Navajo

On today's newscast: A Hopi runner is the first Native American to qualify for the 2028 Olympic marathon trials, Attorney General Mayes says the Trump administration broke the law when it revoked rules to regulate motor vehicles' greenhouse gases, and a federal bankruptcy judge has approved the sale of most of North Country HealthCare's assets to the Tucson-based El Rio Health contingent on the transfer of federal grants between the two which has not yet been approved.

On today's newscast: water managers predict Lake Powell could fall to historic lows by the end of the year, the federal government will impose its own Colorado River management plan, environmental groups oppose President Trump's pick to lead the National Park Service and the Indian Health Service will no longer treat tooth decay with dental fillings containing mercury.

Republican Rep. Paul Gosar has introduced bills in the U.S. House that would rescind the designations of two Arizona national monuments, including the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni–Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.

The National Park Service recently celebrated the 100th anniversary of the designation of Wupatki National Monument with discussions about its natural history and a panel that included members of tribes with connections to the area.

In northern Arizona a dry spell can last for weeks, even months, before the monsoon arrives. During a severe drought a Navajo medicine man invited commentator Scott Thybony to join a rain-bringing ceremony below the San Francisco Peaks.

A bill introduced to Congress this week, if ratified, would establish a reservation in northern Arizona and southern Utah for the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe. It's the only federally recognized tribe in Arizona that doesn’t have its own homeland.

This Sunday is the 104th anniversary of the founding of Grand Canyon National Park. But Indigenous peoples have called the Grand Canyon home for thousands of years before the park came into being. A new short film honors their stories. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke with Diné filmmaker Deidra Peaches about the documentary, which is available online and will play at the South Rim visitor center.

This Sunday’s Superbowl pregame show will include a performance of “America the Beautiful” by a Navajo sign language interpreter. Colin Denny will use signs from a regional variation of North American Indian Sign Language, which has been used by the Deaf and hard-of-hearing in Indigenous tribes for centuries and is now in danger of disappearing. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports.

A new study shows grocery and convenience stores on the Navajo Nation were able to adapt to changing policies and consumer demand during the coronavirus pandemic. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports, many stores even began to provide fresh produce that wasn’t available before.

In far northwest New Mexico, old farming traditions are meeting young appetites—and it’s a meeting where everyone wins.