NEW MEXICO

DNA confirms tribe’s link to Chaco Canyon

For the first time, a federally recognized Indigenous tribe in the U.S. has led research using DNA to show their ancestral history.

The Picuris Pueblo, a sovereign nation in New Mexico, has oral histories and cultural traditions that link the tribe to the region of Chaco Canyon, one of the ancient centers of Pueblo culture and society.

As members of the Picuris Pueblo seek a greater voice in shaping decisions about the future of Chaco Canyon, where debates about oil and gas drilling loom, leaders decided that using DNA sequencing to complement or corroborate their oral histories could be a useful tool. The group began a collaboration with an international team of geneticists.

The findings, published in the journal Nature, show close links between the genomes of 13 current members of Picuris and ancient DNA recovered from 16 Picuris individuals who lived between 1300 A.D. and 1500 A.D. in or near Chaco Canyon.

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The genetic analysis was led by the Picuris. The researchers said this model of collaboration contrasts with a long history of archaeologists and geneticists seizing and studying artifacts and remains without the consent of Indigenous groups.

There are 19 Pueblo tribes in New Mexico. The new study does not refute the historic connections of other tribes to Chaco Canyon.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site managed by the U.S. National Park Service. It is famous for sweeping desert vistas and for monumental sandstone structures — including multistory homes and ceremonial structures — built by ancestral Pueblos.

KANSAS

Campgrounds closing at federal lakes

TOPEKA — Campgrounds, boat ramps and other facilities in at least 30 locations at federal lakes and reservoirs in six states will be closed or have their hours curtailed as of mid-May as the Trump administration tries to rapidly shrink the U.S. government.

Officials at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees the lakes and reservoirs and their amenities for boating, camping, hiking and sightseeing, said they are dealing with staffing shortages and other budgetary restrictions.

Corps spokesman Douglas Garman said concentrating staff at fewer recreational sites will allow those sites to keep the “full range of services” that visitors expect.

In Pickstown, South Dakota, near the Missouri River, residents were “appalled” to learn the Corps plans to close its visitor center at the Fort Randall Dam and suspend tours of the dam’s powerhouse on May 1, said Cindy Broyhill, the president of the town’s Board of Trustees.

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In western Kansas, Sue Graham, manager of Knothead’s bait shop and camping supply store on the east side of Wilson Lake, about 230 miles west of Kansas City, was skeptical of a plan to limit a campsite there to daytime use as of May 15.

The Kansas City district plans to close visitor information centers at two Kansas lakes including Hillsdale, outside the Kansas City area, and Kanopolis, in central Kansas. The Corps will not allow overnight camping in 25 “primitive,” no-amenities spots in two areas at Harlan County Lake in western Nebraska near the Kansas state line. The sites and water nearby still will be accessible during the day.

The Omaha district announced earlier this month that it would close six campgrounds in the Dakotas on May 1, as well as three visitor centers in South Dakota and Montana. It also plans to suspend or limit tours of four South Dakota dam powerhouses and decrease tours at Fort Peck Dam in northeast Montana.

UTAH

Not guilty pleas in Congo coup attempt

SALT LAKE CITY — Four Americans have pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in federal court in Utah after authorities said they conspired to stage a violent coup in Congo that failed.

Three of the defendants were charged in April following their return to the United States from Congo, where the death sentences they faced were commuted prior to repatriation. Among them is 22-year-old Marcel Malanga, son of opposition figure Christian Malanga, who led the coup attempt targeting the presidential palace in Kinshasa.

A fourth man in Utah alleged by prosecutors to be an expert in explosives is charged with aiding the plot.

Marcel Malanga, Tyler Thompson Jr., and Benjamin Zalman-Polun were ordered to remain in custody after pleading not guilty during a joint court appearance on April 24.

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The alleged explosives expert, Joseph Peter Moesser, 67, appeared separately and was also ordered to remain in custody after entering a not guilty plea.

The May 2024 coup attempt aimed to overthrow Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi. At least six people, including Christian Malanga, died when armed men in camouflage fatigues led an attack on the homes of the president and a deputy prime minister.

The four Americans are charged with crimes including conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to bomb government facilities and conspiracy to kill or kidnap persons in a foreign country. They face lengthy prison sentences if convicted.

ARIZONA

Speedboat that flipped midair wins race

LAKE HAVASU CITY — A speedboat went airborne and did a complete backward flip while racing at about 200 mph before crashing into an Arizona lake.

Two racers inside the boat’s covered cabin survived the event, which saw the boat go over 30 feet in the air. They wore harnesses and helmets, and “were just a little banged up,” according to a social media post on Facebook by the Freedom One Racing team and an account by a race witness.

The April 26 crash took place on a three quarter-mile course at an annual speedboat race.

The flying boat still managed to cross the finish line and win the contest by registering a top speed of 200.1 mph, Speedboat Magazine Publisher Ray Lee said.

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Lee said the twin-hull Skater boat is designed to rise up and hydroplane across the surface of the water. Windy conditions and propeller adjustments called trims likely contributed to the boat taking flight, he said.

Lee says it’s an inherently dangerous sport, though courses have been shortened from a previous length of 1 mile that produced speeds in excess of 240 mph.

Steve Ticknor, president of the company that runs the event, said the boat was participating in a contest to see which vessel could race the course the fastest. He said divers were on hand and responded to the crash within 20 seconds.

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