Author: Donovan Quintero

A confidential audit memorandum delivered to the Navajo Nation Council and the Office of Ethics and Rules on Nov. 18 has become a pivotal warning about the government’s long-standing structural weaknesses that now threaten the Nation’s ability to manage the last of its American Rescue Plan Act dollars before time runs out.

Navajo Nation District Court Judge Malcom Begay has ruled that Speaker Crystalyne Curley can proceed with her lawsuit challenging President Buu Nygren’s attempt to fire Controller Sean McCabe, install an interim controller and enforce line-item vetoes that cut into the Legislative Branch budget.

Standing beneath the late afternoon sun outside the Rough Rock Community School gymnasium, 34-year-old Wesley Yazzie of Chinle paused as the rhythmic beat of drums carried across the field. The Navajo song and dance was dedicated to honoring veterans, a moment of reflection for Yazzie, who recently completed 13 years in the U.S. Army.

A national infant botulism investigation that includes one confirmed case in Arizona has led to a voluntary recall of two batches of ByHeart infant formula, prompting warnings across 10 states.

The morning light crept across the edge of a metal rooftop that now glimmers above a weather-worn home tucked into the red-earth hills of Oak Springs. Inside, 69-year-old Janice Billiman moved slowly through her living space, stepping around boxes, blankets and personal belongings that filled nearly every corner of the one-room house.