WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez presented a $652 million CARES Act funding proposal to the 24th Navajo Nation Council during a special council session on July 28, including funds for the following:

· Over $143 million for water projects.

· Over $40 million for power line projects.

· Over $94 million for telecommunications and broadband development/implementation.

· $2 million for the Diné Hataałi Association, Diné Medicine Men Association, and the Native American Church.

· $128 million for COVID-19 testing kits, isolation sites/services, emergency medical transportation, mobile medical units, vaccinations, contact tracing/case managers/data...

SANTA FE —  The New Mexico Human Services Department  has applied for federal approval to implement the Restaurant Meals Plan  as a means of continuing state assistance to businesses that have been impacted by the economic crisis sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Restaurant Meals Plan is an addition to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and would grant New Mexico families and individuals who qualify for SNAP greater access to meals by allowing them to purchase prepared meals from participating New Mexico restaurants.

This may include products sold in deli sections at participating grocery stores.

The RMP program would typically be available to individuals or...

SANTA FE —  No child will miss a school-provided meal due to remote learning to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Mexico Public Education Department reaffirmed July 29.

Since in-person instruction ended March 16, the department has provided almost 9 million meals to New Mexico children through their school districts. That will continue.

“We’re going to work as much as we can through whatever obstacles arise to get all these children fed,” Michael A. Chavez, director of New Mexico’s National School Lunch Program, said.

New Mexico school children are served by two federally-funded nutrition programs: The National School Lunch Program, will provide free and reduced-price...

As the Democratic primary in New Mexico’s third congressional district heated up in May, two mysterious groups– Avacy Initiatives and Perise Practical– began spending a combined $300,000 to support Teresa Leger Fernandez, now the Democratic nominee.

The groups ran positive, even glowing advertisements about Leger Fernandez, but didn’t disclose who paid for the ads. Few details could be found about them online. This “dark money” spending drew significant criticism from other candidates, who condemned Leger Fernandez for not calling for removal of the ads.

But a review by New Mexico In Depth of Federal Election Commission filings suggests the real goal was to deny another...