Gov & Politics
What should be done with the Albuquerque boarding school grave site?
The boarding school era was a dark time in U.S. history, and the Albuquerque Indian School was the second-largest school of its kind in the country. So much of the history is left untold. People who survived the worst era of students being abused for speaking traditional language are no longer alive. But the effects […]
New Mexico’s delicate dance to become a center of U.S. hydrogen production
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is on the hunt for federal dollars. In a push to make the state a national center for hydrogen production, she’s pitching a legislative proposal that she says will flatten state government roadblocks and create a new industrial base to re-energize the economy in the San Juan Basin. She wants […]
U.S. House censures Arizona’s Paul Gosar, boots him from committees
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted 223-207 Wednesday to censure Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar and strip him of his committee assignments, following his social media post of a manipulated cartoon that depicted him attacking Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and President Joe Biden. Republican Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois voted […]
Day of action in DC for voting rights protections, promised reforms
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of people marched in Washington on Wednesday, singing songs of struggle and calling for the passage of a voting rights bill by the end of the year. Rev. William Barber II marched alongside other faith leaders, poor and working class Americans and allied elected officials, filling the streets around the White House […]
U.S. House to vote to censure Gosar, strip him of committee assignments
The U.S. House is expected to vote Wednesday on a resolution to censure U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, an Arizona Republican, and remove him from the Oversight and Government Reform and Natural Resources committees. The vote is a rebuke of Gosar for a video he posted to social media last week. The video manipulated an anime […]
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 […]
ABQ City Council struggles over Environmental Planning Commission appointment
The Albuquerque City Council will consider a historic appointment to the city government’s Environmental Planning Commission next month. But the person up for the job is opposed by some councilors, who are questioning her qualifications. If appointed, Jana Pfeiffer (Diné) would be the first woman and the first Native person to ever serve on the […]
Driving in Central NM dropped 20% during pandemic, report states
Motorists in central New Mexico reduced their daily driving by more than 20% in 2020, according to data released last week by the region’s planning organization. The traffic reduction is attributed to the pandemic, and it’s not yet clear how traffic volumes and patterns might be permanently changed. Some data so far suggests that traffic […]
Young and incarcerated: Part 5
GRANTS — When Santana Serrano first arrived at Western New Mexico Correctional Facility, she would call her mother crying. “Mom, I can’t do this. I don’t want to do this,” she recalled saying. “Please help me get me out. Do whatever you can. I can’t do it.” Her mother told her yes, she could. At […]
Biden signs $1.2T infrastructure bill: ‘America is moving again’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law his $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill during a ceremony at the White House packed with some 800 supporters, heralding what he said was a “truly consequential” spending bill that will improve Americans’ day-to-day lives. But Democrats also emphasized that there is more to come—a $1.85 trillion […]
Young and incarcerated: Part 4
People who are under 18 but tried and convicted as adults and sentenced to life have to serve 30 years before being eligible for parole. New Mexico lawmakers are trying to cut that time in half. Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, Reps. Gail Chasey and Dayan Hochman-Vigil asked the Governor’s Office at the end of August […]
Dollar-a-day wage schemes in immigrant detention sound a lot like slavery
Across the United States, communities are reckoning with the appropriate rate of minimum wage for people at the local, state and federal levels. There is a sincere debate about whether a $15 minimum wage is actually sufficient for people trying to survive in the current economy. Yet around the country, immigrant detainees are often paid […]