First-come, first-served hurts the underserved

Staff Reports

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Tom Udall, D-NM and Martin Heinrich, D-NM and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján, D-NM, Deb Haaland, D-NM, and Xochitl Torres Small, D-NM are raising concerns with the U.S. Treasury Department and the Small Business Administration’s implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan process. The delegation is urging Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza to improve the guidance for these programs so that struggling small businesses and nonprofits in New Mexico can receive desperately needed federal assistance and...

Staff Reports

Beginning April 8, the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions is offering one time stimulus payment in the amount of $750 each to self-employed individuals affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. he Self-Employed Stimulus Payment will be available to the first 2,000 applicants that qualify. The opportunity is funded by $1.5 Million from the Rapid Response Layoff Aversion program under the directive of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

Self-employed individuals are able to apply after logging into www.jobs.state.nm.us and then clicking on the SESP link located on their My Workforce Connection page. Once we reach 2,000 qualified applications, this link will be...

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — The total number of positive tests for COVID-19 has reached 1,042 for the Navajo Nation as of Thursday – an increase of 121 positive cases since Wednesday, according to the Navajo Department of Health and Navajo Area Indian Health Service, in coordination with the Navajo Epidemiology Center. The report also includes 3,440 total negative test results as of Thursday. There is now a total of 41 confirmed deaths related to COVID-19. 

The 1,042 confirmed positive cases include the following counties:Navajo County, Ariz.: 306Apache County, Ariz.: 147Coconino County, Ariz.: 199McKinley County, N.M.: 203San Juan County, N.M.: 140Cibola County, N.M.: 13San Juan County...

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer announced a new Public Health Emergency Order, extending the 57-hour weekend curfew for two additional weekends in the month of April and closing essential businesses during weekend curfews due to community spread of COVID-19. As of April 15, the total number of positive COVID-19 cases reached 921 with 38 deaths.

The first weekend curfew will begin at 8 pm on April 17 and ends on April 20 at 5 am. The second weekend curfew will begin at 8 pm on April 24 and ends on April 27 at 5 am.

“The previous 57-hour weekend curfew was effective in keeping people safe at home and we’re optimistic that the...