National Native News

Antonia Gonzales
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Daily, five-minute newscast featuring the latest headlines and breaking news from Native and Indigenous communities anchored by Antonia Gonzales (Navajo) with reporters and storytellers from around the globe.

  1. 2 HRS AGO

    Monday, March 2, 2026

    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

    5 min

  2. 3D AGO

    Friday, February 27, 2026

    The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oversees more than 12 million acres in Arizona alone. And much like the rest of the West, it has public lands making up national monuments that hold value for tribes. As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, President Donald Trump’s pick to run BLM pledged to respect them in his confirmation hearing this week. During his first term, President Trump shrank the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah – only for President Joe Biden to restore them and name 10 new ones. Former U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM) answered “yes” when asked about whether he was committed to honoring those sites by U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), who thanked the nominee for his “great” and “short, clear, concise, and on-the-record” answer. Pearce added that “the Native Americans sometimes are overlooked from Washington and …” when Sen. Padilla interrupted with, “And not just sometimes, far too often”. Pearce then noted “We became a voice for them, and would continue to do that.” Pearce doubled down when U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) asked about Arizona’s Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni, which President Biden created near the South Rim in 2023. “The Grand Canyon, it’s one of the most magnificent things, frankly, in the world. So we’ll do whatever we can to work with you any way that’s necessary.” X̱’unei Lance Twitchell teaching pre-kindergarten students. (Courtesy Ryan Conarro) Language educators in Juneau are working to create a Master’s in Teaching program for teaching Indigenous languages at the University of Alaska Southeast. It would be the first of its kind in Alaska. KTOO’s Yvonne Krumrey reports. Lingít language professor X̱’unei Lance Twitchell talked about the possible future degree program during KTOO’s Juneau Afternoon. “My colleague Éedaa Heather Burge and I are collaborating to create a certificate in teaching Indigenous languages, and as we look at how our language is taught in Alaska, who teaches them, what are their qualifications? What are they permitted to do in the current school systems? And what they’re permitted to do is just not enough.” The program would be for those who want to go into teaching Alaska Native languages to all ages. There are more than 20 distinct Indigenous languages throughout the state. Twitchell said the program still has some steps ahead of it before prospective students can enroll. “This degree has to go before the Board of Regents, and so we’re very hopeful that they will see the value in it. They’ll see the need. They’ll see the demand. I think it’s maybe one of two programs that are like it, perhaps in all of North America.” Twitchell said, while Southeast Alaska Native languages have endured and continue to grow, they should still be prioritized – and with urgency – by schools and communities. “But to be able to get to that is going to take some monumental shifts in the way that we do things, which is really hard today, because one of the things that a colonial government likes to do is pretend that there’s no time, there’s no money, everything’s already spoken for.” Twitchell said this program would create more pathways for educators who can advocate for time, money, and effort to go into revitalizing Indigenous languages. He said the program would focus on the “hows” of teaching Indigenous languages: how to create schools, build programs, and what materials to use. University officials are currently reviewing the proposal. After that, it’ll be up to the University of Alaska Board of Regents to decide whether to approve the program. Meda DeWitt (Tlingit) is running for governor as an independent. (Courtesy DeWitt campaign) A 17th candidate has entered the Alaska governor’s race. Alaska Public Media’s Liz Ruskin has more. Meda DeWitt is a traditional healer, drawing on her Tlingit heritage. She teaches at the University of Alaska. She is running as an independent candidate, unaffiliated with any party. “I care about our future. I care about the way that we steward our lands and want to see a state that has a thriving ecosystem and healthy communities that can live in perpetuity.” In 2021, DeWitt chaired a campaign to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-AK). The petition gathered more than 60,000 signatures but fell short of the number needed for a recall election. Her campaign website lists a wide array of priorities, from cost of living to health care to the state economy. DeWitt lives in Anchorage and has family roots in Wrangell and Yakutat, as well as relatives around the state. The August 18 primary will feature a long list of gubernatorial candidates, most running with the Republican label. In the primary, voters can choose just one. The top four candidates, of any party, will advance to the November ballot. General election voters will have the option of ranking up to four candidates. 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, February 27, 2026 — Native Playlist: Cary Morin and Status/Non-Status

    5 min

  3. 4D AGO

    Thursday, February 26, 2026

    U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi says she is willing to help a northern Wisconsin town get reimbursed for money it paid to access roads. As Danielle Kaeding reports, the town of Lac du Flambeau made payments to the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa for access to four disputed roads. Three years ago, the Lac du Flambeau tribe barricaded four roads after negotiations failed over expired easements on roads crossing tribal lands. While roads later reopened, the town paid the tribe to maintain access. In a House judiciary committee hearing this month, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) called the payments extortion. “They ultimately got $600,000 from the town of Lac du Flambeau.” In the hearing, Tiffany asked Bondi if she would seek compensation for the town in the longstanding feud. Bondi had this to say. “We would more than welcome working with you.” The tribe said the payments were not extortion. Lac du Flambeau Tribal President John Johnson Sr. says Tiffany’s statements were false and a direct attack on tribal sovereignty and treaty rights. The tribe says it remains committed to working with local, state, and federal officials to resolve road access issues in a way that respects residents’ safety and laws governing Indian lands. The Arctic continues to warm faster than other parts of the world, and is experiencing record high temperatures and record low levels of sea ice. That is according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which released its report card for the region in December. As the Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA reports, those findings directly affect Alaska Indigenous communities. The Arctic Report Card has been documenting changes in snow and sea ice cover, as well as air and ocean temperatures in the northern part of the globe for the past 20 years. It has shown that, in that time period, the Arctic’s annual temperature has increased at more than double the global rate of temperature changes. Hannah-Marie Ladd is the director of Indigenous Sentinels Network. “These changes cascade directly into people’s lives, affecting fisheries, coastal safety, and subsistence harvests. We are no longer just documenting warming. We are witnessing an entire marine ecosystem, which is tied to our economies and culture, transform within a single generation.” The report highlights an emerging phenomenon called rusting rivers. That is when permafrost thaw causes ground water to seep deeper and interact with mineral deposits, which likely turns some streams and rivers to a rusty orange color. Abigail Pruitt says that, in Alaska, over 200 streams turned orange in recent years. “Within Kobuk Valley National Park, we observed the complete loss of juvenile Dolly Varden and Slimy Sculpin, in a tributary to the Akillik river when it turned orange. Beyond the effects on fish, rusting rivers may impact drinking water supplies to rural communities as well.” The report highlights how Indigenous communities have been observing the changes in their environments and wildlife and collaborating with scientists to better understand those changes. Ladd, with the Indigenous Sentinels Network, describes one example of such work. She says that St. Paul residents collect samples of harvested traditional foods – like seabirds, marine mammals and halibut. Those samples are tested in a tribally owned lab and analyzed for contaminants like mercury. “Indigenous leadership, local workforce development and community driven observing are not optional. They’re essential to understanding the Arctic that we have today and preparing for the Arctic we are moving into.” In response to a question about how federal cuts to climate science might affect the future of the Arctic Report Card, NOAA officials said that they will continue their efforts to observe the changing environment.   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, February 26, 2026 — Native Hawaiians work to save birds with rich ecological and cultural significance

    5 min

  4. 5D AGO

    Wednesday, February 25, 2026

    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

    5 min

  5. 6D AGO

    Tuesday, February 24, 2026

    A Lake Superior tribe wants a court to halt construction of a Canadian energy firm’s $450 million plan to reroute an oil and gas pipeline around its reservation in northern Wisconsin. As Danielle Kaeding reports, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa asked a court last week to review a decision that upheld state permits for Enbridge’s Line 5 relocation project. The Bad River tribe is challenging a recent decision by an administrative law judge that upheld wetlands and stormwater construction permits for Enbridge’s Line 5 reroute. Attorneys representing the tribe also filed a motion to put construction on hold until an Iron County judge hears their case. The tribe’s chair, Elizabeth Arbuckle, said in a statement that the Bad River watershed is not an oil pipeline corridor, and the tribe must protect its homeland. An Enbridge spokesperson said it would be unreasonable to halt construction following the judge’s decision and years of state review. Enbridge has said state permits contain extensive environmental protections and restoration plans. The company says construction would not cause significant harm to water quality or wetlands. The Bad River tribe disputes that. The project would involve blasting and drilling to install the pipeline. The Line 5 reroute would cross close to 200 waterways and more than 100 acres of wetlands. Enbridge has said it would create 700 jobs during construction. (Photo: Murphy Woodhouse / Mountain West News Bureau) Declining snowpack is affecting tribal agriculture and traditional food systems across the West. A new webinar series is helping Indigenous communities adapt. For the Mountain West News Bureau, Daniel Spaulding has more. Across the region, snowpack is below average heading into spring runoff. That has major implications for tribal producers who rely on snowmelt for irrigation, livestock, and traditional foods. The Native Resilience Project is a four-year effort to build resilience in tribal agriculture. This year, the project evolved to address the ongoing snow drought. Dr. Kyle Bocinsky is a partner on the project and the Director of Climate Extension at the Montana Climate Office. “It’s going to be variable across communities, but I think the biggest takeaway is just that what we’re seeing right now is, at least for the last 25 years, a historically low snowpack situation. And it’s going to tax a lot of our systems.” The webinars cover snow conditions, drought assistance programs, drought planning, and new pathways for tribes to directly request federal disaster declarations. There are three more webinars in the series, which ends in May. Hannah Bissett with her family sheltering in place in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. (Courtesy Hannah Bissett) An Alaska Native family from Wasilla is sheltering in place outside Puerto Vallarta. Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA has more. The family became stranded along with about 500 other tourists at their resort, after the Mexican military killed a notorious drug lord known as “El Mencho”. Other cartel members died and a wave of violence followed. Suspected cartel members torched businesses, buses, and cars in retaliation for the killings. Hannah Bissett says she and her mother, grandmother, ten-year-old brother, and a family friend had just arrived in Mexico. “We had like a half a day of normalcy, and as we were going to bed, things started turning upside down and got pretty intense pretty quickly.” Bissett said she and her family have not left their resort. All the stores around them, along with the hotel’s restaurants, are closed. “Assuming things are closed, still, like the major grocery stores nearby, or even the local markets, in the next three or four days, we’re gonna run out of food.” Bissett says the resort has been serving an evening buffet meal once a day. Overall, Bissett says she and her family are staying calm yet vigilant – encouraged that traffic seems to be moving again. Bissett says she received a personal phone call from U.S. Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK) and calls from the offices of U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan. All said they are ready to assist if necessary. Bissett is a former reporter at KNBA and currently a graduate student at the University of Alaska Anchorage.   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 24, 2026 — Native Bookshelf: “Blood Relay” by Devon Mihesuah

    5 min

  6. FEB 23

    Monday, February 23, 2026

    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 Monday, February 23, 2026 – Assessing the outlook for domestic violence prevention

    5 min

  7. FEB 20

    Friday, February 20, 2026

    Photo: A wide shot of the west side of the WélmeltiɁ Preserve in north Lake Tahoe, Calif. (Courtesy Elizabeth Carmel) The Washoe Tribe announced its acquisition of more than 10,000 acres of land north of Lake Tahoe. This new WélmeltiɁ Preserve marks the largest tribal land return in the Sierra Nevada and third largest in California. KUNR’s Mariel Day has more. The Washoe Tribe recently finalized the purchase of the land in partnership with organizations like the Wildlife Conservation Board. The land spans across from the northeast of Lake Tahoe and to about 20 miles north of Reno. Washoe Tribal Chairman Serrell Smokey says this is an opportunity for the tribe to revitalize their traditional practices, stewardship and language preservation. “The Washoe People, being removed from our lands, fought hard to get every little bit back, and now we actually have something to call ours.” Although the preserve is the first under the Waší·šiw Land Trust, they hope to acquire more of the Washoe homelands. In the meantime, Smokey hopes to start restoring the land and focus on conserving the wildlife and its natural resources – while ensuring it’s a safe place for everyone. Super Bowl Halftime headliner Bad Bunny recently won three Grammys, including Album of the Year. He’s from Puerto Rico and one song explores colonization in his home and Hawaiʻi. HPR’s Cassie Ordonio spoke with Puerto Ricans and Hawaiians last year about the similarities between the islands. Bad Bunny’s song, “Lo Que Le Paso A Hawaii”, translates to what happened to Hawaiʻi. Many locals say it highlights stark similarities and is a reminder of the islands’ colonial past. Daniel Kauwila Mahi is a Native Hawaiian artist. He interpreted the song as Bad Bunny protecting his homeland by taking a political stance against statehood. Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898, six years after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Mahi underscored that Native Hawaiian musicians have been raising issues of over tourism and sovereignty rights. These artists include, but are not limited to, Sudden Rush, Braddah Iz, and “Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s Hawai‘i ‘78”. “For this broader conversation is how Kanaka Maoli and Latino culture have been. through music since Paniolo came to Hawaii and our have have influenced each other for a lot longer than people think.” Angel Santiago-Cruz is a 69-year-old Puerto Rican who has lived in Hawai‘i for about 40 years. He joined the U.S Army with a guarantee to be stationed in Hawaiʻi. He wanted to see what statehood looks like. “What are you going to lose?” One lyric that stood to him was to never forget the lelolai. Santiago-Cruz says it’s an expression from the jibaro, which is a person who is connected to the land. “When the Hawaiians say, ea, that’s an expression for your Hawaiianness, that’s an expression to the connection to the island. Lelolai is the same.”     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, February 20, 2026 – Remembering Osage leader Jim Gray

    5 min

  8. FEB 19

    Thursday, February 19, 2026

    Photo: Crews install the final stages of a new fiber-optic internet network across four tribal nations in northern New Mexico. (Courtesy NMPBS) The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion has announced more than $900 million in investments towards broadband infrastructure, with the help of both federal and state support. Some of the funds will go to the Navajo Nation. KUNM’s Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) has more. Among the 17 projects announced, the Navajo Nation was awarded $111 million. That is the largest single supported project from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. Sonia Nez manages the Navajo Nation Broadband Office. She says the project will affect 11,000 households across New Mexico’s portion of the Navajo Nation. She also says an effort to bring broadband to the community like this has never been done before. “Telehealth, education across the whole spectrum, lifts the people up to a new level where there was no connectivity before, but now they will have connectivity at the home, and so just opens the whole door of opportunity for the people, businesses, entrepreneurship, education, across the whole spectrum.” Nez says tribal members continue to face challenges without broadband. “So without internet connection, for example, you have to go either to get college education, you have to go off the reservation, you have to go to the cities, you know. So this will give them opportunity to have school right there at home and not have to leave the Nation.” Nez says the BEAD program will help more homes have broadband service. She also says Navajo Nation is working to establish broadband in all chapter houses and install 5G towers for mobile internet. A few dozen people gathered in Anchorage on January 31, 2026, while several dozen more joined virtually, to discuss whether to rebuild or relocate Kipnuk. (Photo: James Oh / Alaska Public Media) Kipnuk was one of the Western Alaska villages hit hardest by the remnants of Typhoon Halong in October. Residents are starting to vote on whether they want to rebuild their community, or relocate to higher ground. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA reports. Rayna Paul sits in an Anchorage office, scrolling through a spreadsheet filled with hundreds of names of Kipnuk tribal members. “We are just on As…” (laughs) Paul is in charge of the village’s voting process. Over the next several days, she and her team will call every single adult tribal member — that’s about 900 people — and ask them: Do they want to rebuild the village in its current location or move to higher ground? “It’s very important for us to find out what the tribal members from Kipnuk want.” Last fall’s disastrous winds and flooding destroyed homes and infrastructure and contaminated land and water. Most of Kipnuk’s residents remain evacuated, including Paul. She says she wants the future Kipnuk to be safe. “We love our community. We miss our community. We’re doing it for our future generations to come, because they might not know what to do when this happens again. I think we’re just going to be hit with many, many storm events.” The first community meeting about whether to relocate happened about a week ago. The decision to start voting followed swiftly. Sheryl Musgrove directs the climate justice program under the Alaska Institute for Justice. She says the village needs to act fast to make the most of both the short construction season and the available funding for disaster recovery. “They don’t have decades. They need to do it immediately. … That’s my hope is they can show other communities that are going to be faced with this in the future, that you can rebuild someplace else– if that’s what they decide– on a short timeline as the disaster recovery process.” Right now, Kipnuk leadership is looking at two sites for relocation. Both spots are located on higher ground. During the voting process, Paul and her team of four are also asking residents if they want to suggest any other sites.   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, February 19, 2026 – The growing AI appropriation threat

    5 min
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About

Daily, five-minute newscast featuring the latest headlines and breaking news from Native and Indigenous communities anchored by Antonia Gonzales (Navajo) with reporters and storytellers from around the globe.

Information

  • Creator
    Antonia Gonzales
  • Years Active
    2008 - 2026
  • Episodes
    299
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Koahnic Broadcast Corporation - All rights reserved - Contact nola@nv1.org for permission
  • Show Website
    National Native News

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