MCSO Deputies Johnson Lee, along with K-9 Max, and Brandon Salazar and K-9 Betty, confiscated 38 pounds of marijuana and 503 grams of psychedelic mushrooms April 16.

Two suspects were arrested and charges were filed for possession and intent to distribute.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office is asking for the public's assistance in identifying the circumstances surrounding the death of Medardo Gutierrez-Lopez, a citizen of Mexico.

Gutierrez-Lopez’s birthdate is listed as June 8, 1989 in Oaxaca, Mexico. He is listed as White, Hispanic and Mexican.

On July 6, 2020, Gutierrez-Lopez was found deceased near the frontage road north of Interstate 40 and east of Exit 33 in Fort Wingate, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation. The cause of death is undetermined.

If you have any information concerning this person, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

James Curtis “Jimmy” Shorty, who commanded his water drilling rig and crew from one end of the Navajo Reservation to the other, passed away on April 17. He was 84.

He had earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from St. Joseph’s College in Indiana, and always said that, having grown up on the reservation, he had a natural instinct for knowing where the best spots to drill a good well might be.

Shorty, whose team had successfully drilled hundreds of water wells on the reservation, was featured in the prize-winning documentary “The Navajos Water The Desert,” filmed in the 1960’s by Hollywood’s Hanna Barbera Studios.

Several stories about the making of that film are featured in the book Tinsel Wilderness.

In his later years Jim Shorty lived in Albuquerque, where he translated his extensive knowledge of the Navajos living on the reservation into a second career, acting as a bridge between the people he had come to know and finding opportunities for them to prosper in local businesses and corporations.

Project will streamline enrollment in WIC and SNAP programs, help reduce childhood hunger

SANTA FE – New Mexico along with five other states was selected by No Kid Hungry and the American Public Human Services Association to receive an innovative technology project grant that will help reduce childhood hunger. The project leverages data and improves technology to enhance the interfaces and webservices for the New Mexico Humans Services Department’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) formerly known as food stamps and the Department of Health’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Ultimately the project will make it possible to bidirectionally exchange participant data to help streamline and maximize program enrollment.

“No child in New Mexico should go hungry but, the pandemic has created hardships for many New Mexico families,” Deputy Secretary Angela Medrano said. “This grant will assist us by enabling two computer systems from separate departments to talk to each other and help us identify individuals in need.”

New Mexico Humans Services Department’s eligibility system will connect with Department of Health’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children’s system. To execute the project, new business rules will be enforced in HSD’s system to create a more accurate universe of potentially WIC-eligible participants. Links between heads of households and families will also be added to both departments systems to enable future synchronicity and reevaluation of potential eligibility as circumstances change.

Enrollment data will be shared and updated between systems to provide visibility and accountability of the referral lifecycle. Notably, these changes will allow the two departments to increase WIC enrollment and participation, improve clinic and participant experiences through more outcome-focused interactions, and reduce administrative burdens on staff.

Once the project is completed, the Human Services Department will be able to provide more accurate and specific referral data that allows the Department of Health to conduct more proactive and effective outreach. This will drive increased WIC enrollment and consequently help New Mexico improve food security, positively improve children’s weight, and provide additional support to diverse communities facing disproportionate levels of poverty.

The grant period is for 18 months, and all the grantees will leverage data and technology improvements to address systemic barriers and promote equitable access to services. The goal for all grantees is to reduce cross departmental silos, facilitate community organization engagement, and enhance client outreach and experience.

The other grantees selected include:

• Hawaii Department of Human Services
• Kansas Department for Children and Families & Kansas Department of Health and Environment
• Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services, North Carolina
• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
• New Jersey Department of Human Services

The Human Services Department provides services and benefits to 1,022,395 New Mexicans through several programs including: the Medicaid Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Child Support Program, and several Behavioral Health Services.