WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — Council Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty of the 24th Navajo Nation Council introduced Emergency Legislation No. 0263-21 to allocate $207 million of Navajo Nation Fiscal Recovery Funds to provide a second hardship assistance check for the Navajo people. This will be considered by the Navajo Nation Council during a special session before Christmas.

The bill also approves the Hardship Assistance Expenditure Plan that will have legislative oversight by the Budget and Finance Committee and administrative oversight by the Nez-Lizer Administration.

According to the Navajo Nation Department of Justice, individuals do not have to reapply for the second allocation of...

Week ending Friday, December 17, 2021

Arctic Alarm

A new NOAA report warns that the loss of sea ice, thawing permafrost and the melting of Greenland’s ice cap due to human-caused climate change are part of an “alarming and undeniable” trend in climate change. The Arctic is warming two to three times faster than the rest of the planet. The report coincided with the UN World Meteorological Organisation’s confirmation that the previous summer’s all-time record Arctic heat of 38 degrees Celsius was accurate. The reading at the Siberian community of Verkhoyansk on June 20, 2020, was the result of an exceptional and prolonged Siberian heat wave, which was accompanied by expansive...

SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a statement on Dec. 20 on the federal government’s announcement of a new emissions reductions rule for 2023 and later model year vehicles:

“I applaud the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration and U.S. EPA Administrator Regan in crafting strong federal rules to reduce air pollution from cars and trucks. These new requirements will protect public health by reducing emissions that cause climate change and degrade air quality across the country and right here in New Mexico, where the transportation sector is the second leading emitter of greenhouse gases.

“At the same time, these federal rules will save New Mexicans money at the...

Inside the town hall:
Community speakers call for transparency, respect at RMCHCS

The Community Health Action Group convened Dec. 11 at the First United Methodist Church for a town hall meeting concerning Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services.

Discussions focused on the hospital’s current $9.4 million deficit, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services one star rating for RMCHCS, and the erosion of trust between management and the community.

The meeting began with remarks from Dr. Kathleen De Korne Mezoff, who served as pediatrician at RMCHCS from 1980-2014.

“RMCH is a unique community hospital with a 111-year history of mission and service,” Mezoff...