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Billions coming to help tribes access clean water
The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden yesterday will include full funding for efforts to provide clean water to tribal nations. Over the next five years $3.5 billion will head to the Indian Health Services water and sanitation construction program to pay for tribal clean water projects. On top of that, the […]
Indigenous leaders in New Mexico celebrate federal efforts to protect Chaco
The Biden administration’s announcement to begin the process that could impose mineral extraction protections around Chaco Culture National Historical Park was celebrated by Indigenous leaders in New Mexico on Monday, Nov. 15. “Pueblo leadership is charged to protect our language, songs and lifeways so that we may maintain our sacred trust and instill the gifts […]
CRT opponents upset over NM education proposals ignore Yazzie/Martinez ruling
A nearly six hour public meeting and more than 1,400 written comments show that New Mexicans care about social studies and the direction of education reform in the state. Somehow present but forgotten by most who spoke in email and during the online meeting on Friday is the Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit that drapes over all education […]
FBI specialist translates info about MMIWR and hate crimes into Navajo
FBI agents in the Four Corners are adapting to Indigenous community needs by adopting traditional language specialists for field work that asks people for tips to help solve crimes. Melinda Nakai (Diné) is an outreach specialist with the federal agency. Born in Gallup, N.M., she is also the first certified Navajo language translator with the […]
The best chile in the galaxy is still in New Mexico
Green chile is in space, but it will take more time for science to catch up to roasting the pepper so it can give its best-quality taste. “We only have a warming oven onboard that goes to about 180 degrees Fahrenheit, so we could make them warm, but we couldn’t really roast them. So we […]
Indigenous population grows in the census
More Native Americans live in the United States than 10 years ago, the census reveals. But the numbers are likely even higher than the once-a-decade count shows. U.S. Census officials presented figures from the 2020 count, saying more than 3.7 million people identified as American Indian and Alaska Native, up from the 2.9 million in […]
Money won seats on Albuquerque’s school board
The Albuquerque Public Schools district will have four new members joining the school board from campaigns that raised and spent thousands of dollars in races where candidates traditionally spend much less. Three of the four candidates elected last night could push the board in a direction led by GOP influence. Albuquerque school board members run […]
Google doodle celebrates Zuni culture from one artist to another
Mallery Quetawki signed onto the biggest art project of her life and couldn’t tell anyone. Her family and friends noticed she was busier than normal, but she couldn’t say much. “I was living and breathing nothing but this project for that month and a half,” Quetawki said. She told them one thing and it suddenly […]
Demonstrators object to stadium plans on the eve of the election
The bond asking Albuquerque voters to support $50 million in tax money so a minor league soccer team can build a limited-use stadium may or not pass. One thing it didn’t pass is the sniff test for Yvette Villegas. She says she smelled the dirt and voted no. The 18-year-old, whose December birthday just left […]
Sexual Assault programs ask lawmakers to double their funding
New Mexico needs to double the amount of money it provides for victims of sexual assault. This is according to testimony by leaders from the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs. Member organizations provide a wide spectrum of for people who’ve been assaulted while they navigate systems and options for protection. They asked the […]
Police chiefs respond to concerns about bias and victim-blaming in MMIWR cases
Shelda Livingston and her family say the complicated background of her sister Pepita Redhair led Albuquerque Police Department officers to discriminate against her during their investigation into Redhair’s disappearance in March 2020. “We feel like there was no investigation done, or completed, or even started,” Livingston said Thursday during a live radio program addressing missing […]
Community safety responders train for their first weeks in the field
On the first floor of Albuquerque City Hall, in the former spot where people paid water bills in person, an actor is training the newest community safety responders. “Are you a narc? Are you here to get a fix? Why are you here? Who are you?” The actor addresses the woman who is in training, […]