This weekend marks the unofficial end to summer, and it’s expected to draw thousands of New Mexicans out to their state parks and waterways. The Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department State Park Division sent out a reminder in a press release published Sept. 1 asking park visitors to wear life jackets.

Eleven people have died while boating in New Mexico since August of last year. Out of those, 75% died from drowning and most were not wearing a life jacket. Most of these deaths occurred on boats where the operator had not taken a boating safety course.

It’s equally important to wear a life jacket while swimming. Even strong swimmers have underestimated the water and...

When the COVID-19 pandemic swept into New Mexico in the spring of 2020, seriously ill patients from all over the state were brought to The University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where many wound up in intensive care, breathing with the help of ventilators.

Early on, researchers from the UNM Center for Global Health launched a study of hospitalized patients to gauge the severity of symptoms from the infection, gathering data on 475 patients from April 2020 through December 2021. In a paper published in PNAS News, they reported that patients who identified as American Indian/Alaska Native were sicker and more likely to die in the hospital than Hispanic and non-Hispanic white...

Santa Fe — The New Mexico Department of HealtH published a press release on Sept. 1 reporting that a Valencia County man is the first death in 2023 linked to West Nile virus in the state.

The death is one of now 36 human cases confirmed by DOH this year through the end of August.

West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental U.S. It’s typically spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito, and the disease can vary in severity. Most infections go unnoticed while others cause flu-like symptoms. The most severe cases cause neuroinvasive disease which affects the brain and nervous system and can result in death.

Infections have been...

TOHATCHI — The 25th Navajo Nation Council’s Law and Order Committee held a regular committee meeting on Aug. 25 at the Tohatchi Chapter House to hear two legislations and listen to the concerns of the community regarding public safety.

Officials from the Navajo Nation Police Department, Department of Public Safety and Department of Justice and Chapter Officials from Tohatchi were in attendance.

Legislation No. 0139-23, sponsored by Council Delegate Seth Damon (Baahaali, Chilchiltah, Manuelito, Red Rock, Rock Springs, Tsayatoh), seeks to repeal 9 N.N.C. § 2 (C) of the Diné Marriage Act of 2005, to uniformly recognize all marriages within the Navajo Nation and amend other...