Navajo housing agency charts construction for 2018

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The nation's largest Native American housing authority says it's on track to complete 81 new homes during the 2018 fiscal year. Officials with the Navajo Housing Authority have submitted their latest plan to the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department as they continue rebuilding the agency in the face of criticism over management and the spending of federal grant money. The plan requests more than $101 million, money that will be divided among new home construction, rental units, maintenance and modernization of existing homes and public projects such as day care centers. In recent weeks, Navajo officials have defended themselves against accusations that the housing authority overspent millions of dollars in grant funds. The allegations spurred a congressional investigation, but federal regulators have found no evidence of fraud or other criminal conduct.