and severe type of blood clot” reported to IHS in individuals who have received the single-dose vaccine, according to IHS. The Johnson & Johnson shot makes up approximately 1.5 percent of the shots in the arm, IHS said. As of April 12, 1,097,038 doses ofPfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have been administered.
Navajo Nation Reports No COVID-19 Deaths For Third Consecutive Day
Native News Online, April 13
For the third day in a row, the Navajo Nation reported no COVID-19 related deaths. More good news was there were only two new COVID-19 cases reported on Tuesday. The total number of deaths remains 1,262 as previously reported on Saturday. Reports indicate that 16,430 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, and 258,879 COVID-19 tests have been administered. The total number of positive COVID-19 cases is now 30,269.
FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Application Now Open To Public
Native News Online, April 12
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) opened its application to the general public on Monday its COVID-19 financial assistance program. The program was funded from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez encourages Navajo families that incurred expenses related to COVID-19 to apply through FEMA for financial assistance.
Politics:
Buttigieg Addresses Infrastructure Issues In Indian Country
NON DOC, Joseph Tomlinson, April 14
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg told reporters that infrastructure investment in Indian Country is a high priority of the proposed $2.2 trillion American Jobs Plan.
Interior Secretary Names Alaska Native Woman As Top Alaska Official
Anchorage Daily News, James Brooks, April 13
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has named former President Barack Obama’s tribal liaison as her top official on Alaska issues. Raina Thiele is Dena’ina Athabascan and Yup’ik and an enrolled member of Pedro Bay village, making her the first Alaska Native woman to serve in the top Alaska role for a federal agency that controls more than half the state’s land. As the agency’s senior adviser for Alaska affairs and strategic priorities, Thiele will oversee all Interior Department issues in Alaska. Her job does not require congressional confirmation, and she is expected to begin work later this month in Washington, D.C.
Law:
Bill To Legalize Sports Betting Heads To Arizona Governor
AP News, April 13
The Arizona Legislature late Monday approved a key part of a plan that will provide new opportunities for gambling at casinos owned by Native American tribes and for the first time allow sports betting both on and off reservations. The Senate approved a bill passed last month by the House, sending it to Gov. Doug Ducey who negotiated the package and urged lawmakers to approve it. The bill allows betting on professional and college sports at sites owned by pro sports teams and at tribal casinos. It also allows gambling on fantasy sports and new Keno games at horse race tracks and fraternal organizations.
Lawmakers Discuss Bill Trying To Save Oak Flat
AP News, Felicia Fonseca, April 13
Superior Mayor Mila Besich pushed members of Congress on Tuesday to oppose a bill to rescind a land exchange for what would be one of the largest copper mining operations in the U.S, saying residents cannot fully realize plans for a community center, economic development and tourism that draws on its mountainous surroundings without the mine and its financial support. Resolution Copper, a joint venture of global mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP, was set to receive a parcel of land in the Tonto National Forest in mid-March. Then, the Biden administration pulled back an environmental review that triggered a 60-day clock for the land exchange so it can consult further with Native American tribes that hold the land sacred.
Other:
Tensions Rise In Water Battle Along Oregon-California Line
AP News, Gillian Flaccus, April 13
One of the worst droughts in memory in a massive agricultural region straddling the California-Oregon border could mean steep cuts to irrigation water for hundreds of farmers this summer to sustain endangered fish species critical to local tribes. For the first time in 20 years, it’s possible that the 1,400 irrigators who have farmed for generations on 225,000 acres of reclaimed farmland will get no water at all — or so little that farming wouldn’t be worth it. Several tribes in Oregon and California are equally desperate for water to sustain threatened and endangered species of fish they rely on.
Superior Mayor, Tribal Officials Spar Over Bill To Stop Oak Flat Mine
Cronkite News, Sarah Oven, April 13
The mayor of Superior told a House panel Tuesday that a bill canceling a massive copper mine at Oak Flat would be “devastating” for the Pinal County town and its hopes to revitalize its economy. But while Besich testified against a bill to reverse the land deal that cleared the way for the Resolution Mine, others said the environmental and cultural danger the mine presents call for the project’s cancellation. Tribal groups in particular said the mine would destroy Oak Flat, land that the San Carlos Apache consider sacred and use for religious ceremonies and rituals.
Two Indigenous Artists In Montana Awarded Tinworks Art Grants
Native News Online, Alina Bykova, April 13
Tinworks Art named the recipients of its 2021 Tinworks Artists Grant on Saturday, with two Indigenous grant winners among them. Each of the five artists awarded will get $10,000, a studio visit from the curatorial team, and a place in a public lecture series in fall 2021, Tinworks Art said. Each artist is also required to participate in one outreach activity for K-12 or an underserved community of their choice. Raven Halfmoon (Caddo Nation) and Paul Rowley (Tlingit and Haida tribes of Alaska) are the two Indigenous grant winners.