Peaks case in court today

By Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — Tribal dignitaries, religious leaders and national environmental groups will gather today at the U.S. Court of Appeals in Pasadena, Calif., when the court reviews a precedent-setting case impacting American Indian religious freedoms.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently granted the U.S. Forest Service and owners of the Arizona Snowbowl an opportunity to challenge a previously unanimous court decision which found that the use of recycled sewage water to make artificial snow at the Snowbowl, located on the San Francisco Peaks, violates the religious freedom of 13 Southwest tribes.

Navajo Nation Council Speaker Lawrence Morgan, Hopi Tribal Chairman Benjamin Nuvamsa, the chairman of the Yavapai Apache Tribe, as well as other dignitaries and representatives of Save the Peaks Coalition, Sierra Club, and Flagstaff Activist Network are expected to attend and to speak at a press conference following the proceedings.

Around 1 p.m., participants will march from All Saints Church in Pasadena to the courthouse, where a prayer vigil will be held outside while oral arguments are being heard in the case. Navajo officials have called for a “National and International Day of Prayer at 3 p.m. today.

Murray named Apache Co. sheriff
ST. JOHNS, Ariz. — David G. Murray was appointed Monday to serve as sheriff of Apache County, filling the unexpired term of former Sheriff Brian Hounshell, whose resignation became effective Oct. 1.

The Apache County Board of Supervisors made the appointment in an apparent move to promote stability and allow the county to move forward in the wake of Hounshell’s resignation.

Murray has served the sheriff’s office since 1986, beginning as a reserve deputy volunteer and working his way up through the ranks, from deputy, to sergeant to district commander. His last assignment was as chief deputy to Hounshell.

Murray has overseen and administered the operations of the sheriff’s office since Hounshell’s resignation. According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, Murray’s appointment comes as a relief to employees, the majority of whom had petitioned the board to appoint him to fill the vacancy.