SALT LAKE CITY — Tribal nations and allies in Utah, and beyond, applauded Thursday’s Supreme Court decision to uphold a federal law that gives them sovereignty over foster care and adoption proceedings involving Native American children.
“To me that was that was a very big win,” Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said, adding that the vote “upholds tribal sovereignty, tribal self-determination and gives us the responsibility to dictate how we should take care of our own kids, makes sure that we can have our own fostering programs and makes sure that we can place Navajo kids within Navajo families, or extended families, so that they can be a lot closer to their culture.”
The court voted 7-2 in Haaland v. Brackeen to uphold the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act, which was passed after the widespread and systemic removal of Native American children from their families and tribes. Congressional reports found that about one-third of all Native children were removed prior to the act’s passage, with 85% being placed outside their families and communities — even when fit and willing relatives were available.
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Bradley Parry, Northwestern Band of the Shoshone vice chairman, said the ruling was both exciting and a relief. He thanked Utah state officials for siding with tribes on the case, including by filing an amicus brief with 25 other states.
“They really picked up that fight in the federal court with the tribes and really took it forward,” Parry said. “Taking on and arguing our points and defending the tribes in their state at a federal level is enormous. I mean, that’s what a governor, attorney general and those guys should do. And they did it and we felt that. We felt that they had our backs.”
Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said the decision “upholds the incalculable value of Native American children to tribal nations in Utah and across the country” and that the state will continue to champion tribal sovereignty.
“The court did not address all of the most difficult issues, but for now we are extremely pleased that our work serves to protect Native American families and protects their heritage,” the Utah Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.
Why hasn’t Utah passed state-level protections for Native kids?
Questions remain about whether the court’s decision regarding the Indian Child Welfare Act means the fight to codify the same protections in Utah state law is dead in the water.
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HB40, a Utah version of the act, did not pass earlier this spring despite widespread support from outside the Legislature, including from all eight of Utah’s federally recognized tribes, the lieutenant governor, attorney general’s office and Utah Foster Care.
The bill was in limbo for much of the session after it was held up in committee. A last-minute substitute of the bill would have contradicted the federal act and removed a number of provisions that the attorney general’s office, tribal leaders and others had spent years crafting.
For example, the substitute would have only applied to children if both their biological parents are enrolled members of a tribe. The federal law applies to children who are members themselves or who are eligible to become members. The substitute also removed a provision that, like federal law, gives other Native families priority for placement when the child’s extended family isn’t available.
Anything that happens like that where you feel like you have a deal, and then right at the last second it changes — it’s one of those things where it’s like, ‘Oh, well, we can’t really give our opinion on this.’ And so you often wonder, was this on purpose?
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– Bradley Parry, Northwestern Band of the Shoshone vice chairman
Parry called the changes offensive and said he himself wouldn’t have qualified for protections with how lawmakers rewrote the bill. He added tribes were not consulted on those changes and were only made aware of them about 24 hours before lawmakers voted to adopt them into the bill.
“It was the 11th hour and we didn’t we didn’t know about it,” he said. “Anything that happens like that where you feel like you have a deal, and then right at the last second it changes — it’s one of those things where it’s like, ‘Oh, well, we can’t really give our opinion on this.’ And so you often wonder, was this on purpose?”
“I think there’s enough feeling that yeah, we think it was done a little bit underhanded to not give us the appropriate time to respond — but honestly I don’t know the legislators’ reasons for doing it,” he continued.
Corrina Bow, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah chairwoman, previously called the treatment of the bill an “injustice.” “Am I wrong to think that the representatives for Utah represent all of us, all of our people?” she asked during a press conference tribal members held after the bill was tabled.
Rep. Christine Watkins, R-Price, speaks about her bill HB40, at a press conference at the Capitol on Jan. 31. Watkins said she won’t reintroduce the bill next year. (Photo: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
Rep. Christine Watkins, R-Price, who sponsored HB40, said she didn’t anticipate so much pushback on the bill from lawmakers.
Watkins said she thought there were a couple of lawmakers who may have been biased because of their own involvement with adoption and foster care, while others believed the state should have control over foster care for Native kids living off a reservation or that a judge, not tribes, should ultimately determine what is in the best interest of the children.
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“I had a couple of representatives say to me, ‘Well, we don’t do this for Black children, for Asian children for all these others and I had to point out to them that the tribes have their own sovereign nation inside of ours,” Watkins said, adding that educating lawmakers on Indian law and tribal sovereignty “could be” necessary. “Some of them have really and truly don’t want to know any different — seriously. They have their minds made up and we’re not going to change them.”
What is the future of Utah legislation on the Indian Child Welfare Act?
Watkins said she does not plan on introducing similar legislation during the next session.
“This is just a load off everybody’s shoulders because now everything just continues on. We don’t have to have any changes. We don’t have to redo something or rethink or write new policy. It just goes right on,” she said of the SCOTUS ruling. “We’ll see if they (the tribes) decide they want something down the road. I think we’re good for the time being — in fact I know we are.”
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren speaks in support of HB40, a bill patterned after the federal Indian Child Welfare Act, at the Utah Capitol on Jan. 31. Nygren said he will push for a similar bill next year. (Photo: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
Nygren plans on championing a Utah version of the Indian Child Welfare Act during the 2024 legislative session. He believes state protections will make things easier on the children and ensure all parties are on the same page. Nygren said although the Utah Legislature doesn’t have Navajo representation like the Arizona and New Mexico legislatures he also deals with, he is “up for the challenge” of discussing tribal issues like HB40 with Utah lawmakers.
“When it comes back up next year, definitely it’s going to be on our part to really continue to educate them on that government-to-government relationship,” he said. “I think that if (Watkins) is not planning on doing it, I think it’ll be up to us to try to find out who can be our champion next year. I really do appreciate her help this year.”
Parry said that although it would be nice to have state-level protections in place for Native children, there is worry about how lawmakers would handle such a law. Ultimately, whether lawmakers decide to pass a state version of the Indian Child Welfare Act is “really neither here nor there,” he added.
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“If they want to do something to enhance the protection, great. But we don’t want a law that they try to write that inhibits this, so we’ll be very careful with that,” Parry said. “At the end of the day, we have our federal law, which the state has to comply to. I don’t know of an instance where a state law could trump federal law. They had a chance to get on board and be like that, but they made the decision not to. If they do it, I hope that they work with us and just do an enhancement.”
Heather Tanana — an expert in Indian law, Navajo member and University of Utah professor — said passing a law like HB40 goes beyond just bracing for possible future challenges to the Indian Child Welfare Act. In fact, 14 states have passed similar laws, including a handful prior to the Supreme Court challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act.
“Passing a law is still important because it should show that our state has a government-to-government relationship with its tribes, that it respects their sovereignty and is listening to what they’re asking,” Tanana said. “The work on the state one that failed had been going on for years by people who are very engaged in child welfare work in the state. It would be sad to see that suddenly stop just because ICWA was upheld.”
Stephanie Benally, Utah Foster Care’s Native American specialist, agreed that Utah still needs a state Indian Child Welfare Act. She said there are 103 Native children in foster care but only 15 licensed Native foster homes in Utah. She encouraged parents interested in fostering to contact Utah Foster Care or its tribal foster care program.
“The state ICWA would be codified for Utah to protect Native children and families. Other states understand the importance and Utah would not be the only state to have an ICWA state bill,” she said. “There is a Native shortage of foster homes for our Native children in care. Cultural connectivity is important. It is important our Native children stay connected to their cultural and language.”
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Carl Moore, an Indigenous activist, said Utah must still affirm the Indian Child Welfare Act with its own legislation.
“This would show good faith and moral obligation to the nations of Indigenous people of whose land they occupy,” he said. “The only time ICWA should be reconsidered is if the Indigenous nations say so. The issue of ICWA being upheld is one of morality and obligation to the people of whose land and societies the area of the United States rightfully belongs.”
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Sydnee Gonzalez is a multicultural reporter for KSL.com covering the diversity of Utah’s people and communities. Se habla español. You can find Sydnee at @sydnee_gonzalez on Twitter.
Utah Hockey Club (16-15-6, in the Central Division) vs. Calgary Flames (18-12-7, in the Pacific Division)
Calgary, Alberta; Thursday, 9 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: The Utah Hockey Club look to break their five-game losing streak with a victory against the Calgary Flames.
Calgary has a 13-4-3 record at home and an 18-12-7 record overall. The Flames have gone 16-3-3 when scoring three or more goals.
Utah has a 16-15-6 record overall and an 11-8-2 record on the road. The Utah Hockey Club have a 6-9-5 record in games their opponents commit fewer penalties.
The teams play Thursday for the second time this season. The Utah Hockey Club won 5-1 in the previous meeting.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jonathan Huberdeau has 16 goals and 13 assists for the Flames. Nazem Kadri has six goals and four assists over the last 10 games.
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Clayton Keller has 13 goals and 24 assists for the Utah Hockey Club. Dylan Guenther has scored six goals with four assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Flames: 5-3-2, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.4 assists, four penalties and 11.3 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game.
Utah Hockey Club: 4-4-2, averaging 2.7 goals, 5.1 assists, 3.7 penalties and 7.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.
INJURIES: Flames: None listed.
Utah Hockey Club: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Today I’ll be chronicling the best performances of the 2024 calendar year from our Golden State Warriors. Although the Dubs didn’t make the playoffs during the 2023-2024 season and have been pretty mid to finish the year, there have been plenty of fantastic individual performances to enjoy and give Dub Nation hope for the future.
One such performance came from Buddy HIeld in a win against the Utah Jazz. Check out the vid!
Goldblooded eyes on Splash Buddy
Buddy Hield is the kind of player who makes offenses hum, and his tantalizing skills are built on a foundation of one elite trait: shooting. And not just your run-of-the-mill, standstill shooting—Hield is a flamethrower, a guy who can bury threes in a dizzying variety of ways. Whether it’s coming off a screen, spotting up, or pulling up in transition, Hield is always a threat to light it up from anywhere on the court. His stroke is effortless, his confidence unshakable, and his range downright ridiculous. For any team in need of offensive firepower, Hield’s skill set is like plugging a cheat code into your offense.
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What makes Hield so lethal is the speed at which he operates. He’s not just a shooter—he’s a mover. He sprints off screens with precision, keeping defenders glued to his hip and bending defenses as they scramble to keep up. His ability to relocate and find open pockets of space is elite, and he doesn’t need much time or airspace to get his shot off. That constant motion creates gravity, and Hield’s presence alone can open up driving lanes for his teammates or force defenses into mistakes.
But don’t box Hield in as just a three-point specialist. He’s also got a sneaky knack for putting the ball on the floor and attacking closeouts. While his handle isn’t flashy, it’s effective enough to punish overzealous defenders who fly by him on the perimeter. And once he’s inside the arc, Hield can pull up for a smooth mid-range jumper or finish with a floater. He’s a solid secondary creator, capable of keeping the offense flowing when plays break down.
Defensively, Hield’s game doesn’t shine as brightly, but he’s no slouch. He competes, plays within the scheme, and uses his strength and quickness to hold his own against most matchups. While he may never be a lockdown defender, his offensive impact more than compensates for any shortcomings on that end.
Ultimately, Buddy Hield’s skill set is tailor-made for a modern NBA offense. He’s a sniper with elite off-ball movement, a player who thrives in space and elevates those around him. Plug him into a system with ball movement and shooting, and he becomes a weapon of mass destruction—someone who can swing games with his scoring bursts and keep defenses in constant panic mode. In Buddy Hield, you get a player who embodies the art of shooting in its purest, most tantalizing form.
The 2024 season for the University of Utah football team started out with high expectations and much promise.
Through one-and-a-half games, the Utes looked like a team capable of reaching their preseason goal of winning the Big 12 championship, but injuries to starting quarterback Cam Rising derailed the season.
Utah’s offense foundered for the majority of the season as the Utes lost seven consecutive games for the first time in the Kyle Whittingham era, finishing with a 5-7 record.
Here are 10 moments that defined Utah’s 2024 season:
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Preseason expectations set the stage: Utah wasn’t shy about its expectations for the season — to win the Big 12 Conference and make its first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff. With quarterback Cam Rising, who had led the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 championships in his last two healthy seasons, returning, the addition of receiver Dorian Singer and the return of tight end Brant Kuithe, the offense appeared set. The defense also returned a lot of its contributors from the previous season.
Utah was voted No. 1 in the Big 12 Conference preseason poll, setting up high expectations, which the team itself shared.
Utah interim OC Mike Bajakian stands on the sidelines, with headset, as Utah plays Southern Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, August 29, 2024. The Utes did what expected in the opener, defeating Southern Utah 49-0 to start the season. | Eli Rehmer, Utah Athletics
A 2-0 start … but trouble arises: Utah was always going to run away from Southern Utah, but the way the season started had Ute fans dreaming about what could be. In a 49-0 season-opening win, Rising played for the first time since the 2023 Rose Bowl and threw for 254 yards and five touchdowns in one half.
Next week against Baylor, it was the same story. Utah raced out to a 23-0 lead and Rising threw two first-quarter touchdown passes, but everything came to a screeching halt when Rising was pushed into a Gatorade cooler.
Rising would suffer a finger injury that would keep him out for the next three contests.
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Utah Utes quarterback Cameron Rising is driven out of bounds by Baylor Bears defensive lineman Treven Ma’ae (9) as Utah and Baylor play at Rice-Eccles stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 7, 2024. Rising injured his finger on the play, which sidelined him for a number of games. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Isaac Wilson helps Utah to a 4-0 start: It wasn’t the situation that Utah envisioned for Isaac Wilson in his true freshman year. Wilson won the backup quarterback job over Brandon Rose and Sam Huard, but the plan, ideally, was for the Deseret News Mr. Football winner to learn from Rising and only play in mop-up situations.
Wilson was thrust into action after Rising’s injury and helped lead the Utes to a 4-0 start, beating Utah State on the road and then traveling to Stillwater for a top-15 matchup against Oklahoma State.
Of course, both the Utes and Cowboys ended the season toward the bottom of Big 12’s worst standings, but at the time, it was a monumental matchup, and though he made some mistakes, Wilson helped guide Utah to its first Big 12 win, with 207 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception, plus 41 rushing yards.
Utah quarterback Isaac Wilson (11) runs the ball towards Oklahoma State safety Kendal Daniels (5) Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Stillwater, Okla. | Mitch Alcala
A season-ending injury for Rising as Utah’s Big 12 dreams go up in dust in the desert: After weeks of game-time decisions surrounding Rising and his ability to play, the senior quarterback returned to the field in a crucial game at Arizona State.
Utah lost 23-10 to Arizona the week before, and a second Big 12 loss would severely hurt any title prospects.
Rising’s return went anything but as expected. He completed just 16 of 37 passes for 209 yards and threw three interceptions. His finger injury looked to be bothering him, and early on in the game, he suffered a lower-body injury. Though he played through it, it clearly limited him, and turned out to be a season-ending injury.
Just like that, Rising’s season was done early and so, too, was the Utes’.
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Utah quarterback Cameron Rising looks to throw against Arizona State, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. Rising suffered a lower-body injury that would sideline him for the remainder of the season. | Rick Scuteri, Associated Press
Andy Ludwig resigns: Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig returned to Utah in 2019 and helped the Utes to some of their most impressive offensive performances, including two Pac-12 championships and a revitalization of the passing game.
It felt like Ludwig was going to stay on at Utah until Kyle Whittingham retired, but after a 13-7 loss to TCU — Utah’s third defeat in a row and third time in as many games that the offense failed to score more than 19 points — that changed.
Ludwig resigned after six years in his second as Utah’s offensive coordinator and Mike Bajakian was named the interim offensive coordinator.
Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Andy Ludwig watches players during warmups as Utah and Baylor prepare to play at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. After three straight defeats in which the Utes’ offense struggled, Ludwig announced his decision to step down. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Season hits a low point in Houston: After losing three straight games, it felt like Utah’s game at Houston was a make-or-break moment for the program. Yes, the Utes were all but out of the Big 12 title race with three early conference losses, but could still get the season back on track with a winning streak.
Houston seemed like it could be a get-right game for the Utes.
For the most part, Utah’s defense did its job, limiting Houston to 17 points, but the Utes only mustered 14 points in a fourth-straight loss.
Wilson was benched in the third quarter, and Brandon Rose got his first real action of his career, but couldn’t lead Utah to a victory against the 2-5 Cougars.
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Houston wide receiver Joseph Manjack IV, left, breaks ae tackle-attempt by Utah cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn, right, to score on a pass play during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Houston. | Michael Wyke
Brandon Rose starts against BYU, but Utes lose heartbreaker to Cougars: The first conference rivalry game in over a decade featured two teams on polar opposite tracks.
BYU entered the contest with a No. 9 ranking and a perfect 8-0 record, while Utah was reeling after losing four straight.
Looking to spark offensive change, Rose started, and the offense found life for the first time in weeks. Utah shocked BYU, getting out to a 21-10 halftime lead behind Rose’s 87 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, plus 45 rushing yards.
Shortly before halftime, Rose suffered a Lisfranc injury, and while he finished the rest of the game, he wasn’t the same. Utah went run-heavy with Rose’s injury and didn’t score a single point the rest of the way. BYU drew within three, but the Cougars were backed up toward their own end zone, facing fourth-and-10 at the nine-yard line with 1:35 left.
Utah appeared to have won the game by sacking quarterback Jake Retzlaff, but cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn was flagged for a holding call against a BYU receiver, resulting in an automatic first down. The Cougars drove down the field to set up a 44-yard field goal make by Will Ferrin and escape Salt Lake City with a 22-21 win.
Following the game, Rose and tight end Brant Kuithe ruled out for the season, joining an extensive list for the second consecutive season. Rising, Wilson, quarterback Sam Huard, receiver Money Parks, cornerback Kenan Johnson, running back Anthony Woods, linebacker Levani Damuni and offensive guard Michael Mokofisi were among the players that suffered season-ending injuries in 2024.
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BYU place kicker Will Ferrin (44) kicks and makes a field goal to put the Cougars ahead 22-21 with seconds left on the clock during a game between the University of Utah Utes and the Brigham Young University Cougars held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City early on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Lander Barton extends Utah’s pick-six streak: As Utah continued on its seven-game skid, one of the few areas of interest was if the team could extend its 20-season pick-six streak.
Against Iowa State, Utah did just that, extending its streak of consecutive seasons with an interception return for a touchdown to an NCAA-record 21 years.
In the second quarter of Utah’s 31-28 loss to No. 22 Iowa State, Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht’s pass was behind Jaylin Noel and went off the receiver’s hands and into the hands of Barton at the Utah 13-yard line.
Barton broke a tackle from Becht and got a few key blocks, including from Vaughn, for an 87-yard pick-six.
Utah Utes linebacker Lander Barton (8) races for the end zone for a pick-six during Utah’s game against Iowa State at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. The score extended Utah’s NCAA record for consecutive games with a pick-six. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Defense holds up its end of the bargain for the majority of the season: Sure, there were a few things to nitpick about Utah’s defensive performance in 2024. Utah didn’t tally as many sacks as we’ve been accustomed to seeing, and had a few times where they could have sealed the game with a stop and didn’t.
But for the most part, it was another good year for Morgan Scalley’s unit. The defense didn’t get much help from the offense, but still allowed only 20.7 points per game (No. 28 in the nation) and 329.7 yards per game (No. 30) in another good defensive season.
The defense was the reason why Utah was in most every game it played in 2024, even if it didn’t translate into wins.
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Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley talks with players in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. While the offense struggled in 2024, Scalley’s defense was solid once again. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Micah Bernard surpasses 1,000 rushing yards: The individual triumph of the season was by running back Micah Bernard, who finally got his shot at the lead running back role after being with the program since 2019. A 1,000-yard season has always been a goal of Bernard’s, and he checked it off the list in his final season.
Bernard rushed for 1,009 yards in 2024, becoming the 17th Ute to do so in a season. He also had 100-plus-yard performances in four games this year.
Utah Utes running back Micah Bernard (2) runs the ball during an NCAA football game between the University of Utah Utes and the Iowa State University Cyclones held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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