Navajo Nation leaders oppose license application

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. —  Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer issued a letter to the Arizona State Liquor Board and the Apache County Board of Supervisors June 23, in which they expressed strong opposition to the Family Dollar store’s notice of application to sell alcohol in their store located  on fee land in the community of St. Michaels, Ariz.

Fee land is reservation land no longer in trust or subject to restriction. It can refer to reservation land owned by non-Natives.

In the letter, Nez and Lizer mentioned the difficulties Navajo People have had with alcohol and said, “This application poses a...

CHINLE, Ariz. — The funeral service for Navajo Police Department Officer Michael Lee was held June 25 at The Potter’s House Christian Center in Chinle, Ariz.

The Navajo Police Department assisted the family in the planning and coordination of the service. The family of Officer Lee put the safety and wellbeing of everyone wishing to pay their respects foremost in its plans.

“Officer Lee was adamant about keeping family members safe during this pandemic.… Planning a service under these circumstances is difficult, but with the heart Officer Lee had for his family and community, he would want everyone to be safe,” Chief Phillip Francisco said.

The service was limited to...

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer applaud U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta’s recent ruling ordering the final distribution of the remaining $679 million in federal CARES Act funding be released to Native American tribes, including the Navajo Nation.

On June 15, Judge Mehta ruled that the U.S. Treasury Department’s withholding of CARES Act funding intended to assist Native American Nations in their fight against COVID-19, created an unreasonable delay and is no longer acceptable during a time of unprecedented public health crisis and that there is “no court order preventing” the Treasury Department from releasing the...

Numerous timely issues addressed

Navigating the global financial uncertainty brought about by the novel coronavirus was one of the goals of New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in calling the first special session of the 54th New Mexico Legislature, which began on June 18 and ended June 22.

Lujan Grisham said she received what she was seeking, a bipartisan roadmap that can be used to move forward in the coming months.

“My administration has from day one emphasized the importance of expanding the state’s reserves; I am glad to have done that work on the front end, which has ensured our state will have needed flexibility as we move forward. In our fiscal approach, a...