U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi says she is willing to help a northern Wisconsin town get reimbursed for money it paid to access roads.

As Danielle Kaeding reports, the town of Lac du Flambeau made payments to the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa for access to four disputed roads.

Three years ago, the Lac du Flambeau tribe barricaded four roads after negotiations failed over expired easements on roads crossing tribal lands.

While roads later reopened, the town paid the tribe to maintain access. In a House judiciary committee hearing this month, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) called the payments extortion.

“They ultimately got $600,000 from the town of Lac du Flambeau.”

In the hearing, Tiffany asked Bondi if she would seek compensation for the town in the longstanding feud. Bondi had this to say.

“We would more than welcome working with you.”

The tribe said the payments were not extortion.

Lac du Flambeau Tribal President John Johnson Sr. says Tiffany’s statements were false and a direct attack on tribal sovereignty and treaty rights.

The tribe says it remains committed to working with local, state, and federal officials to resolve road access issues in a way that respects residents’ safety and laws governing Indian lands.

The Arctic continues to warm faster than other parts of the world, and is experiencing record high temperatures and record low levels of sea ice.

That is according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which released its report card for the region in December.

As the Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA reports, those findings directly affect Alaska Indigenous communities.

The Arctic Report Card has been documenting changes in snow and sea ice cover, as well as air and ocean temperatures in the northern part of the globe for the past 20 years.

It has shown that, in that time period, the Arctic’s annual temperature has increased at more than double the global rate of temperature changes.

Hannah-Marie Ladd is the director of Indigenous Sentinels Network.

“These changes cascade directly into people’s lives, affecting fisheries, coastal safety, and subsistence harvests. We are no longer just documenting warming. We are witnessing an entire marine ecosystem, which is tied to our economies and culture, transform within a single generation.”

The report highlights an emerging phenomenon called rusting rivers. That is when permafrost thaw causes ground water to seep deeper and interact with mineral deposits, which likely turns some streams and rivers to a rusty orange color.

Abigail Pruitt says that, in Alaska, over 200 streams turned orange in recent years.

“Within Kobuk Valley National Park, we observed the complete loss of juvenile Dolly Varden and Slimy Sculpin, in a tributary to the Akillik river when it turned orange. Beyond the effects on fish, rusting rivers may impact drinking water supplies to rural communities as well.”

The report highlights how Indigenous communities have been observing the changes in their environments and wildlife and collaborating with scientists to better understand those changes.

Ladd, with the Indigenous Sentinels Network, describes one example of such work.

She says that St. Paul residents collect samples of harvested traditional foods – like seabirds, marine mammals and halibut. Those samples are tested in a tribally owned lab and analyzed for contaminants like mercury.

“Indigenous leadership, local workforce development and community driven observing are not optional. They’re essential to understanding the Arctic that we have today and preparing for the Arctic we are moving into.”

In response to a question about how federal cuts to climate science might affect the future of the Arctic Report Card, NOAA officials said that they will continue their efforts to observe the changing environment.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts.

Check out today’s Native America Calling episode

Thursday, February 26, 2026 — Native Hawaiians work to save birds with rich ecological and cultural significance

Canadian energy firm Enbridge will reimburse a northern Wisconsin county for the cost of policing protests expected with construction of the company’s Line 5 reroute.

As Danielle Kaeding reports, the Ashland County board approved the deal Tuesday.

The Wisconsin Counties Association negotiated an agreement where Enbridge will reimburse local governments for public safety costs tied to the Line 5 project in northern Wisconsin.

Funds will be deposited into an escrow account managed by the association. Some residents worried the deal would turn local authorities into a private security force.

Bad River tribal member Edith Leoso warned against signing the agreement to get reimbursed by Enbridge.

“They will feed you what you want to hear, and then they will take everything from this area and leave you to pick up the pieces.”

An Enbridge spokesperson said the company volunteered to fund the account.

Enbridge also said it received a final US Army Corps permit that the company says will allow construction to move forward, but state approvals for the project are being challenged in court.

Enbridge previously paid millions for public safety costs tied to protests of its Line 3 replacement project in Minnesota.

ZenniHome founder Bob Worsley shares his excitement about opening up his facility in 2024 atop the former Navajo Generating Station near Page, Ariz. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ)

A civil lawsuit filed in Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona alleges a factory on the Navajo Nation was “squandering millions on improper and mysterious expenditures” before suddenly shutting down in July.

KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has more.

The Albuquerque, N.M.-based firm Indigenous Design Studio + Architecture (IDSA) alleges that Mesa subcontractor ZenniHome breached its $50 million deal to build 160 modular homes.

“There’s a whole lot of money that got dumped into Zenni and obviously only to produce 18 homes, it’s a mystery how that occurred.”

Attorney Jay Curtis says IDSA is looking to repair the reputation of its founder, Tamarah Begay, in addition to recouping roughly $22 million from the American Rescue Plan Act for the Navajo Nation.

ZenniHome CEO Bob Worsley says there will not be a refund of any amount.

“No, the money is gone … It’s not sitting in somebody’s account somewhere, so the company has been liquidated. There’s no more assets. It’s just almost theater when we spent every dime they gave us, and about $4 million more than that – out of my pocket – so yeah, that’s not going to happen.”

Worsley also faces a separate federal class action lawsuit after laying off more than 200 employees last year.

Rex Lee Jim, Vice President of the Navajo Nation prepares notes prior to a media call in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Radio Studio in Washington, D. C., Monday, March. 3, 2015. (Photo: Bob Nichols / USDA)

Former Navajo Nation Vice President Rex Lee Jim is being remembered for his advocacy for Navajo people, including in education and culture, and as an international diplomat.

Jim served as vice president from 2011 to 2015 with Navajo President Ben Shelly. He also served on the Navajo council, was a poet, playwright, author, and traditional medicine man.

The Navajo Nation Council said Jim passed away on Tuesday and recognized his dedication to Navajo people, cultural preservation, and global Indigenous advocacy.

JoAnn Chase (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara), former executive director of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), is being remembered for strengthening NCAI’s national presence and advocating for Native rights.

Chase served as executive director from 1994 to 2001.

In a statement Tuesday, NCAI said of Chase’s passing that her leadership help the organization become stronger and more visible, working with tribal leaders, Congress, and others.

She later worked in philanthropy, policy, and arts, including most recently serving as vice chair of the board for the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts.

Check out today’s Native America Calling episode

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 — The Menu: Commod Bods, a standout frybread stand, and Afro-Indigenous mutual aid in Minneapolis

A Lake Superior tribe wants a court to halt construction of a Canadian energy firm’s $450 million plan to reroute an oil and gas pipeline around its reservation in northern Wisconsin.

As Danielle Kaeding reports, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa asked a court last week to review a decision that upheld state permits for Enbridge’s Line 5 relocation project.

The Bad River tribe is challenging a recent decision by an administrative law judge that upheld wetlands and stormwater construction permits for Enbridge’s Line 5 reroute.

Attorneys representing the tribe also filed a motion to put construction on hold until an Iron County judge hears their case.

The tribe’s chair, Elizabeth Arbuckle, said in a statement that the Bad River watershed is not an oil pipeline corridor, and the tribe must protect its homeland.

An Enbridge spokesperson said it would be unreasonable to halt construction following the judge’s decision and years of state review. Enbridge has said state permits contain extensive environmental protections and restoration plans.

The company says construction would not cause significant harm to water quality or wetlands. The Bad River tribe disputes that.

The project would involve blasting and drilling to install the pipeline. The Line 5 reroute would cross close to 200 waterways and more than 100 acres of wetlands. Enbridge has said it would create 700 jobs during construction.

(Photo: Murphy Woodhouse / Mountain West News Bureau)

Declining snowpack is affecting tribal agriculture and traditional food systems across the West.

A new webinar series is helping Indigenous communities adapt.

For the Mountain West News Bureau, Daniel Spaulding has more.

Across the region, snowpack is below average heading into spring runoff. That has major implications for tribal producers who rely on snowmelt for irrigation, livestock, and traditional foods.

The Native Resilience Project is a four-year effort to build resilience in tribal agriculture. This year, the project evolved to address the ongoing snow drought.

Dr. Kyle Bocinsky is a partner on the project and the Director of Climate Extension at the Montana Climate Office.

“It’s going to be variable across communities, but I think the biggest takeaway is just that what we’re seeing right now is, at least for the last 25 years, a historically low snowpack situation. And it’s going to tax a lot of our systems.”

The webinars cover snow conditions, drought assistance programs, drought planning, and new pathways for tribes to directly request federal disaster declarations.

There are three more webinars in the series, which ends in May.

Hannah Bissett with her family sheltering in place in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. (Courtesy Hannah Bissett)

An Alaska Native family from Wasilla is sheltering in place outside Puerto Vallarta.

Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA has more.

The family became stranded along with about 500 other tourists at their resort, after the Mexican military killed a notorious drug lord known as “El Mencho”.

Other cartel members died and a wave of violence followed.

Suspected cartel members torched businesses, buses, and cars in retaliation for the killings.

Hannah Bissett says she and her mother, grandmother, ten-year-old brother, and a family friend had just arrived in Mexico.

“We had like a half a day of normalcy, and as we were going to bed, things started turning upside down and got pretty intense pretty quickly.”

Bissett said she and her family have not left their resort. All the stores around them, along with the hotel’s restaurants, are closed.

“Assuming things are closed, still, like the major grocery stores nearby, or even the local markets, in the next three or four days, we’re gonna run out of food.”

Bissett says the resort has been serving an evening buffet meal once a day. Overall, Bissett says she and her family are staying calm yet vigilant – encouraged that traffic seems to be moving again.

Bissett says she received a personal phone call from U.S. Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK) and calls from the offices of U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan. All said they are ready to assist if necessary.

Bissett is a former reporter at KNBA and currently a graduate student at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts.

Check out today’s Native America Calling episode

Tuesday, February 24, 2026 — Native Bookshelf: “Blood Relay” by Devon Mihesuah

Photo: The entrance to the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site in Ganado, Ariz., on the Navajo Nation. (Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ)

The Interior Department is reviewing signs posted at more than a dozen national parks and monuments as part of President Donald Trump’s agenda to “restore truth and sanity to American history”.

As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, one figure featured at the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site on the Navajo Nation is now in the crosshairs.

To Navajos, Ganado Mucho (Many Cattle) is like a folk hero. He went on the “Long Walk”, marching hundreds of miles to be held at a New Mexico fort until he and other leaders signed an 1868 treaty.

“And he wasn’t defeated in the easy binary of stories that are winners and losers, but peacemaker doesn’t mean you’re not a resistor.”

University of Oklahoma professor Farina King (Diné) says Mucho’s legend may be at odds with how the U.S. wants to remember its past on the heels of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

“The thorn in the side is a disruption to the celebratory stories of Manifest Destiny, conquering the West, taming it and subjecting, you know, Indigenous peoples as if they’re just a part of a wild landscape.”

Three Navajo men, Tiene-su-se, left, Ganado Mucho, and Mariano in 1874. (Courtesy National Anthropological Archives / Smithsonian Institution)

Once freed, Mucho then met fellow trader John Lorenzo Hubbell and kept making peace in the Southwest, settling disputes – often between Mormon ranchers and Navajos. In 1878, Hubbell set up his iconic trading post – still open to this day – and would rename that area. Hence Ganado, Ariz.

Health care officials say a new Level IV EMS trauma facility opened by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska will mean faster and more efficient care for residents who need emergency medical attention.

Mark Moran has more.

Winnebago Comprehensive Healthcare Services completed a $15 million emergency department in December, which then received a Level IV trauma center designation from the Nebraska Department of Public Health.

Marketing Specialist Halle Murray says the new facility is a dramatic upgrade over calling 911.

“Maybe the response time for Winnebago is longer if you try to call 911. So, here we actually have our own emergency line. It’s just a quicker response time, whether that’s needing help with something, or a ride to the hospital in an ambulance.”

It took six years for Winnebago’s emergency department to earn the trauma center designation, which included rigorous training for the medical professionals and other staff who work there.

In additional to advanced training and updated treatment protocols, the site itself was subject to a series of inspections and reviews prior to its Level IV designation.

Murray says the trauma center fills a big need.

“There’s always people who need help here on the reservation. Again, just getting to them quicker and helping them out the best that we can, and helping them get the care that they deserve, and I would say it’s a huge need in the Winnebago community right now.”

Nebraska has one Level I trauma center, located in Omaha.

A bill in the New Mexico Legislature that would have allowed state driver’s licenses and identifications to include Native American designations failed as the session closed last week, New Mexico In Depth reports.

The bill would have allowed applicants to request a mark to appear on their license or ID as Native American.

Supports say it is in response to federal immigration actions taking place across the country, as Native Americans have been among those confronted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and having the designation would be another layer of identification.

A handful of tribes in the state reportedly supported the bill.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts.

Check out today’s Native America Calling episode

Monday, February 23, 2026 – Assessing the outlook for domestic violence prevention

Photo: A wide shot of the west side of the WélmeltiɁ Preserve in north Lake Tahoe, Calif. (Courtesy Elizabeth Carmel)

The Washoe Tribe announced its acquisition of more than 10,000 acres of land north of Lake Tahoe.

This new WélmeltiɁ Preserve marks the largest tribal land return in the Sierra Nevada and third largest in California.

KUNR’s Mariel Day has more.

The Washoe Tribe recently finalized the purchase of the land in partnership with organizations like the Wildlife Conservation Board.

The land spans across from the northeast of Lake Tahoe and to about 20 miles north of Reno.

Washoe Tribal Chairman Serrell Smokey says this is an opportunity for the tribe to revitalize their traditional practices, stewardship and language preservation.

“The Washoe People, being removed from our lands, fought hard to get every little bit back, and now we actually have something to call ours.”

Although the preserve is the first under the Waší·šiw Land Trust, they hope to acquire more of the Washoe homelands.

In the meantime, Smokey hopes to start restoring the land and focus on conserving the wildlife and its natural resources – while ensuring it’s a safe place for everyone.

Super Bowl Halftime headliner Bad Bunny recently won three Grammys, including Album of the Year. He’s from Puerto Rico and one song explores colonization in his home and Hawaiʻi.

HPR’s Cassie Ordonio spoke with Puerto Ricans and Hawaiians last year about the similarities between the islands.

Bad Bunny’s song, “Lo Que Le Paso A Hawaii”, translates to what happened to Hawaiʻi. Many locals say it highlights stark similarities and is a reminder of the islands’ colonial past.

Daniel Kauwila Mahi is a Native Hawaiian artist. He interpreted the song as Bad Bunny protecting his homeland by taking a political stance against statehood.

Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898, six years after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Mahi underscored that Native Hawaiian musicians have been raising issues of over tourism and sovereignty rights.

These artists include, but are not limited to, Sudden Rush, Braddah Iz, and “Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s Hawai‘i ‘78”.

“For this broader conversation is how Kanaka Maoli and Latino culture have been. through music since Paniolo came to Hawaii and our have have influenced each other for a lot longer than people think.”

Angel Santiago-Cruz is a 69-year-old Puerto Rican who has lived in Hawai‘i for about 40 years. He joined the U.S Army with a guarantee to be stationed in Hawaiʻi. He wanted to see what statehood looks like.

“What are you going to lose?”

One lyric that stood to him was to never forget the lelolai. Santiago-Cruz says it’s an expression from the jibaro, which is a person who is connected to the land.

“When the Hawaiians say, ea, that’s an expression for your Hawaiianness, that’s an expression to the connection to the island. Lelolai is the same.”

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts.

Check out today’s Native America Calling episode

Friday, February 20, 2026 – Remembering Osage leader Jim Gray

Photo: Crews install the final stages of a new fiber-optic internet network across four tribal nations in northern New Mexico. (Courtesy NMPBS)

The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion has announced more than $900 million in investments towards broadband infrastructure, with the help of both federal and state support.

Some of the funds will go to the Navajo Nation. KUNM’s Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) has more.

Among the 17 projects announced, the Navajo Nation was awarded $111 million. That is the largest single supported project from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.

Sonia Nez manages the Navajo Nation Broadband Office. She says the project will affect 11,000 households across New Mexico’s portion of the Navajo Nation.

She also says an effort to bring broadband to the community like this has never been done before.

“Telehealth, education across the whole spectrum, lifts the people up to a new level where there was no connectivity before, but now they will have connectivity at the home, and so just opens the whole door of opportunity for the people, businesses, entrepreneurship, education, across the whole spectrum.”

Nez says tribal members continue to face challenges without broadband.

“So without internet connection, for example, you have to go either to get college education, you have to go off the reservation, you have to go to the cities, you know. So this will give them opportunity to have school right there at home and not have to leave the Nation.”

Nez says the BEAD program will help more homes have broadband service. She also says Navajo Nation is working to establish broadband in all chapter houses and install 5G towers for mobile internet.

A few dozen people gathered in Anchorage on January 31, 2026, while several dozen more joined virtually, to discuss whether to rebuild or relocate Kipnuk. (Photo: James Oh / Alaska Public Media)

Kipnuk was one of the Western Alaska villages hit hardest by the remnants of Typhoon Halong in October.

Residents are starting to vote on whether they want to rebuild their community, or relocate to higher ground.

The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA reports.

Rayna Paul sits in an Anchorage office, scrolling through a spreadsheet filled with hundreds of names of Kipnuk tribal members.

“We are just on As…” (laughs)

Paul is in charge of the village’s voting process. Over the next several days, she and her team will call every single adult tribal member — that’s about 900 people — and ask them: Do they want to rebuild the village in its current location or move to higher ground?

“It’s very important for us to find out what the tribal members from Kipnuk want.”

Last fall’s disastrous winds and flooding destroyed homes and infrastructure and contaminated land and water. Most of Kipnuk’s residents remain evacuated, including Paul. She says she wants the future Kipnuk to be safe.

“We love our community. We miss our community. We’re doing it for our future generations to come, because they might not know what to do when this happens again. I think we’re just going to be hit with many, many storm events.”

The first community meeting about whether to relocate happened about a week ago. The decision to start voting followed swiftly.

Sheryl Musgrove directs the climate justice program under the Alaska Institute for Justice. She says the village needs to act fast to make the most of both the short construction season and the available funding for disaster recovery.

“They don’t have decades. They need to do it immediately. … That’s my hope is they can show other communities that are going to be faced with this in the future, that you can rebuild someplace else– if that’s what they decide– on a short timeline as the disaster recovery process.”

Right now, Kipnuk leadership is looking at two sites for relocation. Both spots are located on higher ground.

During the voting process, Paul and her team of four are also asking residents if they want to suggest any other sites.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts.

Check out today’s Native America Calling episode

Thursday, February 19, 2026 – The growing AI appropriation threat

Federal fisheries regulators approved some limits on Western Alaska chum bycatch in the Bering Sea last week.

The highly debated – and long awaited – decision aims to protect declining salmon stocks, a crucial food resource for Alaska tribes.

The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has this story.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to set a Western Alaska chum bycatch limit in the Bering Sea pollock fishery.

The council said the move will balance protections for Western Alaska salmon returns, while also allowing pollock fisheries to continue their harvest.

Council member Nicole Kimball voted for the motion. She says it addresses those needs and reflects best available Western and Indigenous science.

“I think it’s going to change behavior. I think it’s going to reduce Western Alaska chum bycatch … I’m sure, as per usual, nobody is very happy, but all of the discussions have really helped … inform the outcome.”

The trawl fishery in the Bering Sea near the Aleutian Islands is focused on pollock, but boats also scoop up other types of fish.

That includes chum salmon, some of which migrates to Western and Interior Alaska rivers and is a crucial subsistence resource there. But chum runs have been declining, leading to repeated fishing closures in some communities.

Alaska Native Council member John Moller, originally from Unalaska, is a commercial fisherman. He says he is fortunate to put fish up each year and feels for those who cannot.

“I know how important that is to me, how important that is to my family, and passing that on to my children – I get that. And my heart is ripped out, speaking with all of you that are living on the rivers right now that don’t have that same ability that I have living in Southeast.”

The council voted to support a motion that sets a limit to Western Alaska chum bycatch. Exceeding that limit would trigger a partial closure.

Rachel Baker is the Deputy Commissioner at Alaska Department of Fish and Game. She presented the motion.

Several members who voted against the motion said it is not likely to provide a meaningful improvement for salmon returns, but Baker argued.

“We’re at this table used to thinking about large volumes of fish, in tons … we heard in testimony that four fish were able to provide the needs for a potlatch.”

The plan goes to the National Marine Fisheries Service next before it can be implemented.

(Courtesy AMC)

This weekend saw the recent premiere of Season 4 of AMC’s award-winning detective drama, “Dark Winds” which takes place in 1970s Navajo Country.

As Brian Bull reports, tension and resentment threaten the romantic relationship between two main characters.

After Bernadette Manuelito quits the U.S. Border Patrol and returns to the Navajo Tribal Police Department, it looks like a carefree and intimate rekindling of her romance with fellow officer, Jim Chee.

But Lt. Joe Leaphorn shares a life decision with Manuelito that will shake up the force, a secret which Chee inevitably learns.

Feeling affronted and mistrusted, a schism occurs between the couple.

Actors Kiowa Gordon and Jessica Matten talk about bringing this conflict to their characters.

“Leaphorn’s coming from a place of understanding the matriarchy system, and in order to protect this relationship dynamic, she doesn’t feel like she’s lying to Chee, she feels like she’s actually protecting him from what he doesn’t need to know.  Y’know she’s dealing with a lot of the PTSD of her just killing a man in season 3, and sometimes you just don’t want to tell the truth right away because you might actually spiritually just drown, because it’s too much.”

“And he is dealing with his own demons that he’s been pushing away but now they’ve come to collect. And having to deal with that and trying to maintain your professionalism when you’re working with the love of your life at the same time, and so there’s a lot of dynamics being played out.”

(Courtesy AMC)

Meanwhile, an investigation takes the pair and Leaphorn to Los Angeles.

Gordon and Matten say much of the filming still happened in New Mexico, parts of which resembled L.A. more than 50 years ago.

New episodes of “Dark Winds” air Sunday nights on AMC and a fifth season has already been greenlit.

The premiere episode of “Dark Winds” season 4 ended with a tribute to executive producer Robert Redford, who passed away last September. (Courtesy AMC)

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts.

Check out today’s Native America Calling episode

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 – Native in the Spotlight: Keeya Wiki

As immigration enforcement actions continue across the country, Indigenous people are increasingly concerned they are being targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). And some have been detained.

For the Mountain West News Bureau, Daniel Spaulding has more.

On the morning of December 5, ShyLynn Allen received a panicked phone call from Jose Joaquin Sanchez Alvarado, the father of her children.

Alvarado was driving from his home in Meridian, Idaho to pick up their 10-year-old son to take him to school. Suddenly, he was surrounded by police.

“He called me from inside the car and he’s like, ‘I think,’ he’s like, ‘I think they’re taking me.’ And he was just like, ‘I’m pretty sure.’ He’s like, ‘I’m pretty sure they’re detaining me.”

Allen is a member of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribe in Idaho and Nevada. Alvarado, who is undocumented and not a tribal member, came to the United States from Mexico when he was just 11-years-old.

“He doesn’t have a criminal record. I don’t even know why they’re really targeting him. You know, he’s a good person. He’s not. He’s never been in trouble like he always works like that’s all he does is work.”

Alvarado is now being held in an ICE detention facility near Las Vegas, Nev.

Allen says the emotional toll has fallen heavily on their children.

“Now they don’t even want to go outside or do anything.”

As ICE ramps up operations across the country, that fear is widespread in Native communities. Despite being U.S. citizens and members of sovereign tribal nations, Indigenous people are increasingly being questioned – and in some cases detained – by immigration agents.

In January, Peter Yazzie, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was detained by ICE in Phoenix before being released later that day.

“We are the first peoples of the country, and our citizenship should never be questioned or challenged by anyone.”

That is Crystalyne Curley, the Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council.

In January, the council passed legislation calling on ICE to formally recognize Navajo Nation identification documents.

Many tribes across the country are urging their citizens to carry tribal IDs at all times.

In January, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) hosted a know your rights webinar. Over a thousand people attended.

Beth Wright (Laguna Pueblo) is a senior staff attorney at NARF.

“Yeah, we’re getting a lot of outreach from folks all over the country. I think there’s a lot of concern about what to do if tribal citizens are stopped by ICE and what their rights are in different encounters with ICE. I think one of the important messages to convey is that tribal citizens are citizens of the U.S.”

But many Native parents are worried that tribal IDs won’t be enough. Eva Flores is a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Arizona. She lives in Caldwell, Idaho.

“You know, I fear for my kids to go out, even just to school or activities, not knowing if, you know, they’re coming home or if they’re going to be picked up.”

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said its agents are trained to determine a person’s immigration status and whether they are subject to removal.

As tribal leaders call on federal authorities to respect tribal sovereignty, parents like ShyLynn Allen are focused on protecting their children.

“We don’t need ICE on our street. They’re only terrorizing brown people. And it’s not doing any good. They’re violating constitutional rights, they’re killing people.”

Defending adult division world hoop champ Josiah Enriquez wins his third title in a row at the Heard Museum on February 15, 2026. (Courtesy Heard Museum / Gila River Broadcasting Corporation)

The annual Indigenous hoop dancing championships was held over the weekend, returning to the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Ariz.

As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, the reigning titleholder made history by defending his crown once more.

A two point difference – 214 points – a three-time champion, Josiah Enriquez…”

The three-peat adult division champ, who is Navajo and from the pueblos of Isleta and Pojoaque in New Mexico, made history Sunday night.

His victory marks a very rare feat no one else has achieved, except the sport’s most decorated dancer three decades ago.

Arizona’s Derrick Suwaima Davis (Hopi and Choctaw) won three of his record-setting seven world titles in a row between 1996 and 1998.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts.

Check out today’s Native America Calling episode

Tuesday, February 17, 2026 – Will limiting commercial trawler bycatch save salmon in Alaska?

The federal government is encouraging tribes to partner with data centers. That could mean leasing land or, as the Mountain West News Bureau’s Hanna Merzbach reports, selling power.

At a U.S. Department of Energy webinar, Ken Ahmann with Colusa Indian Energy said that is where the big bucks come in.

“ Potentially billions of dollars into the coffers of tribes.”

His company provides energy infrastructure to data centers on tribal land. He says these partnerships can be good for tribes that have land and resources to power big projects like the Osage Nation in Oklahoma.

Paul Bemore is the chair of the tribe’s utility board.

“Tribes that are casino-dependent really need to look at other ways to build their economies, and I think data centers is one of those opportunities.”

Though Bemore says people may be wary about how this will impact the environment. Other tribes have expressed concerns about data centers draining precious water supplies.

(Courtesy Disney)

Disney’s animated film “Moana 2” has been translated into Hawaiian just like the first movie.

Hawai‘i Public Radio’s Cassie Ordonio reports.

Most Disney productions are dubbed in more than 40 languages after appearing in English. The Moana series is one of them.

The sequel made history with a global debut on Disney plus this month – marking the beginning of Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, or Hawaiian Language Month.

Lāiana Kanoa-Wong is a member of the “Moana 2” Oceanic Cultural Trust.

“Things that you could find on the media or in shows, we didn’t have it. We were watching every cartoon you could imagine at the time. We were watching all of these things, but nothing ever looked and sounded like us. And so being able to be a part of this project was a huge honor and privilege.”

Kanoa-Wong was honored to be a part of the project and to see the characters brought to life in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.

“It was important to make sure that the maoli Hawai‘i was still strong, like the essence and what we’re trying to say was so strong, even if sometimes it didn’t match perfectly with the lip flap, we forgave ourselves sometimes, if it conveyed the meaning and it was helpful for that purpose, or we would sometimes like we would have written it out, and we’re like, Oh, we got to add a few more things why don’t we add this word or these sounds that can also deepen the meaning, but from a Hawaiian worldview.”

“Moana 2” tells the story of the Polynesian princess receiving a call from her wayfinding ancestors.

She embarks on a dangerous journey across the ocean, reunites with Maui, and recruits other characters from her home in Motunui to join her.

The Hawaiian language version of the film is produced by an all-local cast, including the original Moana voice actress Auli‘i Cravalho.

The character Loto is voiced by Native Hawaiian actress Pualalea Panaewa.

“For me, it was a very special opportunity to be able to voice a character in such a beloved Disney film series. Moana is huge. Not just amongst our people too. Not just amongst Hawaiians or Polynesians or Oceania like in the world.”

Jim Gray, former Principal Chief of the Osage Nation, is being remembered for his leadership and advocacy for Indian Country.

He passed away last week at age 64.

Chairperson Ben Barnes of the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma says Gray’s achievements for his tribe and Indian Country have left a profound impact, including modernizing the Osage Nation’s government by ratifying its first constitution, and securing equal voting rights for every Osage member.

The National Congress of American Indians President Mark Macarro says Gray devoted his life to strengthening the Osage Nation and advancing tribal sovereignty.

Funeral services are being held Monday on the Osage Nation.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts.

Check out today’s Native America Calling episode

Monday, February 16, 2026 — Tribes come to grips with $1.5 billion federal funding retraction

The 15th annual Bay Area American Indian Two Spirit Powwow is happening this Valentine’s Day.

Buffalo’s Fire reports that organizers hope that the event goes fine, with participants and volunteers feeling safe and supported as the rawhide drum ushers in the Grand Entry.

Tzapotl Flores (Salvi-Mexi Xicana) is a co-chair for the BAAITS powwow. She says, this year, the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is creating concerns.

“We are developing very specific ICE protocols internally. We hear these forms of propaganda where Two Spirit people are ‘terrorists.’ All of these different attacks on our community, but it’s still going to happen. Because it is a tantamount important event that people need.”

Another co-chair, Kat Warren, says the Trump administration has made things challenging for Two Spirits and the Native LGTBQ+ community.

The president has rolled out executive orders that bans gender affirming care for youth, and defines gender as only male or female, determined at conception.

“Y’know a lot of our folks are very concerned about the folks that are going to attend this powwow because we do bring in a lot of folks, and we want to make sure everyone is taken care and able to experience the medicine of the powwow. We see the struggles and we see the ongoing pressure of this administration and we are trying our best to be above it.”

BAAITS is regarded as the largest Two Spirit powwow in North America, with non-gender contest dancing and flags representing Native LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit people.

The North Fork of the Yellow River on July 17, 2025. (Photo: Danielle Kaeding / WPR)

States and tribes would have less power to protect waterways under the Clean Water Act when reviewing energy and infrastructure projects.

As Danielle Kaeding reports, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would limit their authority under a new rule.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the changes would protect water quality while ending “weaponization of the law” that has delayed or blocked projects.

States and authorized tribes can review the effects of dams, bridges, and pipelines on wetlands and waterways under the Clean Water Act. The proposal would narrow water quality impacts they could consider.

Nancy Stoner is an attorney with the Environmental Law and Policy Center. She says the rule would also remove a process that allows tribes to weigh in on federally regulated projects even if they haven’t adopted their own programs to set water quality standards.

“It puts a huge hurdle in front of tribes that they have to actually adopt a whole water quality standards program in order to look at a federally permitted activity, and what are the impacts on the waters, on the tribal waters.”

Only about 15% of federally recognized tribes have received approval from the EPA to adopt their own programs for water quality standards.

Franka Potente as Irene Vaggan in “Dark Winds” Season 4, Episode 3. (Photo: Michael Moriatis / AMC)

This weekend sees the return of the AMC series “Dark Winds”.

The award-winning detective series takes place in 1970s Navajo Country.

Zahn McClarnon plays tribal police lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, who finds himself stalked by a mysterious woman who carves a path of destruction across the reservation.

Zahn McClarnon as Lt. Joe Leaphorn in “Dark Winds” Season 4, Episode 3. (Photo: Michael Moriatis / AMC)

Franka Potente plays Irene Vaggan. She and McClarnon discuss their dynamic upon their first physical meeting in the season.

“He’s very vulnerable with no clothes on, half naked, but (Frank laughs) also vulnerable in his life and what he’s going through psychologically and emotionally, with the possibility of losing his wife and searching for what the Diné people call ‘hozho’ y’know, the balance and stability in his life. And he’s in search of that very much when he meets Irene for the first time.

“I’m not connected to the earth anymore so she’s very impressed and very enamored with what she’s seeing, and she just wants to devour that.”

“Dark Winds” premieres Sunday night on AMC.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts.

Check out today’s Native America Calling episode

Friday, February 13, 2026 – Indigenous Winter Olympians compete for gold in Italy