Good Morning, NUNAverse,
The Supreme Court has stopped a major push by the Biden administration to boost the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination rate, a requirement that employees at large businesses get a vaccine or test regularly and wear a mask on the job. At the same time, the court is allowing the administration to proceed with a vaccine mandate for most health care workers in the U.S. The court’s orders Thursday came during a spike in COVID-19 cases caused by the omicron variant. The court’s conservative majority concluded the administration overstepped its authority by seeking to impose the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccine-or-test rule on U.S. businesses with at least 100 employees. More than 80 million people would have been affected and OSHA had estimated that the rule would save 6,500 lives and prevent 250,000 hospitalizations over six months.
Two years after InvestigateWest reported that the Washington State Patrol was searching some racial and ethnic groups at a rate one researcher called “disturbing,” the agency has released a new analysis of its stop-and-search data. The State Patrol and Washington State University researchers who released the study this month, however, acknowledge the problem InvestigateWest uncovered in 2019 persists. State troopers are still more likely to search Black, Latino, Native, and Pacific Islander drivers, even though the troopers are more likely to find contraband like drugs or weapons when they search white drivers. In a news release announcing the study, WSU said researchers didn’t find “intentional, agency-level racial bias.” WSU’s analysis of more than 7 million State Patrol interactions with the public from 2015 to 2019 found that state troopers stop Black drivers at a rate disproportionate to the Black population in King and Pierce counties, and found a similar disparity for Latino drivers in Benton County. WSU found that troopers were nearly five times as likely to search Native drivers as they were white drivers, slightly better than InvestigateWest’s findings from 2009 to 2015.
Water rights, the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, voting rights, and infrastructure needs were some of the common issues that several tribal leaders from across Arizona talked about during their visit to the Arizona’s Capitol to talk with legislative leaders about their respective sovereign nations as part of the 27th Annual Indian Nations and Tribes Legislative Day. A variety of important topics and issues were brought to the forefront as Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, Colorado River Indian Tribes Chairwoman Amelia Flores, and Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis addressed legislative leaders on the Arizona House Floor on Wednesday. Each tribal leader touched on important topics such as water rights, voting rights, COVID-19, and infrastructure issues. Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers and Senate President Karen Fann welcomed tribal leaders onto the Arizona House floor by thanking them for attending the event and their continued relationships.
In the continued battle between tribes and government over the re-listing of Northern Rockies gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act, scientists have weighed in, with a letter addressed to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. The population of wolves was previously protected under the Endangered Species Act, until 2020 when former President Donald Trump delisted them. Then, over the summer, Idaho’s governor signed a law that authorized unregulated and unlimited killing of wolves across the state. In their letter, the scientists argue that the state changing its regulatory framework to authorize the unlimited and unregulated taking of wolves warrants immediate action to protect the wolves. In addition to the letter signatories, regional tribes, 21 U.S. Senators, 81 U.S. Representatives, and 800 scientists have already asked for the emergency reslisting of wolves in the Northern Rockies, the letter says.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Updated Numbers
Indian Country Today
Center For Disease Control
Current Cases in the United States
Health:
Supreme Court Halts COVID-19 Vaccine Rule For Us Businesses
AP News, Mark Sherman, January 13
The Supreme Court has stopped a major push by the Biden administration to boost the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination rate, a requirement that employees at large businesses get a vaccine or test regularly and wear a mask on the job. At the same time, the court is allowing the administration to proceed with a vaccine mandate for most health care workers in the U.S. The court’s orders Thursday came during a spike in coronavirus cases caused by the omicron variant. The court’s conservative majority concluded the administration overstepped its authority by seeking to impose the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccine-or-test rule on U.S. businesses with at least 100 employees. More than 80 million people would have been affected and OSHA had estimated that the rule would save 6,500 lives and prevent 250,000 hospitalizations over six months.
Law:
WA Troopers Still More Likely To Pull Over Native American Drivers
Crosscut, Jason Buch, January 13
Two years after InvestigateWest reported that the Washington State Patrol was searching some racial and ethnic groups at a rate one researcher called “disturbing,” the agency has released a new analysis of its stop-and-search data. The headline: “No systematic agency bias.” The State Patrol and Washington State University researchers who released the study this month, however, acknowledge the problem InvestigateWest uncovered in 2019 persists. State troopers are still more likely to search Black, Latino, Native American and Pacific Islander drivers, even though the troopers are more likely to find contraband like drugs or weapons when they search white drivers. In a news release announcing the study, WSU said researchers didn’t find “intentional, agency-level racial bias.” Statewide, they found no evidence that members of Black, Indigenous, Latino and other communities of color were being stopped at a rate higher than their populations and noted “minimal” differences between day and night stops, the latter a more widely recognized metric for determining bias. But WSU’s analysis of more than 7 million State Patrol interactions with the public from 2015 to 2019 found that state troopers stop Black drivers at a rate disproportionate to the Black population in King and Pierce counties, and found a similar disparity for Latino drivers in Benton County. WSU found that troopers were nearly five times as likely to search Native American drivers as they were white drivers, slightly better than InvestigateWest’s findings from 2009 to 2015.
Woman Gets 18 Months Behind Bars For Stealing $1m In Ipods Meant For Native American Students
Apple Insider, Mike Peterson, January 13
After a lengthy trial and sentencing process, a New Mexico woman has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for her involvement in a scheme to steal and resell iPods intended for Native American students. Stock, 46, admitted to stealing more than 3,000 iPods purchased by the Central Consolidated School District in New Mexico between 2013 and 2018. After stealing the iPods, Stock sold them on eBay for her own personal benefit, the Justice Department said in a news release. Between 2010 and 2019, Stock worked for the school district and was responsible for overseeing a program to provide iPods to Native American children living on tribal reservations in New Mexico. Stock said she received more than $800,000 in illegal proceeds from selling the stolen iPods, which were themselves worth more than $1 million, the Justice Department said. Additionally, Stock also admitted to falsifying tax returns for the 2012 to 2017 calendar years. She failed to report significant amounts of taxable income, which caused a tax loss for the U.S. of $270,821. U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake charged Stock for interstate transportation of stolen goods and tax fraud. In addition to the 18 months in prison, her sentence includes three years of supervised release.
Other:
IHS Announces Final Rule On The “Buy Indian Act” – Seeking To Do More Business With Indian-Owned Businesses
Native News Online, January 13
The Indian Health Service (IHS) announced on Thursday the final rule on the Buy Indian Act that will strengthen its requirements to set aside contracts for Indian-owned and controlled businesses. One part of the final rule alleviates unnecessary regulatory requirements previously in place. Native-owned businesses will be able to compete for $1billion in contracts annually. Types of businesses utilized by IHS are construction contractors to build health facilities, water supply structures and sewage waste projects. Additionally, IHS purchases medical supplies and services, among others. The final rule supports the Indian Community Economic Enhancement Act of 2020, which requires IHS and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to harmonize Buy Indian Act procurement procedures. Both agencies are the only two federal agencies authorized to utilize the Buy Indian Act.
Other:
Tribal Leaders Voice Concerns About Water, Voting, COVID
AZ Mirror, Shondiin Silversmith, January 13
Water rights, the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, voting rights, and infrastructure needs were some of the common issues that several tribal leaders from across Arizona talked about during their visit to the Capitol to talk with legislative leaders about their respective sovereign nations as part of the 27th Annual Indian Nations and Tribes Legislative Day. A variety of important topics and issues were brought to the forefront as Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, Colorado River Indian Tribes Chairwoman Amelia Flores, and Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis addressed legislative leaders on the Arizona House Floor on Wednesday. Each tribal leader touched on important topics such as water rights, voting rights, COVID-19 and infrastructure issues. Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers and Senate President Karen Fann welcomed tribal leaders onto the Arizona House floor by thanking them for attending the event and their continued relationships.
Scientists Demand Secretary Of The Interior Deb Haaland Take Action To Protect Gray Wolves
Native News Online, January 13
In the continued battle between tribes and government over the re-listing of Northern Rockies gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act, scientists have weighed in, with a letter addressed to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. The population of wolves was previously protected under the Endangered Species Act, until 2020 when former President Donald Trump delisted them. Then, over the summer, Idaho’s governor signed a law that authorized unregulated and unlimited killing of wolves across the state. In their letter, the scientists argue that the state changing its regulatory framework to authorize the unlimited and unregulated taking of wolves warrants immediate action to protect the wolves. In addition to the letter signatories, regional tribes, 21 U.S. Senators, 81 U.S. Representatives, and 800 scientists have already asked for the emergency reslisting of wolves in the Northern Rockies, the letter says.
Alaska School In Race With Climate Change
AP News, January 12
A school that is in danger of being lost to erosion because of climate change is at the top of the state’s list for the construction of a new school building. The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development put the school in the southwest Alaska village of Napakiak at the top of its priority list for replacement for the upcoming fiscal year. The school is just 64 feet from the Kuskokwim River and it’s getting closer every year. Just two years ago, the school was less than 200 feet from the river. Climate change is a contributing factor in the erosion caused by the Kuskokwim, a 700 mile-long river that becomes an ice highway for travelers in the winter. It has been an ongoing problem in Napakiak, but the pace has accelerated in the past few years. Numerous Alaska communities face the same dilemma because they are affected by the warming climate that is thawing permafrost — permanently frozen soil — and compromising river banks.