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Jean Londono is looking forward to traveling and competing in tournaments this summer now that he has been vaccinated.

With the CDC authorization of the Pfizer vaccine for 12-to-15-year-olds coinciding with the start of many youth sporting events, parents and tournament organizers are faced with decisions, and complicating the issue are state and local jurisdictions’ varying restrictions. Read more»

Opponents of the proposed Resolution Copper mine at Oak Flat have been fighting the project for years, from lobbying in Washington to members of the San Carlos Apache Tribe setting up a camp near the entrance of Oak Flat campground in this photo from 2016.

The prospect of whether to turn sacred Apache land over to a mining company, whose plans for the site would “obliterate” the ability of tribal members to worship there, has turned an environmental fight over the mine into one over religious rights and drawn a diverse cast of supporters to the Apache cause. Read more»

Opponents of the Resolution Copper Mine say it will damage land sacred to the San Carlos Apache, and a lawsuit challenging government approval of the project has drawn support from a wide array of religious groups.

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. Read more»

The fight over the copper mine proposed for Oak Flat in southeastern Arizona has raged for years – and will likely continue after Monday’s decision to pull back Forest Service approval for the project. In this 2015 photo, members of the San Carlos Apache tribe gather at the Capitol to protest the land swap that would let the project proceed.

The government Monday rescinded its approval for a proposed massive copper mine at Oak Flat, just days before it was to transfer thousands of acres of federal land for the project. The Department of Agriculture said it ordered the rescission to allow for a “thorough review based on significant input from collaborators, partners and the public” after the Jan. 15 release of a final environmental impact statement on the project. Read more»

Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis, center, said his tribe is working to solve funding problems, but the federal government has to do its share. He is with Muckleshoot Tribe Council Member Louie Ungaro, left, and Martina Hinds, president of the National Indian Education Association.

Tribal officials this week raised issues ranging from polluted water to underfunded police but there was one message they all had for House lawmakers – the government needs to be a more reliable partner on critical projects. Read more»

A mining operation located along the U.S. 60 between Superior and Globe. A copper mining company wants to put operations in Oak Flats, about five miles away.

Oak Flat in Eastern Arizona lies in the midst of an environmental and economic controversy. The San Carlos Apache revere the federally owned land. Environmentalists consider it a sanctuary. Climbers, hikers and campers gravitate there for recreation. And Resolution Copper covets the rich veins of ore running beneath the surface. Read more»

The Resolution Copper mine has been in the planning stages for years, and it could be years more before it gets all the approvals it needs, a company spokesman said. Supporters say the mine it could bring thousands of jobs to the Superior area.

The U.S. Forest Service has started its formal review of the environmental impact of the proposed Resolution Copper mine, but opponents charge the outcome of the process is “already pre-ordained.” Read more»

Opponents of the proposed Resolution Copper Mine in southeast Arizona, shown here at a Washington protest last summer, say that the mine would destroy Oak Flat, a site they say is sacred to the Apache. The site won a listing on the National Register of Historic Places this month.

Opponents of a proposed copper mine at the Oak Flat campground scored a point when it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places this month – but while they won the battle, they haven’t won the war. Read more»

Members of the San Carlos Apache tribe came to Washington last summer to protest a copper mine proposed for Oak Flat, an area near Superior that they said is sacred to them.

Supporters of a copper mine proposed for Oak Flat have been given until Friday to make the case that the area, deemed sacred by the San Carlos Apache, should not be designated a historic site. Read more»

Ask any Native American tribe for a story about working with Congress and you'll probably hear a story of frustration. There are too many examples to count of Washington not taking tribal sovereignty seriously, ignoring trust and treaty responsibilities, and failing to protect Native American historical treasures. Read more»

This mine shaft at the proposed Resolution Copper mine near Superior will eventually be sunk to 7,000 feet.

The small town of Superior has pinned its livelihood to mines for more than a century, but never has it had a prospect like this. The proposed Resolution Copper mine near this struggling town could be the most productive copper mine in North America, but the generations of traditional mining experience in Superior may not be of much use as Resolution, like mines around the world, turns to robotics. Read more»

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Flagstaff, in a file photo with other Democratic women in the House who urged reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which includes provisions for immigrant, Native American and same-sex partners.

Tribal courts will be able to prosecute non-Native abusers under an expanded Violence Against Women Act that won final congressional approval. It also expands domestic violence protections for immigrants, extends them to same-sex couples and includes funding. Read more»

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, shown here in a file photo, right, said the finalization of the Cobell settlement 'begins a new era of trust administration.'

Native Americans could start getting payments by the end of this year from a historic $3.4 billion settlement of tribal claims that the federal government mismanaged trust funds for years, an attorney said this week. Read more»

As many as 30,000 Native Americans from seven Arizona tribes stand to benefit from the final settlement this week of a years-long, $3.4 billion lawsuit against the U.S. government. Read more»