WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Aug. 8, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that New Mexico State University will receive more than $4.4 million to support research on pecan genetics and breeding that will help New Mexico pecan farmers improve the sustainability and profitability of their crops.

The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Research Initiative, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, which Udall and Heinrich supported.

The funded research will allow for the development of genetic tools that will help farmers select varieties of trees that will thrive in the varying growing...

Indigenous cultures showcase dance, ornate regalia

A beloved local event, held at Red Rock Park, brings in, from near and far, visitors and locals, bull riders, ropers and wrestlers, dancers, drummers, artists, two parades, and even its own celebrated queen.

A $10 all-access admission ($5 for kids) gets you five days of traditional celebration, as well as romping, riding, festive fun, beginning with a morning junior rodeo on Wednesday, Aug. 10.

The junior rodeo is followed by the Queen’s luncheon at noon, Preview Night at 6 pm, and ladies and junior bull riding.

On Thursday, Aug. 11, the exhibit halls opens at 10 am and the Queen Contest is held. At 7 pm, there’s a...

While the rodeo may represent the gritty, rugged side of the Inter-Tribal Ceremonial, the 95th annual event has a glamorous side, too. That is, the Inter-Tribal Ceremonial Queen Pageant, which begins its festivities on Aug. 10. This year, five Native American women who have honored the traditions of their culture and inspired their communities aspire to wear the crown.

“The pageant is an opportunity for these young women to showcase their traditional knowledge of who they are and where they come from,” Fleurette Brown, the 1998 - 90 Miss Indian Ceremonial wrote in a statement. “They honor the uniqueness of the teachings in the Native American traditions.”

No longer the queen...

Debra Haaland of Laguna Pueblo attends Dems’ convention

At the end of the Democratic National Convention July 28 in Philadelphia, Chelsea Clinton walked on stage and introduced her mother, Hillary, as “my mother, my hero, and the next president of the United States.”

It was a moment of great historical significance, as the former first lady and secretary of state stepped up to speak to the crowd as the Democratic nominee for president – the first woman to lead a major party for the highest office in the land.

The seminal event was one that affected women all over the country, including one who holds political office around greater McKinley County. Laguna Pueblo’s Debra...