By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — It was a frigid winter morning when authorities found a Native American man dead on a remote gravel road in western New Mexico. He was lying on his side, with only one sock on, his clothes gone and his shoes tossed in the snow. There […]
New Mexico Statewide News
The blind spot in the state’s most expensive election so far this year
By DANIELLE PROKOP AND PATRICK LOHMANN / Source NM The primary race for Albuquerque’s top prosecutor job is the most expensive in the state so far, between incumbent Sam Bregman and challenger Damon Martinez. But a gap in disclosure laws means voters have less information about one candidate’s finances and potential conflicts than the other’s. The sharp increase […]
NM Efforts to Catalog Lead Water Lines Off to ‘Slow Start’ as Federal Money Flows In
Millions in federal dollars are headed to 10 New Mexico communities to address lead and copper pipes in local water systems. State finance officials said other municipalities need to act soon and apply to receive what’s left of the $28.6 million New Mexico received in its portion of the $3 billion from the 2021 Bipartisan […]
Heinrich introduces bill to help teachers afford houses
Decrying the near-impossibility of homeownership for many educators, two Democratic members of Congress have introduced legislation designed to help bring that goal within reach. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich announced the bill Monday during a meeting with educators in Albuquerque. U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California has introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives. The […]
‘How Do You Approve an Underground Toxic Waste Dump Without Telling Nobody?’
By Jerry Redfern / Capital & Main In late 2022, an oil and gas production company petitioned the state of New Mexico to turn a water well into a waste disposal well in the northwest corner of the state. It sits on a plot of state land surrounded by tribal and federal property, and less than […]
Top water official in New Mexico to retire as state awaits decision in Rio Grande case
ASSOCIATED PRESS / ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. New Mexico’s top water official will be stepping down next month, wrapping up a four-decade career that has included work on water projects from New Mexico and Colorado to Texas. Mike Hamman has served as the state engineer for the past two years and previously led an irrigation district that […]
Civil suit settled in shooting at Oñate Protest
By MORGAN LEE / Associated Press A settlement has been reached in a civil lawsuit seeking damages from three relatives in the shooting of a Native American activist in northern New Mexico amid confrontations about a statue of a Spanish conquistador and aborted plans to reinstall it in public, according to court documents published Tuesday. […]
Lujan Grisham and other Western governors call on Congress to expand compensation for downwinders
This story is republished from Utah News Dispatch as a part of our commitment to bringing you the best in independent news coverage that matters to Albuquerque. BY KYLE DUNPHEY / UTAH NEWS DISPATCH A letter signed by New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is garnering more support from several other Western governors calling on Congress […]
66 Teams Participate in Cerrillos Burro Race
Elizabeth McCall, The Independent Hundreds of people from around the state gathered in the historic mining town of Cerrillos on May 4 for its third annual Turquoise Trail Pack Burro Race. Pack burro racing is a sport that originated to honor the impact burros had in establishing mining communities like Cerrillos and Madrid. Shane Weigand, […]
New Mexico high court upholds man’s 3 murder convictions in 2018 shooting deaths near Dixon
ASSOCIATED PRESS / SANTA FE, N.M. The New Mexico Supreme Court has upheld a man’s murder convictions in the 2018 shooting deaths of three people near the community of Dixon. In a unanimous decision, the state’s high court concluded Monday that there was sufficient evidence to support John Powell’s convictions of three counts of first-degree […]