Staff Reports

ALBUQUERQUE – Jothonnie Yazzie, 29, of Rocksprings, N.M., pleaded guilty this morning in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to an indictment charging him possessing child pornography.  Yazzie entered the guilty plea under a plea agreement recommending a sentence within the range of 37 to 63 months in prison followed by ten years of supervised release.  He also will be required to register as a sex offender after he completes his prison sentence.

The FBI and McKinley County Sheriff’s Office arrested Yazzie on Dec. 20, 2016, on the indictment, which was filed on Dec. 7, 2016, and charged him with possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit...

TSAILE, Ariz. — Diné College’s commitment to maintaining and revitalizing the Navajo language continues, and college officials hope the hiring of a Navajo Language Immersion Institute Director will strengthen that progress.

James McKenzie, who previously served as Navajo Language Development Coordinator at the College, assumed the new role Dec. 18.  McKenzie brings to the job more than five years of experience with Navajo language immersion efforts and said he’s eager to create community partnerships and improve success with Navajo language initiatives.

“I’m humbled and excited at the new opportunity,” McKenzie said. “While I will have some new duties, I will still...

Approximately 265 New Mexico homeowners will receive payments

ALBUQUERQUE – Attorney General Hector Balderas, 48 other state attorneys general, the District of Columbia and over 45 state mortgage regulators reached a $45 million settlement with New Jersey based mortgage lender and servicer PHH Mortgage Corporation.

Approximately 265 New Mexico homeowners will receive payments thanks to the settlement.

The settlement resolves allegations that PHH, the nation’s ninth largest non-bank residential mortgage servicer, improperly serviced mortgage loans from Jan. 1, 2009 through Dec. 31, 2012. The agreement requires PHH to adhere to comprehensive mortgage servicing standards, conduct...

WINDOW ROCK – With a vote of 22-0, the 23rd Navajo Nation Council unanimously supported an override of President Russell Begaye’s veto of the Navajo Nation Veterans Trust Fund Income Act, during a special session held on Dec. 22. The Council approved the Veterans Trust Fund Income Act during the Fall Council Session in October. Begaye subsequently vetoed the resolution on Nov. 6, which is subject to override pursuant to Title II of the Navajo Nation Code.

Council Delegate Tom Chee (Shiprock), who sponsored the override legislation as well as the legislation approved by the Council in October, has previously explained that the intent of the bill is to clarify specific definitions...