Riva Duncan is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. She is vice president of Grassroots Wildland Firefighters. By Riva Duncan, Guest columnist. You probably don’t see wildland firefighters on the job because they usually work in remote areas. But with wildfires moving […]
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Opinion
AI Is Here—Are we ready?
Corner to Corner by Diane Denish. Diane Denish is a lifelong advocate for children and a former lieutenant governor of New Mexico. Contact her at diane@dianedenish.com AI is the newest buzzword in the world of technology and its use is growing every day. Many of us are curious about what it really is and more […]
Posted inCommunity Content, Congress & Federal Gov.
East Mountains flashback: Historic home At Los Alamitos
By Rick Holben Located just south of Tijeras in Cedro Canyon, Los Alamitos was once a small community within the Cañon de Carnué Land Grant, and a 1893 land grant map shows the community as home to six families. In 1902, however, the U.S. government drastically reduced the grant from the 90,000 acres granted to […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico Statewide News, Opinion & Analysis
If you must hold committee hearings at 1 am, what’s wrong with your bill?
This week, the administration’s budget-and-more bill passed the House by a single vote. After the Memorial Day recess, it will be heard by the Senate via the budget reconciliation process, meaning it can pass with a simple majority. It’s no secret that the federal budget process is broken. Case in point: this budget bill, with […]
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Letter to the Editor: City must invest in affordable housing, community support
Dear Editors and concerned citizens, I am writing regarding the ongoing sweeps of homeless encampments in Albuquerque. City police and sanitation workers have been, for the past year and a half, gathering en masse at outdoor campsites, terrorizing (and sometimes assaulting) residents and throwing all of their property into trash trucks and hauling it away. […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Housing & Homelessness
Reel Gems – Overlooked Films Currently Streaming: Your Sister’s Sister (2011)
By Douglas Wood Rated R Currently streaming on Prime and YouTube If ever there was a romantic comedy that was doomed to fail it would surely be Your Sister’s Sister, a three-person chamber piece written and directed by the late Lynn Shelton with improvised dialogue by the leading players. The film was made in a […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico Statewide News, Opinion & Analysis
Peaking in the Permian?
We are all too aware of New Mexico’s dependence on the oil and gas industry. I’m not the only one noting that our economy is not diversified enough or that our state budget is scarily dependent on it. We talk of the cliff we are driving toward. That cliff is alarmingly close. West Texas Intermediate […]
Opinion
The best of the billionaires
Recently, Warren Buffett surprised his shareholders by announcing he was stepping aside as the CEO of Berkshire Hathway Warren Buffett is not like other billionaires who show off their wealth with rocket ships or spend it buying political favor. He’s the best of the billionaires. Financial journalist Andrew Sorokin termed him the “conscience of capitalism.” […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Opinion & Analysis
The elements of a major trade deal
Thursday, an announcement was made from the Oval Office, featuring British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on speakerphone, lauding the first “very large” trade deal reached since tariffs were enacted last month. As I write this 24 hours later, the key building blocks of a White House trade deal have been revealed. From the document posted […]
Opinion
Workers’ comp task force was a model for future legislation
In 1990, Raymond Sanchez took on the trial lawyers and won. Yes, that Raymond Sanchez. At the time he was Speaker of the House. Supporting that effort was none other than Marty Chavez. Yes, that Marty Chavez. Chavez was then a state senator. The challenge was workers’ compensation. Workers’ comp insurance in New Mexico had […]