Food assistance recipients lose a COVID bump this month

Low-income breadwinners are bracing for a shock this month, as one of the last remaining COVID benefits comes to an end.

Recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – commonly referred to as food stamps – will see their benefits shrink with the expiration of the COVID-related federal emergency allotment.

According to the state Human Services Department, 39.6% of McKinley County’s population receive SNAP benefits. How much of a reduction each household will see depends on how many people are in it and income level.

While the extra allotment was in place, a family of three received a maximum benefit of $740...

Crownfunding campaign online now

In a medical emergency, even seconds may count. Peter Hunt-Rosado thinks about that a lot because he works as an emergency nurse at Gallup Indian Medical Center, where patients may have to travel long distances for care. He worries that it’s unnecessarily costing lives.

“You hear the stories or get a report from EMS that [a patient] has been down for an unknown amount of time since the first call was received, two hours prior to the arrival in the ER, or even six hours,” he said. “We’ve had patients that have been having heart attacks that have gotten into a car and driven themselves an hour just to get to us for emergency treatment. In...

A man who is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation is facing a charge of aggravated sexual abuse after he allegedly sexually assaulted a child.

According to the indictment and other court records, Pedro Lee Benally, 29, of Montezuma Creek, Utah, allegedly engaged in a sexual act with a child. The alleged assault occurred in San Juan County on the Navajo Nation.

Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced March 1 that Benally made an initial appearance in federal court facing two charges of aggravated sexual abuse in Indian Country. A federal grand jury indicted...

A woman who is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

According to the indictment and other records, on Feb. 11, 2022, Mariah Chapo crashed her vehicle after driving at a high rate of speed while intoxicated, ultimately killing an unsecured eight-month-old child. The alleged homicide occurred within the exterior boundaries of the Navajo Nation.

Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced Feb. 24 that Chapo, 26,  was arraigned in federal court Feb. 23, on a charge of involuntary manslaughter. Chapo, 26, will remain on conditions of release pending trial.

Staff Reports