skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, July 26, 2024

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

Arson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail network hours before start of Olympics, the Obamas endorse Harris for President; A NY county creates facial recognition, privacy protections; Art breathes new life into pollution-ravaged MI community; 34 Years of the ADA.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Harris meets with Israeli PM Netanyahu and calls for a ceasefire. MI Rep. Rashida Tlaib faces backlash for a protest during Netanyahu's speech. And VA Sen. Mark Warner advocates for student debt relief.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

There's a gap between how rural and urban folks feel about the economy, Colorado's 'Rural is Rad' aims to connect outdoor businesses, more than a dozen of Maine's infrastructure sites face repeated flooding, and chocolate chip cookies rock August.

Volunteers Bring Power to Navajo Homes for First Time

play audio
Play

Tuesday, April 12, 2022   

The lights were turned on this week for 20 families in the Navajo Nation, as volunteer power company workers continue to connect previously dark homes to the grid.

Workers from utility companies across 10 states are pitching in on a collaborative effort known as Light Up Navajo. The project aims to electrify 300 homes over the next eight weeks, helping Native Americans who have lived on tribal lands for generations to throw a light switch for the first time.

Shirley Chee, a Navajo Nation resident, wished her parents could have been there when the power went on.

"Seeing the lights turned on, me and my sister were just crying, saying, 'Oh, mom, dad, look at the lights. Look at the porch lights. They're all on.' We're all crying, sitting, and we're just crying last night when they left," Chee recounted.

The project was organized by the American Public Power Association and Navajo Tribal Utility Authority. It began in 2019 but was put on hold during the pandemic. It has, so far, connected some 230 Navajo homes to the grid.

A pair of Tempe-based Salt River Project (SRP) line crews have connected power to more than 20 homes since April 4. Each team is made up of 10 workers who are putting in 12-hour days to complete the project.

Mark Henle, a line worker for SRP, said for many families, it will be the first time they have electricity in their homes.

"Yesterday, we were able to complete an unstructured wire and frame job," Henle explained. "And the family was kind enough to come out and say 'hi' to us after we finished it up. And they're like, 'You know, we've been out here waiting for 30 years for you to get power to us.' It was emotional."

Officials say the process of rigging a home, including stringing the wires, setting poles, installing insulators and so on, is valued at about $5,500 per home.

Wayne Wisdom, senior director of distribution grid services for SRP, said the end result is not about the money.

"Just the joy that we saw in the faces when they were finally able to flip that light switch and the lights came on," Wisdom remarked. "They finally had electricity, and they were able to improve the quality of life and not have to deal with fueling up their generators."


get more stories like this via email
more stories
According to the Tax Policy Center, for higher-income earners, sales taxes consume a lower share of their income than for other households. (Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

As Nebraska state lawmakers convene for a special session on property tax reform called by Gov. Jim Pillen, groups are weighing in on the details …


play sound

Traveling around rural Minnesota can be difficult but in more than half the state, nonprofit transit systems are helping people get where they need …

Social Issues

play sound

Student loan forgiveness took center stage on Thursday at the American Federation of Teachers conference. The Biden administration has canceled more …


Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has introduced legislation to codify the Chevron Deference into law. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Recent Supreme Court rulings on air pollution are affecting Virginia and the nation. Climate advocates said the court overstepped its bounds in …

Health and Wellness

play sound

World Hepatitis Day is this Sunday, and for the Oregon Health Authority, it's an opportunity to promote its plan to eliminate hepatitis across the …

The Gender Shades project revealed facial recognition performed poorest for darker-skinned women, and performed best for lighter-skinned men. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Columbia County, New York, is implementing new facial recognition and privacy policies, following new upgrades to the county's surveillance cameras…

Health and Wellness

play sound

New York disability-rights advocates are celebrating the 34th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The 1990 …

Social Issues

play sound

As summer winds down and North Carolina students prepare to return to school, the focus shifts to the urgent need for better public education funding…

 

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