Area Briefs | Nation seeks applicants for Fiscal Recovery Fund jobs

WINDOW ROCK

The Navajo Nation needs workers to help spend the more than $1.16 billion received from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The new Fiscal Recovery Fund Office is seeking applicants for several positions listed under “job openings” on the Navajo Nation Department of Personnel Management’s website (http://www.dpm.navajo-nsn.gov).

The office was established on Oct. 4 and Tom Platero was appointed interim executive director.

Applications for deputy executive director and program manager are due on Jan. 3, 2022.

Applications for other positions are due on Jan. 4, 2022.

“The executive branch worked with the legislative branch to develop legislation to provide Hardship Assistance and infrastructure funds for our people and communities,” President Jonathan Nez said.

“Once legislation is approved,” he said, “the Fiscal Recovery Fund Office can move forward with fully implementing the funds.”

The Fiscal Recovery Fund Office will be a clearinghouse for ARPA-related activities including educating the public, collaborating with departments and offices, reviewing and approving projects, overseeing projects and ensuring compliance with provisions of ARPA and Navajo Nation laws.

The office also established a website to share information with the public (http://www.frf.navajo-nsn.gov).

Unit to specialize on Indigenous crime victims

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors in New Mexico’s busiest judicial district and the state Indian Affairs Department are teaming up to create a special unit to focus on investigating cases of missing or slain Native Americans.

State Indian Affairs Secretary Lynn Trujillo and Bernalillo County District Attorney Raúl Torrez announced a memorandum of understanding Dec. 16 to form the investigative team.

Under the agreement, the unit within the district attorney’s office will help a statewide task force with analysis, case investigations and interventions.

Officials said New Mexico has the fifth-largest Native American population in the U.S. but the highest number of Indigenous people who have been killed or are missing in the country.

Native American women in New Mexico experience the highest rate of homicide among all racial and ethnic groups, officials have said, and Torrez characterized the situation as an epidemic.

“It is clear that steps need to be taken to help bring resources to the victims, families and communities affected by this crisis,” he said in a statement. “Working with Native communities and law enforcement to collect actionable data is crucial to moving these cases forward and preventing future violence.”

Trujillo said a previous report by the Urban Indian Health Institute showed New Mexico had some of the highest numbers of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and that Albuquerque and Gallup were among top 10 cities nationwide. As a result, New Mexico created a task force in 2019 to begin addressing the crisis.

A report issued by the task force suggests that between 2014 and 2019, there were 660 Native Americans reported missing in Albuquerque, of which 287 were women.

Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty was among those at the signing ceremony. She leads the Missing and Murdered Diné Relatives task force that is developing a framework for a proposed data institute and a missing persons toolkit for communities.

“It is clear that our Indigenous women are plagued by high rates of violence and in response, there continues to be a lack of government support to meet the growing needs of our families,” she said.

Crotty added: “In order to restore harmony and begin the healing process, criminal cases must fully be prosecuted and our Indigenous relatives must be found. The lives of our missing Navajo relatives are sacred and their stories must be told.”

States bordering Nation report 1st Omicron cases

SANTA FE – On Dec. 13, the New Mexico Department of Health announced that the first identified case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant has appeared.
The case was identified on Sunday, Dec. 12, and is a female adult in Bernalillo County.

The individual reported recent domestic travel to a state with reported cases of Omicron.

In Arizona, the first case of the Omicron variant was detected on Dec. 8, state health officials said.

The case was confirmed in Yavapai County, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

The Utah Department of Health confirmed the state’s first case of the Omicron variant on Dec. 3.

The person who tested positive for the virus is an older adult who lives within the Southwest Utah Public Health District and recently returned home to Utah after traveling to South Africa.

Omicron has been identified as a variant of concern by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC describes a variant of concern as “A variant for which there is evidence of an increase in transmissibility, more severe disease (for example, increased hospitalizations or deaths), significant reduction in neutralization by antibodies generated during previous infection or vaccination, reduced effectiveness of treatments or vaccines, or diagnostic detection failures.”

The Omicron variant has been confirmed in at least 30 states and the District of Columbia, as well as more than 60 countries. Omicron appears to be spreading faster than the currently-dominant Delta variant.

Health officials remind everyone that the best way to protect themselves and their loved ones continues to be vaccination. Everyone age 5 and over is eligible for vaccine, and everyone 16-plus is eligible for a booster shot.

BOR awards $76M for Navajo-Gallup water pipeline

FARMINGTON – U.S. The Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $76.1 million contract to SJ Louis Construction of Rockville, Minnesota, for construction of the next portion of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project.

Called the Navajo Code Talkers Sublateral, the project will advance the pipeline’s goal of delivering clean water to tribal and rural communities in northwestern New Mexico.

The work will be located along New Mexico State Highway 264 between Yah-Ta-Hey, New Mexico, and Window Rock. The project will include the installation of 17 miles of 24- to 30-inch diameter pipe and one water storage tank.

Work will begin in January 2022 and is expected to last approximately two years.

Camille Calimlim Touton, reclamation commissioner, said, “This will mark another step towards meeting the United States’ obligation to the Navajo Nation under the Nation’s water rights settlement agreement on the San Juan River Basin in New Mexico, where over a third of households still haul drinking water to their homes.”

The pipeline consists of two main systems – the San Juan Lateral and Cutter Lateral – and is intended to meet the current and future demands of more than 43 Navajo chapters, the southwest area of the Jicarilla Apache Reservation and the city of Gallup.

When the full project is completed, it will include approximately 300 miles of pipeline, two water treatment plants, 19 pumping plants and multiple water storage tanks.

NAU professor’s run on ‘Jeopardy’ ends

FLAGSTAFF – Northern Arizona University professor Marti Canipe’s run on TV’s “Jeopardy” ended Tuesday night.

Competing in the semifinals of the “Professors Tournament,” Canipe had $2,200 in “Final Jeopardy” and went all in. She got the question wrong and finished in third place.

Even though she didn’t win the tournament, she leaves with $10,000.

The show was taped in October and Canipe had to stay quiet and not tell anyone what she was doing or how she did.

Indigenous survey open for submissions

TULSA, Okla. – Native Americans are invited to participate in a survey about critical issues impacting them and their communities.

The Indigenous Futures Survey will be used to make changes on the priorities and needs of Indian Country.

The 2021 reports and research data were used to inform Congress on the impacts of COVID-19 on Indigenous communities and on issues such as civic engagement, identity and culture.

The survey is hosted by IllumiNative, Native Organizers Alliance, and Research for Indigenous Social Action and Equity.

The inaugural Indigenous Futures Survey was the largest and most comprehensive study ever conducted in Indian Country, with over 6,460 participants representing 401 tribes from all 50 states.

Crystal Echo Hawk, Pawnee, founder and executive director of IllumiNative, said, “Native and Indigenous peoples deserve to be seen and heard. For so long, we have been forgotten or worse, deliberately excluded from research and data collection.”

The survey is open for Native peoples to participate until Jan. 31, 2022.

Information: https://indigenousfutures.org

Annual Indian Nations and Tribes Day

PHOENIX – The 27th Annual Indian Nations and Tribes Legislative Day is set for Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, according to the Governor’s Office on Tribal Relations.

The office extends an invitation to pay tribute to the history and culture of Native Americans and their contributions to not only the United States but the state of Arizona.

Registration will be capped. The deadline is Jan. 7, 2022. Early registration is encouraged.

On the morning of Jan. 12, perspectives will be shared by tribal leadership followed a community luncheon (with registration) on the Senate Lawn.

The event ends with a workshop by Native youth called Native Youth Know where John Herrington, former NASA astronaut, and other special guests will speak. In-person attendance is limited to youth groups with a live video stream for virtual guests.

Information: Carmen De Alba Cardenas, 928-848-6637.

Intermountain reunion raffle winners

GALLUP — The winners of the 2020 Intermountain School Family Reunion Committee Benefit Raffle are as follows.

1. Ryan Dodson, Fort Defiance, Pendleton shawl and robe set.
2. Wilford Yazzie, Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, five bales of hay and five bags of grain.
3. Jerry Kee, Ganado, Arizona, women’s traditional outfit.
4. Lionel Nelson, Vanderwagen, New Mexico, sheepherder’s special.
5. Titus Nelson, Gallup, coffeemaker.
6. Lorina Antonio, Salt Lake City, set of dishes.
7. Harold Williams, Window Rock, electric griddle.
8. Ed Seaton, Kayenta, necklace/earring set.
9. Quanet Nelson, Gallup, pottery.
10. Harry Nez, Sheep Springs, New Mexico, set of pillows.
11. Bobby Begay, Page, Arizona, dog and cat food.
12. Penelope Cole, Page, necklace.
13. Shane Antonio, Salt Lake City, nickel silver bolo.
14. Kim Mayes, Window Rock, beaded eagle earrings.
15. Marsha Peterson, Window Rock, air pods.
16. Harry Nelson, Gallup, men’s wristwatch.
17. Laverne Nez, Ganado, quilt.
18. Leonard Tabaha, Houck, Arizona, toaster.
19. Shane Antonio, Salt Lake City, comforter.
20. Brenda James, Page, electric chainsaw.
21. Chasity Antonio, Salt Lake City, Intermountain cap.
22. Cordell James, Page, Intermountain T-shirt.
23. Lorina Antonio, Salt Lake City, Intermountain T-shirt.
24. Nyla Begay, Page, Intermountain sweat jacket.
25. Velda Begay, Page, large tote bag.
26. Azha Dodson, Fort Defiance, Bluebird pillow set.
27. May Hoskie, Page, basketball.
28. Bry Nelson, Gallup, PSA Superheroes set.
29. Lorraine Pablo, Yah-Ta-Hey, New Mexico, candy wrapper jewelry set.
30. Shane Antonio, Salt Lake City, friendship bracelet.
31. Torvino Yazzie, Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, colored scarf with fringe.
32. Art McCabe, Window Rock, fashion bouquet.
33. Lorina Antonio, Salt Lake City, ladies watch.
34. Penelope Cole, Page, ladies watch.
35. Laverne Nez, Ganado, Duster Buster.

Thank you all for donating, buying and selling our benefit raffle books.

To claim prizes, call Lorraine at 505-879-9622.

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