The 2020 Presidential Election is getting closer, and organizers and supporters of both political parties are gearing up.

Whether it is encouraging people to register to vote or building support for their respective candidates, the coming weeks will be a frenzy for groups like the Democratic Party of New Mexico.

As part of getting the word out about being registered to vote and voting safely, DPNM recently brought on a director exclusively for outreach to Tribal nations, Kianna Holian.

The Sun spoke with Holian about her role and the upcoming election on Sept. 23.

WHY OUTREACH?

Originally from the Pueblo of Cochiti, Holian attended the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, which...

Growers are persistent

The Navajo Police Department has been addressing hemp farm issues since 2019, when hemp growth was first reported.

Now the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission is being called in to help.

On Sept 18, the Shiprock District Court approved a Navajo Nation motion for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction order to stop hemp farm cultivation and an extensive operation to enforce that decision was initiated.

An estimated 36 hemp farms have been identified in the Shiprock, Cudeii, Hogback and Fruitland, N.M. areas. Several officers from each district have been assigned to address complaints related to hemp farm operations.

Despite the...

Missing, murdered Indigenous peoples’ crisis to be addressed

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz.— Members of the 24th Navajo Nation Council expressed appreciation on the passage of Savanna’s Act by the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 21. Savanna’s Act directs the Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice to begin addressing missing or murdered Native Americans on a countrywide scale through Tribal consultation and the development of inter-agency case management and reporting protocols. The same day, the House also approved the Not Invisible Act which creates the U.S. Department of the Interior and the USDOJ joint commission on reducing violent crime against Indians.

“As...

Week ending Friday, September 18, 2020


Avian Tragedy

Scientists are trying to determine what caused untold thousands of migratory birds to fall from the sky dead or dying across parts of the Southwestern U.S. The songbird fatalities could be linked to the thick pall of wildfire smoke they flew through en route from Alaska and Canada to their winter grounds in Central or South America. Or they could have used up their fat reserves trying to fly around it before they perished in New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Arizona and parts of Nebraska. Some fear the smoke damaged their lungs. “They’re literally just feathers and bones,” New Mexico State University graduate student Allison Salas...