Thursday, October 15, 2026

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Photo: Navajo pro bull rider Cody Jesus sits on a bull named Dead Red as he prepares for his first ride on home turf after recently being acquired by the team on October 8, 2026. (Emma Bradford)

An Arizona-born bull rider from the Navajo Nation recently celebrated a homecoming.

KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has more from Desert Diamond Arena in the Phoenix metro.

Nicknamed the “Pride of the Navajo Nation”, Cody Jesus has long been on the radar of the Arizona Ridge Riders.

General manager Casey Lane says the franchise intended to draft him in 2022, but the Navajo rookie was swept up in the first round.

It was a missed opportunity, according to Lane, but one they have since rectified by finally bringing this hometown rez kid back to Arizona after Jesus bounced around on rosters in Texas and Tennessee.

“When they announced through the league that Cody was going to be a free agent, we had the deal done in less than two hours. That great of a talent. I mean, look, I would be lying to you if I didn’t say he’s probably going to help us sell a few tickets too.”

For the 28-year-old Navajo pro, he is coming off a pair of hip surgeries.

“Feeling great, this is probably the healthiest I’ve been in five years. Like I’ve always had something nagging, something hurt, and my hips [have] been hurting me for about three, four years now, and finally got them fixed. Finally took the time and it’s game on now.”

Whenever he is riding here in this arena, his Window Rock fans always show up.

“I don’t really expect it and it just catches me by surprise every time.”

Barbara Hartzell, Executive Director of Native Voters Alliance Nevada, spoke at Monday's event.

Barbara Hartzell, Executive Director of Native Voters Alliance Nevada, speaks at Monday’s event.

Monday’s Indigenous Peoples Day observances in Nevada includes new proposal to establish a text and email alert system for missing and murdered Indigenous people.

Suzanne Potter has more.

Advocates gathered in Las Vegas to celebrate the commemorative day and promote a proposal to establish an Indigenous Alert System, similar to Amber Alerts or Silver Alerts, that would help get justice for MMIP.

Jonnette Paddy with the Native Voters Alliance of Nevada says federal data show that 84% of Native American and Alaska Native women have experienced some form of violent victimization.

“Indigenous women are murdered at rates up to ten times higher than other ethnicities. Indigenous people are disproportionately represented among missing cases.”

Paddy says the reasons for this include questions over jurisdiction and the fact that many reservations are rural and near oil or mining camps where men greatly outnumber women.

Nevada is home to more than 100,000 Indigenous and Native American people, about 3% of the state’s total population, according to data from the World Population Review.

The state has 28 federally recognized Tribes.

Paddy says the new alerts will help engage the public in cases where Indigenous women are in harm’s way.

“It’s just kind of more of the next step in trying to mitigate this issue and close the gap by building on existing infrastructure and ensuring families and communities receive the swift response that they deserve.”

The MMIP alert bill will be introduced in the next legislative session by Assemblywoman Shea Backus (Cherokee), D-Nevada, the state assembly’s only Indigenous member.

And on this day in 1836, representatives of the Otoe, Missouria, Omaha, and several Sioux nations concluded a treaty with the United States near the Missouri River.