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Photo: Kaiser Canyon fire in Washington, July 2026. (Courtesy Inciweb / USFS via National Interagency Fire Center / Facebook)
Wildfires continue to burn across the U.S, including many areas of Indian Country.
In Washington state, the largest fire is the Kaiser Canyon Fire which is burning through the Colville Indian Reservation.
As of late Tuesday, the fire surpassed 126,000 acres and was 16% contained.
In an update Tuesday morning, Keith Kelley, operations section chief for Northern Rockies Unit 2, shared the day’s plan of attack against the Kaiser Canyon Fire. More than 1,000 personnel are committed to the effort.
“And we do have resources looking at some additional containment lines, trying to find places to what we call pinch in the fire, to keep it from spreading. So we’re kind of like checking it up. So we’ll put some dozer lines in, and the fire will slow its progression, and then eventually it will it will kind of continue to move. But it gives us an opportunity to put some dozer lines and put in some containment lines so we can stop that progression as it moves to the north. So certainly have resources in there. We’ll continue to do that.”
The Kaiser Canyon Fire started July 16 when a lightning strike hit the Nespelem area on the Colville reservation.
Meanwhile, more than a million acres have burned in Oregon.
The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs has closed its tribal government due to Level Three evacuations caused by the Bench Fire, which at last check had burned more than 45,000 acres.
The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation have set up a Wildfire Recovery Fund for volunteers and supplies to help those affected by the fires.
Chris Deschene, left, and Emily Ellison are the two vice-presidential candidates in the upcoming 2026 Navajo Nation election. (Courtesy U.S. Department of Energy / Emily Ellison for Navajo President 2026 / Facebook)
Following the Navajo Nation presidential primary last week, the top vote-getters have named their vice presidential picks.
KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has details.
Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley was first to announce her ticket in Window Rock, Ariz.
“Excited to share this moment with you. I know people online were very anxious.”
She picked former Arizona Democratic state lawmaker Chris Deschene.
“Throughout my career, I know what it’s like to be an underdog.”
In 2014, the Marine Corps vet vied for the very seat Curley is now seeking, but after placing second in that primary, Deschene was disqualified, in part, because of Curley’s November opponent – Farmington attorney Justin Jones.
“This is where I grew up.”
As for Jones, he returned to Rock Point, Ariz. to name his running mate.
Emily Ellison is in charge of the Gallup nonprofit Battered Families Services.
“I want to thank the committee for this opportunity to serve our Navajo people.”
Billy Kirkland, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, visits Choctow Central High School, one of several Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-funded schools with a graduation rate above 90%. (Courtesy BIE / Facebook)
The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) says 21 of the high schools they fund achieved graduation rates of 90% or greater in 2025, in what the agency calls an “unprecedented milestone”, reflecting their commitment to student achievement, college and career readiness, and workforce development.
The 21 schools include Kickapoo Nation School, Santa Fe Indian School, Shoshone-Bannock School, Navajo Preparatory School, and Choctaw Central High School.
The BIE’s overall graduation rate reached 79%, the highest in its history.
The BIE is aiming for a rate of 91% by May 2030.
The Associated Press reports that, beginning in 2018, the BIE began standardizing data collection methods, which has helped improve data accuracy.
While Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Billy Kirkland (Navajo) said that these gains reflect the Trump administration’s commitment to Native American students, there are concerns that the administration’s changes to the BIE — including the planned dissolving of the U.S. Department of Education and further fallout from DOGE cuts — could undermine progress and prevent struggling schools from improving students’ performance.
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