skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Rural, Tribal AZ College Works to Support Student, Community Needs

play audio
Play

Thursday, April 27, 2023   

A tribal college in Arizona has gotten some national attention this spring for "community college excellence," in this case, on the Navajo Nation.

Diné College in Tsaile, Arizona, is mentioned in an Aspen Institute report for the work it is doing to boost the local economy in an area without many industry partners or employment opportunities for graduates.

Shazia Tabassu Hakim, professor of microbiology at Diné College, said the school has been able to use grant opportunities to invest in economic development and sustainable business practices. Since 2020, Hakim has led a 10-week program to train students to become water scientists in their community.

"We should be able to train the local workforce," Hakim stressed. "Because it not only helps the communities to get more out of what they have learned, but also, it is needed to continue the chain, because they are going to be the examples."

Hakim noted Diné's water testing program is one example of an initiative meeting Navajo needs, but also helping deliver students to potential jobs. She added the response from students and the community has been "overwhelmingly positive."

Hakim pointed out her program has led to greater awareness of safe water needs for people living on the reservation. And while the U.S. Department of Agriculture grant making the program possible will end this year, she said the college will find a way to continue the work.

Given the tribe's history with uranium mining, which led in the past to contaminated water sources and other health-related issues, Hakim argued it is paramount people know how to properly identify water contamination.

"It is not something that we are trying to stop at any point," Hakim emphasized. "For now, our students -- we have trained them in a way just like 'master trainers' -- so they are good enough in all these basic testing and other techniques."

The Aspen Institute report showed the college has also decided to start its own businesses, one of which is to produce wool, since sheep ranching has been a cultural and economic staple for those in the area. The school's efforts have led to improved economic outcomes for tribal workers.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


A 2022 report finds failing to speed up transmission beyond the current pace will increase 2030 U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 800 million tons per year. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021