Dine’ people advocate for environmental and social change

Nihigaal Bee Iiana has been called a modern day Navajo scouting party and it recently made an overnight stop in Gallup.

Nihigaal Bee Iina or “Journey for Existence” started as an environmental pilgrimage to the Four Sacred Mountains of the Navajo reservation. The spiritual movement has continued to evolve into an environmental and human rights effort.

As the small group of young Dine’ (Navajo) women and men walked across the eastern part of the reservation, they soon realized that the people, including children and youth, that they were meeting along their journey were pouring out their hearts to them about not...

It was April 4, the first weekend of the month and, as usual, the city streets were packed with vehicles and people filled the sidewalks. But there were other sounds and sights.

About 50 people walked down Route 66 chanting, “Hey Gallup, you can’t hide, you support genocide.”

Melanie Yazzie, a co-founder of The Red Nation, said, “We’re here today to tell the city of Gallup to tell its economic system that profits off of our deaths, we are reclaiming this space as indigenous space.

“I’m here on behalf of The Red Nation,” said Yazzie. “We demand to thrive, just not survive. We demand life, not just death. And we don’t demand just respect, we demand that the...

SANTA FE – State Auditor Tim Keller announced April 6 that the Office of the State Auditor (OSA) is examining allegations of financial “irregularities” in the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office. The special examination is focused on the potential misuse of DWI prevention program funds by the Sheriff’s office from 2010 to 2014.

“The Office of the State Auditor is looking into the past financial affairs of the Sheriff’s Office in McKinley County to address allegations of public funds being misused and to ensure that the proper financial controls are in place moving forward,” Keller stated, in a press release. “I would like to thank current officials for their cooperation...

SANTA FE — Gov. Susana Martinez signed legislation to help protect NewMexico’s children from e-cigarettes and liquid nicotine products April 8.

Senate Bill 433, sponsored by Senator John Ryan (R-Albuquerque), will prohibit the sale of e- cigarettes to minors and requires retail liquid nicotine packages to be sold in child-resistant containers. If a child consumes liquid nicotine, it can be fatal.

House Bill 213, sponsored by Representative Sarah Maestas Barnes (R-Albuquerque), also requires child-resistant packaging for liquid nicotine products.

Martinez also signed House Bill 415, sponsored by Rep. Carl Trujillo (D-Santa Fe), that will create a statewide dog and cat spay and...