Page 15 - Mount Taylor News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

A mining company and government agencies repeatedly said they’d clean up waste in Homestake, New Mexico. Instead, they’re buying out homeowners.

The “death map” tells the story of decades of sickness in the small northwest New Mexico communities of Murray Acres and Broadview Acres. Turquoise arrows point to homes where residents had thyroid disease, dark blue arrows mark cases of breast cancer, and yellow arrows mean cancer claimed a life. Neighbors built the map a decade ago after watching relatives and friends fall ill and die. Dominating the top right corner of the map, less than half a mile from the cluster of colorful arrows, sits what residents believe is the cause of their sickness: 22.2 million tons of uranium waste left ...

Time and again, mining company Homestake and government agencies promised to clean up waste from decades of uranium processing. It didn’t happen. Now they’re trying a new tactic: buying out homeowners to avoid finishing the job.

Ruby Hubbard creates works of art in the form of Navajo rugs at Hubbell Trading Post in Arizona. There's still time to see her at work. Here's how.

Officials in New Mexico recently celebrated the purchase of about 54,000 acres to create its largest state-owned recreation area, and it’s one of the biggest public land acquisitions in the U.S. this year.