Republican Lawmaker Enters Race For New Mexico Governor – Associated Press
State Rep. Rebecca Dow announced Wednesday that she will seek the Republican nomination for governor of New Mexico in next year's election, becoming the fifth GOP candidate looking to unseat Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham.
Dow, who is serving her third term in the Legislature and works as a consultant to early childhood providers, said she's tired of New Mexico being last when it comes to educational outcomes, child well-being and employment opportunities.
The state currently has the second highest unemployment rate in the U.S. Critics have placed some of the blame on Lujan Grisham for her handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the effects of her public health restrictions on small businesses. Many were forced to close their doors for good over the past year, and the state recently started offering cash incentives in an effort to get people back to work.
Lujan Grisham announced her reelection bid at a June rally in Albuquerque that was derailed by protesters who were mostly upset over her handling of the pandemic, which included some of the nation's toughest restrictions.
Dow said during an interview on KKOB radio that her campaign will be a grassroots effort. She also pointed to her ability to win over Democrats in her rural district.
"I am looking for the everyday New Mexican to join me," she said. "I don't care what political party you're affiliated with — it's the people who want to see New Mexico thrive. It's time," she said, adding that New Mexico has the potential to do as well as the neighboring states of Arizona and Texas.
Dow described Lujan Grisham's policies as radical and said New Mexicans should be allowed to make their own choices.
"We have rights, we are allowed to take risks and we take personal responsibility," she said. "The everyday New Mexican, they're capable of making informed rational decisions for themselves and for their families. ... This governor assumes that we can't make choices for ourselves."
As part of her campaign, Lujan Grisham is running on her pandemic-related policies, saying they helped to save lives. She also has touted the approval of tax breaks for working families, increases in spending on public education and legalization of recreational marijuana during her first term.
Other Republicans seeking the GOP nomination for governor include former congressional candidate Karen Bedonie, investment adviser and West Point graduate Greg Zanetti, Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block and retired teacher Tim Walsh.
Navajo Nation Reports No COVID-19 Deaths For 3rd Day In Row – Associated Press
The Navajo Nation on Wednesday reported eight new COVID-19 cases, but no additional deaths for the third consecutive day.
Tribal health officials said the total number of coronavirus-related cases on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah is 31,043 since the pandemic began more than a year ago.
The total number of known deaths remained at 1,357.
"As we begin to welcome visitors and tourists back to the Navajo Nation, we have to keep our guard up and continue to take precautions to prevent another surge in COVID-19 cases," tribal President Jonathan Nez said in a statement Wednesday. "We ask all visitors and tourists to adhere to our public health orders including the mask mandate that requires everyone to wear a mask in public. Getting fully vaccinated is the key to preventing the spread of the virus and protecting ourselves."
US Agency Offers $307 Million For Rural Water Projects - By Cedar Attanasio, Associated Press / Report For America
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will issue up to $307 million in grants and low-interest loans in an effort to modernize rural water infrastructure, officials announced Wednesday.
The programs are aimed at towns with less than 10,000 people in 34 states and the territory of Puerto Rico.
Officials made the announcement at a wastewater treatment center in the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, north of Santa Fe, where employees there have worked tirelessly to keep the aging plant running for its thousands of residents along the Rio Grande.
"Every community needs safe, reliable and modern water and wastewater systems," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement ahead of a tour at the plant run by the Indigenous tribe in New Mexico.
The Pueblo will receive a $610,000 loan and a $1.6 million grant to improve its wastewater treatment plant, part of a $4 million investment in the state. Federal officials say it will allow the tribe to start extending service to over 1,000 residents who are disconnected by treating 33% more water each day.
State and local grants will be needed to finish the wastewater treatment center's expansion, Vilsack said.
At the center of the small plant, a decades-old metal trough measuring about 100-foot sat rusted over. Workers at the plant said that the dark orange hunk of metal used to aerate sewage water was about a year away from rusting through.
"We're operating, but just barely," wastewater treatment plant manager Nelson Edmonds told Vilsack on the tour along with Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, who serves a majority Hispanic and Native American district.
"The consequences of decades of disinvestment in physical infrastructure have fallen most heavily on communities of color. This is why USDA is investing in water infrastructure in rural and Tribal communities that need it most to help them build back better, stronger and more equitably than ever before," Vilsack said.
The announcement is part of a multi-state push by President Joe Biden and his administration to gain more support for a $973 billion infrastructure package that includes more than a half-trillion dollars in new spending.
Among some minority communities, Vilsack has been the target of criticism for how he handled discrimination complaints during his tenure as agriculture secretary in the Obama administration.
African American farmers were angered by his appointment by Biden because of an unaddressed flurry of civil rights complaints. But in March, Vilsack announced a program that would forgive the debts of ranchers of color.
A coalition of Hispanic and Native American cattle ranchers in New Mexico complained in 2015 that they were being discriminated against through arbitrary revocations of grazing permits, concerns validated by a report from the agency's Office of Compliance, Policy, Training and Cultural Transformation.
One of them still blames the agency for the death of his cows a decade ago.
"I had to liquidate 250 animals overnight," said Dave Sanchez, 61, of Chama, north of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo.
He said that during the Obama administration Vilsack turned down many requests to meet and address the concerns of a large group of cattle ranchers in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.
"We're really disappointed in Vilsack for what he did in the Obama administration. I don't know why he's coming to New Mexico. He didn't want to meet with Hispanic ranchers. He shunned us," Sanchez said Tuesday after learning of the visit.
The agency did not respond to requests for comment on the outcome of the complaints.
Canal Breaches After Storm, Causing Street Flooding In Belen – Associated Press
The central New Mexico city of Belen was mopping up after a storm dropped heavy rain, causing a canal to breach and resulting in street flooding that stranded motorists.
The breach was secured by Wednesday morning but standing water remained in some areas after the Tuesday night storm, local news outlets reported.
No injuries were reported.
The city declared a flood emergency early Wednesday and an emergency shelter was opened at Dennis Chavez Elementary School in Los Chavez. It wasn't known whether any residents used the shelter.
The municipal court was flooded and was closed Wednesday for repairs.
Belen is 30 miles south of Albuquerque.
Drought, Heat, Fire Force Fishing Ban On Colorado River - By James Anderson, Associated Press
Colorado wildlife officials on Wednesday urged anglers to avoid fishing along a stretch of the Colorado River because low flows during a historic drought in the U.S. West, critically warm water temperatures and sediment runoff from wildfire burn scars are all starving trout of oxygen.
The move along a 120-mile stretch of the river — unusual so early in the summer — is another consequence of the record heat and drought that's afflicted the American West. The voluntary fishing ban runs from the town of Kremmling in north-central Colorado to Rifle in the western part of the state.
"The extreme drought on the Western Slope, plus the sediment and debris in the waterway, have created a really challenging situation for fish," said Travis Duncan, spokesman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
River temperatures reaching and surpassing 70 degrees Fahrenheit pose a threat by depleting oxygen levels and possibly feeding algae blooms. Rainbow and brown trout in the Colorado River, which thrive in temperatures between 50 and 60 F, become lethargic and often stop feeding, Duncan said, and wildlife officials have seen evidence of the fish dying in parts of the river.
"We're asking folks to voluntarily refrain from fishing," he said. "If the conditions persist, we'll need to adopt a mandatory ban."
Colorado River flows at two U.S. Geological Survey monitoring stations are less than half of historic levels, state wildlife officials said. At an upstream site, a Geological Survey gauge has been measuring between 600 and 700 cubic feet per second, compared with a typical 1,500 to 2,000 cubic feet per second.
Flows at a downstream gauge are about 1,250 cubic feet per second, compared with an expected 3,000 to 4,000 cubic feet per second, the state agency said.
Repeated mudslides, debris runoff and sediment from burn scars left behind by destructive wildfires last year, especially in the Glenwood Canyon area, are being dumped into the river.
"With the high sediment load, the fish can't find clear water," Colorado Parks and Wildlife aquatic biologist Kendall Bakich said in a statement. "They've got to sit through those conditions. And at nighttime, the temp isn't coming down enough, so there's no recovery for those fish right now. They've just got to hang on."
The low flows and high temperatures are affecting catch-and-release trout fishing and fly-fishing operations like the one run by Tom Trowbridge, manager of Roaring Fork Anglers in Glenwood Springs.
In South Canyon west of Glenwood Springs, river temperatures have surpassed 70 F for the past three days, and the coolest nighttime temperature was 65 F, Trowbridge said. Luckily, his company has other river options nearby.
"In these temperatures, it is hard to catch and release the fish and have them survive the experience," said Trowbridge, who's seen voluntary restrictions during daytime hours in the past. The new ban runs round the clock.
Other Colorado rivers are being affected, too.
Wildlife officials said they could adopt a mandatory fishing closure on parts of the Yampa River in northern Colorado, where temperatures surpassed 75 F on Tuesday. Biologists also are monitoring the Fraser River and the upper Colorado River. In June, officials imposed voluntary fishing restrictions on the Dolores River in southwest Colorado for the first time.
Female Powwow Emcees Make Voices Heard In Mostly Male Field - By Dalton Walker, Indian Country Today
Deanna Rae StandingCloud has jokes.
She also has the voice, and the skill. Now, she just needs more opportunities to show it.
StandingCloud, Red Lake Nation, from Minneapolis, is one of the few female powwow emcees in a typically male-dominated field. Now that in-person powwows and other social gatherings are coming back after a monthslong pandemic hiatus, StandingCloud is ready for her voice to be heard.
StandingCloud and others like Kwe Blomgren want powwow decision makers to know they are available to emcee, Indian Country Today reported.
"We have to start having women in these roles, so in our minds, we think, that definitely can be a woman, and it can be," StandingCloud said. "Women are pretty funny, and some of the funniest people I met are female, so why the heck not?"
StandingCloud created a Facebook female powwow emcee group and has nearly a dozen members. She wanted aspiring female powwow emcees to have a space to connect. Blomgren is one of its members.
"Hearing their journeys of celebrations or mini gigs is really inspiring there," Blomgren said about the group.
Blomgren, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, periodically posts on her Facebook page that she is a "powwow emcee for hire." In August 2019, she posted a short Facebook video explaining why she wanted to emcee along with an example of her emcee style. The video was her way to let others know how serious she is.
In her post, she wrote: "I'm officially submitting my cowboy hat into the ring. (Aye.) Here is my mock (grand entry) run. I'm not the best or a pro but my heart is fully into this video. I worked hard on it and I'm super proud. I tell my girls to try, try, and fight for what they really want. So here is me fighting for my dream."
The emcee, or master of ceremonies, tends to be a popular yet demanding gig, and most powwows have a two- or three-person rotation or more. The challenge for most emcees is keeping the crowd engaged and entertained while guiding dancers and singers through the hourslong celebration.
It's also fun and worthwhile, StandingCloud said. Plus the many plates of food all the time, and the ability to come up with words and jokes on the fly, she said.
"I think the trick to being an emcee is reading the crowd and being in the moment," she said. "A lot of the jokes come from improvising. I try to be present, being in the moment and appreciating the celebration itself, and a lot of teasing jokes will come out of that."
She also likes to play off the energy of her co-hosts.
"Somebody ends on a perfect beat — I'll go, 'Hoo! There you have it, folks,'" she says in a deep voice, stretching out her words. "'Powwow Saturday night live. We're here!"
StandingCloud enjoys being social and was often found at powwows or events in the Twin Cities area before the pandemic. Her first emcee opportunity wasn't planned. She was assisting an emcee a few years back at an area school powwow until it made more sense for her to be on the microphone. The following year, she was invited back to be the lead emcee.
Then came her big break. In mid-2019, organizers for Leech Lake Labor Day Powwow asked StandingCloud to co-emcee the celebration. StandingCloud said she was initially anxious about the invite. She was familiar with the powwow and knew it was one of the larger powwows in northern Minnesota.
"Inside, I was like, 'OK, I have to do this because, first of all, nobody ever gets asked this,''' StandingCloud recalled. "I didn't want to because I was nervous and I didn't think I was really good enough, but whatever. I said yes."
A few months after, she had another emcee gig at a Fond du Lac Band powwow near Lake Superior. Emceeing was getting easier, and StandingCloud was getting comfortable. Then the pandemic hit.
More recently, StandingCloud was the virtual emcee for the MN Connect Powwow and an in-person emcee at the Red Lake Nation College graduation and mini powwow.
"I'm just excited for COVID to be something that is behind us so we can all come back together and have a powwow," StandingCloud said. "I miss the sounds, smells, sounds of bells, everything. It's just a nostalgic feeling. It's a very vivid experience for a lot of our people, and it's one of the things that probably healed us as Native people."
A few years ago during a Minnesota summer, Blomgren was enjoying a powwow on her Leech Lake homelands when her goal was to be in the emcee stand.
She came close. She emceed community events and gatherings.
After her Facebook video, Blomgren had a few local powwow emcee gigs lined up, but they were unfortunately canceled because of the pandemic.
"I'm definitely ready," Blomgren said. "When the world is healthy, I'm ready"
Her confidence comes from positive feedback from her family and community, including from elders. Her dream is to one day emcee at the Gathering of Nations in New Mexico.
"I want lady emcees to be the norm, and I want us to start hearing us at celebrations and seeing us do big things."
2 National Forests In New Mexico Lift Fire Restrictions - Associated Press
Gila National Forest and Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands officials on Tuesday announced the lifting of fire restrictions due to reduced wildfire danger.
Officials cited the arrival of summer rains accompanied by higher humidity levels and lower temperatures.
Showers and thunderstorms with "abundant monsoon moisture" are forecast to continue well into July, Gila National Forest officials said in a statement.
Forest officials imposed the restrictions to reduce risk of human-caused wildfire during extreme drought conditions that included low fuel moisture levels.
The Gila National Forest is headquartered in Silver City and includes large areas of southwestern New Mexico.
Headquartered in Albuquerque, the Cibola National Forest and National Grassland includes districts near Grants, west of Socorro and south and east of Albuquerque.
Navajo Nation Lifts Some COVID Restrictions On Reservation – Associated Press
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez signed legislation Tuesday to rescind an order that closed the reservation to outside visitors.
It lifts several COVID-19 restrictions that will allow tribal parks to reopen at 50% capacity with safety protocols in place as early as Thursday and also allow schools to eventually reopen under a required safety plan.
The Navajo Department of Health will issue a new Public Health Emergency Order on Wednesday, outlining safety protocols and requirements for reopening.
The mask mandate remains in effect for the entire Navajo Nation.
"Our gating measures and data show a consistent downward trend in new cases and deaths related to COVID-19, and we have a large majority of our Navajo Nation residents fully vaccinated," Nez said in a statement. "We continue to meet with our health experts on a regular basis and they support the reopening of parks to our residents and our visitors."
The Navajo Nation's vast reservation covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
Heinrich Says Senate's Filibuster Rule Should Change – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
Sen. Martin Heinrich says the Senate should make major changes to its filibuster rule though the New Mexico Democrat acknowledges that would allow Republicans in the future to approve policy changes he opposes.
Heinrich said during a town hall Monday in Albuquerque that Senate rules should be changed to make it easier to pass most bills because partisan gridlock has blocked legislation, making it difficult for many Americans to discern between the parties, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
"As much as I know that, at some point, (Republicans) are going to do things that I absolutely disagree with, on climate, on choice, on really important stuff," Heinrich said, "it is just as important to begin to have the feedback with the American people to tell the difference between the two parties. Elections will have consequences."
With the Senate currently split 50-50, Vice President Kamala Harris' tie-breaking vote gives Democrats control of the chamber.
However, Republicans can block most bills because of a rule requiring 60 senators to vote to end debate on most matters.
Ways to change the filibuster rule include requiring senators to be physically present on the Senate floor and personally speak in order to block a vote, Heinrich said.
Man Found Dead At White Sands National Park In New Mexico – Associated Press
A man has been found dead at White Sands National Park, authorities said Tuesday.
New Mexico State Police have identified the man as 63-year-old Jeffrey Minshew of Moriarty.
The National Park Service is coordinating with State Police to investigate the death.
A possible cause of death wasn't immediately released, but authorities say foul play is not suspected at this time.
An unoccupied vehicle was found in the park about 11 a.m. Sunday.
That began a search and the body was discovered around 5 p.m. Monday.
White Sands rangers said there is no shade or water along any of the trails in the park.
They recommend hikers bring at least one gallon of water per person per day along with high energy snacks.
US Proposes Removing Colorado River Fish's Endangered Status - By James Anderson, Associated Press
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday it plans to propose reclassifying a rare Colorado River Basin fish called the razorback sucker from endangered to threatened status after a multiyear and multistate effort throughout the Southwestern U.S. to replenish its populations.
A proposed formal relisting, to be published Wednesday in the Federal Register, would classify the fish as no longer on the brink of extinction. But it would require continued management of the razorback's survival in the Colorado River and several key tributaries. The Fish and Wildlife Service first said it would recommend the change in 2018.
Hundreds of thousands of razorbacks once thrived in the Colorado River and its tributaries, which flow across seven states and Mexico. By the 1980s, they had dwindled to about 100. Researchers blamed non-native game fish that preyed on the razorbacks and the construction of dams that disrupted their habitat.
The razorback was listed as endangered under federal law in 1991. It has been protected under Colorado and Utah law since the 1970s.
Their adult numbers have since reached more than 50,000, thanks to the work of Fish and Wildlife and other federal and state agencies, Native American tribes, hatcheries, dam operators and landowners, said Tom Chart, director of the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program. The program was created in 1988 to rescue the razorback and other endangered aquatic species in the basin.
"The razorback was the most rare species we came across," Chart said Tuesday. "Today we are finding fish that originated in hatcheries and were stocked out under the program 20 years later, and they're behaving like they've always been in the wild."
Ancient and odd-looking, the razorback gets its name from a sharp-edge, keel-like ridge along its back behind its head. It can grow up to 3 feet (1 meter) long and live up to 40 years.
Individual fish are protected under endangered status. Threatened status means biologists can take steps to improve the overall population even if some fish might be hurt.
Wildlife advocates oppose the move, saying the fish's numbers aren't yet self-sustaining and that climate change is bringing lesser and warmer river flows that will jeopardize the fish's survival. Drought and increasing human demand are straining the rivers, which makes it harder for fish to survive.
"Our two core concerns here are the perilous climate future of the Colorado River Basin and, despite a robust program for stocking the razorback in the river, almost of none of those fish are reproducing successfully, with the exception of Lake Mead," said Taylor McKinnon, whose work focuses on endangered species and public lands for the Center for Biological Diversity. "They spawn, but those spawn are being consumed by non-native fish. It precludes establishing self-sustaining populations."
The proposed relisting acknowledges that "recruitment of razorback sucker to the adult life stage remains rare in all but one population, and the species currently depends on management actions in order for populations to be resilient."
Chart said Fish and Wildlife has and will work with its partners to address climate change's effects in the future, especially when it concerns water flow.
"Fundamental to this decision is the razorback sucker is not at risk of extinction now," he said. "We still have a lot of work to do."
Top Elected Officials On Hopi Reservation Seek Second Term – Associated Press
The top two elected officials on the Hopi reservation are seeking another term in office.
The Hopi Election Board recently certified the candidates for the election scheduled later this year. Chairman Tim Nuvangyaoma and Vice Chairman Clark Tenakhongva are running for a second consecutive four-year term.
Nuvangyaoma is among four seeking the chairman's post. He'll face David Norton Talayumptewa, a member of the Tribal Council and former U.S. Bureau of Indian Education official, whom he beat in the 2017 general election.
Former Vice Chairman Alfred Lomaquahu Jr. and Andrew Qumyintewa also are running for chairman. Hopis will narrow the list to two in the September primary election.
The race for vice chairman has two candidates, including the incumbent, Tenakhongva. He and Craig Andrews, who also serves on the Tribal Council, will automatically move on to the November general election.
The Hopi reservation in northeastern Arizona is completely surrounded by the much-larger Navajo Nation with its villages situated among three mesas. The Hopi Tribe has more than 14,600 enrolled members, not all of whom live on the reservation, according to the Hopi Enrollment Office.
Like other tribes, Hopi struggled through the coronavirus pandemic, enacting tough restrictions to keep COVID-19 from spreading further. Around 1,300 Hopis have been infected with the virus since the pandemic began.
During a public forum last month, the candidates for chairman and vice chairman recognized the toll the virus has taken on the reservation where wearing masks is still required and the tribe is slowly reopening.
"It's not part of Hopi, it's not part of our culture out here, but yet we have to follow that to save each one of us," Tenakhongva said. "We've lost a lot of people."
Thousands of Hopis are eligible to vote in this year's elections but aren't required to register. Turnout for the 2017 election was low, with about 1,620 votes cast.
The Hopi chairman and vice chairman run separately. Much of their authority comes from the Tribal Council, which functions like a city government. The chairman presides over meetings but doesn't vote except to break a tie.