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Families gather to speak for MMIW in Old Town
Pepita Redhair was the name and face on the flyer for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives awareness event in Albuquerque. She wasn’t the only person with family demanding answers during Sunday’s event. Shawna Toya. Ranelle Rose Bennett. Zachariah Juwan Shorty. Wilhelmina Denise Whitewater. Jamie Lynette Yazzie. Ella Mae Begay. All these people […]
New Mexicans get to weigh in on how social studies is taught in public schools
The state Public Education Department released new standards for social studies that were prepared by by educators from across New Mexico. People can read the proposal here. “This is the first full review of our social studies standards in 20 years, so it is beyond time for this update,” Public Education Secretary Designate Kurt Steinhaus […]
See your possible SNAP benefit when the program is boosted Oct. 1
Starting in October, many New Mexicans will have more money to spend on food. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will increase monthly benefits to more than 539,000 people in N.M. that qualify for the nutrition subsidy on Oct. 1. Individuals, on average, will see at least $36 more in their SNAP accounts. Families of […]
Don’t mix vaccines. But sign up for a booster if you can.
Eligible New Mexicans can now receive their COVID booster shot. Key in making sure you can get your next jab: The booster is only available for people who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. That’s it. New Mexico Department of Health officials advise people not to mix vaccines. Again, if you did not get the Pfizer vaccine, […]
Policing, racism and homelessness center stage in the 2021 ABQ mayoral election
The three mayoral candidates on the ballot in Albuquerque say they want the same thing. A better city. Radio personality Eddy Aragon: “As somebody who loves Albuquerque and has lived in different places, we need to do what we can in order to turn this city around. I’m going to run this city like somebody […]
Indigenous communities face choices about Indian School gravesite in Albuquerque
The rain came after a prayer and an apology. Clouds were visible miles away from the Native American Community Academy when Terry Sloan (Diné/Hopi) opened Saturday’s event to acknowledge, heal and reflect on a city park built on an Albuquerque Indian Boarding School cemetery. By the time Mayor Tim Keller took the podium after a […]
City seeks public input on what’s next for the Indian School gravesite at 4-H Park
Indigenous leaders in Albuquerque now need the public to speak on reconciling and recognizing the mass gravesite at the former Indian School. “As we honor and pay our respects to our ancestors at the sacred site that the 4-H Park burial site represents,” Terri Sloan said in a statement, “we must begin the healing from […]
After remote schooling, students and educators seek social smarts
In more than 20 years working with some of the most at-risk students in New Mexico, Leslie Kelly always looked for ways to meet kids wherever their heads might be on any given day. One day, that included an arm-wrestling competition with her middle school class. “Some of the boys were bigger than me,” Kelly […]
Distance doesn’t have to become isolation for Indigenous elders
Call grandma. That’s Larry’s Curley’s message. So I did. It went something like this: “Grandma, it’s Shaun. How are you?” “Hi babba! I’m great, how are you? How is your mom?” We went back and forth a good half hour, catching up on family business and chatting a little football before she had to leave […]
Popular app AllTrails leads people to sacred sites, some on tribal lands
Leaving the hazy Albuquerque skies, escaping the smoke of distant wildfires covering the Sandia Mountains, you cross west past Nine Mile Hill — maybe make a quick stop to place a wager at the casino — and then drive on until you reach the red rocky mesas. Here, 18-wheelers from the east are the only things […]
Huge dip in school COVID cases draws cautious optimism
It might be a bright spot for New Mexico public schools fighting COVID-19. It might be an anomaly. Either way, Public Education Secretary-designate Kurt Steinhaus is cautiously optimistic at the 37% dip in on-campus infections. “When I looked at that, the first time I thought, hmm, we better double check the data and make sure […]
N.M. extends indoor mask mandate to Oct. 15
Keep your mask up, New Mexico. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office announced New Mexico will extend the state’s indoor mask mandate until Oct. 15. The requirement was reinstated in August as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations rose in the state. Another public health order requiring health care workers and public schools employees to be vaccinated or […]