According to news outlets, people are planting. Why? Humans want to become more self-sufficient because of the pandemic. Having available food at the backdoor is comforting. Picking your own produce is pleasant. Spending time outdoors is refreshing.

The 50th anniversary of Earth Day in 2020 coincided with the coronavirus outbreak, which may have factored into the seed-buying craze. Whatever the reason, growing vegetables is a good thing. By the way, tomatoes are classified as a fruit.

“The victory garden movement began during World War I and called on Americans to grow food in whatever spaces they could — rooftops, fire escapes, empty lots, backyards. It maintained that there...

COVID-19 has hit Native American communities harder than most. As a member of Isleta Pueblo, I am deeply concerned. Currently, the New Mexico Department of Health’s website reports that Native Americans account for nearly 50 percent of our state’s COVID-19 cases, and there is no telling what that number could be by the time you read this.

To make matters even worse, the Native population also has the highest uninsured rate in New Mexico.

As a lifelong advocate for the health and well-being of Native Americans, I worry that many of our community members will not have access to the healthcare they may need during this pandemic. At beWellnm, we want to make sure Native Americans...

The COVID-19 crisis has shown how quickly life can change.  But it also has shown how much we need one another, that we are a community, looking out for one another, taking care of one another and being responsible for and to one another.

Because of that commitment to our neighbors, we had to shut down the economy, an action which has reverberated down Main Street, hurting us both personally and as a state. New Mexico now faces an unprecedented budget shortfall of up to $2 billion which will require the governor to call a special session of the legislature to address the deficit.

Extremely difficult decisions will face our lawmakers. Less than three months ago they returned to...

Invest in people more than oil, gas

ALBUQUERQUE - New Mexico Voices for Children’s Executive Director James Jimenez released a statement  in response to the state revenue estimates announced May 6.

“While the forecast is as grim as expected, the state is better prepared for this economic downturn than it has been in the past. With federal relief and the state’s record-high reserves, New Mexico is well-positioned to make a few minor budget adjustments in the June special session. However, next year we must make some changes to our tax code in order to create more stable revenue for the long term.

The revenue estimate highlights how overly dependent New Mexico is on revenue from...