Monument Valley / Oljato

New community center in Monument Valley

A resident of Monument Valley has opened a new community center in August to provide support to her community. The TséBii’Ndzisgaii Community Center opened earlier this year under the direction of 24-year-old Shandiin Herrera. Herrera grew up in Monument Valley, UT and graduated from Monument...

Monument Valley welcomes new community center under direction of a familiar face

A resident of Monument Valley opened a new community center in August to provide support to her community. The Tsé Bii’ Ndzisgaii Community Center was opened earlier this year under the direction of 24-year-old Shandiin Herrera. Herrera grew up in Monument Valley, Utah, and graduated high school...

USU plans new Monument Valley building to provide remote classes

Utah State University Blanding plans to build a new facility in Monument Valley. An estimated 68 percent of the student body at USU Blanding is Native American. Many of those Indigenous students travel daily from the Navajo Nation to Blanding for courses. Some students attend remote classes in the...

Firewood distributed to help Native families

The Warming Hogans program is now distributing free wood to elderly and Native people in need throughout San Juan County. The program, which is a part of Utah Navajo Health System (UNHS), had its first distribution day on October 6. Hundreds of Navajos from San Juan County gathered loads of...

One COVID-19 Vaccine trial is including a few hundred members of the Navajo Nation in its final trial of the drug

COVID-19 vaccine trial to include hundreds of members of the Navajo Nation

The final phase of study for a coronavirus vaccine will include volunteers from the Navajo Nation. Since coronavirus first arrived in the United States in the late winter of 2020, a race among pharmaceutical companies to find a vaccine for the virus has been underway. Now three companies and their...

San Juan County river region schools adjust to online learning

Students in Bluff, Montezuma Creek, Monument Valley, and Navajo Mountain are back to learning despite the challenges of not physically being in their school buildings. The decision for the river region of the San Juan School District (SJSD) not to physically return to school was made based on...

Schools throughout San Juan County, included pictured Monticello Elementary, will delay their start by two days

San Juan School Board finalizes plans for start of year

San Juan County School Board finalized plans ahead of the start of the academic school year later this month. Key items passed include 100 percent remote learning for students in the south part of the county for the start of the year. The district moved the first day of school for students from...

Bill could help provide water to Navajo Nation

On June 4, the U.S. Senate approved a bill to settle longstanding water rights questions for the Utah portion of the Navajo Nation. Supporters hope the bill, if passed into law, would help extend drinking water to many of the isolated corners of San Juan County. It would transfer of up to 81,500...

Reservation lands receive delivery of sheep

Hundreds of live sheep were delivered to needy families on the Navajo Reservation on Memorial Day as part of the “Farmers Feeding Utah” project. The distribution was for families in the Montezuma Creek, Aneth, Red Mesa, and Tódahadekanii areas. An additional distribution of live sheep will take...

Graduation for Class of 2020 to take place virtually this week

In one of the most unexpected conclusions to a school year ever, area students are set to receive diplomas this week from the five San Juan School District high schools. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in at-home education during the entire fourth quarter of the school year. While the hundreds...