Author

Jeanette DeDios
Jeanette DeDios is from the Jicarilla Apache and Diné Nations and grew up in Albuquerque, NM. She recently graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2022 where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Multimedia Journalism, English and Film. Jeanette can be contacted at [email protected] or via Twitter @JeanetteDeDios.
New Mexico adds insomnia to the list of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis
By: Jeanette DeDios - May 18, 2023
The New Mexico Department of Health’s medical cannabis program announced this week that it will be adding insomnia to the program’s list of qualifying conditions for enrollments starting on June 1, 2023. Insomnia is a common medical complaint experienced by up to 70 million U.S. adults per year according to the Institute of Medicine. The […]
Native American theater company ready to mark its footprint
By: Jeanette DeDios - April 28, 2023
Two Worlds is a Native American theater company dedicated to telling Native stories through performing arts. Artistic director Kim Gleason said the inaugural festival is primarily about Native people reclaiming their own identity by representing themselves through a Native lens within the plays as actors and incorporating issues that are affecting Native people today. “We […]
The NDN Girls Book Club is igniting a spark for Native American literature
By: Jeanette DeDios - April 21, 2023
Kinsale Drake started teaching writing and literary workshops to children when she was seventeen. She’d help with anything, from teaching poetry to editing portfolios and submissions students sent to fellowships or literary journals. Drake’s newest endeavor, The NDN Girls Book Club, is not just a bookclub and it’s not just for Native American girls. The […]
Legislature passes bill requiring more transparency in budget process
By: Jeanette DeDios - March 17, 2023
As we near the end of the legislative session in Santa Fe, we’re also in the middle of Sunshine Week. That’s a national initiative by the News Leaders Association to educate the public about the importance of open government and the dangers of hidden agendas. A bill that passed and is on it’s way to […]
Bill for Native American early childhood education heads to governor
By: Jeanette DeDios - March 14, 2023
The youngest school kids in New Mexico are one step closer to seeing commitments to teach cultural education in tribal head start programs. House Bill 148 mandates the New Mexico Early Childhood and Education Department work with tribes through intergovernmental agreements to administer and provide funding for early childhood programs using a tribe’s cultural teachings […]
Former Navajo chairman and president, Peterson Zah, dies at 85
By: Jeanette DeDios - March 9, 2023
Former Navajo President, Peterson Zah, died Tuesday in Fort Defiance, Arizona, after a lengthy illness. He was 85. Zah served as chairman of the Navajo Nation Council in the 1980s before he was elected the first president for the Navajo Nation in 1990 when the government was restructured into three branches. According to reporting by […]
Larry Williams wasn’t given a Navajo translator to speak to his doctor; he died after his visit
By: Jeanette DeDios - March 3, 2023
It was the early morning on Feb. 6, 2018 and Larry Williams started to experience shortness of breath, disorientation, hallucinations and couldn’t walk. The 67-year-old spoke primarily Navajo and relied on his wife, Lenora Williams, to help translate for him. However, that day she was unable to go with him to the San Juan Regional […]
To’Hajiilee receives $90.4 million to build a new community school away from flood plain
By: Jeanette DeDios - February 21, 2023
Severe weather can force students at To’Hajiilee Community School to evacuate and lose an entire day’s worth of learning because the building is in such disrepair that it’s dangerous for people to be inside. “Whenever it rains, it leaks through our roofs and floods our school. It becomes really muddy, and the dirt becomes like […]
November 5 is the deadline for early voting
By: Jeanette DeDios - November 3, 2022
With election day less than a week away, there is still time for early voting for individuals who find themselves busy with their work or their families. This Saturday, November 5 will be the last day to vote early before election day on Tuesday, November 8. Most of the voting locations around the state will […]
Former Española mayor and small business owner vying to be state auditor
By: Jeanette DeDios and Patrick Lohmann - October 26, 2022
Early voting is underway and the race for New Mexico’s next auditor is now between a former Española mayor and a complete newcomer to the world of politics. The state auditor conducts regular financial reviews of state and local public entities and can step in to audit an agency if there are suspicions of mismanagement. […]
Stansbury seeks to retain seat in CD1 against Republican challenger and write-in candidate
By: Jeanette DeDios - October 7, 2022
Early voting begins October 11 and voters will choose who will represent them in the U.S. House of Representatives. In District 1 Republican challenger Michelle Garcia Holmes and independent write-in candidate Victoria Gonzales are running against Democratic incumbent Melanie Stansbury. Following redistricting last year, CD1, which has been in Democratic hands since 2009, now includes […]