Biden says Nevada site sacred to tribes to be national monument

LAS VEGAS – President Joe Biden told a gathering of tribal leaders in Washington on Nov. 30 that he intends to designate an area considered sacred by area Native Americans in southern Nevada as a new national monument.

“When it comes to Spirit Mountain and the surrounding ridges and canyons, I’m committed to protecting this sacred place that is central to the creation story of so many tribes that are here today,” Biden said during a speech at the White House National Tribal Nations Summit.

The site, to be designated Avi Kwa Ame (pronounced Ah-VEE’ kwa-meh) National Monument, would encompass a rugged and dry triangular-shaped area roughly from Arizona and the Colorado River to California and the Mojave National Preserve. The area is mostly undeveloped landscape dotted with Joshua trees and bighorn sheep migration routes.

The designation is not final, but the president’s announcement was hailed by Native American tribal representatives, members of Nevada’s congressional delegation and conservationists.

Spirit Mountain, northwest of Laughlin, is the tallest in the surrounding Newberry Mountains. It was called “Avi Kwa Ame” by the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe and listed in 1999 on the National Register of Historic Places as a place sacred to tribes.

The peak, at 5,642 feet, is already within a 52-square-mile wilderness area overseen by the federal Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service.

A broad coalition of tribes and conservation groups has advocated for years to widen the protected area, which includes Walking Box Ranch, a Spanish Colonial Revival house that once belonged to 1920s-era Hollywood actors Clara Bow and Rex Bell. That site also is on the national historic register.

At 703 square miles, the new monument would compare in size to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Other national monuments in Nevada include Gold Butte, Basin and Range and Tule Springs.

Presidents have authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act to create national monuments. Congress also can designate sites through legislation, and Titus introduced a measure in February to set aside the Avi Kwa Ame site.

In October, a Utah-based tribe criticized Biden following the designation of his first national monument, in Colorado, saying the White House failed to adequately consult tribe leaders.

NEW MEXICO

State issues public health order amid RSV case surge

SANTA FE – New Mexico health officials are mandating hospitals revert to a “hub-and-spoke” model to ensure patients get the care they need amid an alarming rise in respiratory infections among children.

The New Mexico Department of Health announced the public health emergency order Thursday as hospitals continue to be stretched thin by pediatric cases of respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV. It calls for hospitals to work cooperatively to manage their resources and transport patients to where they can get the most appropriate level of care.

Officials say hospitals and emergency rooms in New Mexico are running above their licensed capacity that is unsustainable. There was a surge in cases in October and November.

The U.S. as a whole is facing a litany of viruses including RSV, influenza and COVID-19. RSV seems to be especially prevalent in children. The respiratory virus spreads via respiratory droplets produced from coughing and sneezing. For most children, the illness is mild. But it can be dangerous for young kids and infants.

Acting Department of Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase says people who practice good hygiene during holiday gatherings over the next month can help lessen a risk of spreading respiratory viruses.

Judiciary branch expands help with filling out court forms

SANTA FE – New Mexico’s judiciary is expanding public access to court-scribe services that ensure people with limited literacy or disabilities can still fill out crucial court forms.

Under the program, trained court employees or volunteers read court forms aloud and write down answers for people who would otherwise have difficulties. Pilot efforts were conducted in Bernalillo, Roosevelt and Curry counties previously.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Shannon Bacon on Dec. 1 announced the program will be extended across the state.

Experts say court forms can be a barrier to people who representing themselves, most often in routine civil litigation matters.

“This program provides help to anyone, whether the barrier to justice is language, literacy or ‘legalese’ understanding,” said Portales-based district court Judge Donna Mowrer in a news release. “This program helps not only the litigant get access to the court, but helps the court understand the issues from the litigant’s point of view.”

Recent Census Bureau statistics show that nearly one-third of New Mexico residents speak a language other than English at home and that about one in 10 residents acknowledge limited proficiency in English.

NEBRASKA

Man gets prison for leaving noose for coworker

LA VISTA – A former employee at the Oriental Trading Co. has been sentenced to prison for leaving a noose on a floor scrubber that a Black colleague was set to use.

The Nebraska U.S. Attorney’s office said Bruce Quinn, 66, was sentenced on Dec. 2 to four months in prison and one year of supervised release for leaving the noose for his coworker to find. He pleaded guilty in September to a federal civil rights violation.

Prosecutors said a 63-year-old Black man who worked for Oriental Trading found the noose made out of orange twine sitting on the seat of the equipment in June 2020. He told investigators that he was scared by the noose and viewed it as a death threat.

“Federal courts have long recognized the noose as one of the most vile symbols in American history,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Individuals, like this defendant, who use a noose to convey a threat of violence at a workplace will be held accountable for their actions.”

WYOMING

City council still looking for home for wind turbine sculpture

A local artist wants to build a replica of Stonehenge using old wind turbine blades in Casper.

The project, dubbed “Windhenge,” is the brainchild of Casper sculptor Chris Navarro.

The city wouldn’t have to pay to install it. NextEra Energy, a renewable energy company, has pledged to cover those costs. But the Casper City Council still needs to find a home for the installation – and that’s been causing from hang-ups.

The sculpture would need at least a half-acre. Ideally, it’d go somewhere with existing infrastructure. The city doesn’t have the money to put in a new parking lot or street lights, council members said.

They also want it to go somewhere that’s accessible, but wouldn’t clog up traffic. Ideally, it’d be that’s visible from the highway (to draw in tourists, of course.)

The city doesn’t own much existing property that fits that bill.

Seeing no suitable properties available, the council is hoping NextEra Energy would be willing to pay to add a parking lot on an undeveloped plot of land.

There are also concerns about what it would cost to maintain the sculpture. To date, NextEra Energy has only committed to paying for its installation, after all. Casper would still be on the hook for keeping it in good condition.

Navarro, the artist behind “Windhenge,” is best known for his bronze sculptures – especially those celebrating cowboy and rodeo culture.