Candidate To Be Questioned On Navajo Proficiency - The Associated Press
A hearing officer on the Navajo Nation has put off a decision on whether a presidential candidate is fluent enough in the tribe's language to qualify for the top elected post.
Richie Nez of the Navajo Office of Hearings and Appeals says he will reconvene a hearing to answer that question after a deposition next week.
Candidate Chris Deschene will be questioned Monday on his ability to speak Navajo in a way that satisfies a standard set by the tribe's Supreme Court.
The high court last week sent the case back to Nez after ruling that the fluency requirement for presidential hopefuls cannot be disregarded.
Deschene says fluency is hard to define but that he has communicated well in Navajo with voters on the campaign trail. His critics say he lied about his language proficiency.
NM Corrections Pulls Women From Halfway House – The Associated Press
New Mexico Department of Corrections officials have pulled female inmates from a halfway house named in a sexual assault lawsuit.
Corrections spokeswoman Alex Tomlin said Friday officials took the women out of the New Life Recovery House in Alamogordo and have launched an internal investigation.
Three women have sued a New Mexico motel owner and the director of the halfway house, saying they were repeatedly sexually assaulted at work and threated with being sent back to prison when they complained.
The women say they were assigned by the halfway house's director to work at a nearby Super 8 Motel where they were harassed, subjected to lewd conduct and inappropriately touched by owner.
Tomlin says previous random inspections of the facility found no wrongdoing.
The owner of the house declined to comment.
Corrections Dept. Seeking Donated Dog Supplies – The Associated Press
The New Mexico Department of Corrections is seeking dog supply donations.
Officials said this week they are asking residents for help with a program that allows inmates to care and train shelter dogs from the Animal Services Center of Mesilla Valley.
The animals get temporary housing and the inmates learn new dog training skills.
Officials say the department is in need of blankets, dog crates and food bowls.
The program is one of many aimed at training inmates with new skills.