Native America
Walker River Tribe gets final $2.4M needed for clean water infrastructure project
For years, members of the Walker River Paiute Tribe who depend on well water have been plagued by water scarcity, brought on by a lack of infrastructure and funding. Between aging pipes, pollutants and regional drought, the tribe’s existing water infrastructure has been stretched to its limits — compromising both public health and economic development. […]
On the anniversary of 1863 massacre, Great Basin tribes call for Bahsahwahbee national monument
Monday marked the anniversary of a violent massacre in Nevada’s Spring Valley by federal soldiers, who in 1863 targeted Native men, women, and children gathered for a religious ceremony in a sacred stand of Rocky Mountain junipers. For decades, tribal members have fought to protect the unique grove of Rocky Mountain junipers growing on the […]
Tribes in Nevada eligible for millions in Interior water infrastructure funding
In the last decade, Native American communities throughout Nevada have seen a significant increase in Safe Drinking Water Act violations due to failing infrastructure and paltry federal funding for tribes. Now the federal agencies responsible for protecting tribal health and water safety are investing more than $1 billion in funding to accelerate the development of […]
Rosen, Cortez Masto ask HHS to improve tribal access to mental health services
Nevada U.S. Democratic Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto called on Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra to improve tribal access to federal mental health services via a letter sent on March 14. The Indian Health Service is “the agency tasked with providing direct public health support to members of Tribal […]
Rosen helps secure increased funding for tribal housing programs
Nevada Democratic U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen announced Monday that $1.34 billion in funding for tribal housing programs is now available, including for the Indian Housing Block Grant program. The funding was included in the government spending package approved by Congress and signed into law last week. Native Americans in tribal areas have some of the […]
Federal designation allows Reno Sparks Tribal Health Center more access to specialists
The Reno Sparks Tribal Health Center announced its designation Thursday as a Tribal Federally Qualified Health Center, which allows it to pay higher reimbursement rates to specialists providing care. The designation is in collaboration with the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services. “Tribal patients will have an easier time accessing care, and I hope […]
Cortez Masto’s bill would improve Indian Health Service recruitment, Senate panel told
Representatives from the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony Tribal Health Center and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services this week urged a Senate panel to approve legislation to help recruit and retain health care workers at Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities. The IHS Workforce Parity Act, co-sponsored by Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and […]
Rosen pushes to revitalize tribal housing funding program
Nevada Democrat U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen urged her colleagues to increase funding for tribal housing in a letter sent to the Senate Committee on Appropriations Thursday afternoon. Native Americans in tribal areas have some of the worst housing needs in the nation, facing higher poverty rates, overcrowded housing, lack of plumbing and heat, high development […]
Tribal citizens in Nevada can now vote with EASE
Tribal members who reside on a reservation or colony in Nevada can now register and vote from the comfort of their own homes using an electronic ballot system, making 2024 Nevada’s most accessible election year for Native American voters yet. The 2024 Presidential Preference Primary Election will be the first election where Native voters residing […]
Rosen introduces Washoe County public lands bill
Washoe County may soon see a boost in development and construction after Nevada’s junior U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen announced a new federal land bill on Tuesday. As the state with the highest percentage of public land in the nation, Nevada relies on federal legislation to increase land available for development. The Truckee Meadows Public Lands […]
Looking back (and a little forward): 2023 selections & reflections from the Nevada Current staff
Note: As we do near the end of every year, each writer on the Nevada Current staff took a little time to highlight some of their work from the year, and say whatever they wanted to say about it. An embarrassment of riches. That’s how I’d sum up 2023 for its news value. In case […]
NV tribes will not appeal most recent lithium mine ruling
Native American tribes opposing a mine over what could be the country’s largest natural lithium deposit have decided to abandon efforts to halt its construction through the courts after a series of legal setbacks. But that doesn’t mean they are abandoning the fight. On Tuesday, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony announced the tribe won’t appeal U.S. […]