As a report from the New Mexico State Auditor’s Office reaffirmed, New Mexico has had serious problems with funding special education in recent years.

But the state’s ongoing struggles with special education go deeper than the audit, which found the state underfunded the program by $110 million from 2010-2012.

Throughout the years, state lawmakers have clashed with Gov. Susana Martinez on how to fix the problem.

The issue goes back to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Act, a landmark federal law passed in the 1970s that mandated public education access to special-needs students. Part of the law requires that every state increase special education money each year, or keep...

The regular City Council meeting on Sept. 8 was smoothly handled by the mayor and councilors, with no feathers ruffled on either side. That doesn’t mean it was boring though, as agreements were reached on several important items.

Street closures on Coal Avenue from 9th to 1st Streets - Sept. 18 for Miyamura High and Sept. 23 for Gallup High – for homecoming parades were quickly approved. Miyamura will begin their parade at 4 pm while Gallup High will start theirs at 4:15pm, respectively.

Another street closure request was made by the Gallup Film Festival 2015 of Coal Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Streets will last from 4 am Sept. 19 until 5 pm Sept. 20. This approval is...

SHIPROCK—Famed environmentalist Erin Brockovich visited the Navajo Nation Sept. 8, to see firsthand the damages caused by the Gold King Mine spill on Aug. 5.

Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye and Vice President Jonathan Nez met with Brockovich in Shiprock, at the hogan of Perry Begaye, to provide a briefing on the water contamination.

Chapter officials, community health representatives, Navajo Abandoned Mine Land staffers and tribal employees were also present for the report.

Brockovich said the plight of water contamination is being played out across the country and commended the efforts of Begaye and Nez to stand up to the US EPA.

“You are standing strong for your land...

Washington, DC – Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Administration Executive Director, Dr. Donald Benn, testified before the United States House Committee on Science, Space and Technology Sept. 9.

Benn’s address was in regards to the Gold King Mine Spill.

Among other issues, he discussed the devastating effects of the chemical spill on the Navajo Nation and called for greater support from the Federal Government to address the crisis.

“The Navajo Nation’s impacts are felt most in the disruption of our cultural principle of hozho, which encompasses beauty, order, and harmony, and expresses the idea of striving to maintain balance in the Navajo universe,” he said. “The...