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»

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»

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The government Monday rescinded its approval for a proposed massive copper mine at Oak Flat, just days before it was to transfer thousands of acres of federal land for the project.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»

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»

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 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 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»

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»

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»

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»

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»