The FBI announced last week that agents have finally been able to track down a Shiprock man who was being sought for hitting a BIA Police Officer who was trying to get him to exit his vehicle.

A press release from the FBI said the incident occurred near the Shiprock High School on Jan. 22. Two men, one a Navajo police officer and the other an official for the BIA, neither of whom were identified by name in court records, were driving on a service road near the high school when they came upon a car parked in the middle of the roadway.

They smelled the odor of marijuana being emitted from inside the vehicle.

The BIA official walked up to the driver’s side door and saw Derrick Begay...

As several tribal casinos around Phoenix and Tucson prepare to reopen after May 15, officials for the Navajo Gaming Enterprise are still taking a wait-and-see attitude.

Brian Parrish, interim CEO of the enterprise, had already announced in late April the four Navajo casinos would be closed until at least May 17, and with deaths in the area still rising because of the COVID-19 coronavirus, no one is expecting the casinos to be open in the near future.

Parrish said this is partly in concern for the families and friends of the 1,000-plus employees of the casino.

“They live in 105 of the tribe’s 110 chapters and we don’t want them bringing the virus home with them when they return...

SANTA FE - Gov. Michelle Lujan-Grisham announced modifications to the public health order in our state May 13.

The governor and members of her cabinet met with reporters in a virtual video conference, updating New Mexicans on numbers, modifying requirements for retailers and requiring citizens to wear masks in public.

Present at the news conference was Dr. David Scrase, the Human Services Secretary and Kathy Kunkel, Secretary for the New Mexico Department of Health.

BY THE NUMBERS

As of May 13, there are 5,364 total positive COVID-19 cases in New Mexico. In total, 200 individuals are in the hospital. Fifty-two are on ventilators.

As of the May 13 news conference, the governor said...

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – The Navajo Department of Health in coordination with the Navajo Epidemiology Center and the Navajo Area Indian Health Service reported 141 new cases of COVID-19 for the Navajo Nation, and a total of 127 deaths as of May 14. Preliminary reports from a few health care facilities indicate that approximately 515 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, with more reports still pending.

This week, the Navajo Epidemiology Center worked closely with healthcare providers to conduct a quality assurance assessment on the number of COVID-19 cases. Due to cross jurisdictional challenges and longer than normal verification processes, an additional 99 previously unreported...